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Up early this morning, and out of Innisfail by 8am, to continue our homeward bound journey. The weather decided it would suit the occasion, by coming over grey and gloomy, and even spitting light rain every now and then. Heading south, closer to home, approaching the end... Townsville was our destination today, only 250km away, but we wanted to get there with enough time left in the day to be able to do something, so we stuck with our plan of up and away as soon as possible, and not waste time. We had a brief stop along the way, at Frosty Mango again, for a light morning tea and cuppa, and we made it to Townsville before lunch time. We checked in to BIG4 Walkabout Palms, but didn't get the ensuite we thought we'd booked, but it's only for 2 nights, so we chose not to make a fuss. (Who wants to be those people?) I can't believe how busy they are here. There's about 30 ensuite sites, and they're all full. There's about 30 - 40 powered sites, and it looks like they're full also, and there's about 20 cabins or more, and most of them are occupied as well. We just came from Innisfail, and there were 5 vans in the whole park, including us, and 1 cabin occupied. As a matter of fact, on the whole trip, I think the only other parks to be as busy as here, were Port Augusta and Dubbo... Maybe it's all the southerners on their way north, now that the decent weather has finally arrived, and we've just started to run into them? Having said that, I get the feeling it's also going to be one of the noisiest parks to try to get to sleep in also. There's quite a few big groups, and they've started already...
We set up quickly, (it's easy now, and we're really good at it), and made our way into the main part of town along the waterfront. Townsville is the largest city in north Queensland, and when you get into it, it's quite a substantial place. There's a massive Army base here, and I suppose much of the city revolves around that. It's not as touristy as Cairns, and the city isn't as well presented, but it's still very nice and modern. The weather has improved as well, and the sun is out, although clouds are still hanging around. The forecast is for fine weather for the next couple of days, so we'll enjoy that for as long as we can get it. We had lunch along the foreshore esplanade, known as The Strand, and decided to go and visit the main tourist attraction in town, known as Reef HQ.
Reef HQ is the largest living coral reef aquarium in the world, and it truly is massive. There are numerous aquariums showing all types of marine environments and habitats, but the centrepiece, and it's pride and joy, is the replica of the Barrier Reef coral aquarium. It's enormous, and the coral and fish are beautiful, and you could sit and watch them all day. Because it's man made, all the coral has been selected to show the best and brightest colours, in the best possible light, and to the best effect. Likewise, all the fish are pretty and exciting, and because it's such a huge aquarium, there's thousands of them in all shapes and sizes, every where you look. It's like watching the opening scenes of Nemo... We snorkelled on the real reef while in Cairns, and although I preffered that to the aquarium, because we were there and in it, it didn't look like this. It didn't have the massive variety of fish and coral that were on display here, because it was natural, and those conditions didn't suit particular species, so they weren't present. You know what I mean... Here, in an artificial reef, with perfect conditions day in, day out, everything is going to survive and thrive, and look great... They also have a very large, active and dedicated sea turtle hospital, and they do tours through it to show you the work they do to rehabilitate sick and injured turtles, and there's nobody (with a pulse anyway), who doesn't love big sea turtles. They're just so harmless and appealing, that you can't help but appreciate them when you see them for real. One of the aquariums actually had a sunken ship inside it, with sharks and larger, predator type fish swimming around. This was also a popular attrction, but when a turtle swam into view, everybody oohed and aahed at it. They were the show stopper... We spent the best part of the afternoon here, and we all really enjoyed it, and Jeremy mentioned he'd like to have a go at diving... I might try too, if we get the chance...
After the aquarium, we took a drive up the local lookout, called Castle Hill. This is a massive hill right in the middle of town, with amazing views in all directions. 360 degree panorama of Townsville, from out to sea right back to the distant mountains. It's a perfect lookout spot to take in the surrounding country, and would make an ideal sunset or sunrise viewing... We didn't stay that long though, we came back to the park to organise tomorrow's activities, and get ready for dinner. Jo has an old primary school friend that lives here in Townsville, and has arranged to meet up with her tomorrow afternoon. Jo was her bridesmaid 20 years ago, but they haven't seen each other since then, and although they send birthday cards and christmas cards, contact has been minimal. She's one of those friends though, that you can just pick up the phone and carry on like you've never been apart, so Jo's really looking forward to catching up with her again. The plan is to take the car ferry across to Magnetic Island and tour around, and come back in the afternoon, so the two of them can have their reunion. That might lead to dinner etc, but we'll play it by ear and see what their plans are.
I'll let you know how we get on tomorrow night...
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Ginny Hi guys. Have caught up with all your blogs now that the grandchildren have gone home. We had a great time and about the only thing Kasey didn't do was go for a ride on the tractor with Poppy (Tony). They both had colds and they have left Ninny with a little present. Now I have my own cold to share. Haven't had one for years so I'm feeling a little sorry for myself but I have dosed myself up with codral, panadol and anything else I can find, hopefully this will kill it. You mentioned that you would like to have a go at diving, this is something I have wanted to do for years but never had the opportunity so if you do you will have to let us know how it was. Once again have fun, stay safe and big hugs to all. Love T&G