townsville - day 10 - ROAD TRIP!

DAY 9 - 31 Aug

This morning we checked out of the hotel at 9:30 and had brunch on the Esplanade: poached eggs with bacon, grilled tomato, wilted rocket (same as arugula) and buttered toast. We walked around a bit then grabbed our swimmers (swimsuits) and headed to the community pool, 'The Lagoon'. Everyone swims there as the beach is nothing but a mudflat, with the possibility of encountering Esturarine Crocs and marine stingers like the Box Jellyfish (DEADLY!). And here's the road trippin'...

Cairns (via Bruce Hwy South)

--> Gillies Hwy (really windy and twisty!)

--> Yungaburra Pub (with a stop inside for a drink and chat with locals, all 5 of them)

--> Atherton (driving through the Atherton Tablelands)

--> Tolga (here we stopped at Tolga Woodworks and admired the gorgeous pieces of local woodworkers and furniture-makers, also having a tasty lunch: sandwich w.eggplant, capsicum [bell pepper], sundried tom and cheeze on toasted bread with salad... then finished off with HOT CHOCOLATE, YUMMY!)

--> Kennedy Hwy (note: this is where I experienced my first time driving on the L side of the road WHILE driving a manual shift car with my L hand [YOWSA!] ON A thin road where if someone's coming on the other side you have to place the two L wheels off the road onto the side [no shoulders!]... needless to say we came about 6" to the local guy who came flying past in the opposite direction... I almost had my first heart attack!)

--> Millaa Millaa (Waterfalls: Millaa Millaa, Zillie and Elinjaa - we put our feet in, BRRR!)

--> Palmerston Hwy

--> back to the Bruce Hwy

--> and 'home' to Townsville!