Last night on the road

After leaving Mount Isa we are now desperate to get to the coast.  We overnight in a small caravan park at a tiny place called Pentalnd and next morning head to one of our favourite places...Mission Beach.
In Townsville we start to enjoy the greenery and the drive north is just beautiful.  It is obvious there has been unseasonal rain and the countryside is vastly different to what we have been driving through. I am grateful every minute for the safe journey so far.
In Mission Beach we stop for lunch and spot an elusive cassowary on the way to our B and B. And there it is tucked into the rainforest, a peaceful place surrounded by beautiful gardens. We are greeted by a delightful host who delivers a lovely cup of tea in fine china with some homemade cake, on a deck that takes in our gorgeous surroundings.
We take in a deep breath and begin to relax.  I can't resist a dip in the pool. Steve has done all the driving...presumably becaue it's safer, and I feel he needs a good rest.  We opt to buy a pizza and just enjoy our cosy room. This is bliss!
Tomorrow it's off to Cairns and then home to Cooktown...at last!

Queenland here we come!

Out of Darwin and on the road again, southbound back through Katherine. We find a little gem of a place to pull up for a cold drink and are entertained by birds we've never seen. The male has a pink plume at the back of his head and likes to show it off....typical male! First he turns this way, then that, and finally he turns around and I don't quite capture the pink frill emtirely but we are both impressed with his display.
Onward to Mataranka for the night, which naturally includes a dip in the crystal clear thermal pools..divine!
The next day is huge.  I am desperate to get into Queenland and we drive hour after hour, through cattle country as the sun sets, until finally I see the border sign....YAY!!! We are in our home state.
We are exhausted and hope to find some place to stay at Camooweal.  Unfortunately it's Friday night and as we arrive in this small outback place we notice people are spilling onto the streets, the police are out in force and the only accomoodation looks risky.....Oh no, it's dark, we are tired and we have to drive another 2 and a half hours to Mount Isa....

Crossing Borders

Leaving behind the amazing Kimberleys, we trek on over the border...our first time into the Northern Territory. We are staying in another van park in Katherine with our good friends and their travelling companions.  It's a good place to stock up on some food and that night we all sit around (wine in hand!) and listen to a dutchman playing the accordian.A woman who also has an accordian joins him and although they have never met each other, they play their music as if they've been doing it together for years.  They draw a good crowd and Julie and I sing along to some great Aussie favourites.  I think of my Mother who would have encouraged the whole crowd to join in.
Next day we say goodbye to our mates promising to meet in some other part of Australia, and Steve and I venture North and do a loop through  Litchfield National Park.  We stop at Wangi Falls and although it's pretty, there are a lot of tourists and quite frankly we have equally beautiful falls around Cooktown...without the people!  When we stop for our morning coffee  under a bridge we notice the debris from earlier flood waters....not hard to see that an incredible volume of water flows through the area in the wet season!
Onward to Darwin where we take in some of the city and settle in to a nice B and B for the night.  Am loving the tropics, especially the frangipanis, and throw some in my hair as we make our way to dinner at a great Italian restaurant overlooking the marina.
Kakadu was on the agenda but we decided to leave that till after a big wet and also when we are not short of time.....we are eager to get into Queensland.