Day 169 – When it rains, it pours!

Wake up to a very heavy downpour of rain – several in the night too – we have been told more than a few timea that Queensland’s wet season is very wet!

Have a coffee and some porridge each before shower to exit our cabin into the natural showers

Grab another coffee to go from the Tasman Parks Cafe, by reception, as we check out – enjoy by the sea briefly at, South Mission Beach

Got a fair few kilometres to cover today so we make tracks for our first place where we want to take a break

Cardwell Spa Pool looks similar to Iceland’s Blue Lagoon with it’s radiant light blue colouration

…Unfortunately, thanks to “Awful Campers” (our updated name for the campervan rental company of our rust bucket), we can’t get near as the roads leading to it are unsealed and that’s a big no no on the rental agreement – grr!

Anyways, we carry on and reach Cardwell Park Rest Area for a little pee and re-caffienation break, from The Aroma Van

Another place that’s not great to swim with the scaley residents but a nice view of Hitchinbrook Island

Back in the car, we aim to make a stop at Jourama Falls

…Again, we’re out of luck as the road becomes a gravelled and unsealed

On the road again, we try and find somewhere to stop briefly to make some lunch – signs along the Bruce Highway for another option so we take it

Big Crystal Creek has signs for a gravel road but none to be seen and we’re able to park up finally!

Seems we’re not the only ones wanting some lunch – we get surrounded by 15 Brush Turkeys whilst preparing our wraps ????

We wonder away with our food to around the corner where there’s a place to go in for a dip, called Paradise Waterhole

Very quaint area of water away from the main current of the creek; we have a cheeky paddle

It’s been a break of rain for the last hour which has been nice too

To the car again, we make our way into Townsville – quick stop at K Mart for a couple reusable coffee mugs for the car and then into the centre

Castle Hill seems dead in the middle and you can drive to the top so we do so

It’s started to pour again so we wait a little before getting out to enjoy the views – you can even see where we’re headed tomorrow!

Last time we’re in the car today to get us to a car park and take our bits and bobs to a hotel for the night: Madison Plaza

Get set up in our room and then head down to the basement pool

It’s pretty nippy so it’s a brief encounter before we get back upstairs to freshen up and head out for some noms

We stroll Townsville’s Strand (the high street, basically) and settle for one of the first places we came by, on their food court area called City Lane

The TapHouse has a burger special on today we just can’t refuse – a chicken burger and a brisket burger with a cider and a larger