To hold you over until more...

It's been quite an adventure, these last few days.

Here is a short-short-short clip of what we've been up to.

Stay tuned for plenty more..................................

A Day at Chillagoe

We spent a lovely and exhausting day at Chilliagoe.  There we saw the old smelter (fenced off due to the threat of lead poisoning), the Chillagoe caves (breathtaking!, but watch out for spiders and bats!), the Balancing Rock (very big, and a lovely walk to get there), and even got up nice and close to a wedge-tailed eagle.  What a full day!

Mareeba Rodeo

It was great to spend my birthday at another rodeo - our 4th rodeo thus far, and hopefully not the last.

Although the Mareeba arena is massive and the show/carnival behind the stands is enormous, the whole rodeo lacked the amtosphere and friendliness of previous rodeos.  We found the cowboys quite rude and abrupt at times, and I felt segregated to "tourist" status any time I wanted to look and feel a bit like a cowgirl.  It was very hard integrating into the culture of this wonderful institution.  A bit disappointing overall, but the actual rodeo events didn't fail to impress.

At the FX Rodeo a year ago, several animals were injured and later had to be put down.... here at Mareeba, the animals held all the cards, and some competitors were severely injured, with several ambulance trips being made and unconscious competitors.  It just goes to show how seriously the Qld cowboys take their compeition.

Next time, I'll avoid Mareeba, and any of the larger events, and stick to the smaller rustic events, where locals welcome you with open arms, and invite you to break bread and have a drink with them; and the events include poddy-scruffs and wild horse races which are some of the most entertaining and enjoyable events you'll ever see. 

Sorry Mareeba, for all your size and glam, you just didn't fit the bill.

For what it's worth, enjoy the movies and photos - the animals and horses are really first-class!

Some of the competitors...

  

 

Even the kids have a go.....

The carnies and fair... and scary clowns...

Big Al entertains the crowd....

A ride that the bull won... and almost took out a clown in the process....

This horse wasn't too happy being stuck in the chute....

The woodchoppers.... big blokes with little arses!!



My birthday brekky.... pasta with basil pesto cooked outside....

Gilligan's Island

One night at Bramston Beach, south of Cairns, turned into 15 glorious nights.

Bramston Beach is an unknown tropical beach, which attracts a regular group of wonderful funloving grey nomads or retirees (who spend 2 or 3 months here every year) and 7 metres of rain (yes, it's true!) per year.

Our 'caravan park' is owned by property developers, waiting to turn this piece of heaven into 150 residential homes, and, so far, failing in their plight; luckily for us!  The park is highly delipated, with the swimming pool empty and slime-ridden, bungalows rotten and falling, and toilet block dangerously soggy.  In fact, a sagging rafter inside the loos actually fell to the floor during one night of extreme rain.  The heavens opened and 134mm of water fell to earth overnight, forcing us all to examine the waterproofness of our rigs, and enticing us to talk about little else than rain, and the fact that there would be no fishing trips in the near future.

All of that being said, Bramston really does remind me of Gilligan's Island: - coconut palms and rainforest line a brilliant golden beach, barramundi swim idly amongst the mangroves in brown river water, and if you are careful, you might spot crocodiles waiting for lazy birds, lazy fish, or lazy humans!  Raucous birds call from deep in the rainforest, and insects drone all day and night, taking their feast from your arm or leg whenever they can.  Above the treeline, butterflies as big as birds, and birds as small as butterflies, catch a swift breeze and display their beautiful colours.  During the night you will be abruptly woken, stricken by an awful scream like a woman being attacked, which you swiftly recognise as crazy and wild-eyed curlews, otherwise known as "alarm-birds". 

The "Old Farts Fishing Club" meets every night at 5pm in a communal area near the powered sites, and we quickly bond with them.  They tell jokes, have a laugh, and truly demonstrate that age is no barrier to fun... or the consumption of alcohol!  Thursday night is the official fishing club meeting night, and Kiwi John and friends will announce the week's winner and the following week's fishing challenge, with prize money awarded where deserving.  Then, a collection of fines is made; crimes are announced & disputed by the accused, then finally the accused succumbs and pays up (usually a dollar), as Kiwi John waves his red club and taps the empty coffee-tin.  It's all in good fun, and fines and membership fees are paid in good spirits.  The money is returned, of course, via sausage sizzles, steak nights, fish nights, and of course, prize money for those who land a good catch.

We enjoyed a "bring a casserole" night, and my plate was piled high with soup, curry, casserole, stew, potatoes, rice, pasta - you name it!

Kiwi John collects fine money from Bluey.

The Old Farts commubncal area, with caravans and rainforest as our back-drop.  Under the tarps on the right of this photo is a mountain of firewood - Jase was an excellent contributor, splitting several tonnes of wood during our stay ("That's work for you young fellas," the Old Farts would laugh).

Susie and Eve enjoy a drink.  The charis most of us sit on are collected from "Mitre 11" - the local tip around the corner.  Every week a few of the guys wander round and collect goodies.

This is Hoffman, or "Hoffie" for short.  He is the owner's dog, and the only dog allowed to wander without a lead.  In fact, we all agree that Hoffie owns the place, as he often conducts nightly patrols to ensure things are in order.  He is also the only dog allowed to attend our nightly sundowner, largely due to the fact that Hoffie cannot be told to go home!  Here, he has invited himself into our caravan and enjoys a quick cuddle before being evicted.


Photos of Bramston Beach......

The below photo was taken when I took a quick drive and took a heap of photos of this river, about 20 minutes from Bramston.

It's my birthday!

Can you imagine my delight, and intense surprise, when, on Thursday night (opur last night at Bramston), everyone started singing happy birthday and Jase presented the most beautiful cake!!!  Apparently everyone knew it was my birthday, and Terry and Sue arranged to pick up and store my cake.  I was completely gobsmacked!!!!!  Everyone had a piece of cake, and I got lots of hugs and kisses from everyone.  Truly truly touching.....