Wandering after Cardwell

This morning we packed up and decided we did not really have far to go so there was no real rush. Anyway, we said our goodbyes to our long time friends, Paul and Robyn.

We drove out of the Caravan Park and drove a very short distance to the Vivia Cafe for cappuccinos and toast or muffin. Lovely coffee. While there we spoke with a family from Switzerland who were traveling in a motor home. They were south bound so we mentioned some things we had seen. The man had been in Australia a bit longer than his family and had seen a lot of the top parts of Australia. He had also been to Lennox Head.

Check out this map as it will display where we traveled today. 

Our next stop was the most wet town in Australia, Tully. When we arrived we parked  and wandered over to the big boot that shows the height of previous major floods and inside it has some photos of previous floods.

As we drove to Tully, we noticed more destruction to the environment and buildings from the Cyclone Yasi. This was in the area of severe damage. In the town, we noticed some buildings that had sustained damage and we went into a fish shop to buy some fish and even its entry was till temporary.

Then we set off towards Mission Beach. As we drove along we stopped briefly to take a photo of a Cassowary that was beside the road. They are very shy but dangerous birds. We then did a short drive into Wongaling Beach taking in the damage to the area.

Then we drove into the Mission Beach village area and parked. We were greeted by about 6 parachutists landing on the beach. It is a lovely beach but it has been damaged by the cyclone and is now recovering rapidly.  While there we had another cappuccino each and it is about the best I have had for some time. Prue purchased some postage stamps while there.

We then drove out to the highway again, coming out at El Arish. Following along the highway, we soon arrived at Silkwood and turned right towards Kurrimine Beach. I stayed here last year but the caravan park is closed for repairs and even the hotel is not yet open again. We had our lunch in the park.

After our lunch, we drove out to the unusual named Murdering Creek Winery. We sampled their products, which I did last year, and then made our purchases for later consumption!

Next we stopped in the village of Silkwood.  It is very tiny and actually has what is possibly the smallest former bank building. While stopped we went and purchased several magazines from the little shop.

As we walked back to the vehicle, a big water tanker stopped beside us and the driver hopped out and walked towards us. He said to us that he and his wife had been parked beside us on our first night out at Kilcoy. He said he came home and ended helping out driving the truck but seeing us has made him anxious to get on the road again. What a coincidence!

Our final short drive for the day, refer to the above map, was to a free camp site just near Japoonvale beside a beautiful creek. There was only one camper van here but by dark there was another caravan and 2 more camper vans. The later part of the evening was sitting around a small camp fire and chatting.

Just after we had arrived and set up, another couple were just driving by and stopped for a look and chat. They are from Lismore, Col and Dianne. Col is a Life Member of Lismore Tuckarimba Apex and of course they know all the past Apexians we know around home. They will be camped near us at our next stop, Paronella Park. A small world again.