Port Douglas

Thursday morning we left Cooktown, had hoped to get away around the 8am mark, but by the time everyone has a chat while you are hooking up it was a little after 9am before we left. Travelling back we stopped at the Black Mountain Lookout, this imposing mountain range is massive granite boulders and also marks the end of northern end of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Further along the road we had another stop to take some pictures of the ranges in the distance and it was the last of the steep descents until Mt Molloy.

Stopping at Mt Molloy pub for lunch, then it was time to descend the steep twisty mountain that required using 2nd and 3rd gear and boosting up the caravan brakes then it's out onto the Captain Cook Hwy and onto the Glengarry Big 4 Caravan Park which is about 8klm from Port Douglas, we are staying here until Saturday. This morning we went into Port Douglas and had a walk up the main shopping drag, Bazza then set his sights on a Coffee and of course a slice of cheesecake.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we are off down to Cairns and will be staying there for a 2 week rest, and will also catch up with Pauline, Les, Carlene and Rex.

Cooktown

Hot and Humid !

Tonight is our last night here in Cooktown, we have really enjoyed our stay in this lovely town, we had originally booked into the Caravan Park for 3 nights but ended up extending it to 6. The only problem we have had is the midge bites, must have got them the first night here and we have been scratching and itching for days ! Have now been given a recipe for a potion to keep them away, it is equal parts of Detol, Baby Oil and Citronella Oil not the best smelling but it must work as we don't think we have any new bites. We were at the supermarket buying all sorts of sprays and lotions and someone said to us "you must be from down south, the midge's love southerner's !"

Our first day here we ventured up Grassy Hill to where the Lighthouse is located and the lookout gives you a panoramic view of Cooktown, the Endeavour River and Coral Sea. James Cook climbed the hill on several occasions to view the surrounding reefs enabling him to navigate a safe passage out after repairing his ship. The lighthouse was built in England and was shipped to Cooktown in 1885.

Cooktown has lovely Heritage buildings dating back to the 1800's many others have been destroyed either by a fire that went through the town or the cyclone in 1949. It is hard to imagine the town when it had 50 pubs, it now has only 3 remaining. The Captain Cook Museum is housed in what was a Convent School that was left empty at the start of WW11, when the nuns were advised to move to the Tablelands where they would be safer, the building then housed communications during the war.

Yesterday we went to the Botanical Gardens to have a look around, only lasted there about 20 minutes before Bazza thought it would be better going for a Coffee and Cheesecake at Jackey Jackey's Cafe.

Today we went along to the Bowls Club and had a game of social bowls, it was very hot and they did not have any shades. As soon as we arrived back at the Caravan Park I was off to the pool to bring down that core temperature as I was getting a little grumpy ! Temperature here today was 27 degrees with a humidity of 80%.

Since being here we have also run into some friends that used to live in Lauderdale, David and Lenice, I was in the pool and saw this couple checking out the camp kitchen and pool area and I thought I recognised them, they were thinking the same thing. It has been great catching up with them and hearing about their travels and plans for the future.

Cook Museum (Old Catholic Convent)