Townsville (part I)

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Well, on an average day I've been cycling for an hour and a half, walking a chiwawa for an hour and cleaning for six hours! But let me start at the beginning :-)



Townsville was always going to be a major stop on our trip as we couldn’t wait to see our friends Tracey and Jason. None of us had anticipated that it would take us six months to get there though!



With a population of 160,000, Townsville is the third largest city in Queensland. It has a compact centre which, for a city, is surprisingly quiet. Townsville is spread out over a very large area, all of which is flat. That said, it is surrounded by mountains on all sides, making for great views from almost everywhere.



As soon as we arrived, we made a beeline for the Strand, Townsville’s gorgeous foreshore which was opened in 1999 after the old foreshore was severely damaged and eroded by various storms and cyclones. The Strand is just over 2km long and features parks, beaches, holiday accommodation and a lovely rock pool where you can swim without too much worry about the deadly stingers that inhabit the ocean in this area. You also get a great view of Magnetic Island which we will definitely be visiting at some stage. On a topical note, the Strand was also the 'cauldron stop' for Townsville during the Australian leg of the 2000 Sydney Olympics Torch Relay.



Apparently, Townsville gets 320 days of sunshine each year. And, apart from a couple of overcast days, the weather has been infallibly consistent since we arrived here. In a good way, that is. Almost every single day has been sunny and in the mid twenties! Of course we’re only just moving from winter into spring, so I think it’s safe to say that we probably wouldn’t survive a summer here! The area gets extreme temperatures and humidity… and then there are the cyclones and the rain…



We’ve been in town for almost five weeks now and are thoroughly enjoying Tracey and Jason’s company. Thanks you so much guys! We’re so lucky to be able to stay with you and really appreciate it! It’s lovely to be around friends again and it’s awesome to be able to use a proper kitchen… bathroom… tv… bed… you name it!



In the last few weeks, we have got our bearings, searched for jobs and settled into working life again. Dean is driving a forklift and manually (!) unloading tonnes of truck tyres (getting fit and losing weight!), and I have been cleaning at the army base. As with any job, there are good days and bad days. Certainly my least favourite tasks are scrubbing the showers (impossible to do without getting wet) and cleaning the urinals (why can’t blokes just use toilets like the rest of us?!). But after a fortnight, they put me in charge of the same regiment for a week, so it was nice getting to know some of the people and settling into a routine. Each day brought surprises (one day one of the soldiers bought me a drink and another walked into the gents and had a pee while I was cleaning!) and I really appreciated not having to deal with a cranky boss, sit at a computer all day or take work issues home with me. I simply went to work, completed my tasks and went home. I do, however, suspect that I gave too much thought to some things. Life on the base is a stark contrast to normal civilian life and I found myself wondering what motivates people to join the army. Although I realise that we need defense services and that there must be seniors and junior in order to make things work, I am a pacifist at heart and believe that the world would be a much better place without hierarchies and rules that serve no purpose. Once, a soldier actually told off for walking on a field of grass (which turned out to be a parade ground). I mean really?! The world was not going to end just because I stepped on grass. And why wasn’t there a sign to point out that it was a parade ground? But that’s the rule and there’s no questioning it. I am certain that many young men who leave school feel that the army will satisfy their need for action, but I am sure that most of them realise it’s not the action they were had been seeking when they eventually find themselves on the battlefield. See what I mean: I think too much! :-)



Anyway, most of the guys and girls were quite friendly and polite. Surprisingly, I had more women than men be blatantly rude to me. But I suppose they are the minority and constantly have to prove themselves. The other day, I was dusting an office when I overheard three young soldiers admit to each other that they had no idea how to format their Word document. It didn’t take long for me to offer my admin skills and jump right back into ‘PA mode’ for a little while.



Since then, I unfortunately hurt my back at work, so instead of cleaning I am now helping out in the recruitment agent’s office for a fortnight. I’m enjoying that but also missing being outdoors with sunshine and fresh air. I am also supplementing my income with dog walking. My first ‘client’ is a chiwawa by the name of El Toro. Toro is funny and entertaining… and very small. For such a tiny creature, he sure has a lot of energy, and he seems to expect me to run when we go for walks! As anyone who knows me is aware, I do not run.



We’re really pleased to have found work but I’m a bit concerned that, because my pay is so low, I won’t actually be able to contribute much travel money, but all you can really do is give it your best shot. We expect that the rest of the trip will take us another 12 months or so, and plan to stop for work a few more times. I have now got my Food Handling and Responsible Service of Alcohol certificates so that I can do food & beverage work. We anticipate that many jobs in the Northern Territory and Western Australia will be hospitality related.



Some very exciting news is that I have finally enrolled for my nutrition course!! I haven’t done all that much study yet (too busy!) but having committed to this new project is a big milestone for me. Not only is it going back to study, but it’s opening my life to a change of career and a new direction. My ultimate goal is to have my private practice and, because I love writing, producing articles for magazines etc. But one step at a time, and the next step is to find a study routine that works for me and stick to it with dedication. I’m expecting to discover both pros and cons of combining study with travel but only time will tell.



This weekend we are looking after Loki-Dog as Tracey is visiting Jason who has been stationed in Victoria for three weeks. We love Loki! And I want my own dog! I think Dean is dreading the day I insist on getting one, and deep down I know that kind of responsibility isn’t really compatible with the way we live our lives. But we’ll see… a girl can dream! :-)



So, aside from working, what have we been up to in Townsville for the last five weeks? I have been doing a lot of yoga (and loving it), we have visited the Palmetum (a botanical garden featuring about 60 Australian palm species), gone to the monthly night market on the Strand, had a BBQ brekkie at the beach with Tracey and Jason’s friends, spent many hours cooking in a real kitchen (quite a novelty for us), had a mammoth sewing session (so many things to fix and a new jumpsuit for Dean), swum at the Riverway Lagoon Pool, gone up Castle Hill and Mount Stuart (both of which have amazing views over the town) and been to the cinema to see the Bourne Legacy (defo recommend it).



A couple of weeks ago we finally got to hop out of a plane again. It’s a 3.5 hour drive from Townsville to Mundoo Skydivers, but it’s well worth it. The people are lovely, the facilities amazing (there’s even a pool!) and it’s a fast ride to an altitude of 14,000 feet. During our weekend in Mundoo, we also had a look around Innisfail (more about that in the next blog entry) and enjoyed some en-route chillout time at the seaside village of Cardwell. When driving around this area, you always have to be looking out for cane trains. Their tracks cross the roads at the strangest places, often without much warning. The more prominent junctions have a warning system with lights but, for the most part, a give-way sign is the only warning you get.



We will be in Townsville for another two weeks (already feeling settled into our new routine and apprehensive as well as excited about being back on the road again) and, aside from working, plan to visit the Reef HQ (an underground aquarium on the Great Barrier Reef) and make a trip to Magnetic Island. The weather is certainly hotting up and you can tell that we’re coming into spring. We’ve heard so many stories about the sweltering summers in Far North Queensland and I sincerely hope that we manage to make it across the top of the country before the height of summer. I’m already struggling with the humidity (aside from all the sweating, my hair is a permanent fuzz ball) and there’s no doubt that we’re well and truly in the tropics! It’s definitely time to get our van’s air conditioning fixed, so we’re getting some quotes for that.



Before I sign off, I’m very excited to say that I only have one more week of full-time orthodontic wear to go! I know that’s probably not the kind of thing you want to read about in a travel blog but, after 14 months of constant tooth brushing and dental visits, I am over the moon and have to share that! Next time I put pen to paper (metaphorically speaking), I will probably not be wearing braces :-)



On a final note, thanks to Gina for clearing up the mystery of the seed pods that we discovered in Home Hill. They are called Moreton Bay chestnut or Black Bean and are native to Queensland rainforest. Apparently they’re highly poisonous, so now we know to just look and not eat.

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