Leaving Rainbow beach we backtrack to the Bruce Highway and head south,our journey is interrupted by several major roadworks, good to see they are at last trying to fix some of the problems associated with this road.We have traveled this route many times and do not feel the need to pause and visit any of the seaside hamlets and towns on our way.We are heading for Mooloolaba a town we have visited many times and is one of our favourite places on the Sunshine coast. First charted in 1861 by lieutenant Heath RN the area was soon noted to be a great source of timber and by 1864 a timber trade was established sending timber to sawmills in Brisbane.Other ventures soon followed and fruit and other produce began to be shipped to Brisbane.The area flourished and ... read more

Driving into Charleville we can't but help notice how dry the country side is, there has been no substantial rain here for quite a while.Our destination is our friends new house just on the outskirts of the town set on 10 acres which provides plenty of space for their 2 dogs, 1 cat, 2 horses and cluster of hens.We are heading for country hospitality and the company of good friends. Chareville has a rich past,the first Cobb and Co. carriage was built here and there are several still to be seen in the Historic house and museum,Qantas first took to the air from here.Cattle and sheep past through here on their way to Brisbane and could take as long as six months, longer in the wet season.The town has seen it's fortunes come and go experiencing ... read more

Arriving in Townsville we head straight for the caravan repair yard and our water pump is replaced,we are now fully self contained again.We went back to the caravan park we had stayed at previously and spent a couple of days washing and trying to get the dirt and dust off the car and caravan before heading for Mission Beach, which meant heading north passing through a town called Tully which we will return to and explore. Mission beach is a collection of 4 small towns or hamlets stretched along a length of beach some 14 kilometres long, each with their own character.The main town called Mission Beach is the hub of this community having a collection of shops including a post office, although the main shopping area with the only service station is some 4ks away. ... read more

Leaving three ways road house we turn left on to the Overlander's Way, a road that links Three ways with Townsville. The distances between filling stations and places of habitation vary but tend to equal to about 200ks.The roads on this stretch of the journey can be boring and monotonous save for the occasional road kill being feasted upon by a variety of birds like crows,kites and the elusive eagle.Traffic is also light on this stretch although several road trains pass us going in the opposite direction,( road trains can be enormous often over 55 metres long with more than 56 wheels).We fill with diesel at Barkley Homestead Wayside Inn before pushing on,it pays to keep your tank as full as possible,the next filling station could be out of fuel or even closed.We continue our journey ... read more

The flight from Darwin was delayed by 4 hours and there is not a lot to do in Darwin airport.The flight was straight forward however our baggage was taken off at Munich and left there! We were rewarded by the airline with 55 pounds each to buy essentials.We were met at Manchester airport by a good friend who we stayed with overnight,we were joined by other good friends and spent the evening reminiscing over past adventures,thanks guys for the accommodation and good company.One of our bags was delivered the next morning before we set off on our travels the second bag was delivered to our hotel the same evening. Several reasons for making this trip,to attend my sons wedding,and to say hello to a new born granddaughter,and of course to visit family.The wedding was taking place ... read more