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Published: September 21st 2006
So....finally the moment we'd been waiting for...the arrival of the Hawgood parents!!! We had an amazing and fabulous 10 days with them but it all feels so long ago now!
Before they arrived, it was all feeling completely surreal but exciting at the same time. We had arrived in Townsville on the Monday (12th June) and had spent a couple of days 'milling' around and exploring Townsville. On the Wednesday morning we moved from our Hostel, round the corner, to a hotel (going up in the world now the folks were coming!!!) Yvonne and Alan arrived at the hotel at lunchtime. It was so bizarre that they were actually here in Australia! A friend of the family - John - lives in Townsville, so he had picked them up from the airport. After an emotional "hello" we exchanged 'goodies' and settled into the room. They had brought a 'much-needed' supply of Marmite with them, plus some other nice things, so we were very excited!!! We all went for lunch and caught up on the last 5 months. We looked around Townsville - it was great to have them here. In the evening we were invited to a true Aussie barbeque
Mini Moke!!!
Jamie, Alan & Yvonne posing with our Mini Moke for the day (on Magnetic Island).at friends of John's (and his sister Jo's). We all had a great night with lovely 'barby' food and then we watched the big State of Origin game (New Soth Wales V's Queensland in Rugby League). Its a huge match over here and the y play 3 different games - this was the 2nd match. We had to support Queensland (being in a Townsville home) and they won so it was a good result all round!!!
The next day (Thursday 15th June) we were up early and checked out of the hotel. John came to pick us up and drove us to the ferry terminal - the 4 of us were off to Magnetic Island for a couple of days. We had a very choppy half hour crossing to the island and then a short bus ride around to our accomodation. This was the funny part as we had booked into the YHA at Bungalow Bay for the 2 nights (and contrary to Sam's comment - there was no 'extra' charges or supplements for mum and dad due to their age!!!) Those of you who know Yvonne will know she has 'roughed' it on several occasions and is more
Meal at Magnetic Island
All of us enjoying a lovely restaurant. than used to 'budget' accomodation. However, Alan is a different story!!! His face when he saw the 'bungalows' that are actually A-frame huts was a picture. Still, he braved it and the resort was in a really nice setting and had a good atmosphere. We soon settled into our huts and it was good fun. We spent the afternoon looking around. It was a beautiful place. In the evening we had a nice meal and then joined in the fun at the bar and played coconut skittles. Between us we cranked up a few prizes (free beer and internet credit!) and a good time was had by all.
The following day was a particular highlight as we hired a Mini Moke for the day. It was hilarious when we were all trying to cram in but we managed it and had a fab day driving around the whole Island and stopping at various places to explore. We spent some time on the beautiful Arcadia Beach, had lunch in a cafe at Picnic Bay and then did a spot of bushwalking! Its only a small Island though and you need a 4 wheel drive for a lot of the top
Mum & Karen Swimming
Enjoying a swim at the YHA, Magnetic Island. part, so we had soon covered all the 'accessible' parts of the Island. Back to the huts for some wine and then drinks at the YHA bar before we head out to dinner. We ate at a lovely restaurant/art gallery and had fantastic food. After the meal we took the Moke for a 'spin' again - this time to the other side of the Island as there was a Full Moon Party happening and we wanted to see it - it didn't look anything special and wasn't on the beach (as we thought it would be) so we left and went to bed!!!
The Saturday was our final day on Magnetic Island. We spent the morning relaxing by the pool, having a nice swim and sunbathe. We had some lunch and then caught the afternoon ferry back to Townsville. John picked us up again and took us back to Jo's house - where we were staying for the night. We were invited to another great Aussie barbeque at a friends house, so we were lucky experiencing 2 in one week!!!
The Sunday was the start of our 'Roadtrip' - John was lending us his car and the plan
was to spend a week driving up to Port Douglas and back to Townsville. 3 of us were very excited but Dad was quite 'twitchy' at the thought of nothing being booked in advance and the "seeing what happens" situation!!! This caused for much amusement and ridicule from us though - he sat in the back seat and tried his best to look relaxed and carefree about it all. He had to have his own map to look at to see where we were going which kept him busy!!! He soon got used to it though!!! The first destination was Mission Beach but, on the way, we stopped at Paluma Falls which were beautiful - very pretty. We arrived in Mission Beach at teatime and booked into a cabin for the night (very similar to a caravan). We were all really pleased with it (dad seemed very relieved!) The first evening was spent exploring the area and getting some (huge) seafood baskets for dinner. We liked it so much that we decided to stay for 2 nights, instead of the 1 originally planned. The next day was spent very much relaxing in Mission Beach - we went on the beach,
shopped, had lunch in a cafe and popped into the pub (mum and dad were adjusting well to life as a traveller!!!) In the evening Jamie cooked a lovely Maltese meal in the cabin and we sampled the local wine and played Uno!
The Tuesday was time to leave Mission Beach and get back on the road again. To help us on our way we visited Murdering Point Winery (nice name!) All the wines were exotic fruit wines so very tasty. Mum, dad and Jamie got to do the 'proper' tasting as I was driving! The next stop had been recommended to us so we made a detour to Paronella Park. We were glad we did as it was a fascinating place. It was all built by a Spanish man who moved to Australia and decided to build a castle (in the middle of nowhere). The grounds are beautiful and include a huge waterfall, a 'tunnel of love', a suspension bridge and much more. In the 1940's it used to have a theatre and ballroom and people would also come to swim. It was great to visit now but it must have been amazing when it was all still
Stunning Falls
The Huge Waterfall in the beautiful grounds of Paronella Park. in operation (in all its glory!) We had anhour tour there and some lunch and then continued our drive to Cairns. We found a similar cabin to MB about 15 minutes drive out of the city centre at a place called Lake Placid which was a really nice setting. Once again, we dumped our bags and then left to explore Cairns. In the evening we cooked at the cabin and had a fairly early night to prepare for the early start - we got up at the ridiculous hour of 5am to watch the England v Sweden match!!!
All very tired, we head out early for our full day on the scenic railway and skyway. First we drive to nearby Freshwater Station and catch the Scenic Railway to Kurunda. The train is a really long, old train and takes about 2 hours to reach Kurunda. The views along the way are amazing. It stopped a couple of times for everybody to get out and take in the awesome views. It goes right up in the mountains - it was breathtaking and, at times, a little scary for dad and me (karen)!!! Kurunda was nice but very small so we
Lover's Lane
Yvonne and Alan 'sharing a moment' in Lover's Lane, Paronella Park!!! looked around, had some lunch and did some shopping (bit of a theme coming out!) Next it was time to head back but on the Scenic Skyway this time (not the train). Bearing in mind both dad and me are petrified of heights, we were 'braving' it! Big mistake - it was so scary! The whole journey lasted about 30 - 40 mins and there were 2 stops en route (again to take in the views). It was one of the scariest things I have done and dad wasn't too comfortable either. Ha handled it a lot better than me though and managed to amuse us all with his rendition of "up, up, up and away in my beautiful balloon" (he was singing to keep calm!!!) The views were fantastic though and it reached phenomenal heights across the rainforest. When we were back on safe-ground we were glad that we had done it!!!
On Thursday we spent the morning in Cairns centre. We walked along the esplande which was lovely and looked around the city. Then back on the road. It was only a short drive this time - along the coast for an hour to Port Douglas. Once
Karen & 'Mother'
Enjoying the grounds at Paronella Park. we'd arrived and found a cabin for the night, we looked around and instantly liked the place and the feel and decided to stay an extra night.
The Friday was our Great Barrier Reef trip - we were all very excited. We had been advised by a few people not to do a boat trip as the water had been too rough the last few days. So, instead, we had opted to go on the Quicksilver trip. Basically a big boat takes you out to the Quiksilver Pontoon on the Great Barrier Reef. It was really cool. We boarded the boat and had tea, coffee & biscuits while we set-off. It took about an hour to get to the Pontoon. It was quite choppy and a whole family were being sick behind us. It wasn't funny but it was (if you know what I mean) - it was just because it was ALL of them!!! The boat docked at the side of the Pontoon but still stayed attached so you could move about the boat aswell. The Pontoon was amazing. It had a restaurant on it, an underwater observatory, semi-submersibles that go out on the Reef and a snorkelling
Freshwater Station
The Hawgoods awaiting the Scenic Railway! area. We decided to try and beat the queues so we headed straight for the semi-submersibles. It was fantastic. Its like a mini submarine. You sit in two's and your right against the window, underwater. It then goes around the Reef for about 15 minutes and you get fantastic views of all the different fish and the coral. After that it was time for the delightful buffet lunch so we stuffed ourselves. Next, Alan, Karen and Me (Jamie) wanted to go snorkelling. They recommended a stinger suit - just in case - so we put on an all-in-one, tight, blue, lycra suit each. We looked ridiculous and I think thats why they recommend them - so they get plenty of laughs!!! It even had a hood and gloves!!! Yvonne went out on another semi - sub whilst we went snorkelling (the subs went on different routes so you could see different parts of the Reef). Snorkelling was great. Alan was a little nervous to start with but soon picked it up and loved it! We saw loads of different, colourful fish - including one huge one that was quite scary at first!!! After all the excitement, it was time for
Scenic Railway.
The extremely long train that we were on!!! the boat to leave the Pontoon so we had a nice sail back to PD. We then went to a bar for a quick drink and Jamie was determined to beat Alan at pool at least once! In the evening we went out for a really nice meal to end our great stay in Port Douglas.
On the Saturday we were sad as our time with the Hawgood 'folks' was rapidly coming to an end and it was time to start heading back towards Townsville! We spent the morning walking on the beach and doing a bit of shopping. We left PD at lunchtime and drove back to Mission Beach. We had loved it before so we decided to stay there on the way back too. We stayed at the same caravan park. We spent the evening in a nice restaurant with gorgeous food. dad had a huge seafood basket which was delicious - especially the 'bugs' that it had on it. He, somehow, managed to plough his way through it all!!!
The Sunday was an early start and the last leg of our road trip! It took about 4 hours in total - no stops this time
as mum and dad had a flight to catch in the afternoon. The journey was a little quiet this time and I think we were all a little sad :-(
We arrived at Jo's house at lunchtime and we all ate a KFC together ('the last supper'). John then took us all to the airport and dropped us off. In Oz you can actually go through security, right up to the boarding gate, with people to say goodbye. I don't know if thats a good thing or not now as it seemed to drag the sad goodbye out!!! We waited with them until they actually got called to board and then bid them a very emotional farewell!!! It was horrible to say goodbye. They were heading back to Sydney for a couple of days before they continued their holiday in Kuala Lumpur. We had a fantastic time with them and loved all of it.
We spent the evening with Jo and John - they cheered us up. On Monday (26th June) we were moving on again. Another early start - this time to catch a coach at 6.30am to Mount Isa - another 12 hours on a coach.
We spent 3 nights in Mount Isa - chilling out and recouperating - generally not doing much. Here, we watched Australia tumble out of the World Cup to Italy - ha ha!!! On the Thursday we left Mount Isa and travelled overnight to Alice Springs (15 hours - argh!)
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Lou
non-member comment
Forgotten Hawgood!
He, he - v amusing to read about dad's twitching! Love the last picture, although I think someone is missing... no not Jamie!! Glad you had a wonderful time and just wish I could have joined you. x x