Easter Sunday - Becca's 3rd Birthday

Easter this year required a fair bit of preparation because not only was the Easter Bunny visiting but it was also Becca's birthday.  It seems that with both the girls, we have managed to incorporate two occasions fairly close together.  Erin's birthday is about 6 weeks before Christmas and Becca's birthday will always fall on or near Easter.  I had spent the last month getting gifts organized as well as chocky surprises and felt a little disappointed for Becca because she was getting everything lumped into one day.  So on Saturday night after a big day out, I spent the evening placing birthday presents under a sheet in the lounge while distributing dozens of tiny little packets of alfoil covered chocolates all over the house.  It brought back memories of last year's Easter when I spent the evening hiding eggs, rabbits and chickens of the chocky variety all over the annex of the caravan.  I didn't have any particular worries about chocky hiding last year but this year I had a big red dog to worry about.  Brindle loves chocolate and although it's not good for her and we never give her any, there has been the odd occasion where she has sneaked a bit that may have fallen on the floor.

I had to compromise between putting eggs out of Brindle's reach while still enabling Becca to be able to see them at her eye level.  A difficult task given Becca is only slightly taller than Brindle.  Steve helped with hiding some of the eggs and came up with some imaginative ideas like placing an egg on the oscillating fan in the girls' room.  As the fan rotated, the egg spun around in circles where Steve had placed it.  It was the first thing that Erin talked about when she got up the next morning.  Easter Bunny had placed an egg on the fan and it spun around in circles.  Of course my reasoning for putting the birthday presents under a sheet is that I didn't want Becca to be overwhelmed with too many choices at once.  The first priority in the morning was egg hunting and the girls' found most of the chockies.  I did, however, find extra ones over the day but by this stage they were very soft as was the girls' little cache.  As a result, all chocolate went into the fridge.  I had been hiding the easter stash in the caravan fridge but convenience was the new ruler so the house fridge became the new store for chockies.

Erin and Becca's haul

The excitement of easter bunny

After the excitement with finding eggs, I directed Becca to the little pressy pile on the lounge room floor.  In hindsight, I should have perhaps done easter on Good Friday because Becca was a little confused about getting birthday and easter all at once.  With Erin's help of course, Becca worked her way through some of the pressies on the floor and opening cards, one of which was a real hit.  Nanny had sent a singing card about three sweet fluffy ducklings and Becca loved it.  Erin, however, just wanted to block her ears which encouraged Becca to open the birthday card even more.  Weeks later, Becca still asks me to get the card down so she can open it and listen.  Before she had opened all her presents though, Becca decided that enough was enough and wanted to play with what she had.  That was fine with me so we left the remaining couple of gifts until she felt like opening them later.  I think perhaps that Becca may have left those gifts for a while had not her big sister drawn her attention to them in the afternoon.  Before I knew it, there was paper all over the floor and I was trying to keep track of the senders notes because one particular parcel had easter and birthday goodies inside.

Getting right down to the business
of eating chocolate

Time for present opening

Wow, I love this card, thanks
Nanny

Even better is that it annoys my
sister

Anyway after the mornings unwrappings and some pancakes for breakfast, we all hopped in the car to go to the local pool.  Becca and Erin both love swimming at the swim centre so Steve and I thought it was an appropriate treat given the occasion.  Unfortunately when we arrived at the swim centre it was shut for the Easter break.  I had an inkling that this might happen and Becca was protesting from the back seat as we drove away.  A change of tact was needed so we decided to head down to Forrest Beach.  The stinger enclosure had been assembled since November last year but we had heard numerous stories about not swimming in the enclosure without a stinger suit on which none of us had.  Steve wasn't aware of the stinger enclosure but I had seen it assembled before Christmas when we had gone to Forrest Beach for Becca's playgroup Xmas party.  When we arrived the girls were stoked with the new location and the idea of a beach swim.  There were a few people swimming (all in the enclosure) but it wasn't crowded.  We dragged ourselves and our gear down the sand and went into the water.  No-one else had stinger suits on either so that made us feel more comfortable.  The water was a perfect temperature and it was clear with no seaweed around.  Not aqua blue clear like one sees in the brochures of the offshore islands but lovely nonetheless.  The enclosure had several deep channels and a sand bank within its walls so people could either stay shallow or go deeper and not have to go far offshore.  Orpheus and Palm Islands were sitting on the horizon not far away and the lifeguards had their flags up within the stinger enclosure for safe swimming.
Steve plodded back up to the car to get a couple of inner tubes which we all floated around in during our 2 hour stay at the beach.  It wasn't overly hot when we first arrived at about 10am but by lunchtime it was starting to get warm so we decided to head home.  On the way back from a quick toilet stop, Steve noticed several people sitting under the palm trees in the park on the beachfront eating fish and chips.  Our lunch was decided then and there so we stopped at the local takeaway shop on the way out of town.  I can honestly say that fish and chips have been a real disappointment in Queensland for us.  I fully expected the fish and chips up here to be from another dimension but sadly not.  Reef fish just doesn't do it for me although coral trout is supposed to be the pick of the fish up here.  Generally when ordering, I get barra if I can but most common on the blackboard of fish and chips shops is 'reef fish' without being specific.  It could be nannygui, sweetlip, shark, groper or whatever happens to be available.

Becca's birthday cake with
sparklers on top

Blow out the candles and make
 a wish.

Anyway after saying this, the fish and chips from Forrest Beach were devine.  As usual I didn't know what the fish was but boy, was it nice.  We got home to Ingham with half the chips eaten while we were driving...yum!  I then got Becca to have a little sleep (better late than never) while Erin and I decorated her birthday cake.  A rainbow was our decision because Becca wasn't fussed as long as it was my favourite homemade chocky cake.  We enjoyed mixing icing and colours to make the brightest cake for her to enjoy.
I prepared a roast lamb dinner for Becca thinking that she would at least eat that.  Sometimes she surprises me and likes the strangest things and yet will pass up something that most kids would love.  Anyway the roast was a hit as was the birthday cake for dessert.  All in all I think Becca enjoyed her day as did we all.  When it comes to little ones, sometimes just hanging at home with a visit to the beach is all they want and need.  Time to play with their toys and just enjoy turning three.  Happy Birthday Becca. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Easter Part 1

 

The Easter long weekend was coming up fast and I had suggested that we tow the van somewhere further north, use it as a base and do some sightseeing over the break.  As we made enquiries however, it became obvious that getting accommodation was going to be difficult because everybody we spoke to had pre-booked their campsite or place to stay well in advance.  When I looked up free camping sites (as an alternative) in our 'Camps Australia' bible, there was nothing anywhere near where we were planning to spend time and many of the parking bays would only accommodate small units and not our big monstrosity.  It was also looking more like the easter break was going to be busy where-ever we went (as it is all over Australia).  I don't know why I thought that North Queensland would not be busy over Easter but all the locals have somewhere special to spend their time over long weekends.  We also had to think about how the pets were going to be catered for while we were away and most animal boarding facilities were booked out.  In the end we compromised and decided to do day trips sightseeing anyway but from home.  We also decided to alternate days over the weekend (1 at home, 1 sightseeing) because we were going to spend some time in the car travelling and didn't want to overdo it especially for the girls' sakes.
After spending a quiet day at home on Good Friday, we set out on Saturday morning and headed north past Innisfail to Josephine Falls.  We had seen the signs on several occasions while travelling to Cairns and wanted to have a look so now was the time.  Steve and I were quite sure we had visited these falls when we were up here in 1994 (showing our age again) but wanted to see them during the wet season, not that there has been much of a wet season this year.  The day itself had seen intermittent rain storms come and go, so the chances of getting wet were possible.
When we arrived, the parking area was busy and vehicles were lined up on the verge back down the road.  Our first port of call was the toilets naturally so Erin, Becca and I trundled up the hill to the nice amenities block.  On the way green butterflies flitted around us and landed on the footpath in front of us to give us a good view.  Whenever we use the toilets in national parks, we have to determine whether they are pit, footpump or water flush toilets.  Erin would rather squat in the bush than use a pit toilet and although these loos were footpump flush, she was wary which then made Becca wary.  Becca hasn't quite got the bladder holding capacity of Erin and so after much convincing, she eventually used the loos.
Once the incidentals were taken care of, we all walked down a bitumen path through the rainforest to the falls.   It was a beautiful walk and although people passed us along the track, we pretty much had the walk to ourselves.  Little creeks meandered past us while we walked and after a time, we could hear the roar of Josephine Falls get louder and louder.  Unlike our visit back in 1994, the paths and stairs were slip resistant with large fenced viewing platforms adjacent to the falls.  Four separate tiers of the falls gushed over the rockfaces and made it's way down the valley through boulders some as big as cars.  There were several viewing areas at different positions along the river.  The bottom access point was swarming with young people (well....younger than us anyway!) sliding down a natural waterslide which had been formed over time and ran straight into a deep, clear pool.  The ride looked a bit bumpy judging by the bouncing boobs in the bikinis that slid down the rocks.  A large black cloud was looming and suddenly it started to rain but all one could feel was light droplets through the rainforest canopy which was keeping us from getting drenched.
After watching the antics for a while, we headed back up the path.  As we walked along a wooden boardwalk, I noticed a large wasp dealing with a massive spider which it had obviously just killed.  The wasp was a bit agitated at us walking by but it was trying to work out how to shift such a large meal.  I think it was a large huntsman spider but Steve thought it was more like a bird eating spider.  Anyway, after a few quick photos we left it to it's meal.  More butterflies hovered around us as we walked back to the carpark and by this time the sun was out again.
We decided to eat our picnic lunch which I had packed but seating with tables was scarce so we sat on a bench after wiping the rain off with an old towel.  Most of the young ones were heading back to the two minibuses which had obviously brought them down from Cairns to see the falls.  More amusement was to be had as they mucked about until everyone had come back.  One guy with a Canadian accent was walking around in thongs made from large rainforest leaves and vines.  Lucky he didn't find green ants on the leaves although it would have been funny for us to watch.
Those black clouds were again looming and by this time, someone had vacated a sheltered table and benches so we migrated under there and several minutes later, it bucketed down with rain and did so for a good 20 minutes.  Several of the minibus people dashed for our shelter and it was lovely to just sit and be in the rainforest during rain.  Once it had stopped, we walked back to the car and headed out.  At a T-junction, we saw a sign to the 'Golden Hole' so we detoured up another road to have a look.  Where the road ended was a carpark and camping area.  The all too familiar 'Achtung' signs were next to a beautiful river which was flowing over some rocks to make rapids.  The water was incredibly clear, very deep and tempting for anyone who didn't want to read the signs.  Again, the butterflies were prolific and some stayed still long enough for a photo opportunity.  A bit like trying to get a photo of the girls sometimes.  Misty mountains were a perfect backdrop to this amazing waterway and I discovered later that we were indeed in a region called Misty Mountains which is part of the Wooroonooran National Park.
We took our usual alternative route in an effort not to backtrack but ended up back on the Bruce Highway and headed south to the Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway.  I had seen brochures and researched this attraction and really wanted to see it.  We had done a similar canopy walk in Victoria several years ago where we walked through a temperate rainforest. I just wanted to add a different dimension to forest canopy walks by experiencing a warm, wet rainforest instead of a cool one.  When we arrived it was late afternoon and we had the place to ourselves.  The walkway was constructed along the edge of a mountainside which gave the feeling of being high and allowed magnificent views down into the valley and Johnstone River.  Elevated platforms lead out onto the walkway from the edge of the mountain so you could access the walkway from many different points along the walking track.  Our whole family spent time wandering along and pointing out lots of different things in the rainforest which one normally wouldn't see.    Steve and Becca climbed the tower which rose up from the walkway to allow even better views.  Erin and I stayed on walkway level (just like we did in Victoria) because although I was capable of walking this elevated path, I couldn't go any higher and up into the tower.  Incredibly, much of the walkway was constructed via a natural clearing created after Cyclone Larry in 2006.  Maybe I should just let some of the photos do the talking.
We walked back to the entrance via the walking track because we had walked out to the edge of the rainforest via the elevated walkway.  Trying to be quiet while walking with two small children, both of whom are chatterboxes, was impossible.  We were surprised, however, to see a scrub turkey on the track with all the noise we were making.  With much shushing, the girls stopped talking and watched the turkey wander around in front of us.  It wasn't exactly a bird of paradise but it was something to see amongst all the bird noises we had been hearing.  It was a truly enjoyable day and we got to see some more of North Queensland's natural attractions.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Photos for Easter Part 1

Oelsner Family at Josephine Falls

Erin, Becca and Andrea at the base of
Josephine Falls

Andrea on Josephine Falls walking
track

Steve, Erin and Becca at the base of
Josephine Falls

Wasp and spider action on Josephine
Falls boardwalk

Josephine Falls North Queensland

Josephine Falls walking track

Josephine Falls waterslide

Andrea, Erin and Becca at Golden
Hole with Misty Mountains in
background

Erin and Becca boulder hopping
at Golden Hole

Beautiful green butterflies at Golden
Hole

Golden Hole with Misty Mountains
backdrop

Deep, clear but croc wary Golden
Hole

My desire to add 25 photos to accompany my last blog seems to have sent our computer into a fit as one can see by the different margins in the written section.  Not to be outdone and not wanting to have to select less photos (I thought I was fairly frugal with my selections anyway), I have published them on a separate page and blog for everyone to see.  Enjoy!

Brave ones walking towards the
cantilever lookout at Mamu
Rainforest walkway

Three chickens staying off the
cantilever walkway because it sways

Rainforest giants

Looking down into the valley and
South Johnstone River

Walkway mates

Looking across from the walkway to
Wooroonooran National Park

Walking the track towards the
rainforest walkway

More towering rainforest giants

View of the lower walkway from
the tower lookout

Becca pooped after climbing the tower
with Daddy

View of the Wooroonooran
National Park from the tower

Close-up view of flowing South
Johnstone River

I have also discovered captions so you can actually know what you are looking at.  Took me long enough to find but better late than never.  I may go back and label some of my previous blogs.

 

Dump Day Afternoon

During a moment when we thought we might be staying in Ingham for a while, Steve and I decided to buy another second hand bed.  The bed we had been sleeping on was like climbing into two perfect coffin shapes which I know sounds awful but the dips in the bed were horrendous.   We remember being told by the previous tenant that the bed had been picked up off the curb somewhere around town.  Every once in a while stuffing from the bottom of the ensemble would float along the floor begging to be vacuumed up.  The final straw, however, was the castor at the head end of Steve's side of the bed snapping off and leaving Steve with blood rushing to his head every night.  Yes I could have turned the bed around but I had already done that because Steve's side (which became my side) was touching the floor underneath.
By chance I was scouring the Gumtree website one night and found a queen size ensemble for sale for $100.....Bonus!  I didn't want to pay too much more than that because we would have to leave the bed once we moved on.  It was only a slight hiccup that the bed was in Townsville.  Steve rang and enquired and arranged for us to pick it up that day.  The lady selling it said she was consolidating her stuff and that the bed was in excellent condition.  We then had to hire a trailer to transport the bed home.  We picked it up later that afternoon from a suburb in Townsville not unlike West Lakes in Adelaide.  The houses were modern, stylish and the bed was indeed in excellent condition.  We bought several tarps from Supercheap Auto because we had left Ingham in pouring rain and didn't want to ruin the bed before we even got it home.  With fuel and trailer costs, it turned out to be a $200 bed which still wasn't bad value.
Once we did get it home, we wasted no time kicking the old bed down the back flight of stairs and replacing it with our new one.  Ahh!... it was bliss to sleep on and it was actually higher than the old bed probably because it was structurally sound.  Unfortunately, however, after spending the last 8 months laying in a pit so to speak, neither of our backs were happy about the new chiropractic position.  I think we were on pain killers for several days afterwards until our backs got used to the added support.
Steve loaded the old bed into the trailer ready for transportation to the Ingham dump the next day.  Thinking ahead, Steve had rung the dump earlier to find out opening times.  He spoke to quite possibly the cheeriest dump worker we had even known.  Amazingly enough, they were actually open on a Sunday, something that is uncommon in Ingham.  Sunday is definitely a day of rest here as all the shops are shut with the exception of the auto shops, the pubs and the RSL.  If you want milk, you have to rely on the servos which usually have it but close to the use by date.  You adjust routines in such circumstances and I make sure I have enough milk to cover Sundays' closed shops. 
Not only was the dump open but from 7.30am to 5pm......Wow! weekday hours.  Unheard of, even in Adelaide.  We turned at the street near the hospital where the transfer station sign was located and headed out of town.....way out of town.  Driving past cane fields seemed to take forever and there was even roadworks on a gravel road out that way with timed traffic lights but eventually we arrived.  The cheery dump man greeted us at his little hut and we had made sure before we ventured out that we had enough money in my purse to cover costs.  I had a $20 note in hand with more available when we were informed that $6 was all there was to pay.  OMG! we've never dumped so cheaply.  As we were directed to our dump point, I noticed how orderly and clean everything was.  There was the usual mound of rubbish over in the distance and unlike the congregation of seagulls and pelicans we were used to seeing, this dump had whistling kites circling and scavenging amongst the trash.  As I looked around at the piles of twisted metal and building materials, I wondered what this dump would have looked like after Cyclone Yasi.  I can only imagine how busy and cluttered it would have been, unlike today which was quiet.
There was no throwing of rubbish into those big skip bins from ground level.  We had sheltered concreted ramps with barriers to back up to and drop ones wares into the skips from above.  Correct lifting procedure signs were also in plain sight for the public.  I don't know what I expected in Ingham but it was honestly as good if not better than a major capital city like Adelaide.  Once we'd said goodbye to one disgusting bed, some accumulated bits and pieces from our days up here and a dead mummified cane toad from the floods in January,  we drove off feeling quite satisfied with our dump experience.  I've always been a bit of a dump junkie.  I used to go to the dump all the time with my dad and Steve and I had continued the tradition in Adelaide but now I am experiencing dumps all over Australia from Mapleton to Ingham.  I'm sure there will be other dumps to experience as we try to keep our accumulation of stuff to a minimum and do a clean out whenever we have to move on.

Cairns Roadtrip

Going to Cairns for the day is soooo not sensible from my point of view but then I just had to think of it like going to Port Pirie for the day from Adelaide although not nearly as lavish a location.  It felt really strange to say we're going to Cairns for the day but then when you live only 230 odd kilometres away, I suppose it's a privilege one can take advantage of sometimes.  We set off early because we had to be at 4wd supplier ARB in Cairns before closing time of 12.30pm on the Saturday.  We took the Subaru because it's more fuel economic than the Landcruiser but not before some measurements to make sure this new fuel tank would fit in the back of the wagon.  How embarrassing would that be!!  As we drove out of town, Steve made phone calls to a 4wd wrecker in Cairns in the hope of picking up a part which was necessary in the installation of the tank.
With the dog in the back and the girls' already asking when they could open their snack boxes, we headed to Cairns.  Snack boxes are an integral part of any roadtrip for us these days but trying to keep the girls' out of them for at least five minutes into a trip is difficult.  A snack box consists of all those yummy things, both healthy and not, to keep Erin and Becca amused for at least part of our journey.  It has become essential to give them a destination point before eating otherwise they would have the entire snack box polished off before 'the range' (about 20 kilometres away from Ingham). 
Of course no roadtrip would be complete without roadworks and there are plenty of them around in North Queensland.  As we made our way further north, the stops and slow downs for roadworks narrowed our time margin considerably and by the time we got to Cairns, we had about 20 minutes leeway before closing time.  Talk about cutting it fine!!
While Steve was organising a corporate takeover inside the store, we all got out for a leg stretch and doggy relieving duty.  Naturally the fuel tank had to be removed from the huge cardboard box it was packed in before it fitted in the car.  It was disappointing because I could see that a fantastic plaything was being left behind.  The girls' love cardboard boxes and this one was one of the largest I'd seen.
After piling back in the car with Brindle perched on top of the tank in the back, we consulted the gps for directions to a park/playground and somewhere to get some lunch.  The selections on the gps were basic so we selected sports park and was promptly directed to a local stadium which looked to host rugby matches with no playground in sight.  Our next idea was to head to the esplanade where we were sure there would be food and recreation for the girls.  Being a Saturday afternoon, it was crowded in Cairns city and the esplanade was a parade of tourists both local and international, backpackers and local residents.  Amongst those people was a wide range of ordinary, extraordinary, just plain weird and 'beautiful' people.  We happened upon a carpark just off the esplanade which was miraculous given the traffic and it was an open timeslot which was even better.  In front of us was a souvenir shop, icecreamery and flashy wine bar.  We felt somewhat uncomfortable as people looked at us because we had Brindle with us because it was impossible to leave her in a hot car.  After crossing the road we walked down the grassy esplanade looking for any sign that a dog was acceptable.  It was a lovely walk along the path and a flea market was operating with beautiful homemade arts and crafts available for sale.  As we walked further down the foreshore, we happened across the most amazing man-made lagoon with fountains, shade and sandy beaches.  All the things one might expect to occur naturally in Cairns but as you look out beyond this lagoon, one sees the muddy mangrove tidal swamp which is the sad reality of this city especially in the wet season.  Crocs, stingers and sandflies also contribute to this need for some cooling relief without the risk of bities both large and small.

Thankfully we had brought the girls' swimmers just in case there was a swimming opportunity.  Steve and the dog strolled back to the car to collect the beach bag while Erin, Becca and I headed to Macca's on the esplanade for some lunch.  As a rule, we don't get Macca's very often but it was probably the only food option that was convenient and inexpensive given many of the other options looked a bit flashy for us.  We all met up again under a tree (the only one available because it was less grass more dirt) near the lagoon.  Food was secondary to the swim for the girls' so they had 5 fries and went swimming.  It was difficult to keep an eye on them because there were just so many people around.  Council employed lifeguards cruised around regularly keeping everyone in check and security officers were also walking around too.  During our time there, Steve was chatted to on two occasions for being on the esplanade with a dog.  Both officers were very understanding about our reason for being there but just had to do their job and let us know that dogs aren't generally permitted.  Luckily Brindle was on her lead and also on her best behaviour and just watching everyone go past.  She only barked when the security men approached us.  We would have probably sat in a less conspicuous spot but this was the only area of the lagoon with a beach which was shallow enough for the girls.
After about an hour and some protests from the girls, we walked back along the path towards the car only to discover if we had gone left instead of right, we would have gone towards a playground.  I truly think that we made the right decision for the sake of Erin and Becca but it was just a bit uncomfortable having Brindle with us even though she was no trouble.  While walking along, we heard the familiar sound of a helicopter winding up and there across the lagoon was a tourist charter flight taking off, probably heading out to the reef.   As I stood and watched, I received a running commentary from Steve about what the pilot was doing and why he was doing it.  Then I handed Steve a hanky for the tears and we kept going.  Why tears you ask?.....because Steve just wants to fly and he's not getting enough opportunity to do it.  The Cairns esplanade really did cater for the tourist trade with a marina, helicopter landing site, eateries and lagoon all within walking distance of the many backpacker hostels, hotels and motels along the esplanade.  The many families that were also there meant that it had catered well for all the different groups of locals using the foreshore as well.