Countdown to Liftoff

Our departure was no different from any other new roadtrip.....late!  The ETD (estimated time of departure) was put at 10am where upon we were going to drive to Liddles' depot to say our thankyous and goodbyes.  There was the last minute packing up and double and triple checking of everything to make sure it was all in place.  Ten 'am' came and went which then stretched into 11am and 11.30 and finally we drove away from 20 Hawkins Street Ingham for the last time just before midday.  By the time we had said our goodbyes at the depot and airport it was well after 1pm.  Our first challenge was getting an untested towing Landcruiser to pull a fully laden caravan over the Cardwell Range just north of Ingham.  We've watched as roadworks, which have been ongoing for the past two years, slowly cut a far more direct and less steep climb for the Bruce Highway over the Cardwell Range.  Unfortunately the original road was still being used and on occasion lengthy delays meant vehicles, light and heavy, were stranded on either side of the range waiting.  This was Steve's main concern that instead of gaining some momentum before the range to get us and the van over, we would be stopped and so Steve would have to climb over the range in the lowest gear the car could do (again untested).  We had joked with friends before we left that we might not be gone for long if the gearbox pops and we have to get towed back into town for some lengthy repairs.
All our fears were allayed however as we had an uninterrupted run over the range and the Cruiser pulled like a train and got the van over.  We had no intention of going too far on the first day and so I had arranged for us to stay at Paronella Park near Innisfail.  We had  previously visited PP on Easter Monday and the admission cost included a two year unlimited visit pass, one nights free accommodation in their caravan park and a night tour.  I thought it would be a good first stop and we could take advantage of the free nights stay and do the night tour. 
We stopped at Cardwell for a late lunch after stopping several times because Steve was having very real problems with the towing stability of the van.  Whatever he adjusted and tried to change didn't seem to make any difference.  He felt like the van was pushing the car all over the road so he spent many stops adjusting the stabilizer bars.  Of course this wasn't the same van we had towed before and Steve wasn't the same person that he was before the accident.  We had changed the suspension to independent spring suspension on the new van which seemed to give a different ride to the van as a whole.  Steve was understandably anxious about towing again and it was going to take a long time for him to regain his confidence after what happened last year.
We arrived at Paronella Park at about 4ish in pouring rain.  We had left Ingham with beautiful sunshine but as we travelled further north the rain clouds closed in and the rain started falling.  Once we parked the van and got settled, I started dinner immediately because we were booked into the 6.15 night tour.  A while later, one of the staff came around to say that they had organized a later night tour as they had so many people booked in.  We were put into the 8pm tour group which gave me more time to organize dinner but would put the girls into bed later.  It was six of one and half a dozen of the other so it didn't really make a difference either way.  At about 6.40 while Steve and I were finishing dishes, it poured with rain and we just looked at each other and were thankful that we weren't out on the earlier tour.

Waiting for the tour to start

Dining room and fountain under
lights

With the girls showered and 'pyjama'ed we ambled down to the meeting place for our night tour.  It hadn't rained since that downpour earlier but we had Becca in pink gumboots and Erin in her joggers because we knew there would be lots of puddles.  We also had brought all our umbrellas but the tour guide had a big collection of umbrellas for everyone too.  Before heading into the darkness of Paronella Park, the guide gave everyone torches which impressed Becca immensely.  The tour wasn't particularly imformative but the guide intended it to be that way so that everyone could just enjoy the atmosphere of the place and it's beauty under lights.  The castle was lit up as was the dining area and fountains.  The Mena Creek waterfall and suspension bridge were also lit up and the smaller Teresa Falls had only recently been added to the night tour.  While down at the larger falls, Erin was convinced that she saw a crocodile and the guide did say that they were in the creek so who knows.  She described red glowing eyes but the only reflection anyone saw was the large school of fish in the water.  We did however see the reflective eyes of eels in the streams running from Teresa Falls.  As we walked through the avenue of kauri pines, the guide turned all the torches off and the ground was covered with phosphorescent wood from the trees.  Everyone was quite impressed except for Becca who just wanted the torches back on and protested her feeling quite loudly.  We did have several showers of rain while out on the tour but it did seem to enhance the atmosphere of the place.  It was nice to stand under an umbrella watching rain fall while lights lit up amazing pieces of history.  Becca and Erin both really enjoyed being out after dark with torches shining at everyone and everything.  All in all it was a very enjoyable end to a fairly stressful day and I was glad we had the opportunity to see Paronella Park under lights.

Family photo taken in front of
dining room and fountain

Mena Creek Falls