Step 100 Cooktown – Wonga Beach 287 km's

Friday 5^th August TED

Well this is it, this really is the homeward leg now. Mind you it's still quite a leg – something like 3,900 kilometres ( 2,500 miles for our non-metric viewers).

Drove up to the lookout before leaving town. Captain Cook stood up here too, all those years ago. I imagine he turned to his mate Joseph Banks and said “Joey, Joey, Joey, can YOU see a way through that bloody reef?”

The dark bits in the sea are the reef
You see Cooky's dilemma.

Following Cook's lead we topped up with provisions before heading off, in our case that was some diesel, a couple of bread rolls and a lamington. I believe Captain Cook had a different shopping list, and less of a choice of shops.

Heeding the advice of the sign: “Cow make a big dent in your car”

we stopped to let mum and calf cross in front of us.

At our morning tea stop (yes the lamington was delicious, thanks for asking) we got chatting to a couple heading North. We extolled the virtues of Cooktown and recommended the Caravan Park we stayed in. They said: “That's funny, the people we talked to an hour ago said avoid Cooktown if at all possible. They were in the pub last night and a brawl broke out.” Mmm, we do lead a sheltered life in MM.

Leaving the couple to make up their own minds about Cooktown, we ambled on down the road and eventually stopped for lunch at another spectacular lookout at Mt Molloy.

Having taken in the views we realised we didn't actually have a plan for today/tonight. Ever the quick decision makers that we are we decided on an overnight stop at Mossman and then plan to head up to Cape Tribulation tomorrow.

Popping in to the supermarket at Mossman for a tub of butter, we emerged half an hour later with $50 of groceries plus a 2 litre wine cask. So much for our planning skills.

Next flaw in the plan: no room at the inn. As in the van park we had planned on staying at had the NO Vacancy sign up. Ever flexible we continued on up the road to Wonga Park. No that's not right Wonga Park is out near Ringwood in Melbourne. Wonga Beach, that's where we ended up.

The no vacancy at Newell Beach / Mossman has worked in our favour. The park at Wonga Beach is lovely. Very tropical, right on the beach, palm trees, swimming pools, the works.

Again, the marketing people build the place up
and the Occupational Health and Safety people drag it all down

It also has a resident herd tribe flock gaggle of peacocks. There is more than one.

There are also some other birds, not sure what they are but they are extremely noisy!