Byfield National Park

National Park (NP).... As beautiful as some of them are, they are dreaded words on our trip. NO DOGS. So with some prior planning we drove the quite boring stretch of road between Mackay and Rockhampton to take Bear & Xena for a 2 night stay of their own at a well researched and very reputable boarding kennel near Yepoon. I imagine it's like having children really, dropping them off and saying goodbye, hoping they'll be happy and looked after. I was very sad leaving them for the first time on our trip, I felt we had left something behind! I am not sure why I worry though... they have always had so much fun playing with other dogs at the kennel in the past.

So with the kids dropped off we weren't too much further from the entry of the park. Since moving to Mackay, both Ben & I have been wanting to visit Byfield but better late than never! Known for its great sandy 4wding and fishing... we were very excited!

Wow.... Nature at one of it's best! We drove through a large amount of state forest before reaching the NP, confronting us with towering sand dunes, narrow tracks, long stretches of beaches (white and sandy as i knew them, not coral), deep blue ocean.... and NO-ONE ELSE TO BE SEEN! It seemed we had the entire NP to ourselves for the weekend. Woohoo!

We set up the camper behind the dunes right on the beach, in between 5 rocks and the inlet and not having to walk the dogs, we weren't entirely sure what to do next. We are still getting used to this RELAXING thing they talk about!

I can't wait to go back to Byfield NP, the sea was a bit rough to launch our small boat this time around, and I can't remember why we didn't get any fishing done here??? From memory I think it was more to do with Ben's keen enthusiasm for 4wding! For the one full day we had in the NP we explored the "Orange Bowl", an amazing sand blow that, to Ben's disappointment, can no longer be driven on. So, in attempt to satisfy his need for speed, we explored on foot and Ben revisited his childhood of tobogganing down the sand dunes. As fun as it looked, I decided to be the photographer!

This really is a place you could explore for days. It's a shame we didn't get a chance to catch any fish or crabs, it really looked like a promising place... and so peaceful. We didn't see another car, besides the ranger, all weekend! Next time I think we will stay for a week. Another thumbs up location!

Rain Rain Go Away... We're Going To Mackay Today!

That's right.... RAIN! For those that know us you will be familiar that nearly everywhere we go it rains... well this is no different. The weather turned miserable at Kurrimine Beach so we decided to head for Mackay to stay with friends Chris & Shantelle for a few days. I was sad to miss a stopover at Bowen but we have spent alot of time on the coast between Cairns and Mackay so it wasn't anything we haven't seen before.

We arrived in Mackay... still raining and had an enjoyable few days catching up with friends, watching TV for the first time since we left and enjoying staying in a house during the bad weather. THANKS Chris & Shantelle!

Not long though and the weather improved and it was time to leave "Home" and continue south down the coast! Next stop Byfield National Park.

KING REEF - KURRIMINE BEACH

Finally... we made it to King Reef, a place we had planned to be our first stop of the journey! Better late than never!

A short drive from Paronella Park and just north of Mission Beach, lays a tiny picturesque town on the Great Barrier Reef. We decided to give the caravan park a miss when we found a small, basic and more affordable council run camping area right on the water... beautiful! The weather wasn't the best, a bit windy to hit the reef in our small tinny, but there was plenty of beach to run the dogs and an inlet to throw a line and "TRY" for some mud crab!

The reef is just 300 metres from the shore here, the closest it comes to the coast, boats can only be launched at high tide and by tractor as the water is extremely shallow for hundreds of metres offshore. We did explore the coastline briefly in the tinny... we didn't find the awesome fishing spot we were after though... and the only fish we caught was the gar fish that jumped right into our boat! The wind started to blow and we ventured back to dry ground.... If only the weather was better for our stay... the locals all headed out one one fine day, they seem to know the spot to go!

With no luck at the reef we decided to hide from the wind and launch the boat into the inlet. Ben was so excited that today was his day and he was going to catch a mangrove jack! It was all I had heard about for the last few days. Can you imagine the look on his face when I caught the only 2 keepers. I really did feel terrible for him.... no really... i did! At least we had fish on the table for dinner! (And i had a great time catching them.)

NOTE TO SELF: Beautiful place...next time tell the wind to bugger off.... don't let Krystle catch all the fish and ask the locals how to get to the reef fishing spot!

Ben's Mangrove Jack.......

Krystle's Mangrove Jack!!!

Tropical Jam - Paronella Park - Finally A Recipe

This blog was meant to be incorporating recipes from our travels... remember! Finally, sitting starring at me at Paronella Park gift shop was a bright orange scroll of paper and a sign screaming at me like Vegas saying "Paronella Park Special Jam Recipe". It was exciting, i had no idea what kind of jam the recipe was for until I purchased the scroll.

I haven't had the chance to make this recipe on my travels, jam making wasn't too high on my list. So Please, If you ever try it let me know how it goes. Enjoy!

TROPICAL JAM

Ingredients:

2.25kg Diced firm Paw Paw

750g Tin Pineapple - drained weight

250g Crystallized Ginger

175ml Lemon Juice

1.75kg Sugar

Method:

Crush pineapple and chop ginger in a food processor.

Place diced paw paw, ginger and lemon juice into a large saucepan and cook slowly for 1-2 hours until fruit is soft.

Place sugar into the ingredients and cook on medium for a further 10-15 mins or until thick.

Watch for burning. Place into warmed bottles and seal.

Flying Fish Point To Paronella Park

We weren't south bound for long. Just a short drive south of Cairns we reached our next stop over, Flying Fish Point. It was the name that drew us in really. Neither of us had visited the small coastal town before and the thought of fresh fish and mud crab were way too tempting.

Can you imagine our disappointment when we didn't catch any fish or crabs!! We didn't try very hard though... let's blame it on the windy weather. Casting off the beach I put up a good fight with something that snapped me off right at the edge of the sand but that's as close as we got.

The town itself was very small and peaceful. The caravan park added a nice touch by placing their fallen coconuts in a basket for guests to eat. This kept Ben busy for a while, still keen to be the provider! Even Bear loved eating the coconut.

However, with no fish and windy weather we decided to pack up camp and head for Paronella Park. Wow, Wow & Wow!

Friends of ours highly recommended a visit to Paronella Park, (thankyou Chris & Shantelle) and being something we have driven passed many times before there was no way I was missing it again.

Once the home of Jose Paronella and a venue he first open to the public in 1935, the words to describe the park are MAGICAL & INSPIRING. The certainly didn't call him a dreamer for nothing. The history in the castle like structures, waterfall, homestead and hydro power plant are incredible and truly make you realise that with hard work we can truly achieve anything and create something beautiful. I will let you read about the park in more detail at www.paronellapark.com.au

We chose to camp at Paronella Park for the night so we could experience the day and night tours. I would highly recommend staying for the night tour if you have time. The facilities are basic but the staff extremely helpful, dog friendly and well worth seeing the grounds lit up at night.

Check out the pics!

Breaking open the coconut at our campsite, Flying Fish Point.

My, What a lovely set of coconuts!

The one that got away.

Paronella Park, Grand Staircase 1930's.

Waterfall, Picnic Area and Bridge, Paronella Park.

Refreshment Rooms by Night, Paronella Park. AMAZING!

Refreshment Rooms by Day. Paronella Park.

On To Cairns....

On to Cairns for a 3 night stay at Lake Placid Caravan Park.... the park facilities were great and in a beautiful quiet location out of the city, dog friendly and a great place to station ourselves while we explore the city.

I wish we could say the same about Cairns itself though. We were so in love with the surrounding areas of the Atherton Tablelands, the northern beaches of Palm Cove and Port Douglas, and  even further north  to mor rural surroundings... the city itself however didn't leave such a lasting impression.

We didn't get up to too much for a few days in Cairns, caught up on some blog, paid bills, did some shopping... all that fun stuff. The disappointment came from our visits into the city for dinner and to explore the hugely advertised "Night Markets". At risk of sounding extremely judgemental and racist, ever stall and most city shops were owned and operated by asian persons hounding you outside every shop to come in and buy from them. We wanted to go to a nice Asian restaurant for dinner but left because the waitresses stand out on the street trying to convince and pressure you into eating in their restaurant. I was not so much unhappy about the lack of Aussies providing services, but more the fact that all of this was very unaustralian! It was shocking that people are flying into our country and this is what that are seeing and it wasn't one bit Australian at all!

So now i have that off my chest.... time to head north to beautiful Palm Cove for a night of romance and luxury. Bring it on!! Our first night out of the camper and it really was beautiful. We stayed at Peppers Beach Club Palm Cove, and were gladly upgraded to a penthouse spa room for our honeymoon! Without a doubt i always feel totally relaxed when i visit Palm Cove!

It was a bit windy for us to try a spot of fishing off the jetty, but that didn't stop alot of people. We couldn't believe a group of young local lads that had a home made trolley that carried their rods, large ice box and a sound system. It was an awesome invention and probably the highlight of the trip for Ben so far!!

Feeling like a special treat we asked the locals where best to have dinner. On both occasions we asked we got the same answer "The Beach Almond" so the decision was made. What a laid back friendly atmosphere, the service was brilliant and the food exciting! The spring rolls and pork belly entree left us wanting more and never wanting to leave...you know its good when you eat super slow to make the delicious sensation last longer! I would highly recommend a meal at "The Beach Almond" on your next visit, even Ben was impressed. We couldn't eat all night though and forced ourselves to move on to take a relaxing walk on the beach before retiring to our balcony spa! (Now I'm rubbing it in!)

As much as i love Palm Cove, we did have to leave and we were excited to be leaving Cairns and starting our southbound journey. There was one more thing we had to do before we left though. The MINJIN BUNJY SWING. OMG - It really didn't look very scary at all from the ground, i can't believe i was contemplating doing a bunjy jump instead because it didn't look adventurous enough. Ha ha ha. Well, up Ben and I went together in our harness... up and up and up and up... they winch you about 40 metres into the canopy of the rainforest's i think. Then the light went green and it was time for me to pull the cord. I must have been white as a ghost, Ben was even scared and my heart was pounding out of my chest. I couldn't believe i had the courage to pull the cord that would result in us plunging towards the earth and swinging through the forest at up to 300km/h. Ahhhhhhhh. What a rush... it really was worth it, such a high and i was extremely proud of myself for pulling that cord!! Yahoo!

Pepper's Beach Club Resort & Spa - Palm Cove

Local Lads Fishing Trolley!

The Beach Almond - Thumbs Up!

Minjin Bunjy Swing.... Yahoo!

The Coffee Works - Mareeba

Ok.... so with all apologies, in between work and play, it's time to get this blog updated.

After a restless night sleep and disappointing stay at Granite Gorge Camping Ground we were bound for Cairns but not without a stop at the recently improved COFFEE WORKS! I wasn't quite sure what to expect, deceiving from the outside, a plain shed structure in the industrial area of Mareeba, neither of us connoisseurs of coffee, but my curiosity forbid me to drive right by.

OMG - Never judge a book by its cover! The saying could never have rang truer. Gallo Dairyland was impressive and very hard to beat but Coffee Works was right up there with them. I was quickly falling more and more in love with the Atherton Tablelands and drawing inspiration for my own future business ventures.

Entering Coffee Works we were greeted with bright coloured steel statues (all available for purchase), equally bright and chirpy staff and so much to look at! Gratefully, a very knowledgeable and friendly staff  member approached us and explained the options of browsing the gift shop or taking the tasting experience. From memory i think full price was $15 pp but we had a $5pp discount coupon... i really am becoming a coupon queen. The tasting experience was definitely worthwhile and so much so that once again i found myself in a place i never wanted to leave.

You would never know you were in a shed in the middle of an industrial estate... in a way i felt i had been transported to Byron Bay or Bangalow. The atmosphere alone was worth bottling. The $15 experience was inclusive of alot, not just a look around. We quickly stuck our stickers to our chest and our host walked us through to the tasting area to explain the procedure. The room was filled with numerous urns of hot coffee, both Australian and World varieties, milk, tea and to my surprise... more chocolate. Our host handed us a cup and explained that we are free to drink and try as many varieties of coffee and eat as much chocolate as desired! Had i died and gone to heaven? She then explained that when we are reading we could continue through to the coffee museum, onto the coffee roasting and packaging shed, through to the gift shop, coffee shop and chocolate shop. Lucky there was no rush, and the best thing was that we were then left to ourselves to take our time, and stay as long or little as we liked!

On to the coffee, i hoped we weren't planning on sleeping tonight. I think we could have driven for days. Different flavours of chocolate pieced where available including chilli, coconut, white, dark, some others i can't remember and a very interesting Lime and Cracked Pepper Chocolate? I can see you screwing your nose up, but truly it was very nice... not something you could eat a block of, but definitely something intriguing to serve with coffee to dinner guests.

The museum was amazing, at the entrance to yet another shed we picked up our handheld radio's. Very cleverly each item in the museum was numbered and on entering that number into the radio, you heard a detailed explanation of the item, what it did, what year it was used, what country etc. Highly valuable as some of the items where over 100 years old and very unfamiliar. I never new coffee was so highly regarded so many years ago. There were thousands of artifacts, all very interesting, and 6 individually themed booths. On a whole the layout of the museum was very well thought out, interactive, interesting and exciting... none of which i had ever associated with a museum previously.

Through to the amazing gift shop, one of those places you feel like you're exploring and seeing something new everytime you look, and then yet again, like a shining light from heaven, another chocolatier and shop. Although i demonstrated great willpower and walked away with nothing, both Ben and I had consumed enough coffee and chocolate in the tasting to last a lifetime... and there was nothing stopping us all day going back to the free stuff!

Being November, not long until Christmas, the chocolate Christmas trees were very impressive. I snuck in a quick photo and can't wait to make them one Christmas. Exploring there craftsmanship and detail they look incredible but would be achievable!

Just like Gallo Dairyland, Ben had to drag me kicking and screaming to leave this wonderful place. Do It! I had forgotten what good service was until now.