Kuranda, Sat 29 June 2002
Stayed at Kuranda last night, very nice little park in the rainforest! Sat around the fire talking to locals and toasting marshmallows, kids are getting good at it!! The only wood that burns round here is the wood we collected in the red centre close to ERldunda (scene of the great petrol running out episode..see previous posts for it!!)
Today we woke early and set off at 7.30 to drive down the mountain to Freshwater a suburb of Cairns to catch the 8.45am Kuranda railway back up to Kuranda!! We have been wandering round up here in absolutely beautiful weather eating a glorious barra, salad and chips and having a scotch and diet coke (lib) and a pint of xxxx, very nice....!!!!!
We catch the 2.30 skyrail back down to the bottom through the Barron Gorge, just amazing scenery and greenery.
Must go, staying close to Cairns tonight then the long road south.
bye for now, Warwick and the rest!!

Atherton, just read Lesley Smith's email to us, thank you Lesley. Devastated to hear of the death of Sam Barker, a lovely Year 7 student in my maths class. She battled so hard this year with absolutely no complaints and I am stunned at her loss. So sad for her family, Danny, Donna and Amy, words cannot express our sadness.
Warwick, Libby, Kelsie, Brittany and Janaya.

Atherton, Thurs 27 June 2002, email us at longw@acr.net.au
Well, we are at the northern most extreme of our trip on the East Coast (having been further nth at Darwin of course). The Atherton Tableland is a very different place being at altitude. More like the temperate climate closer to home but so close to the hot lush coastal rainforest areas and sugar cane/banana growing areas.
We stayed last night at ATherton Van park (Mountain View to be exact) and we are staying tonight at Lib's Uni friend, Sylvana's place just down the road. Lib has gone down to Cairns with Sylvana while I have stayed here with the girls. Kelsie is off with Nichole (12) around the town somewhere, looking at the Crystal Caves I think. I am at Mark's work on his computer catching up with the Blog!!
The trip from Charters Towers was very interesting. You travel down from tablelands just like Bombala to Bega etc but the mountains are very impressive. We stopped at Reid River rest area for lunch and it was one of the most delightful we have been to. Lovely views across the valley with road bridge and a rail bridge on either side of us. The temp was just about perfect. A couple were stopped in their caravan and had a cockatoo and a cockatiel, which found its way to the girls' shoulders one at a time. This was very good entertainment for the girls!!
Into Townsville to catch the shops late then out to our van park at Bluewater about 26kms north of T'ville. Unfortunately there was a car accident just 100m south of the turn off to this park so we were stuck for 1hr in the queue. The lady is recovering in hospital.
Van park was quite nice with not many people around, even though the van parks in town are all booked out, suited us!!
Yesterday we travelled from T'ville to Atherton via Ingham, Tully, Innesfail. All a very interesting journey with the coast quite different to what we are used to down south. Lots of sugar cane and big rivers and bananas and fast trucks and narrow roads!! Quite warm of course, I know you love hearing about that!!. Although Atherton was fresh last night however we didn't think that it rated on the cold scale as the locals were referring to it as!!
We saw an impressive lookout on the drive from Innesfail to Atherton, called Crawford lookout, check out a map sometime. I had no concept of these areas other than the trip I took to Cairns in 1982 with Curly Ohmsen!! That was February and I nearly died from the humidity and heat, it was worse than anything I felt in a year in PNG or a month in Fiji!! Let me tell you, June is a great time to be up here!! (why do you think we are still up here?!!!)
Best go as the twins are restless to get to a park!! Lib must be having a lovely break in Cairns away from us and the trip!! It has been very relaxing wandering around Atherton I can tell you. Ready to resume tomorrow with the trip to Cairns and then points south. Lookout...here we come!!!
Regards, Warwick and co.
(thanks to the Weymans for their email) (oh yes, Clarks, could you let me know if you got a reply to your email, I think it may have gotten chewed up at Charters Towers with my half hour blog update!!)

Third instalment from Charters Towers, Tues 25 June 2002, email us as below!!
Charters Towers is a lovely place, the architecture and the preservation of significant buildings has made the place very attractive. We spent all afternoon wandering around the main street and then stayed at a caravan park in town, which has a pool!! The kids swam but found the water a bit cold at 5.30pm!!! The night was quite mild, much nicer than the colder nights further up the range at Pentland.
Today we are heading into Townsville where we will make the decision on where to travel next. Maybe further north to Cairns and Atherton or maybe we begin the big drive south into the cold. What do you think we should do?!! Our next post will tell you the answer!!
The kids are travelling very well and have got into listening to cds and tapes by themselves at the table leaving the sound system in the front for us. We bought some headphones for the twins so they can also play their gameboy advances in peace. The three girls have used their gameboys for hours, hopefully to no long term illeffects!!, and can link them up to play 3 player games which is quite entertaining!
Must rush, the day outside is absolutely delightful and I think a touch of food and drink in the lovely park is a must.
You can ring us most of the time on 0408 583446 or email us as below.
Hope you are all well and enjoying our tales from the deep north, Our tans are coming along too!!
bye for now, Warwick Libby, Kelsie, Brittany and Janaya.

More from Charters Towers, Tues 25 June 2002, email us at longw@acr.net.au (text only sorry)
There should be another post from this session somewhere below!!
Now, at Mt Isa, apart from the show, we visited the Riversleigh Fossil museum display thingy, quite interesting as they have many fossils out here. Kids enjoyed the interactive displays and the tour of the lab is informative. See, we are providing for the kids education while away!!!
From Mt Isa we travelled on probably, in my humble opinion, one of the most spectacular 109km drives I have ever done to Cloncurry. The Selwyn (I think that is their name) Ranges are just magnificent with each pass opening up into an even better valley. The colours of the trees and the soil and the rocky hills combine to take your breath away, especially in the late afternoon sun which was behind us all the way.
Cloncurry did not make much of an impression as we wanted to get on our way the next day however we did make time to get the kids to the local park. They met 3 girls, Stephanie, 10, and her 5 yrs younger twin sisters!! Amazing that that is the same as our combination. I think we all just stood and looked at each other for some time in amazement at the similarities. Their mother, Jean, was a lovely lady and she and Libby talked for ages. Their grandmother was there too. I got lots of video and pictures to show you one day. At the same time next to the equipment was a pickup game of touch with 2 aboriginal blokes with 5 young boys and 1 young girl playing. They all had lots of skill but the girl had the best sidestep and evasion skills I've seen in a long time!! Perhaps she uses these skills quite often too get away from her brothers!!
From Cloncurry we did 540 kms to Pentland. We stopped in at Julia Creek, which impressed us. The storekeeper there had shorn at Bombala and vividly remembered that it was so cold, in his opinion, that he spent all his spare time sitting upstairs in the pub around the fire. Now which pub do you think that may have been, let me know if you can work it out!
Richmond has a big, I say BIG, dinosaur in its mainstreet, the twins ate their lunch in its mouth!!! Libby and I walked the streets while the kids played and read all their historical information boards...and all, bar one, told of the adjacent buildings being destroyed by this fire or that. One place had been burned down 3 times!! Not much to do on Sat nights, maybe!!
After a big day we finished in Pentland, at a great little park, with only one other couple there.
Will send this now to make sure then, maybe, I can tell you about this nice place, Charters Towers.
Bye for now, Warwick

Charters Towers, Tues 25 June 2002, email us at longw@acr.net.au (text only sorry)
Well here goes version 2 as I typed for half an hour yesterday and lost the lot at the Charters Towers Library!!
Never mind, now where was I!!
I might post a little and then type more so you should scroll up or down to find the whole story!!
We left Mataranka after a lovely 2 day stay and headed down the long highway to three Ways. Many people travelling, only just got a powered sight.
Left early the next morning for the big push, our biggest prob for the whole trip, across the Barkly Highway to Mt Isa. The roads in the NT are great so the trip to the border was fine, though long and a little bit the same all the way!! Then we hit Qland! This is not fun..Camooweal to Mt Isa is the worst road we have travelled on for the whole trip!! Single lane with big drop offs into the red bull dust and road trains coming the other way who know that YOU are going to get right off for them. Even when you forget to get off they know you are going to so they stay on the strip of tar!! Very scary..not a good place to play chicken!! After 630kms we pulled into Mt Isa which nestled in the late evening glow over the lovely Selwyn Ranges.
By chance we had arrived on the very eve of the Mt Isa Show, with the Friday being a public holiday. So there was nothing for it but to attend the show!! Lots of fun and rides and money and interesting experiences!! Another of those unexpected things that you are sure to come across as you travel!
I will send this now to make sure that something, at least, gets through today!!
Bye for now, Warwick