4Am, the ringing sliced through my sleep. I pulled myself out of bed and grabbed the receiver, “this is you’re…” I hung up before I let the automated wake up call could finish its duties. Slumped back in bed I finally dragged into the shower at 4.20am and made it out the front only five minutes late, tea in hand. I got time to drink it too thanks to Miraj who had still not emerged at 4.45am. Stuart did the duties of snapping him from his slumber and by 5.15am we were on the road. First stop at cape tribulation for breakfast and just like in the story I read so long ago the rainforest did meet the sea and matched the illustrations to a tea. Walk through tumbling vines and deep green leaves that then opened up onto white sand and a gentle sea. Our five beaded string of 4WD rolled through red dust, wash outs and rivers that each time sprayed up in surprise, in protest banging on our windows carnage sticking to the sides. We stopped at Bloomsfield falls to watch the raging white foam power down then through Wijal Wijal making it just in time to Cooktown for the FIM (Family Income Management) opening of their new office. Noel Pearson and Ann Sherry spoke strong words for the cause reminding the audience of the passive welfare mentality, the grog epidemic, the lack of self esteem and initiative in communities and the importance of self empowerment and positive partnerships to create a future to hold proud. Ann also mentioned IBM her full support with IBM coming on board with the program and secretly I felt very proud. There were performances, food, networking and a friendly chilled out mood. Back in cars we past the black mountains, two massive mountains of black stones piled high made by two male goanna’s who were trying to impressive the same lady and in competition they built higher and higher only for a cyclone to come along and end this potentially ongoing courtship…or so the story goes.
We camped at Battle Camp station, not the usual stop for secondees but the road was closed into the Lakefield national park. Vit discovered this place a few years back when a group of secondees got bogged in Archer River and walked 22 k’s to the station for help. Neil, Ashley and their two beautiful daughters Casey 5 and Elise 2 live on the 33 000 acres which is apparently a small amount of land for these parts. We camped on a billabong off the archer on their land and they joined us for prawns, fish and snags. I jumped around like a mad woman with the kids, spotted the red eyes of a croc in the billabong below then went peacefully to sleep in my swag, under the stars. The experience is already incredible and we’ve only had one night so far.
Light friendly rain drops on cheek, Vit shakes to wake “the rains coming, better move under tarp”.
We camped at Battle Camp station, not the usual stop for secondees but the road was closed into the Lakefield national park. Vit discovered this place a few years back when a group of secondees got bogged in Archer River and walked 22 k’s to the station for help. Neil, Ashley and their two beautiful daughters Casey 5 and Elise 2 live on the 33 000 acres which is apparently a small amount of land for these parts. We camped on a billabong off the archer on their land and they joined us for prawns, fish and snags. I jumped around like a mad woman with the kids, spotted the red eyes of a croc in the billabong below then went peacefully to sleep in my swag, under the stars. The experience is already incredible and we’ve only had one night so far.
Light friendly rain drops on cheek, Vit shakes to wake “the rains coming, better move under tarp”.
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