Tuesday 5th November 2002

Up to Townsville. We check out in time to do this 280 km (shorter) trip. On our way we pass a lot of mango plantations, and some banana plantations. The mango trees are full of unripe fruit hanging there like balls in a christmas tree.

Before arriving in Townsville centre, 17 km before along the road, is the Billabong

Sanctuary, an Australian wildlife park, with crocs, koalas, emus, kangaroos, pythons, dingos,... We arrive at about 11:45, just in time to hold a python. At 12:15 the crocs are fed. We have a closer look at some pademelons with joey's in their pouches, and free ranging kangaroos and annoying emu. We get up close with a colourful prehistoric looking rainforest cassowary. At 1:45 it's photo opp time when Radica holds a koala. And before we leave, we pair up Radica with a sulpher crested cockatoo.

At about 3:30 we arrive in Townsville. It looks pretty quiet, but that's because it's Melbourne Cup day, a unofficial holiday where everybody (the whole of Australia) dress up (think posh) and get drunk, putting a bet on the horse races. We're heading to the Reef HQ aquarium. This is the office of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and has a living reef on display. At 4:15 they feed the sharkes. Although it was two days ago that they had eaten, they were only mildly interested in their frozen food. The display gives you a nice overview of all things 'reef'. The aquarium itself wasn't too impressive, maybe we expected things to be bigger.

We walked down to the beach walk, called The Strand, with in front a view of Magnetic Island. Again a sign and a red flag warning for stingers and a bottle of vinager to relieve you of the pain in case of... Townsville apparently is the largest tropical city in Australia (including Thuringowa city). There are several historic buildings around town, especially around Cleveland Bay. It is flanked in the back by Castle Hill casting rising up behind the town. It's been a full day already, so we head towards our hotel. Back at the car, we found a little note from Townsville Counsel under the whiper... Didn't put enough money in the parking meter. My first (and only) Aussie offence (parkingticket), A$10. (We managed to slip out of the country without paying. Wanted ...)
The hotel is situated in a city district called... Belgian Gardens! So far away from home, still so close... The hotel has a nice tropical garden, nothing belgian about that! In our garden view room we find another bottle of chilled champagne. Thank you very much! We make a reservation for dinner later on in the hotel restaurant, and head back to the city centre. We drive up Castle Hill and on our way up pass all these raving mad joggers, cyclists, people walking their dog, ... and mothers with prams, going up (and down) the big hill. Not one or two, but masses of them. Crazy. JJ (that's me) forgot to bring his cameras, only carrying the digital one, low on batteries. He still manages to take some sunset pictures of the view over the city surroundings. Back down we head to the main shopping street (for some window shopping, it's about 6:15, shops are closed). Walking down this street we are overwhelmed by deafening noise of hundreds or thousands of rainbow lorikeets (small parrots) shreeking about, flying around to find a sleeping spot (think Hitchcock's 'The Birds').

Back at the hotel, we take a seat in the lush garden, with our bottle of champagne, and then make our way down to the restaurant where we have green mussles, grilled baramundi,... and another bottle of wine. We are going to have a good nights sleep...

Night night
JJ & Radica