Day Forty - August 15th, 2013
Cairns
I would like to take a little time and set the scene in regards to our current camp neighbours. They pulled up yesterday and set about assembling their huge tent. It seems to me that they might be a sort of couple, even though there are three of them. I certainly cannot distinguish which of the two women might be involved with the man. Since they are all of the same age (late 60s), and the two women look nothing alike, I am speculating that they are all together (he refers them collectively as 'girls' so I can't work out the relationships). The overweight man put up the tent by himself while the two ladies stood around gossiping and giggling. If I had been watching the episode on TV, I would have been waiting for him to keel over clutching his chest from a coronary. The grunts emitting from him were not encouraging. However, all seemed to be well in paradise. Once the tent was up, he settled into a chair right next to our area, and as far as I could see, stayed there well until the sun went down. This wouldn't be a problem, if not for the frequent and loud belches and farts resonating from him. He also seems to be coughing up a lung at regular intervals. It kept me up a little last night, but nothing major. Tonight he has returned to his chair, drunk, and loudly reciting 'Jack and Jill' (incorrectly) and belching for Australia. So that's what we're dealing with. I will forever be grateful for double glazing once I have a house, and bask in the glory of protection from a stranger's need to expel gas in public.
So, back to us. Elly was up at 7 to drive the car to the garage, and left me snoozing while he walked back. With that done, we were somewhat bound to the campsite for the day, and settled in to read. We skyped Elly's mum, but, restless as ever, Elliot suggested going to the pool, and as the temperature reached 29 degrees, I agreed. The pool is freezing, but just what you need to feel properly refreshed. Luckily a tennis ball had materialised from somewhere, and I handed Elliot over to Ben for some boy bonding which consisted of them hurling it at each other. I didn't ask - anything for some time with my book.
Elly and Ben then skated around the campsite on their skateboards, and hyped themselves up into a surfing mood. Apart from the crocs, there are no waves up here, and they're both pining for a good session. After an hour or so of fiddling with photos on his computer, the boredom was obviously too much, and Elly called the garage. Luckily for us, it was ready! We walked the 1km to pick it up, and paid the $400 for a new rear bumper (second hand), new tail lights, fixed front headlamps, new fan belt and fixed windscreen water tank. We feel ready for the outback now! We just need a spare fuel tank and we're still looking into a two way radio.
We made a stop at Wooly's, and then pressed on to Mountain Designs, yet another camping shop Elliot located. Success! He found a shirt an pair of trousers which he liked. We also bought a tube of Bushman's mozzie repellant, and had a good chat with the two shop assistants. One used to work in the reptile section of the zoo and really put a lot of my snake fears into persecutive. We headed back to the campsite to change, and drove down to the Esplanade. A lovely run, and uninterrupted save for a helicopter taking off from the open land beside us. We had to stop to give it room to take off. I'm not sure I could ever get in one - they look terrifying. I once refused to get in the one belonging to our family friends Leigh and Mike when they picked us up from the Isle of Man airport. I caused quite a scene, and I don't think my views have changed. Dinner was steak and veggies for Elly, prawns and veg for me. An early night before our last full day in Cairns.