Day 23. I spent an hour on Chatty Kidz, talking to Olivia, Tristan and Georgina. It was lovely to catch up, listen to Tris reading and talk about rock art with Olivia, using our photos. George brought us up to date with Tom the cat's health. Then we spent the morning on the trails up Mt Cook. I did the scenic route and RM and Elle, did the dangerous climb to the summit!

Day 22. After surviving the wind gusts that blew hard overnight, we woke to a beautiful fine day. Slow start, a few chores and then we set off on foot to walk to the wharf. Cooktown is a lovely town, some nice old buildings, the impressive Endeavour River, and lots of history. The James Cook Museum is particularly impressive, both the lovely convent building and the content. The beach at Finch Cove is pretty too, but you can't swim there because of crocodiles. Th...

Day 21. Shared a meal last night at the Laura pub with a couple from 1770, near Bundaberg. Can you guess where the name comes from? The meal of barramundi was sadly only average. Our day started earlier than planned when some of the locals returned home and continued the party! They kept at it from 1.30am to after 3.30. Another local told me this is commonplace. If there is a next time at Laura, we will stay at the pub CP. However, the day improved immeasurably...