Untethered

Our adventure up the Bloomfield bump track didn't disappoint.  The drive took us up and down mountains and through river beds that made having a 4 wheel drive more than a nice to have!  It was a tooth jarring, hair raising trip with some slopes at 31% grade. (Meaning that you can't see the road in front of you either going up or down.) After taking this trip, it became obvious why so many of the vehicles we see in the far north are equipped for any kind of emergency.  Trucks here generally are packed with two spare tires, water & fuel cans as well as a snorkel.  If you look at the picture below, you will see a black snorkel attachment coming out of the hood.  These snorkels enable a truck to take in air for the engine even when driving in very high water as you cross a river.  Up here being stranded due to flood waters is pretty common once the rainy season begins as the average annual rainfall is 6.5 feet! Standard Aussie Vehicle  Our ...

The lovely coastal village of Port Douglas, Queensland has been our home base for the past 2 weeks.  It is further up the Coral Sea coast so the temps warmed a bit which is fine by us.  It seems strange that moving north here translates to warmer tropical weather.  Port Douglas has an amazing beach. Due to strict building codes, no structure taller than a palm tree is allowed in the city.  Thus, a walk on this 4 mile beach delivers the experience of being on an uninhabited stretch of paradise. Stunning views every day on this beach. Besides the beach, Port Douglas has ample shops, restaurants, golf courses and adventure tours to keep everyone busy no matter their passion.  It is definitely a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ must visit spot! The locale affords easy access to the Great Barrier Reef as well as a to the wilderness of the Daintree Rainforest.  This week the trade winds finally calmed so we had an excellent day of scuba and snorkeling on the Agincourt reefs of the ...