Townsville to Armstrong Beach ...

We chose our van park in Townsville for convenience.  Having an ensuite site was great and we liked seeing the curlew family each day (though were sad when one chick didn't make it). 

It was nice to move on and continue our travels. Our next park was selected on the basis of it's distance from Townsville - and because it was less busy than Mackay.  

Armstrong Beach Caravan Park is a very quiet, small park situated right on the Pacific Ocean. It's in a peaceful coastal setting away from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

It was such a great choice, just beside the beach. We went for a long walk. So many little crabs and their millions of tiny sand balls! 

Sand Bubbler Crabs are small crabs, around 1cm across the carapace. The balls are formed as a result of how they feed, filtering sand through their mouthparts.

As it was the last day of our 7th week, we had a lovely cheese platter celebration. 

We opened a jar of date chutney, carted all the way from Coward Springs!

Townsville ...

We had five nights in Townsville, which gave us plenty of time for a good look around - and book the car for service. 

There was a lot of dog-free nature appreciation after Magnetic Island, when Bandit was still at his pet resort. 

We had a look at Alligator Creek, in a National Park out of town. (It was a place we'd viewed online quite a few years back - when Nick was applying for other Queensland jobs, pre-Victoria). 

Funny to see the scrub turkey so keen on breaching someone's picnic provisions! 

Magpie Geese and Red-tailed black cockatoos were afternoon highlights, spotted when driving in Town Common Conservation Park.

Townsville has three, dog-friendly, Botanic Gardens so we visited those with Mr Dog.  Anderson Gardens was our first choice. It was originally planted as an arboretum. 

It was marvellous! Such magnificent trees - just huge!

We spent time at the heritage-listed Queens Gardens, with more huge trees - and then finished the afternoon wandering through the 17-hectacres of Palmetum. 

After Castle Hill, Mount Stuart is Townsville’s most prominent landmark - 10km from the CBD. Most of the area is a Military Training Area and Nick said it seemed familiar from his earlier years.

We mooched around the local opshops, visited markets and generally relaxed.

Magnetic Island ...

We were up early to drop Bandit to his pet resort for a weekend stay, then headed to the Magnetic Island ferry carpark.  

The island gained it's name because in 1770 Cpt James Cook believed the island’s granite boulders possessed a magnetic force that interfered with the compass on his ship the “Endeavour”.

There was a bit of a GPS mix-up getting to the right carpark (not due to any magnetic forces!) but once sorted, we were soon on our way to the island, where we were warmly welcomed by our lovely friend, Peter.  

Peter was the best tour guide! We drove around the island, heard local stories, then did a beautiful 4km bushwalk, with stunning views along the way.  And yes, we saw a koala!

The Forts Walk is the island’s most popular walking experience, showcasing many highlights of Magnetic Island National Park—koalas, stunning views and World War II relics all set in the island’s dry tropical landscape.

We talked and talked, it was awesome to catch up so thoroughly!

Once back on the mainland, we walked all around Castle Hill Lookout, admiring the stunning 360 degree views. 

Just metres short of a mountain, Castle Hill is the giant pink granite monolith in the centre of Townsville.

After such lovely adventuring, we rounded the day off with excellent dinner and creme brulee.

Cairns to Townsville ...

We didn't see cane trucks on the road but saw plenty of cane activity as we drove along.  There was lots of lush countryside. And so many bananas!

We had a later picnic lunch at Vincent 'Bushy' Parker Park, near Rollingstone. It was a lovely spot, with quite a few people enjoying the free camping.

Vincent “Bushy” Parker was a local lad who became a spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain; was later captured by the Germans.  He attained renown for his role in British escape attempts from Colditz Prison. 

Bushy had trained to be a professional magician at one stage and those skills aided his lock-picking efforts - enabling him to raid the prison store-room where Red Cross parcels were held.  They yielded materials he used to build a glider, as a means of escape!

We chose a van park on the Northern side of Townsville, closer to the boarding kennel where Bandit would be staying over the weekend.

Highlight of our stay were the bush stone-curlew family, that greeted us on arrival and often sat behind our site. Lovely!