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Chapter Seven Back to Port Douglas

On to Chapter Eight - Bali

Eileen and I only undertook one more big bike trip. That was in 1987, and this time we had company. Gavin and Irene came with us. I worked with Gavin, and we both had motorbikes. We both had two children about the same age. Many people thought that Eileen and Irene were sisters. The girls both had Irish parents, but that's about the closest to a family relationship it got. We were all good friends.

By now I had the Suzuki GS1100G. I will never sell this bike. It has been stripped down and rebuilt twice by 2006. As a touring bike, it is the most comfortable and reliable bike I have ever ridden. We still go for short rides on it. Usually we ride through the hills at the back of Brisbane, or along the esplanade beside Moreton Bay, find a nice place to have lunch, then ride home again.

We were going north again this trip. Each of us got to choose a particular place we would like to visit. Irene chose Eungella National Park above Mackay because she was born there. She was actually born in an ambulance on the way down the mountain. Silver (Gavin) chose Mt Spec near Townsville. I chose Mission Beach, and Eileen did not have any particular place.

Eungella National Park was the first place we got to. There was a huge old-fashioned chalet at one of the highest points. We booked in for a couple of days. It could have been used in the movie 'The Shining'. Sitting around an open fire drinking rum might seem odd for tropical north Queensland, but not on the top of the mountain. Out on the eastern lawn was a swimming pool, which we cursorily glanced at, but beyond that was a steel ramp built out over the cliff for the hang gliders to launch from. This deserved closer inspection, as the view was spectacular. Only a few kilometres away was Broken River where we spent some time looking for platypus. Irene assured us that she used to see these very elusive creatures there, however our luck was out.

We spent a couple of days at Airlie Beach before we rode on to Silver's choice of Paluma and Mount Spec. Yes it is spelt correctly. Mount Spec is about 60 kilometres north of Townsville, and part of the Paluma Range National Park. Silver and Irene had friends there and we stayed with them for a couple of days. This was another bike trip where the tents never got unpacked.

A couple of hours ride north and we were at my choice, Mission Beach. About eight years had passed since Eileen and I had first ridden here and it showed. There was a lot of construction work in evidence. It was a bit confusing as to what was open, and what was being renovated or built. We checked out a few motels, and asked at one if it was the Castaways Resort that we had seen advertised. The woman looked at the four bikies and in a derogatory voice said, 'That's too expensive for you'. That settled it. I booked a room at Castaways for each couple, my treat. State of Origin Rugby League was on that night, so Silver and I settled in one room in front of the TV with a bottle of rum for me, and bourbon for him. The girls could do what they pleased.

They did too! In the piano bar The Beast was playing. We all knew this colourful character from the Great Keppel Island Resort off Emu Park and Yeppoon. We had dinner there, annoyed The Beast, Silver and I went to watch the footy while the girls partied, and then we went back down later and joined in. Next morning Eileen rescued her shoes from the piano.

We made it to Port Douglas a few days later and the changes here were obvious too. The infamous Christopher Skase had built his Mirage Resort, and others had built similar. It was no longer the sleepy fishing village. Friends of ours were living and working there now so we stayed with them and ignored the tents again. After Castaways I was too poor to stay in any of the resorts.

Our ride back to Emu Park was uneventful, and I have only been to far north Queensland once since by land. Just before I left Telecom Australia I took a sabbatical and spent several weeks doing relief work. While I was at Mossman I decided to explore the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation. Just a short drive north of Mossman is a cable ferry across the Daintree River. This is also the end of the bitumen. This would not normally be a problem except for the fact that I had chosen the 'Back to Cooktown' weekend, and that it had been raining.

There was a continuous stream of mainly four-wheel drive vehicles travelling the other way. The road itself was twisty, hilly, and slippery. I did not want to travel any further in a two-wheel drive vehicle but I could not find any place to turn around. Eventually I turned right at a crossroad, found a place to turn around, and turned left to go south again. I would have to leave exploring the Daintree for another time.

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On to Chapter Eight - Bali