Camping Weekend-Jourama Falls

We were keen to go camping for the weekend, but plan A and plan B were both not possible as the roads were still closed from the cyclone. So plan C was Jourama Falls. It was a

great campspot with walks, waterfalls and creeks for swimming in. We had a fun weekend (and only got a little bit wet!!)!

We take the 3km walk up to see Jourama Falls. The scenery on the way up was even better than the waterfall. We loved it!

Jourama Falls

We made it to the top to see Jourama Falls! You can't quite see it in the photo, but it was just stunning. There was waterfall after waterfall flowing all the way down the gorge.

How serene! Too cold for Chris and I, but the girls were keen for a swim. Such a peaceful spot. We were the only ones around

Funny girls!! They were told to pose and this is what they came up with!!

We went for a walk along the creek. We were going to go for a swim in here 'til we saw lots of turtles swimming around. We decided to let them be!

The girls thought it would be fun for Chris to drive across the causeway and splash them. They wait in expectation....

Their plan worked!! They got wet!

Murray Falls

On Saturday we drove out to Murray Falls. It was a very pretty place and there was so much water pouring over the falls! We had trouble finding our way as all the tourist signs are still down after the cyclone blew them away.

Looking down the creek from Murray Falls. It looks beautiful, but you can see a lot of damage caused by the cyclone, with trees pushed over and crashed down.

The girls are so easy to entertain and find fun anywhere. This slippery slide was great entertaiment for the afternoon.

Cyclone damaged Cardwell-Qld

This was the sky that greeted us on our first evening at Cardwell. You probably can't see well from the photo, but there were rainbow colours coming out from behind the clouds. We have never seen anything like it. It was just spectacular! Thanks again God, your creation is just amazing!

This is part of the New Life Pastures campsite at Kennedy (just out of Cardwell). We worked here for 2 weeks with Graham and Gloria, the MMM Townsville managers and another MMM volunteer from Cairns. An older couple run the campsite and were feeling very overwhelmed by the damage done by cyclone Yasi and all the repairs needed to be done. Hopefully we've helped out a bit and lightened their load. A church camp comes in this weekend.

Chris and Graham assess the damage. It took a while to get the sheets of iron back on this roof. The wind kept blowing up day after day. Finally it calmed down and the job was done.

Gloria and I work hard at scrubbing down all the walls. After the cyclone it rained for weeks and all the walls were covered in mould. Then we helped paint the ceilings that the guys had replaced.

The guys are replacing some guttering that was ripped off in the cyclone and putting up more whirly birds that blew away to some unknown location??

Chris working hard with Graham and Arthur replacing a water damaged ceiling in one of the cottages.

The campsite manager was keen for some help in burning all the timber lying around from the cyclone. There were many of these huge bonfires to burn. Trees blown over and stripped bare were a common site around Cardwell as well as tarps on roofs waiting for repair. They really got hit hard and the process of recovering is taking a very long time.

This poor little Anglican church in Cardwell. This is all that's left of it after cyclone Yasi.

This is up the driveway of where we're staying. It's such a gorgeous view on a clear day, with the cattle and the mountain range in the background!

At first I thought the Brahman cattle were ugly, but I'm getting very used to them and love their big floppy ears!

Little Crystal Creek- Paluma NP

We took a day trip to Paluma NP. It took about an hour to get there from Townsville. We stopped in at this gorgeous spot at Little Crystal Creek for a swim. We couldn't get over just how beautiful and peaceful it was. We sat and enjoyed it for a long time!

Fun and games. The girls were brave enough to get in and have a swim. It was a fairly cold, rainy day and this water is meant to be very cold all the time. It did look very inviting though, it was crystal clear!

Bridget and Claire tried so hard to find a spot where they could slide down the waterfall. Bridget discovered this 'seat' at the base of the waterfall.

While the girls swam and played around in the water, Chris and I just sat back and enjoyed the view! It was so quiet and peaceful today, but the locals say it's packed over the summer months with people coming for a swim to cool off.

We walked around and up to get closer to the waterfall. Just beautiful!

We went on a walk through the rainforest. A lot of this walk was along the edge of the mountain range and what was left of the trees had been badly damaged by cyclone Yasi. Further into the walk where it was more protected, was still ok. The girls found this vine and thought it would be perfect for a swing!!! Of course it would!

Magnetic Island

As a thankyou for the work we'd done for them, Townsville Baptist Church treated us to a day out on Magnetic Island. It was perfect weather, and after a short 35min trip over from Townsville, we had arrived. It is called the island of beautiful bays and it didn't take us long to find out why.

We had a top day out!!

We were able to take our car over on the barge. It made it so easy to get around the island. The roads mainly follow the coast, so even the driving around was beautiful.

This was our first stop for the day, Picnic Bay. We guessed we were in for a great day if this was anything to go by. Such a pretty and peaceful place.

What an amazing tree! When the girls spotted it, they ran straight to it and started playing. It was great fun.

We walked up to this lookout at Hawkings Point. What a great spot to lookout over this beautiful island !!

Another gorgeous bay, Arthur Bay. We love the rocks which line the bays and the trees that come right down to the water.

Arthur Bay. It said this was a good spot to snorkel. We saw a few fish and some coral, but we had just been to The Great Barrier Reef, so it didn't come close to comparing.

She's getting a big girl, but not too big for a cuddle!

Daddy and his girls!! It was getting a bit chilly on the way home with the sun disappearing quickly. We'd had a fantastic day at Magnetic Island!

Townsville Baptist Church

In Townsville we stay at the Baptist Church. They had some damage done by cyclone Yasi and were happy for some help. Our first job was to put up new sheeting here that had been ripped off from the wind. I was Chris's sidekick and he was happy to put a drill in my hand and put me straight to work!! Chris also fixed a few other things around the church which included some brickwork, painting etc, etc....

We're nearly there. It was hard work lifting all these big sheets up! Now just a coat of paint and it's looking as good as new! I liked being Chris's apprentice for a few days!

The girls were invited to join in on a 'Chemical reactions in the kitchen' demonstration. They learnt a lot and had a good time. Claire is making litmus paper here. The girls used this litmus paper to test for acidity in products.

Out and About in Townsville

We were told while we were in Townsville we should go to 'The Strand'. It was a stunning strip along the coast. This is the rockpool which is at one end and a walk/bike track runs along the coast with parks,cafes and great views the whole way. We love that it's really easy to drive around Townsville and even at such a lovely spot at the beach on a Saturday, we could get a parking spot!!

A lookout over Townsville city. That's Magnetic Island in the background.

We took a drive out to Ross River Dam. Check out how blue the sky is!!!! Beautiful!