We left Townsville early, to avoid the hassle of getting trapped in the caravan park because of roadworks. The first stop on our route north was by the roadside to marvel at the field upon field of sugarcane. The massive plants create a living green hedge along the side of the road and can stretch as far as the eye can see. We sent up the drone and found the geometric designs intriguing. We had breakfast at Big Crystal Creek, part of the Paluma Range National Park. We put out feet in the water but decided against a swim as it was quite early, a little chilly and just a bit concerning that we may step on a bullrout. The creek contains this freshwater stonefish which has venomous spines just waiting to skewer the unsuspecting foot, yet another Australian beasty out to get you.

Townsville is a city that is hard to pigeon-hole. It is dominated by Castle Hill, a towering rock that the suburbs have developed around, creating very separate parts. The waterfront Strand is a delight … a beachside promenade dotted with quirky public art, a variety of beautiful buildings and the view across to Magnetic and other islands. Other areas are flat and dominated by suburban sprawl. And other areas are warehouse industrial that stretch for kilometres. And there is a working harbour with a rail head too!

Our northern migration saw us arrive at Airlie Beach, which bills itself as the Heart of the Reef. The town is very much geared towards getting people out onto the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), boating around the Whitsunday Islands or parting travellers from their money at the many restaurants, takeaways, beachwear/souvenir shops and pubs. The main street is roughly 50% tour providers then 25% each food or tatt places. We were very much part of the tourist crowd, using Airlie as our launchpad onto the reef.

London was a way stop after Paris, where we collected the luggage we stored, near our Belgravia accommodation. A catch up with Alison was fantastic, as was the proliferation of outdoor drinking at London pubs … the City pavements were full of ‘suits’ enjoying the early-season sunshine. We then strolled through those pavement-blockers to our European finale, the Pierre Marco White London Steakhouse Co. restaurant experience. A delicious 5-course meal with introductory cocktail and a celebratory bottle of champagne was our treat … and that bottle must have taken our quota beyond 20 champagne houses!