Our turn for the front seats

 Oh boy, if I thought the three large steps in the back was tough, try the front. Only two steps up and as they go alongside of the wheel arch, each step was not much bigger than one shoe. Warren helped me up, once up it was fine.

It did seem to be hotter probably be because of the big windscreen.

Anthills, these are darker in colour and face east west

From the cab, black box halfway up on left side in a camera so when sitting in the back, passengers can see the road ahead on a large TV screen.

Another river crossing and a chance to stretch our legs before getting to our overnight stay at Musgrave station.

There was a cache there. 

On from Cooktown

 After a hot cooked breakfast we headed north.

Bridge building here

Stopped at a pretty place to look at the waterfall.

Rock clambering

Love these trees

Cooktown

 Seems incredible that it was three years ago that we were here. It's only a four hour trip from Cairns but we did several stops, morning tea and lunch.

Morning tea is tea and coffee with biscuits and fruit cake.

Lunch is a combined effort with salad stuff coming out of the truck, bread, lettuce tomatoes cucumber,onions red capsicum, tinned beetroot and asparagus and corn with cold meats to make a sandwich or wrap. Folding chairs come out of the other side of the truck. After eating everyone jumps in to help wash up and pack everything away. Twenty minutes for Mt and about an hour for lunch. We stop at interesting places along the way as well.

Our bus/truck. Three large steps to get up into the bus, thankfully there are rails to pull up as it is not that easy. Cooks lookout.

Two of our people looking at the actual lighthouse.

Everyone chipping in to get lunch ready.

All meals are part of the package except lunch at Weipa as some are doing a mining tour some are doing a bus trip, some (us) are doing parkrunand geocaching.

Cairns Hilton

 Bit fancy, tour booked the accommodation.

Very big room with a balcony and a large bathroom with telephone alongside of toilet.

This was about 5pm,

Bathroom with shower over the bath, half glass panel with no curtain which did mean the water splashed over the sides, luckily the bath mat was super absorbent.

Dinner was downstairs, main course was steak or fish and chips. I opted for the steak well done, it was not too bad although I couldn't eat it all.

Banana splits

 We went out for lunch the other day, as I didn't know what to do about lunch. Warren's solution, we'll go out for lunch. Then he was saying that he would love a banana split but we couldn't think of anywhere where we could get one.

One chosen lunch cafe was alongside a grocery store so we decided to buy the bits and pieces required to make banana splits.

$34 later we had the makings.

So, banana splits on the menu for dinner.

Two types of icecream, banana and strawberries with cream topping, nuts and sprinkles, yummo! Best thing, there's enough left over for three or four more.

Wisteria

 My walks with Lucy these days is down the hill and cross over at the shops then we go from there, our walks are named so she knows where we are going. A couple of days ago, heading down to the shops, she decides that she wanted to go down a laneway. 

Her way of indication that, she heads that way and plants her feet squarely, sometimes she is allowed to go her way, it's easy and we do get to the destination so I let her take me that way.

We have started to come home that way as the top laneway had three little dogs on one side and two in the other and if they are all outside, there's a lot of barking. 

So this day, Lucy gets her way and we go down the laneway. To my surprise, there is a Wisteria vine starting to come into flower.

Beautiful clear blue skies this morning.

A sewing project

 A tic tac toe game or noughts and crosses. We were discussing at crocheting that our last term we will make toys for Christmas. One of the women made a small noughts and crosses, it fitted in her hand. Two pieces sewn together with an opening and she was making circles in two different colours. 

She is also a quilter and said that it could be made in fabric.

I have always kept bigger pieces of left over fabric to use in smaller project so I made this the next afternoon. Five rounds of green and five of pink.

I have made two more, each a bit smaller. The fabric is quicker but I will do the circles in crochet.

The second one I did today and it's a plain piece of fabric and I have sewn ribbon to make it into squares.  

Burpengary CREEC

 Just down the road from us and there was an adventure lab. We needed one cache on that day to finish our year to get a cache on each date.

Took Lucy as it was a 1,5bwalk around. Go to drive in and notices saying no dogs. I ventured in toget the two around the admin buildings.

Then I met them at the entrance as there is a walkway around the whole thing.

Lucy had a couple of friends, apparently there was no hesitation with the chooks coming over.

 Got two caches along this path, Warren thought it would be a good time to sit down to sign it.

Turtles

 I bought a pattern online for a set of turtles. It is a toy as well as a game. I made the turtle and also made a ladybug by adjusting the pattern slightly. 

It was suggested at crocheting group that we each bring something that we have done to show and also teach the others to do. I took the second week and shared the pattern of the turtle. 

Turtle and ladybug together. Inside are ten smaller one with a coloured basé.

Ladybug with baby one. The game is to match the colours by turning them up, there a set of two for each colours. One of the ladies made eighteen little ones and made the top shell a little larger so they would fit in. The top shell is stitched around leaving a gap which is then secured with a loop and button.

Proston

 We spent two nights at Proston golf club. Showers and toilets were available but no power for a donation. Most people had said they had donated $10 a night which we though was fair enough and we did the same.

On Friday nights they offer a meal at the club rooms all staffed by volunteers we booked in for that. 

Boy oh boy what a meal, the plates were piled high and none of us could eat it all. Each of the three meals cost under $20.

Parkrun on Saturday morning.

Weather's at the park

And of course a windmill.

Local coffee shop opened across the road at 8am, ready for the trade after parkrun

Kingaroy

 The peanut capital of Australia. 

We stayed here a few years ago and we did a few tours around town. One was visiting a biscuit making factory which is operated by people who have some mental issues. 

There was an overseer and about eight workers who each had their own particular job to do. It was good to see and also interesting to get an insight how these kids worked together. 

This time however we were just passing through and stopped for a short break.

Dartmore

 On our way back to Melbourne we stopped at Dartmore. There was a heap of wooden figures.

These were Aussie animals on the posts going over a bridge.

All done by the same guy. Along the main street in front of the hall and service station were military scenes of people. One was different and it was a rifle upside down with a hat on top. The question we needed to answer was what did it mean. It was for a fallen identified soldier, I didn't know about the identified but.