Townsville 30 Aug – 13 September 2014

We said goodbye to Judy and Bill on Friday and took them to the airport. It was great catching up with old friends and certainly made the trip to Magnetic Island more enjoyable. On Saturday we went to the Rock n Rodz Nostalgia Festival where we stepped back in time to listen to Rockabilly Bands, view the classic cars and hot rods, admire the beautiful women’s fashion, enjoy the rock and roll dancing and appreciate all the 50s and 60s memorabilia. We had a quiet chuckle when we realised that we have enough things at home to start our own stall! On Sunday we visited a nursery expo (next to the Ross River Pool Complex)that was overflowing with tropical plants such as bromeliads, ferns, palms, orchids and desert roses (which were spectacular). Although the expo was all about tropical plants, there were enough plants that grow on the south coast to keep us interested and inspired. On the weekend we went to see a play by Thornton Wilder called “Our Town”, an unusually play with no scenery or props and the ‘stage manager’ talking directly to the audience. Although it was an amateur production the principal actors were very good and we enjoyed it immensely. We also had a walk around a marina and had a tour of a replica 15th caravel ship. The owners are older than us and took 10 years to build the ship. They have been sailing it around Australia for the past few years. The caravel design comes from an Arab Dhow and this ship is a replica of the Portuguese ship wrecked in 1522 at Port Fairy. It was amazing to walk over the ship and see how primitive it is and how difficult it must have been to sail and realise that people like Columbus and Vasco De Gama sailed these all over the world. It was also judicially moored next to a 5 million gin palace and the contrast could not have been greater – I know which one would get the most enjoyment from their ship! We finished off with a walk along the Strand and enjoyed an ice-cream while sitting on some deck chairs. The whole promenade is a credit to the council and is enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be much the council can do with the CBD – it is rapidly dying with so many vacant shops that it is hard to find one that was open! Laura decided to come up and see us on the way to Nauru and it was great to catch up with her. She is now responsible for finding employment for refugees and is enjoying her new job. We took her around Townsville and showed her the sights. Laura and Heather caught the ferry across to Magnetic Island and had a great time visiting all the bays and beaches – it really is a special place.