Decided to head south about two hours to the lovely Mission Beach last weekend. We had been there before but not stayed for any length of time, so we decided to pack up the camper and head down for a few days. A change certainly is as good as a holiday and we revelled in the beach front camping and the soothing sea breeze. After making ourselves known to the 'caretaker' in his office (a mini van, a few chairs, a television, and a 1960's dune buggy strewn together under a giant ancient tarp) we chose a camp site under a huge fig tree whos' canopy protected us from the afternoon sun.
Hippys and rickety old caravans dotted the foreshore. Ageing men with equally ageing waistlines wandered around in their barefeet. The atmosphere was sheer relaxation and we certainly felt it rub off on us. Sunday morning saw the arrival of stalls for the sunday market, a vibrant affair considering it is still considered the down season for tourists. We wandered around aimlessly, cruising the aisles of leather bracelets, sun hats and fresh produce. When we finally returned to camp we'd purchased enough fresh fruit for two days, books for the kids and some fishing tackle for our not so well used tackle box.
The kids and I collected coral from the beach, seed pods and the odd cuttle fish to make a seaside mobile. Max played guitar and later in the arvo we wandered down the street to a great little cafe/bar that sat nestled on the foreshore. The kids as usual traumatised us for a portion of the meal but with friendly staff and a couple of wines the universe was restored to something resembling happiness.
Monday saw us getting adventurous again and heading into the rainforest. There are plenty of great walks around the little national parks in the area, so we took the kids south past south mission beach to Licuala NP, where cassawories and fan palms are in abundance. Much to Jake's disappointment, the cassowaries weren't as abundant as the fan palms, however they still had fun.
We returned to camp for lunch and a sleep for Ella, before heading north to Bingil Bay and Clump Jetty where we chucked the lines in for a bit of fishing. Jake is convinced that fishing means you put a line in and then pull the fish straight out. Within ten minutes he was asking where the fish were...." where are the fish?"..."I want to catch fish" (yeah right, that's what we all want isn't it?). If only it was that easy!.....sigh
Anyway after an hour of chasing Ella around trying to prevent her launching off the side of the jetty, telling her to SIT DOWN ON YOUR BOTTOM!!!!!!! We finally gave up and returned to camp for a dinner of chicken....much to Jake's disgust and tears. Oh well you can't win them all.
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