Stops #7 - 9 : Townsville; Lucinda and Paronella Park

#7 - Townsville

After our luxurious stay at Peppers, we head  4 hours north to Townsville, the home of the reigning NRL premiers.

Neither Jackie nor I had been to Townsville previously, so we did not know what to expect; we were pleasantly surprised.

Like a lot of the QLD cities, there is a nice pedestrian/cycle path along the shore of the city, passing through salt water rock pools, lagoons and jetties.  We went for a number of bike rides and walks, and spent a nice afternoon at the rock pool.

We stay at Rowes Bay Caravan park, a couple of kms north of the city centre.  It's a quaint little park, opposite the beach, and within riding distance to the city.  You cannot swim at the beach however, due to the stingers and risk of crocodiles being in the water.  This does not stop locals from walking along the beach with their dogs, and carrying on with their normal lives.

We spend many afternoons in the swimming pool at the caravan park, which has a couple of shade sails to ward off the beaming sunlight.

We found out that Monday was another public holiday in QLD, celebrating Labour Day; we went into the city to watch the union marches, and check out some of the monuments and displays along the foreshore.

We managed to fish one afternoon with the family at the beach opposite the caravan park, however we only managed a Flathead, some Garfish and some prawns; sufficient for a nice seafood meal that evening.

On the day we left Townsville, we do some sightseeing at the top of Castle Hill, which provided some nice 360 degree panoramic views of the city.

Townsville was a nice little city, we didn't spend too much time exploring, and I feel we didn't give the city a chance to showcase what it has to offer.  As much as we wanted to see more of the city, the stifling heat made utilising the caravan park pool more appealing.

#8 - Lucinda

The Hinchinbrook Region is known for it's spectacular island scenery, fringing, offshore reefs, sheltered bays and is a mecca for fishermen (with boats that is..).  Most fisher-people come here to catch mouth watering reef fish or tropical pelagics every fisho dreams of.

Arriving at the Wanderers Holiday Village, it was apparent that I would be the odd man out, one of the few without a boat in tow.

The caravan park is home to a lot of long term residents and grey nomads wanting to spend months away from the winter chill, and fish till their hearts content.  It has recently undergone some renovations, and has all the facilities one would need.  The price was comparable to a Big 4, however the facilities was equally as good.  Certainly a place we'd revisit and recommend.

The kids continue with their school work, we're getting the hang of the work and fitting it into our schedule; today the kids are learning typing skills.

Without a boat, I knew it would be tough to fish.  We are in crocodile territory from now onwards, with signs everywhere, warning of the dangers, so grabbing bait and fishing on the shore would be challenging. A short walk from the caravan park is a fishing jetty, which is adjacent to the world's largest bulk sugar loading jetty at 5.76kms long.

I dragged myself out of bed a couple of times to fish the morning high tide.  With the current raging at this part of Australia, I knew it would only be possible to fish the jetty an hour either side of the tide change.

The first morning I arrive at the fishing jetty before sunrise, to the sound of fish splashing all over the surface.  There was so much activity, with the sounds of the fish breaking the surface like kids dropping large stones off the jetty.  I had no idea what fish these were, and I had only fresh bait that I had netted from Townsville and my array of lures.  I tried my soft vibes first up, which were getting hit, however I did not manage to keep them hooked, it was very frustrating.  With the small trebles on the vibes not keeping the fish engaged onced hooked, I thought I would try something with a larger gauge, a 1/0 jig with a Gulp minnow attached to the back.  First casts solicited some strikes, again without any solid takes.  These fish were shy, or had small mouths.  After a few more casts, I hook up solid and the fight is on.  The fish is not big, but puts up a spirited fight.  It uses the current to it's advantage and races under the jetty with the current.  I manage to manoeuvre it around and out again, know that I need to lift the fish a good 6 metres to the top of the jetty. As I motion to move lift the fish, it falls of the hook and into freedom.  I managed to see the fish before it fell into the water, and it looked like a giant Herring or Tarpon.  Other casts that morning did not result in a strike, and as soon as the sun cam up, the fish activity ceased.  I had out a fresh Garfish on one rod, fresh herring on another and flicked plastics around the pylons.  The Garfish was not taken, and the herring picked by small fish.  With the current raging again, the fishing was effectively over.

Intent on exacting revenge, I return the next morning.  With the tide a little later the next day, and the wind stronger, the fish activity was not as prevalent the next morning.  Still, there was fish activity on the surface, and I knew it would be the same fish.  Sticking with the use of a 1/0 jighead, I tried a few other soft plastics but the fish were not that interested.  Shifting back to the Gulp minnow, I eventually come up solid on a fish.  The fight was similar to the previous morning, with it lasting longer this morning, and I knew I had the fish beaten.  The only thing remaining was to lift the fish up to the jetty, not easy considering I was using light line and the fish weighed close to 2kgs.  After a few false starts, I manage to lift the fish all the way to the top, and was able to confirm the fish was a Tarpon, the first I'd ever caught and landed.  Tarpon are a great looking fish, and known for their fighting abilities.  They are also not a renowned eating fish, with too many bones and a string fishy smell.  

Unfortunately for this Tarpon, I was looking for some good bait for later in the trip, and Tarpon are also known as good bait.  Scaling the fish was difficult, with the fish having large scales all over it's body.  Once scaled, I filleted it into bait sized chunks, hoping it can be converted to a bigger fish down the track.  The caravan park has a fish cleaning bench, and freezer for fishermen to discard their fish carcass and crab fisherman to grab bait.

With my failure to provide for my family, we dropped into one of the houses near the caravan park that was selling locally caught fish and seafood.  We wanted to have a break from eating the snags and meat, and a few fillets of locally caught fish was what we needed.  Unfortunately the house did not have any fresh fish, only snap frozen mackeral fillets.  Upon telling him that I wanted fresh fish to cook tonight, and that we were heading off the next day, he suggested we try the fish and chips at the shop next to the caravan park.  He intimated that it would be the "best fish and chips" that I will taste.  I paused and questioned him, as this phrase is thrown around a lot, without much substance.  "Are you sure you want to make that assertion, it's a big call !!".  "Trust me" he says...  I confirm the location of the shop he is referring to, to make sure we are talking the same place.

I mention the discussion to Jackie, and she agrees to have Fish and Chips from the recommended shop.  Whilst Jackie and the kids swim at the pool, I ride the bike to the F&C shop.  It is unassuming on the outside, with no outlandish claims of being the world's best, Australia's best of even the best in the region.  There is a For Sale sign out the front, bringing into further doubt the man's claim.  The shop looks more like a General Store that sells petrol, rather than a bonafide Fish and Chip shop.

I speak to the old lady behind the counter, she reveals she has been working there for 14 years, and the owners there for 8 years.  I ask why they are selling, and she replies they are looking to go further up north.  I nod suspiciously.  The chalk menu board is simple, with not many options.  I note there is not a simple Fish & Chips line item, more what type of fish and whether you want it battered or grilled.  I was happy to see they only had Spanish Mackeral or King Salmon as fish options.  The owner comes out as I make my order, and he recommends the Spanish Mackeral, battered.  I also want to sample the King Salmon, but this can only be battered as the flesh is too soft to be grilled.  I may also want to order 3 fish only, as the pieces are of good size, I am told by the owner.  I make my $40 order of 3 battered fish (2 x Spanish Mackeral and 1 King Salmon) as well as a grilled Spanish Mackeral and $5 worth of chips, take my ticket and wait outside.

A quarter of an hour later the old lady comes out, "there you are" and personally hands me the fish and chips.  "You're not going too far with the fish, are you?". "No I'm not" I reply.  "Good, cause it will get soggy with the closed bag".  I love the personal touch and customer service, something no longer available in Sydney.

I open up the bag a little to let the food breathe, and ride back to the caravan.  Our attempt to eat outside was thwarted by the mass of mosquitoes that hounded us and our food.  So we seek shelter inside the caravan and tuck into the Fish & Chips.

Upon opening the packet and breaking fish apart, it was immediately apparent the food was made with quality fish fillets and ingredients.  The batter of the fish was thin, with more fish than batter and the chips were crisp and white.  The grilled fish was cooked to perfection.  Crunching into the batter, it had a texture similar to tempura, crisp and light, divine.  And the fish was sweet and tasty, unlike the standard you'd get from the local.  Hands down, I think this is the best Fish & Chips I'd ever had, and I am grateful for the recommendation from the local gentleman.

We all enjoyed our trip to Lucinda, I'd love to go back one day with a tinny and fish the river system and reefs.  Mark my words, we'll be back.

#9 - Paronella Park

We stop for an overnighter at Paranella Park, on our way up to Cairns.  We are constantly told about this park, and the amazing story surrounding it's history.

I won't go into much detail into the place and story, as Jackie has already posted a blog on it.  But in summary, if you believe the romantic version, it is about a poor Spanish immigrant seeking a better life in Australia, with a vision of building a castle for the love of his life.  He makes his wealth from property investment and generating electricity in the cane fields of North Queensland.  After amassing sufficient wealth, he buys a large property adjacent to a waterfall, builds his castle, marries, has kids and lives happily ever after.

If you are male, then you have respect for a man who worked his butt off in a foreign country and made some significant coin.  He was a visionary, well ahead of his time.  Where he goes wrong is that he doesn't get his work life balance right, and runs himself into the ground.  He dies before he gets to smell the roses, leaving behind kids and wife that barely know him.

The place is nice though, unfortunately it no longer resembles the nirvana that it would have been during it's peak.  Hopefully the new owners can restore the place to it's former glory, and people can enjoy the place as Jose had planned.

Below are photos of the place.  And yes, I did take some souvenirs from he campsite, hoping the grapefruit that Jose planted are as sweet as his intentions..