Day 39 Friday, 17/6/2016, Ravenswood to Rollingstone, warm and light cloud

There was a little truck noise overnight as the gold mine is nearby. We were woken by fruit bats chattering in the trees above. A glance out the kitchen window finds two peacocks grazing with the brush turkeys. This life is full of surprises.

We drive through tropical grazing land, white trunked gums and tall golden grasses. The road is good and cuts through a gap in the Great Divide. It’s always a win when there are no mountains to cross. Five kilometres out of Townsville we stop for traffic lights and we can’t remember when we last saw lights.

We spend hours stocking up on supplies in Townsville. And searching for a coffee wholesaler, one of which has his home address listed on his website rather than the business address. We find ourselves driving up near vertical streets on the side of ritzy Castle Hill. With the van on the back, I can’t breathe for fear that we won’t be able to turn around or go uphill if it gets any steeper. Woody is blissfully admiring the all-encompassing views and stunning homes. If this roaster guy lives up here, then his coffee business must be good!

Rollingstone is about an hour north of the city and exactly halfway to Ingham. The Rollingstone Beach Caravan Resort truly lives up to its name. We’ve got site number one with an uninterrupted view of the ocean …and the Croc Warning sign. There are man-made lakes as well so almost every camp site has a view of water. There are hundreds of coconut palms and gardeners work furiously collecting errant coconuts and palm fronds, there is also a trendy container bar / cafe overlooking the lake. This place looks like a pleasant spot to relax for a little while and we’re so glad that we are booked in for 3 weeks.

Towing kms: 181kms

2021 Note: Crossing the Great Dividing Range is the bane of east coast caravanners. It was a great surprise on this trip to find that this highway (the Flinders Highway from Townsville to Cloncurry) takes advantage of a gap in the range.