Townsville in the Tropical North

We were so happy to be able to visit our lovely friends Sheryl and Kevin and their beautiful little Charlie in Townsville, where Kevin has got a contract as a flying doctor (yes, he said it IS just like the TV show!) for six months. Now, if you have a long memory, you may remember that the children and I went to Sheryl and Kevin's wedding in Edinburgh with my mum back in September last year, so, like crazy kids in a panoramic school photograph, Sheryl and Kev have managed to appear at the beginning, and now the end of my blog!




Charlie is two and a half, and I remember now how two and a half year old boys get into everything!




Before we arrived I asked Sheryl if their driveway was flat enough for us to park on. We stayed in the house in the end;)




The big walk up from the road was all worth it, for an amazing view over Townsville, Castle Hill and Magnetic Island.




The first day Sheryl took the kids and I to a wonderful outside pool complex which was completely FREE, (us camping sorts love free things;), I said how nice it was to have an outside pool and Sheryl said doesn't think there is even an inside pool in Townsville. We certainly knew we had arrived in the Tropical North, the day was so hot and sticky and humid that there was nowhere else to be really, apart from the pool. Sheryl said that this was nothing, the summer was almost unbearable. Apparently nobody walks in Townsville as it is just too hot, the council haven't even wasted money putting down pavements to walk on outside the city centre!

We loved this tree, yes, it is one tree, that we found along The Strand in town.




And I loved the beautiful old colonial buildings.




Naomi and Benny enjoyed 'The Reef HQ' Great Barrier Island aquarium in the harbour..








...as well as the Museum of Tropical Queensland where Benny was lucky enough to fire a simulated cannon in an interesting exhibition about the H.M.S Pandora. H.M.S. Pandora was sent by England in 1790 to retrieve those naughty mutineers from the H.M.S Bounty and bring them back to England for trial. The ill-fated Pandora ran aground and sank on it's return journey and claimed the lives of 31 of it's crew and 4 of the prisoners. It still lies on the bottom of the sea, in the outer Barrier Reef - I can't believe I never knew that story!







Thanks Sheryl and Kev for a lovely Townsville experience and for all your generous hospitality, it was great to see you in your new home. Still not sure if it's a town or a village but we had a fun time in Townsville:)

Love
Est xxx