Road Trip 2022

What should have been…

My plan was to drive north, and spend a few nights in the Daintree Rainforest, then work my way back south, spending a couple of nights in Hervey Bay. Maybe go see the whales.

The universe had other ideas.

In the weeks leading up to departure I discovered the battery in the caravan had died, as had the charger. Hundreds of dollars later, a new battery and charger had been installed.

I checked over the van. Packed everything, including an excessive amount of technology (for some reason), and was ready so I set off.

By the time I had reached the first corner I realised something was not right - it felt like the caravan was not stopping when I put my foot on the brake. A quick test later confirmed the brakes were not working on the caravan.

Side of the road testing confirmed it was not going to be an easy fix - no power was being provided by my tow vehicle. I hurriedly drove home, unhitched the van, “packed” what I could into the car, and off I went; hoping I could book accommodation at a reasonable price that night while in Rockhampton.

What I shock I received when I started looking into the costs of accommodation in the Daintree. So ended the plans to visit the Daintree Rainforest this year.

Finally…

After three weeks lounging around the house, occasionally doing something productive, like cleaning, I managed to get away for a few nights to Hervey Bay at least. The plan there was simple - photographs of Urangan Pier at sunrise, and the whales.

My photographs from the trip are here.

Two important thing to note about whale watching tours. Firstly, it is surprising difficult to hold a camera steady on a boat which is rocking back and forth, so tack sharp images are a real challenge. Secondly, holding on is important. I lost my footing at one point and fell down on the deck. Lesson learnt on that front.

The Daintree?

I still hope to someday make it to the Daintree, but it won’t be this year.