A slow start to the day was appreciated by all – a leisurely brekkie after a sleep in (for some anyway!). Rosie was caught in her pyjamas spraying her caravan wheels with cleaning product in order to remove the dirt and dust around the wheel nuts – no cleaning fetish here!!

After breakfast we all ventured out to do the Cardwell Forest Drive exploring key features of the area.

First stop was Cardwell Lookout – after a short walk through bushland that had been recently burnt, we arrived at the lookout with commanding views over Rockingham Bay, Cardwell and Hinchinbrook Island. Dunk and Bedarra Islands could be seen in the distance. The day was clear and calm and the vista was magnificent.

Next point of interest was Attie Creek and Falls where the was also swimming holes. Unfortunately due to the extremely dry conditions the falls were not working and the creek was a couple of small waterholes that did not look at all appealing for swimming….

We drove on keen to get to Cardwell Spa Pools (natural pools for swimming) which were further along the forest drive – they were reportedly absolutely stunning and great for swimming – as the day was hot we were all hoping to have a swim. The pictures we had seen on brochures and the internet were amazing…..however we arrived only to find a sign saying swimming was not recommended due to low water levels and high concentrations of natural bacteria!! We walked down and had a look – it was easy to imagine how beautiful they would be when full and flowing however they were almost dry and definitely not swimmable…much to our disappointment!

We drove on back to Cardwell and went out to the marina we had seen from the lookout. “Hinchinbrook Harbour” was obviously a new estate with beautiful homes built right on the water – impressive. As we drove further around to the Marina we noticed that the restaurant/ hotel was closed down and the area around the marina was unkempt. The marina itself was empty – no boats and the place looked somewhat ghost-town like. A few of the houses were up for sale and we got the feeling that something had happened to the development – the landscaping and design was awesome but for some reason things had gone sour. We later asked a local what had happened – apparently the private developer had been unable to dredge the Marina when it needed it due to Greenie interference and the council was unwilling to take it over – again another example of “greenie” interference which was unnecessary and has caused the local township some hardship. Cardwell is a beautiful place and could have a bit more of an economy if the small marina was operational….

After coffee at the local bakery we went back for a swim at the only place available – the caravan park which had a beautiful saltwater pool. We enjoyed swimming and lounging around the pool and then had lunch back at the vans.

In the afternoon Gordie, Kerry, Trev and I went for a bike ride along the Cardwell foreshore all the way to the pier and then on to the Hinchinbrook Harbour Estate right at the end of the town. The tide was out and we rode out along the pier and met some locals who had just come in from fishing. The water was quite murky as the mangroves and mudflats nearby are stirred up by the ebbing tide and swell and so you can understand why swimming is not allowed due to the saltwater crocodiles present – apparently there are 2 large resident males – one at each end if the beach – again we did not see either…

We rode to the opposite end of the beach and down a dirt road to the boat ramp – a deserted area with a muddy ramp surrounded by mangroves real croc territory!! Although we did not see a croc Trev clapped his hands and we heard a loud movement and big splash into the water just on our left – pretty sure it was a large reptilian entering the water!

We rode back to camp and enjoyed happy hour together….. and planned the next day’s journey to Proserpine.