First thing this morning, I drove to Boltmasters for two tek screws to replace the bent ones holding the awning bracket. At Bunnings, I could only buy a $25 pack of screws, which I don’t need and probably have several of at home.
There was a little rain around as we hooked up, but it soon disappeared. We drove out of the caravan park and stopped 200 m along the road near the Red Hill Artisan Bakery for coffee and breakfastfast, and to buy sourdough bread. It was closed!! The notice in the window stated due to unforseen circumstances. We didn’t want to go looking for cafes with the van attached, so settled on the nearby McDonald’s.
We took our food and coffees back to the car as we had left the critters inside. My coffee was sweet, so I walked back for an unsweetened flat white. I had ordered a burger and Anita the toasted sandwich. Both we smothered in sweet BBQ sauce. We couldn’t be bothered going back a second time, so scraped off as much as we could, but breakfast was not enjoyable.
We detoured to Palm Cove for a pit stop but didn’t have time to linger as Bluey was booked into the vet at Port Douglas. We drove to the vet and parked the van nearby while I took him for his appointment to see about a lingering canker ear problem. He started shaking the second he walked through the door!
The vet took a swab from his ear and found bacteria so prescribed antibiotic drops. She also made sure he was up to date with his heartworm treatment, flea and tick prevention, and vaccinations. I said we were headed to Mareeba for the music festival, and she told me there has been a case of the deadly dog disease ehrliciosis in Mareeba. She advised we put on the flea collar we carry because of this disease, which is transmitted by brown dog ticks. This is the only preventative action that can be taken so Bluey will be wearing his tick collar until we are well south of the risk area.
We checked in at the Tropic Breeze Caravan Park for three nights. Sites are small and the roadways narrow. Cars each side of our site were moved to give us room to back in, which we did without much trouble thanks to our long A frame. After unhooking and connecting power and water, I set up the critters’ crate in the shade behind the van.
After lunch of sardines on toast, we took Bluey exploring Four Mile Beach, but dogs are not allowed on the beach near town. We have to drive him to the southern end of the beach, where he is allowed off leash.
We strolled along Macrossan St, looking at the shops and restaurants. At the northeastern side of town, there is an historic sugar wharf, now used as a venue for events such as weddings. The nearby church is known as St Mary’s By The Sea, a non-denominational church used for wedding ceremonies. We have some prints featuring this church that we bought on a much earlier visit to Port Douglas.
The tropical gardens surrounding tourist resorts and hotels have a wide range of colourful and interesting plants. A few large trees survived the intensive development in the area.
Back at the Bushtracker, the damaged awning arm was in the shade, so I propped up the external arm and replaced the bent screws with the new screws. Only one screw is holding the bracket to the wall of the van as the other hole has been stripped. I will try to buy another screw one size thicker to see if that will anchor the bracket securely.
We walked back to a pizza restaurant, but the pizzas were disappointing because of thin bases and lack of essential ingredients such as basil leaves. We walked home having completed over 11,000 steps for the day.
Committed Travellers 