We took advantage of a couple of days in Townsville to do some jobs. The servicing of the engine being the priority. Innocenti was perched on the edge of the channel in the “Duck Pond” with our keel stuck in the mud at low tide (at least that stopped the rolling) where we changed the oil and filters. Such fun!

An Uber ride was in order to get to the chandlery to buy filters. Angus gets anxious if he doesn’t have a locker full of filters! (I’m much the same with tinned tomatoes!) The Uber driver was an older white guy from St Kitts who described himself as a pirate from the Caribbean. He spoke with a Caribbean lilt and carried a machete in his car😳 because he was concerned about the crime rate in Townsville. He became our “new best friend” for the next half an hour and he was quite keen to join us as crew on the trip to Darwin. He was nice enough but…I think not!

Townsville is a very attractive city. It has beautiful old buildings and a park that runs the length of The Strand. The Tobruk Memorial Pool is on the waterfront, where Dawn Fraser and the Australian Olympic swimming team used to train in the 1950s and 60s. There’s a fantastic water park, instead of a conventional playground, which our kids would’ve loved. I noticed backpackers using it to have a shower. I was quite keen to have a run around under the water myself. What a great initiative for families in a tropical town where swimming in the sea has its hazards.

Just 12 miles away from Townsville is Magnetic Island. The Aussies have a habit of using as few syllables as possible. So for the sake of one syllable, it’s fondly known as “Maggie”. Here is one place that still has an operational resort. We anchored at Horseshoe Bay, which had holiday apartments, a pub,  a couple of restaurants, hire cars and a gelato shop.  It was a bit like a low key version of Oneroa (Waiheke Island). This side of the island wasn’t exactly humming with tourists and it seemed all the businesses were for sale, but a great spot nonetheless.  We walked to Balding Bay which I get the feeling was a nudist beach.  I was treated to the vision of a couple of portly, middle-aged men strutting their naked brown butts and tackle along the otherwise empty beach.

Some more big days of sailing and a couple of days of motoring. We spent a night at the Palm Islands, anchored at Orpheus Island and didn’t go ashore. Another day, another abandoned resort, this time Dunk Island. I remember the TV ads back in the 90s about Dunk Island Holidays. Again, we felt like the only people on the Queensland coast. Friday was a big motoring day. 63nm from Dunk Island to Fitzroy Island, which is just around the point  from Cairns. I feel like we’re back in civilization with a beautiful resort here. Clear water and white sand and there are boats here bringing their boats here and ferries bringing guests.

Friend update now we’re in Cairns…still no friends, although we’re keeping an eye out for Scottish Bob. Cairns is a happening place and we’re anchored across the channel from the marina amongst some offshore boats. Angus’ mission today is to find a friend.