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**saralou** · #1 13 May 2018

Here we will camp in the Forwood’s yard and we can use the public facilities at the river 50 m away. We then had a message from them that their cruise is cancelled as the last sailing this week there was a woman lost after jumping overboard.

We arrived to their yard and set up the tent up under the biggest tree for shade. We had stopped at the ALDI on the way and took our meal down to the river side for a picnic.

There are thousands of Lorikeets here and just at sunset (and sunrise) they go insane with squeaking and flying about. It is quite a sight and a racket. We tucked in for our urban camping for a quiet night other than the birds.

This morning we walked into the city centre along the river for breakfast and then further along to where the river meets the sea at Cotton Tree. We stopped at the Woolworth on the way home and took our lunch across the footbridge near the house. It goes over to the island in the river. Here at low tide you have to walk a long way out on the sand bar for it to get deep enough to swim.

Late afternoon Kay and Peter arrived home and we had access to the laundry!!! Tonight we all walked into the town to a great Asian fusion place for dinner. In the morning we rode their bikes back to Cotton Tree for a swim in the ocean and so the guys could do some body surfing.

Queensland-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We then saddled up the bikes and rode just 15 km to across town to join a party in a park with some of their friends.

Queensland-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Queensland-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Queensland-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Queensland-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Queensland-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Queensland-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Queensland-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
It is a hot day and in the afternoon it was the for a swim in the river to cool off. Kay made us a lovely turkey dinner.

Queensland-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We were up early to swim in the ocean again and then set off north.

Queensland-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Queensland-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #2 14 May 2018

We are trying to get to Cairns 1700 km north, but west as well. Well actually we had to ride south first to join the tourist route. The road is surfaced, but at times it is just a strip of pavement down the centre of a dirt road.

FILE4188 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4193 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4195 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4248 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We wove our way north west thru small towns to arrive to Munddubera just after 4. It was 34 degrees most of the day and we were happy for sunset when it cooled off considerably. We walked into town and had a pretty good meal at the bar of a local hotel.

FILE4253 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #3 15 May 2018

Today we may or may not make it the 558 km to Emerald.

Screen Shot 2018-04-17 at 20.44.16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We gassed up before leaving town and then rode north to Banana on the A3 or Country Tourist route.

FILE4256 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The riding is mostly thru farmland, but there are some treed areas and hills. West from Moura we continued on the 60 and more west thru flatter and flatter landscape and on very straight roads and passing thru the small towns and villages.

FILE4263 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4276 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4277 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4279 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4283 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4287 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4300 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4318 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4339 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #4 15 May 2018

At Bauhinia we decided to try out the 110 km cross road. The first 20 km is a single lane of sealed road, the next 30 are good dirt, and the rest is a newly sealed road.

Screen Shot 2018-04-17 at 20.45.20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4375 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4395 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4402 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #5 15 May 2018

Just about half way Daniel noted his voltage meter was reading low at 12.5. When we got back to the main road (the Capricorn Highway) and onto Dingo for gas. The voltage was holding and we hoped to get the 150 km to Emerald to swap out the stator, but 60 km later the voltage was dropping and luckily there was a very shaded rest stop right there. We changed out the regulator, but as usual no luck and we had to swap out the stator. This is our last spare as Sara’s was changed in Wellington.

FILE4416 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

IMG_2504 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

IMG_2506 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Queensland-23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Queensland-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

It was then 90 km to ride directly into the setting sun. We had a room at a pub and it came with a free

!

**saralou** · #6 15 May 2018

We messaged the HU HUBB in Darwin and have had several replies with addresses to use to ship the new stator from the USA. We in the end sourced the part online in Oz and they want to ship to the Yamaha dealer in Darwin.

We have to decide which of 3 routes to take to Cairns from here the direct (960 km), the inland (1058 km), or the coastal (1119). In the end we went for coastal even though it is a bit longer since we have not seen the ocean for a while and because we will likely backtrack to Charters Towers (inland and direct routes via CT) on the way to Darwin. It is supposed to be a scenic historical town.

Screen Shot 2018-05-13 at 18.08.07 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2018-05-13 at 18.09.06 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2018-05-13 at 18.08.38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #7 15 May 2018

We are finally on the last push towards Cairns via the coast.

Screen Shot 2018-04-22 at 21.49.54 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We have recovered from the stator trauma of yesterday and are up and out early. For the first 2 hours it was straight thru farm land for the most part on the A7 Country route.

FILE4468 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE4480 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Queensland-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Queensland-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr