Babinda Boulders, Josephine Falls, Mission Beach, Wallaman Falls, Townsville, and Airlie Beach

Sunday, 08.03.2020: We leave Cairns, not without buying fresh tropical fruits at Rusty's Market one more time, and drive south on the Bruce Highway. Our first stop is Babinda Boulders with Devil's Pool. Then we continue to Josephine Falls, where we can swim in the pools below the waterfall in wonderfully fresh water. Since today is Sunday, both the Boulders and Josephine Falls are quite crowded. We continue to Mission Beach, where we find a campsite right on the beach. We stroll through the picturesque coastal town and find a nice bar, The Garage, where live music is playing today. The artist plays the guitar, drums with both feet, and sings or plays the didgeridoo. We stay for a beer, then it starts raining and we retire to our camper, where we enjoy our dinner under the open tailgate in pouring rain.

Monday, 09.03.2020: Back on the Bruce Highway and further south, passing Hinchinbrook Island to our obligatory waterfall, this time the Wallaman Falls in Girringun National Park, which means a detour of 102 km. The hope for another refreshing swim is not fulfilled. We are standing on top of a gigantic waterfall that plunges 268 m deep. A path leads from the top to the pool, 4 km there and back and precisely 268 m of altitude difference at 31 degrees and 82% humidity. Hans-Werner goes all the way down and 2,800 steps back up. Then we continue to Townsville, a larger city with the nearby Magnetic Island.

Tuesday, 10.03.2020: Continued drive to Airlie Beach without further stops. We want to plan our next days, a sailing trip around the Whitsunday Islands National Park, a series of offshore islands. Upon our arrival, heavy monsoon rain sets in. Our research shows that the heavy rain is expected to last for another 4 days. Since the rain is also further south and we do not want it to ruin our other destinations, we decide to stay in Airlie Beach for two nights and check into a hotel, as we do not want to camp in our small camper on a flooded site during this continuous rain.

Wednesday, 11.03.2020: Continuous rain in Airlie Beach.