Day 10: Australian Wildlife and Swimming at the Waterfall

Since we were already used to getting up early and wanted to give our eldest daughter the chance to see koalas up close (she wasn't with us in Brisbane), our alarm went off early again. After breakfast, we set off with the first rays of sunlight.

Our destination was the Billabong Sanctuary just outside of Townsville. It took us about 3 hours to get there. Distances here are enormous! Along the Brice Highway, we saw the familiar sight: sugarcane fields on both sides of the road, accompanied by the not very busy railroad track.

We arrived at the Billabong Sanctuary just in time for the feeding of the cassowaries. We hadn't seen this large bird in Brisbane, but here we were able to feed them.

Afterwards, we went to see the wombats.

After taking photos with the koalas, we visited the kangaroos.

There was also a petting enclosure where the animals could be fed. However, most of them were just lying lazily in the sun.

After visiting the crocodiles, we made our way back to the car.

Back at the camper, we continued our journey. We still had quite a few kilometers to go, and we wanted to arrive before dark.

Just before Caldwell, we stopped at the Hinchinbrook Island Overlook.

We traveled the last kilometers to the campground on a gravel road once again. Somehow, we didn't expect anything different.

The campground turned out to be a large wooded area with a few scattered water taps, fire pits, and a toilet block. We were free to choose a spot. Signs at the toilet block warned against leaving food out - cassowaries apparently visit the area frequently. One of the other campers told us that one had been there this morning, and even two the day before. That sounds exciting! Maybe we'll be lucky and see these endangered flightless birds in the wild?

But for now, we spend the evening in front of our camper reading and enjoying a portion of spaghetti. Since the campground has no further facilities (not even mobile phone reception), going to bed early is not difficult. Tomorrow we don't have to get up so early.

For the record:

Accommodation: Murray Falls Campground, Girramay National Park

Distance driven: 506 km

Distance walked: 8 km

Weather: Sunny, around 24°C