13 - Departure

All good things come to an end, and the bad ones too.

The work at the Prawn Farm has finally come to an end, all the ponds are empty and all the prawns are cooked and packaged.

But now it's also time to say goodbye, to Wongaling Beach, but also to a lot of people who have become dear to me in the last few months - and I'm not just talking about the other farm hands, who often sought contact with us despite the language barrier and were interested in lively exchanges.

I am primarily referring to the two Swabians who have been accompanying me since Darwin - kind of like brothers in arms!

But also to the operators of the campsite (Tony and Trish), who we called our home for the entire time, as well as some other long-term campers with whom we broke shrimp and bread and got to know Australian hospitality.

Our neighbor Berry, a Kiwi who has been living in Australia for over two decades, and Michael with his dog Nacho will be particularly missed.

But luckily, our time together didn't just come to an end.

Walter (also a long-term camper) took us on his little "Tinnie" (motorized dinghy) to Dunk Island, where we could spend a wonderful day with Michael.

The highlight was undoubtedly the ascent, or rather the view from the top of Mount Kootaloo in the middle of the island.

Dunk Island was hit by 2 cyclones over 11 years ago, and the traces are still visible.

Exploring the still destroyed bungalows was also an exciting part of our trip, which unfortunately ended a little shorter as we wanted to cast our lines from the local jetty to catch our dinner - naturally with success.

The evening BBQ was almost nostalgic, but we had a great and wet farewell, which was celebrated until the early hours of the morning.

After leaving the "Bali Hai", we went directly to Townsville, where Felix and Simon's two flights were supposed to depart from.

So on Sunday and Monday morning, it was early to get up and go to the airport to say goodbye to the two of them.

On Saturday evening, we naturally wanted to go out on the town together one last time, but ended up going out for decadent Thai food instead - after all, we're not getting any younger!

In our defense, I have to mention that we had just been to the top of Castle Hill to enjoy the view over all of Townsville.

(It was higher than we thought...)

Well, now it's time again: alone on the road and without a specific destination, the journey continues south.

And I have to say, it's amazing how much space there suddenly is in the Pajero!

Being able to finally unfold my bed because we don't need three seats anymore makes saying goodbye easier for me.

So far, I have been to Ayr, Guthalungra, and Bowen, but I have to admit that none of these places really fascinated me.

Tomorrow, I will probably arrive in Airlie Beach, where I will probably stay for at least a few days - in the heart of the reef, so to speak.