We had some battery problems which delayed our departure from Brisbane by a couple of days. The auxiliary battery was not charging. In dodgy fashion Joe hooked up a 19V laptop power supply to the battery to try to break through the resistance that had built up after being left discharged for a few months. Left it like that for a day and eventually it came good. The battery’s capacity will be reduced but it will still do the job.

Our first overnight stop was on the side of the road where Joe whipped out the kelly kettle to brew some tea. He used some rubbish for kindling. Then onto Airlie Beach. We bypassed a whole lot of the Queensland coast between Brisbane to Airlie Beach. This trip is mainly for Cape York since we are on a tight schedule to return  to Brisbane. In October we are heading to USA and Caribbean for a wedding and a few months travel. We figure we can return to the other spots closer to Brisbane some other time. Airlie Beach is a great little spot. It’s the gateway to the Whitsundays and is very popular with backpackers. This means the accommodation is competitive to cater for the backpackers and the beer is cheap. You may not sleep well though as chances are there will be some noisy obnoxious pommy backpackers keeping you awake. There’s a free public swimming pool on the beach which is a great spot to hang out. We found a green coconut, split it open and drank the coconut water. We had to make up time so only one night at Airlie Beach and no trips to the islands. It’s a nice town and deserves more time, we hope to return one day.