Cape Hillsborough

We left Bill and Carmel and headed out to the coast to stay in a campsite in the Cape Hillsborough National Park. The campsite was right on a beautiful sandy beach that we had to share with one other caravan.

Smalley's Beach campsite, Cape Hillsborough National Park

Unfortunately though we could not go in the water, as it is still marine stinger time. Up until the end of May, there are small jellyfish in the tropical seas that can have fatal stings. The Box Jellyfish grows up to 30cm across and delivers a potentially fatal sting. The other nasty is one called Irukandji and is only 1 - 2cm across and is almost invisible in the water. So we can only swim if the beach has an enclosure to keep them out. Another good reason not to swim on this beach is because some crocodile tracks were seen on the beach recently! Other than that, it's a fantastic place.

Smalley's Beach, Cape Hillsborough National Park

In the evenings, the locals came to visit. The Brush Turkeys would turn up around dusk and scratch around in the leaves on the ground.

Brush Turkey

Then when it got dark, it was the Brush Tailed Possum's turn. Just above the possum's head in the picture there is a Cane Toad. These toads are very unwelcome visitors in Australia as I mentioned earlier in the trip.

Brush Tailed Possum Cane Toad Cane Toad.

A much friendlier amphibian is the Green Tree Frog, you know Trisha, the one with the sticky pads on its feet! Well we found one that had adopted us. It was sitting on the ledge where the roof closes down on to on the van. I noticed it when I opened up the roof on arrival at Smalley's Beach, it amazing it didn't get squashed! It disappeared when it got dark but was back again the next morning. I moved it into the bush before we left.

Green Tree Frog I wonder where those little feet have been?

A local fisherman asked me to give him a hand to net for bait. He offered us some fish in exchange. The navigator jumped at the thought of fresh fish and offered my services which involved paddling in the water with the jellyfish and crocodiles!

Netting for bait.