Mackay Again

I really had no choice but to visit again. I don't like passing up opportunities to meet up with friends, especially ones I won't see for a long time, if ever. Nell and her family opened up their home to me for a few nights on their large sugar plantation. This is the most representative accommodation one can find in Mackay. Once the town ends, there is nothing but sugar cane for miles in all directions.

On my first full day, Nell and I took the two-hour drive to Eungella National Park. Like most of North Queensland's parks, it was a large expanse of rainforest atop a mountain. Nell and I took a lovely 10km hike through the rainforest. Our conversation shifted to snakes at a point, for some odd reason. In the middle of me speaking the following sentence, "Yeah, Australia has more deadly animals than in the states, but like our animals, if you don't bother them, and let them do their own thing, you shouldn't have any problems," Nell screamed as she stepped on a brown snake, one of the many deadly species of Australian snakes. It whipped her leg with its tail before scurrying into the bushes. We stopped for a few minutes to allow our hearts to stop pumping. We then tiptoed further down the trail, eyes on the forest floor. The carefree tone of our walk changed instantly.

We hiked another kilometer before the trail became too overgrown for our addled selves to continue. Even wallabies were making us jump. We returned to the trailhead and staked out the river for the main draw of this part of the park, the potential of spotting a platypus! We were quite lucky; just as we got toe the river, a woman gave us a silent signal. We creeped to the bank just in time to see a duck-billed platypus surface. I snapped a quick photo before it dove again. It surfaced one more time and I had a great photo lined up, but it dove again, leaving me with just a photo of rippled water. We stared at the river for a couple more hours, hoping to see another and to give us another photo-op. Sadly, platypi are quite shy; any noise or movements scare them way. Aussies on the other hand are not shy and are quite boisterous, so every five minutes, people would walk by loudly, gabbing away, oblivious to the fact that there are seven people keeping completely still and silent, staring at the water. Honestly, what did they think we were doing? We saw one more at a distance, but my one encounter proved to be the only one of note. Boy though, what a great encounter it was! Australian nature, despite it affinity for trying to kill my friends has treated me quite well.

We wanted to stay longer, especially since platypi are most active in the evening, but there was still the nearby Finch-Hatton Gorge to see. After being forced to take a long detour due a flooded road (stupid Queensland!), we arrived at the gorge at dark. It was too dark to see anything, so we got back in the car and headed home. We should have stopped there first. To bad as well, because we could have stayed longer, staring at the river.

The next day was relaxed. That evening, we went for a sunset tour of her sugar farm. It was pretty cool. A cow got loose, so we had to chase it down and herd it back to its home. Nell chased after it in the bumpy grass. I was quite freaked out honestly: I've never been too much of a fan for open-air vehicles. I stayed cool though; I trusted Nell not to kill me. I didn't fool her though.

"A little freaked out, huh? I was going really slow."

"How did you know?"

"Uh, Aaron, I could see how tightly you were holding on."

"Oh." My facade of masculinity shattered a little too easily, not that I was fooling anyone anyway.

Nell had to work the next day, so I hitched a ride to town to Glen and Faith. First, I stopped into an interesting art exhibit on tapa, an art form from the South Pacific. They take the bark from some tree, make into a crude paper and do some fishing related painting upon it. Nothing too exciting really, but it occupied me for a good thirty minutes or so.

I joined Nell for lunch at the weirdest little park near the port. It had a giant fiberglass shoe, crocodile, Fred Flintstone, and Snoopy. I can't explain the bizarre feel of the park; it is just an odd place. Next, I met up with Glen for a couple of hours. We cruised around town, hunting for his lost wallet.

Finally, I had to bid farewell to Glen and Faith, then Nell, which was quite sad. Too many goodbyes in too short of a time. I may come back for another night for a bonfire on my way south, considering it is on the way.