Early Monday morning I attempted to activate my phone again and also contact Britz. Britz had answered my email and knew where we were but Telstra could still not activate the phone. I looked outside to find the start of a great day.
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| Dawn from the Rowe's Bay Campground |
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| The esplanade from the Rowe's Bay Campground |
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| Rowe's Bay bay view cabins |
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| Interior of Cabin |
Although the cabin was comfortable with a great view I did not want to spend the day stuck in one place. I decided to throw caution to the winds and explore north of town with the camper van. The van behaved itself and I got good shots at some small parks north of town.
One of the first birds appeared in a shrub directly in front of me as I pulled into the parking lot. These Australian Brush Turkeys are very common and apparently don't have a hunting season as they are quite bold.
At the second stop the light was getting a bit harsh and I decided to wait in one likely spot and let the birds come to me. Not all came within camera range but the ones that did were worthwhile
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| Rainbow Bee-Eater pair |
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| Rainbow Bee-eater in flight |
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Australian Magpie
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| Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike |
We returned to the campground mid-morning to find a message that Britz was sending out a technician to check out the vehicle at 11 am. Since the van had run without coming out of gear during our morning run I wondered if they would think we had over reacted. Several of the idiot lights were still on however.The technician was a local who had relatives in the U.S. and Canada and he was more interested in going over his genealogy than looking at the van. He asked some questions, checked the belts and called Britz. Britz wanted me to drive it to the Volkswagon dealer in town which would save them a tow charge. I agreed to their request, found the garage and turned in the keys to the receptionist who arranged a ride back to the campground. I wasn't asked any questions and never saw a mechanic. Nothing like being left in the dark. I didn't know if it would be an hour to fix or what would happen to our clothes, groceries, and gear in the van if it would take longer. We had removed camera and electronic gear but everything else was sitting at the dealers. Luckily we had a great area to explore by foot and we took advantage of it.
Edie fell in love with the walk along the esplanade and took hundreds of pictures of the artwork there while I continued to look for birds. For once she took more pictures than I did.
Towards sunset I set out again to find a few more new species. There are flowering shrubs everywhere and usually birds can be found there. There is no better way to spend time than with sweet evening light at your back and birds foraging for a last evening meal. Unfortunately it doesn't last long.
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Yellow-bellied Sunbird
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Despite the fact that our transportation was in limbo, I felt we had a great day in Townsville and was not upset. Tomorrow, however, out situation will have to change if we are to stay on our plan and not miss anything
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