Day 49 / 2017 - Back in North Queensland, Take 2

After a weeks delay we are finally back in North Queensland.

On Tuesday we left Dural and drove to the airport via the suburban highways. The traffic was slow and took us about an hour and a half to get there and park down a side street, about 2 minutes away from the International Terminal. Waiting for a call from Wim he finally let us know he had arrived and to pick him up at the departure plaza. You are not allowed to pick people up from the departure plaza, there are many signs along the way telling you this. Being around 2pm the departure plaza was quiet and Wim was able to walk to the begining of the ramp so we picked him up as requested.

An easier way back to Dural is along the M1 and M2 but there is a cost as these roads are tolled. By the time you travelled along the eastern distributor, Lane Cove Tunnel, then M2 motorway the total fee was $17 and this in one direction. I would hate to be travelling this road everyday to get to and from work. We looked in the lanes coming from the other direction to us, which had come to a standstill. I would hate to pay all the charges to get a priority trip only to be parked. It just so happened we still had $17.00 credit left on our toll tag, we did not think we would be using toll roads again so this worked out perfectly. 50 minutes later we arrived back in Dural where Wim unpack then talked about his trip over a coffee, showing us the photos he had taken over the past 9 weeks. We had purchased Dutch Crokets a few weeks earlier to celebrate his return so we tucked into them next.

Next day was our turn, Wim this time driving us to the airport. We left early to allow for any of the traffic delays we had experienced earlier which fortunately there were few, the worst being the usual roadwork delays on the M5. Saying goodbye at the express pickup area, which worked out to be a good drop off point also, we walked to the QANTAS departure terminal. Using the automated check in terminals we printed our baggage tags then dispatched them through the automated bag drop off. Finally made our way through security to the departure gates. It all seemed to go well giving us about an hour before departure, time enough to have a coffee.

We boarded the plane which departed on time. The flight is 3 hours but ended up taking about 2 and a half hours, time enough to eat the included meal and watch a movie. I'll have to admitt while QANTAS is more expensive it is a more comfortable flight compared to the budget Jetstar and Virgin. 

Arriving in Cairns, while walking fom the plane to the main terminal building we could feel the humidity and warmness of the tropics... we're back. Picking up the bags from the arrivals hall we waited outside sending a quick coded message to Frank who within minutes picked us up. We originally planned to take the bus back but Frank kindly offered to pick us up which was great, getting us back in Walkamin a few hours earlier than the bus.

Opening up the house, it had that smell of a place that had been locked up for a while but that soon cleared, and was relpaced with the smell of fresh air. There was no signs of any damage or mold, the only thing visible was a few cockaroaches, dead on the floor from eating the baits we had placed around the house before we left. I had to check the caravan fearing there would be mold and a bad smell. We opened he door and everything was fine, Anne even commented on how new the van smelt. We had put several mosture asorbers along the floor. We could see they were full of water so they had done their job. Next, checking on the car I was hoping we could start it. Unfortunately there was not enough charge in the battery to turn the engine over. I wasn't too upset as the battery was still the original purchased with the car so I didn't expect it to last three months in hibernation. We called the RAC and they sent out a patrol van to help start it.

He checked the battery and said due to its age it would be best ot replace it. We agreed, unfortunately after looking through his van he could find a replacement. He ended up jumpstarting it, from there we drove to Atherton where they are based and replaced the battery there. It cost us about $220.00, I had looked earlier online and this was about the right price for our class of vehicle.