Phew! It’s hot.

Amazing just how much the weather can change in a couple of hundred kilometres. No wonder there are so many people travelling North to escape the wet, rain and cold. We had a top today of 28 degrees. I left the van in a tshirt, denim shorts and runners and I was sweating by lunchtime. It was bliss, but I will try not to harp on it for those if you who are in much less attractive climates at the moment. 
We left the caravan under the watchful eyes of our neighbours, Ken, Janette and Graeme. They weren’t heading out anywhere, so they said they were happy to keep an eye on our van. Free camping doesn’t give you the security of a caravan park so this must always be considered. If you leave your van just anywhere, someone could literally reverse up to it and drive off with your house. It pays to have someone keep an eye out. In true caravaning spirit we asked them if we could get them anything while we were in town. They said they had everything they needed, but appreciated the ask. We headed to Townsville to explore. I had heard about The Strand being a good spot to check out so we headed there first. The Strand is actually the foreshore of Townsville. There has been a lot of money spent on a waterpark and public swimming area. A great move due to the stinger warnings from November to May. The water park didn’t operate on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, so we walked along the path stopping instead at the playground made specifically for teenagers. This was the first of its kind that we have come across. Ray and I had a turn at most things, but unfortunately Caleb couldn’t reach many of the handles on the equipment. Poor thing!

We decided to forego a coffee on the waterfront to eat our picnic and then headed for the Palmetum. This is the botanical gardens of Townsville. It houses the worlds largest collection of different palm tree species. It was cool and comforting walking along the paths and we took lots of photos of beautiful tropical flowers and trees. Ray was taking a photo of Caleb and I peeking out from behind some trees when a lone kangaroo jumped past. It was the only one we saw and it “photo bombed” us. If you zoom in you can see it in the photo. 
We giggled all the way to the attached tea room and had a coffee. 
Townsville has just received a new Myer so we thought we had better check it out. Actually, it was Ray’s idea and who am I to argue? We wandered around but the winter fashions didn’t have any appeal in the current 28 degrees. It was nice to be in Myer again our first since visiting one in Adelaide. It’s amazing what we consider a treat now!
We returned back to camp after our exploration and enjoyed a quiet night in the van. We are only allowed to stay 48 hours in this free camp so we will be moving on in the morning