Ray fished…again. He woke up and left earlier so that he didn’t take up all of the day…this time. When he returned (head hanging and bucket empty), he showered and got ready, our neighbors in the big bus came over to warn us that they would be firing up their rig early the next day and this could wake us up because it is quite noisy. We weren’t particularly worried, people gotta do what people gotta do.

They needed to take their bus to get the windscreen fixed. We hadn’t noticed, but when we looked closer we could see the huge crack that moved from one side to the other. They had ordered and waited for Windscreens O’Brien to finally have it in stock and due to the weather, they couldn’t fit it on-site. This made me giggle. In Melbourne you probably couldn’t fit it on-site because of the rain, here it’s because of the sun.

When they told us the cost of the replacement windscreen, $7,000, we were gobsmacked. They also only got $1,000 back from their insurance company. Those are big dollars for a big rig. As we were standing and chatting, the conversation turned to fishing. Ray admitted that he hadn’t been having much luck bringing home a big one but yet he always seemed to catch something little and was fishing where the locals were. The guys from the local Tackle World were all lined up next to him on the pier, although he said they all did more yacking than serious fishing because once they put their line in, they didn’t touch their rods, only their food and drinks.

While Ray was reporting all this to me he was quite perturbed about it all, like they weren’t playing by the fishing rules. Luckily they didn’t catch anything, If they had started hauling in massive fish with this nonchalant approach, Ray probably would have had a conniption!

In the process of discussing his fishing endeavors with the neighbors, Deb the wife, said to her husband , “Where is it that you fish, Fred?”

“I’m not talking,” he actually replied. Deb laughed and looked at him squarely in the eyes. “The waterways belong to everyone, Fred! Tell Ray where you fish!”

Fred quickly changed his tune when his wife’s threatening tone was used, although when Ray asked him straight out what bait he used he wasn’t so forthcoming. It was his wife who then suggested that they both take a ride in the car there together and they could discuss it all. “Now was a good time as any, so off you both go!”

Ray and Fred were gone for about 45 minutes, Ray adamant that he wouldn’t have found the secret fishing spot with just the sketchy verbal directions Fred gave him compared to where they ended up. Fred also became a bit looser lipped about his bait used and offered to lend Ray his lucky lure. Ray charmed everything he needed to know out of him! This didn’t surprise me at all, but it probably surprised Fred. Poor Fred. All his fishing secrets gone in the blink of an eye!

We wanted to take Henry to an off lead park for a run around. Goomboora Park has an off lead area within a park that is huge and also has swimming for dogs and humans. It is fresh water that comes down from the Crystal Cascades. The whole park has amazing facilities. Playground, toilets, huts that you can reserve and an amazing amount of open lush grass. It is tucked away in a residential estate. We would never have found this place except that the lady who gave Ray his haircut told him about it when they were talking about all the dogs being taken by crocs in the area. She said this place is safe.

We went and had a coffee first at the nursery in Freshwater. They remembered us from our last visit. Probably better to say that they remembered Henry first and us after they saw him. We enjoyed another coffee and then headed for Goomboora Park.

Henry loved swimming in the water and splashing around. It must have been so refreshing for him on such a hot day. There weren’t too many other dogs as it was mid afternoon on a weekday. Ray and him splashed about in the water and it was the most swimming we’ve ever seen him actually do. He can doggie paddle quite well!

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I was still quite nervous about the water and crocs but when we had left the area that we were swimming in and walked across to the other side of the park, we saw humans swimming and splashing about in the water too. I needn’t have worried.

In one of the walkways to the river, there is a huge tree with many pictures, collars and leads attached to it. It is a tree of dedication to the beautiful dogs lives lost and a way for owners to remember them. It was lovely reading their dedications to their passed dogs.

We were catching up with Karen and Dave so we bundled our wet dog in the car and headed into Cairns.

We had a spontaneous afternoon drink which turned into early dinner at one of the eateries along the foreshore. It was glorious sitting outside, soaking up the late afternoon sun, glass of wine in hand. The breeze was welcome but never cold. Not once have I had to take a jacket with me (just in case) as I have to do always even in high Summer in Melbourne because the weather changes so rapidly and the breeze always has an edge of cold. Here, the air is warm , like a light blanket. It was oh so pleasant indeed!