Fly to Thursday Island on Monday.

Thursday Island:

Sunrise On Thursday Island

Mission Beach to Cairns, Cairns to Thursday Island. Woo-Hoo another job, she's gana be a hot one that close to equator.

Packed up our camp at Mission Beach, and drove to Cairns, did a bit of shopping for some more tools to add to my 40kg tool bag, hopefully this new bag can hack it. Up to Simon's to drop James & his stuff off, then back down to the office to park the truck. Boss dropped Pierce & myself at airport, and take-off to Thursday Island all expenses paid again- a working holiday.

Up at sunrise to catch the plane to Thursday Island, caught this sunrise reflection in my Ute 

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 The Qantas  flight was direct to Horn Island, which  is the Island next to Thursday Island, and big enough to fit a airport.  We are staying at a demountable style house/flat in the workers camp called Gateway, with other work mates.  Catch a 10min ferry to work every day to Thursday Island and watch awesome sunrises and sunsets.

First view of Thursday Island

Just got here and already at the police station, trying to work out whats going on. Our work mates are already here working on the cop shops air cons.

Bloody hot. Feels like I'm in a roof in cairns and I'm outside doing nothing.

Saw giant Grouper  fish being fed crayfish head at  the jetty. The size of Zuis Simon giant mastiff dog, Around 80kg, that's what I weigh.

Giant Grouper fish. 

Have to walk to dinner at the main hotel 500m away at 6:30pm. Nice walking home into the sunset if u can out walk the mossies.

Sunset on the way home from dinner.

Sneaked a wicked portable fan onto the bosses account along with a hand full of other essential tools I needed. Runs off my drill batteries. It helps but still very hot.

A local T.I fella at the pub said it will rain for four days on the high tide, king tide, from last quarter of the moon to the first quarter, and that's exactly what it did. Still managed to work between the rain, But when it rains man it pours.  Lots of rain., yeah I mean lots of rain

I think that's rain coming.

Kindly asked the cook at dinner for some jars to make mayo and smoothies in, she reluctantly gave me two new ones, I just wanted empty sauce jars that were destined for the bin but These will work great thanks. Also asked how much are the new umbrellas as I need one to get to and from the ferry, and dinner because we stay about 500m down the road from both, and she lent me one, I was ready to buy one and still give it back when I left but free, even better.

Big basil bush and chili bush at job today.  Going to freeze the Basil, Be enough for a few months. Should of dried it but already pulled it off the branch, and planted the branch.

Finally got a day off after 12days straight, went for a fish down the wharf at high tide, got nothing but sunburn.  Work shirts make great fishing shirts, if u remember to roll the sleeves down.

Fishing with my mate the seagull. 

Saw the local kids swimming at the beach so must be safe, had a good swim, the water was cooler than I thought, probably because it's deep, hard to relax in the water when your thinking about crocodiles, sharks, and jellyfish.

Should be alright to swim, I hope.

Had an early day got a chance to check out the shops on Thursday Island. Some nice pearl shell necklace here, Carved into turtle, frangipani flower, butterflies, I think I'll get one for my niece's birthday next month.  In a different shop I found a coconut peeler like a big spear thing and coconut grater from the islands I suppose. 

Went up to Green Hill lookout, a WW2 fort can see the whole island from here, perfect spot for a fort. Dug into the top of the hill with concrete & dirt walls, there's buildings and tunnels underneath and a couple big cannons. 

View from Green Hill fort.

Green Hill fort 

Sunrise from Green Hill, waiting for clients to wake up. 

The days getting a bit repetitive, morning commute: walk to wharf, wait for ferry, catch ferry under an amazing sunrise to Thursday Island, jump in van go to job. Work: put in 2-5 Air con installs, then to the pub to wait for the ferry, ferry back to Horn Island, walk back to room under a magnificent sunset, shower, walk to dinner, back to room. And do it again the next day. But what a beautiful place to do it.

Sunrise, waiting for ferry at Horn Island. 

Man it's hot up here, sweat so much at work it looks like I went for a swim in work clothes. Doesn't drip off it runs off in streams everywhere. Hotter than the roof was in Bamanga. Cools off OK at night which is something I guess. Wish we could go swimming more.

Dinner, I didn't catch it. But I ate it. 

The boss keeps sending more Air cons, started out with a container of 40, then he sent 6 more, now another 12 showed up. How many more! 

I used to clean the Air con at my place in Brisbane. No one cleans them here. There disgusting, the Air con can't breathe, and until today I thought 'dust bunnies' where a urban legend, but they do exist, soft, grey, fluffy, and hide under beds and cupboards, especially in corners, all huddled together. And I get in trouble for not clean my dust and wire trimmings properly when I'm done. 

Got a local T.I Fella to help us, Lamico, he's very strong and works hard, picking up the job quickly which is good, always nice to have an extra hand, plus he knows other locals so we might get to go fishing on a boat, or hunting, the next island, prince of whales island has a large population of wild deer. 

Given some tropical painted crayfish for dinner, need a boat so we can go get our own.

Sunrise

Went to the Wongai pub near the flat, normally it's very quiet but tonight its packed as, I think it was someones birthday, and Pearce's birthday on Monday too. The had live DJ and music so loud we could hear it in the flat, which is only across the road. LOL Might as well go to the pub, not gana gt much sleep. I'm surprised how busy it is especially given that a XXXX gold can sets you back $6.50, & prices go up from there. Anyway it was a good night, funny watching the locals & workers getting drunk and dancing.

Sunset 

Managed to get a sleep in Sunday morning now doing an Air con at the helicopter base, behind the Wongai pub, had to bring everything including big Air con, tools etc, over on the ferry on the way home from work Saturday, hoping he will take us fishing on his boat, but no such luck. 

After being up here for a month the new Air cons in the container were starting to run out, and the jobs starting to dry up, so the boss flew us home, well back to Cairns where my truck is, that's my home.
 With only 24hrs notice we had to tidy up everything, pack up tools, put van in storage, but somehow still found time to get a box of crays to take home, for free of course, yummmo. 

Back to Cairns with a box of painted tropical rock lobsters. Hopefully the boss has more work up here cause I left all my tools behind to fit the crays in, haha 

Heading back to Horn Island, looking at Thursday Island. 

New split system inverter Air con. 

Here we have a buoy Mango tree, not very common, but when you look closely you can see it's balls, dangling, also known as a male mango tree. 

Another Air con. 

The boat we catch twice a day. 

A gecko shorted out this Air con, and himself. 

Nice spot for lunch in front of the pie shop

Everybody love US up here, it's Bloody hot and we give them a cold breeze in every room of the house. 

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Sunrise, this seems to happen every day, beautiful. 

Sunrise at T.I jetty. 

And another. What an amazing place. 

Sunset on the way home from work. 

Pirate map of Torreis Straight., LOL

Clouds of bait fish at the wharf. 

Sunset on the walk home. 

Sunset, that's our camp. 

Workers camp, under another spectacular sunset. 

Beat the sun this morning, here's a Moon set. 

Horn Island jetty. 

Sunset 

Ahh, not another sunset. 

And sunrise. 

Sunrise. 

Sunrise on my morning commute, beats looking at tail lights. 

The Black Spot. 

Back in Cairns: crayfish dinner. 

Mmmmmmmmmm

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Mission Beach.

Mission Beach-

The view from Mission Beach showers. 

After flying back to Cairns from Melbourne, and staying the night at Clifton Beach. I was on my way up to Koah I stopped to look for bananas in the wild banana patch & nearly chopped my little toe off, my little piggy nearly went to market- 3 stitches, it's OK I think the bone stopped it. I knew I should of put my boots on, but hadn't dug them out yet, after leaving my worn out shoes in Victoria. I took the stitches out myself  10 days later,with my sterilised leatherman knife, no worries.

3 stitches, quite sore. 

Stayed at Dans, for a couple days while it healed a bit, bathing in creek while keeping my foot dry, went to see Simon as well.  Since Dan lost the deal on his block I might stay at Simon's for a bit not sure yet. Both fellas need help doing work on there bush batches, good news for me cause that means free rent in exchange for a bit of help.

Pole House up in the hills

Sterilisation of my leather man to remove stitches.

Bush pole Construct house up in the hills

Simon took me to a place even further into the mountains, about an hours drive inland and up into the hills, to a small community where he used to live. Everything there was hand built by the occupants utilising many different styles, skills and materials. A lot of the houses were based on a caravan, others were gum log bush pole structure, tied together with fencing wire with tin walls and roof, but all were extremely well made comfortable houses. One guy in particular was a welder, his place was a large tin shed over a caravan with a steel pole frame, large tin windows that opened nearly the whole wall to let the breeze in, even in the rain. About half the residents were land owners, the rest just made claim to a piece that no one owned, and no-one cares, I think it's government land, national park or mining reserve but for now it's there's. Very different way of thinking. 

Simon's Camp

Our first camp at Mission beach.

Once my toe was a bit better, I Sorted out the truck & picked up stuff I left behind, and Christmas presents that came in mail, mostly from me,  but also fishing rod, big soup pot & dried beans from sister Selena. 

Going to drop James off, he got job painting with old mate Geoff from Mackay, at Mission Beach.

James & I drove to Mission Beach great fishing spot, great for the canoe too, wish I had brought it  with me now, oh well, Dans son loves playing with it in the creek. 

We were Camping out in one of the new houses being built that James & Geoff were working on, great spot, power point in meter box, water tap at front of house, and a whole house to be in,  which is just the basics because it's still being built but it's luxury compared to a tent and a tarp in the bush, and all only 5mins from the beach. 

Bingal Bay, just north of Mission Beach.

This is the view of a lucky person who lives on this riverbank in a tent. 

We go swimming at the beach everyday, in the stinger proof enclosure to keep jellyfish out, then have a cold beach shower. I'm not working, so I go sightseeing and fishing while the others work. Haven't caught much fish, only enough for my own dinner a couple nights. It is a great way to see this area, especially with free accommodation. On one day while exploring I found a little track going to a nice sandy river mouth, right at the end by the water some one had claimed their spot, pitched there tent, and looks like they bin there a while, no body was home so I didn't stay long, but what an amazing place to live, bet the fishing good with a prawn farm nearby. 

Sun set at our second camp

Everyone had a day off so we tried to take Geoff's tinny out fishing, but when we got to the boat ramp the outboard wouldn't go after a lot of trying we gave up and headed back to camp. Stopped in at the beach and there was a Fella on his way to Mackay, and running very low on funds, he happened to have an outboard, James made friends with him and arranged a deal, a six pack of beer in exchange for the use of his outboard for the day, DEAL!

We only caught a couple pan sized fish till Geoff was reeling in a very small stripe perch and a Barracuda followed it in and bit half of it off, when he noticed, stopped reeling and it came back for the rest, so we had dinner for all of us, all from a six pack of beer.  

We were sitting at the beach one day and a Belgium backpacker walked past, Max, with his big backpack on and tent in hand looking for a place to camp, we introduced ourselves, and gave him a beer, and said you can camp with us in the new housing estate. He was very grateful after hitching to Mission Beach with no plan, and repaid the flavor with awesome harmonica songs at least once a day.

Need to insert a link to his You Tube videos. 

On Australia day we brought some drinks and went down the beach, found a wicked party they had a generator running a full size DJ setup, they started out playing JJJ radio stations hottest 100 count down, swimming, beach cricket, BBQ. Then when the count down finished and sun went down we lit up a nice fire and the DJ started playing some sick electronic music, then down the beach they had fire works. Was a very good Australia day. 

Fire works, Australia day.

Beach fire at Australia day party. 

Got a call from work mate Rob, went and helped him install 2x Air cons in Innisfail town, in his newly purchased old Land Cruiser, 79 model, what a beast. Not pay much but It cover my experiences for a week or so. 

Meet a lot of different people, locals and travellers. The painting job was coming to an end after about a month or more and I was just about to try for a job on banana farms when the boss rung, flying to Thursday Island on Monday, the furthest point of Australia. Gee I better be  quick , pack my tool bag and sort my stuff to go even further north than I ever been, again.

Little Stripey Trumpeter 

The view on the way to my fishing spot.  near Mission Beach

Clump point, Mission Beach. 

Back flips off the wharf, hope there's no jellyfish. 

Another little stripey. 

Finally a edible sized fish.-Mangrove jack 

Robs 78 Land Cruiser 

Sunrise, perfect time for a swim. 

A wedding setting on Mission Beach, I'm here, where is she? 

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Found a wild chiLli bush. 

Builders forgot a stack of Booka rods, don't worry I cleaned it up and sold them,made $150 for doing it. 

South Mission Beach 

A-few Black Cockatoo's 

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Rhino Beetle 

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Bingal Bay. 

Clump point lookout

Look Mum, I'm a painter. 

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