The last thing that I wanted to do today when the alarm buzzed was to get up, but get up I must. There were things to be done today. Since last night, the bathroom has been bathed in a dull orange glow emanating from the warning light on the toilet that means that we have to empty the tank within the next couple of uses, or fear a dire overflow situation. After a bit of searching, I located the designated dump point, quite some distance from the van. I almost would have been better to drive the potty around to it for emptying, rather than dragging it, by hand, across the park on a little trolley as I did.

Back at the van, our toilet ready to go again, I got Bec up, with the news that it actually felt quite cool outside. It was about 20^oC, but compared to the warm days we’ve been having, it was time to break out the long dacks again. At least it wasn’t raining again though, so it should still be a pleasant day.

We decided over breakfast that we would head into town again today, for a look at the local aquarium. Considering how well the dogs behaved the other day while we were out, we took the chance and left them behind again. With the air conditioner and the tele on, I am sure that they will be much more comfortable here than being shuffled between the back seat of ‘The Beast’ and the tub.

On our way into town, what was meant to have been a quick stop at the pharmacy, turned into a lesson in patience as the Queensland time kicked in. People were in no hurry to do anything, meaning we ended up getting delayed by over ½ an hour. Luckily, we too are not working to a set schedule today, so we rolled with the punches and continued happily along our merry way.

As we went, I got the phone call I had waited all day yesterday for, to tell me that the fridge switch I ordered the other day had arrived. As it turned out, this was perfect timing, being that we were in town today anyway. Saves a special trip in just to pick it up.

Ready to discover the deep.

At the aquarium, known as Reef HQ, I was surprised to see how quiet it was. I had imagined that the area would be a hive of activity, but this may have been due to us arriving pretty much between shows. There are several live talks and displays throughout the day, but because of our impeccable timing, we weren’t likely to catch any of them. Just our luck. We can gain free re-admission tomorrow if we desire, but we will have to see whether it’s worth making the trek back in.

Inside, the displays were arranged around a giant central tank, which contains a selection of sea life that can be found on the Great Barrier Reef. Townsville is located about mid way along the length of the Great Barrier Reef, so there was plenty of information available on the local fish, sea life and the reef itself. It was very cathartic to sit in front of the huge glass panels, watching the ever changing array of creatures swim silently by. Arranged about this main tank, were several other galleries, featuring small tanks, highlighting specific creatures of note. It took us about an hour to see all there was to see, by which time we had decided that it probably wasn’t worth the hour long round trip to come back tomorrow just to listen to someone tell us about what we were looking at.

One of them has to be Nemo! Surely?

Some of the…

…local residents.

And we’re looking…

…at them!

Having been staring at fish all morning, as we walked back to where we had parked ‘The Beast’, it was decreed that fish and chips sounded good for lunch. A quick look on the net (what did people ever do before the Internet?) located a well reviewed fish and chipperey not that far away, so off we went to get a feed.

The fish we ended up getting, although not as colourful as those which we had been hungrily eyeing off at the aquarium, was certainly tasty. The chips left a bit to be desired though, which was a little disappointing. It’s a fine line between crunchy and overcooked, and I think the line was crossed on this occasion. Ever so slightly, but crossed nonetheless.

We then raced about town, collecting the fridge parts, and stopping in at a few other places to pick up bits and pieces that we have decided we need. Bec even let me have another look at the cowboy shop, although I think that was because she is secretly ogling a new pair of boots for herself. I told her to try them on the other day, but she didn’t want to. She had another look at them today, yet still refused to try them on. I can see what’s going to happen now though. We will be making a special trip into town on Monday now, for her to try them on, at which time one of two things will occur. Number one: They won’t have her size. Number two: They will have her size, but she still won’t buy them because she will say, “I already have too many pairs of boots”. Either way, she will complain for the rest of the trip about how she should have got them! She may also give me a clip under the ear when she reads this, but only because she knows I’m telling the truth.

By the time we got back to the van, we’d been out for close enough to 6 hours, and the dogs had again been well behaved (as far as we could tell). As we approached the door, we could hear the thump, thump as they jumped off of the bed, landed on the floor and raced to greet us, which would indicate that they’ve been doing nothing more than sleeping all day. The excitement and pent up energy they displayed would positively support this theory.

Cuddles were had all round as they welcomed us back to our humble abode, before we took them for their evening, energy expending run around the park. I’m, not sure who expended more energy however, and I returned to the van worn out, exhausted and ready to settle in for the night.

Time to relax. FNQ Lager. F$^&*N Good.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and don’t forget to write.