Sunday 30th January 2011 – When I left Mount Molloy the owner’s brother-in-law told me to watch out for 2 cyclones making their way towards the coast. However, I was too busy trying to fit the plastic supports inside my panniers so they wouldn’t collapse again (I think this is why the last set ripped) to pay much attention to the weather reports, so I was up at the crack of dawn this morning and on my way south down the Bruce Highway. I wasn’t exactly sure how far I’d go, but, Townsville seemed like a good target.

It was a fantastic ride – somehow all my nerves had gone and I was handling the bike (even with all its luggage) with no difficulties. Needless to say, I was loving every moment. Its sugar cane country between Cairns and Tully, then banana country from Tully to Ingham. Everything is so green and lush at the moment and the Great Dividing Range (I think) to the right gives a spectacular backdrop. So I meandered my way along and by about 1pm had reached Townsville so decided to stop.

As there isn’t a YHA in Townsville anymore, I decided I should camp, so made my way to the caravan site on the foreshore. As I asked for a tent site the lady behind the desk said “Do you know about the cyclone that’s coming in tonight?”. “Err, vaguely” I said. So she showed me the weather report with the cyclone heading straight for Mackay, a town about 30km south from here. So she suggested I take a cabin instead and park the bike in the toilets overnight so that it doesn’t get blown across the park when the cyclone hits. So I’m off to go batten down the hatches and make sure everything in my cabin is on the floor before the winds comes.