Big Adventures of a Little Muppet Dog - Part IV

Big Adventures of a Little Muppet Dog

May 13th to May 31st

So the folks and I joined the gang and up north we apparently went from Lakeland (got a chipped windscreen - EN) through Laura until we camped the night at Kennedy River. Imagine driving off a red dirt track, where a small circular browny dirt area awaited us. Couple of trees in the middle and a bench setting. There are also trees all around the outside of the circle. Smells of bovine greeted me so I couldn't wait to jump out of the car although being my height, I tend to tire of looking at humans ankles. Although Ma and Pa's skin isn't so see-through anymore, they've actually browned up, woof!

No one else here so we set up for the night. The folks put their new sleeping arrangements, bigger kennel (fellow campers spare tent - EN), up and down nearly every day on this trip, gives me a head start of at least one hour of planking. Pa took me down to the river and I wondered if I could dig a hole to Melbourne yet! I didn't get that far but I dug until I found water. The bovine smell here was fierce. That night, I don't sleep well, noises all around me that I've never heard before. Sounds seem noisier in the kennel. Cattle moo'ing nearby leaves me wide eyed and restless. "Not sure about this Ma and Pa" I growl and get told not too.

As we travel the next day the sky has loads of those Eagles/kites, they watch and wait for road kill and any other food source they can eat. I edge to my seat and hope their cunning eyes show disdain for my taste. It appears they do. Whilst looking out to the surrounding nature, there are these high dirt mounds aplenty, termites I hear the folks say. Squillions of them, I can hear their noisy work and I can't believe the folks can't. This is the place to live if you are a termite, although how you'd find the right termite companion when so much competition, I just don't know. Thankfully due to the dusty roads, the windows are kept up and the noise levels subdues. Also roaming around are more bovines, have to be careful driving Pa, don't want to hit one.

We have a pit stop at Musgrove Station and a white furry seems to take an interest in my butt. My growls keep it at bay although Ma fawns over the stinky furry. Funny thing here is seeing an airfield with bovine walking around the strip, woof! Further north we trek to Coen and as I'm not allowed at the (S)Exchange hotel, I am tied up outside whilst they all sit in the garden slugging brews. Lucky I am only a short distance away otherwise whining may have happened, not their favourite thing. We camp just north of here the night near a creek. Two furrys live nearby and hang around, as this is their territory, I tolerate their presence. Then it's swim time and before I know it, sleeping, my favourite thing. I wake up many times throughout the night. Bovines are walking nearby and munching on greenery. I think I kept the folks awake again!

We head up to Archer River, dead stinky boar on side of road, lots of cattle, sand red then white then green vegetation and heaps of minor river crossings. Lots of gum trees,  the humans chop wood for their camp fire and then we are into rainforest scenery, a place called Chilli Beach. We have now come to the east coast and by crickey it's windy and I'm sure I can hear the ocean roaring only metres away. I overhear that furrys aren't allowed here so we all must be careful although from what I heard, a ranger told the folks that we won't have a problem bringing her in. After a camp fire, humans chatting and me trying to stay awake it's again, time to sleep. I do not sleep....I repeat, I do not sleep. It's noisy here. Wind, ocean, dark, animals....what the hell have they brought me too. I'm sure we are going to be abducted by some animals I hear roaming around the big kennel. I somehow manage a couple of hours and I am left in the big kennel the next morning whilst they do what humans do (walk the beach, so much rubbish brought in from boats etc on the beach - EN). I am enjoying my new Aunty's more and more, they are a funny bunch. They give me loads of cuddles and I hear one day that I'm the perfect dog, yeah, I know, woof! Tonight seems an important occasion and a camp roast is cooked and before I know it, tables are set up with tablecloths, shells and flowers and we all sit around having a blast. I manage to sneak a few bits of meat from my Aunty's when the folks weren't looking. After a crap night sleep, I have a vom and this makes me feel better. I still don't sleep much.

Today we head further north and then west to an actual town, Weipa! I was beginning to wonder if we'd lost track of civilisation altogether. I notice mums fingernails are dirty, and her clothes aren't the best, I must try point out that washing is due soon. We set up camp here and yes, washing is done. I begin to think I'm tellepathetic, no, telleportal, oh you know what I mean. 

The next day I'm left with Aunty's as the folks do a Rio Tinto mine tour in the morning.  I hear it's not bad. The folks also find a supermarket and stock up a bit and I hear they can only buy frozen bread here! After a second night here, I think I may have had a better night sleep, which I gain plenty of cuddles and "good girls" for. I must try to sleep better but I'm just a little dog and the noises heighten my anxiety. We all leave Weipa and head north to Moreton Station. Cattle along the roads and are they stupid or what, don't get out of the way but we manage not to hit any. At camp tonight a slithery thing was near us, so I growled at it, then a few humans got on edge. A snake it's called and it zoomed off and we never saw that again. We finished the night around the camp fire. I lounged on Pa's lap and enjoyed the warmth of the flames. The humans chatted and watched the full night sky, full of stars.

The next day I felt so plankable. Bush turkeys were roaming around and they're noisy birds. I wonder what they'd taste like.....We drove on, past more cattle and a few kangaroos and breaked at Bramwell Station where Pa made the mistake of putting petrol in the diesel tank. I wasn't sure this was a problem, but apparently it was so the folks both panicked. Thankfully, the story I heard ended okay. Aunty Barry, Ian, Phil and Garry towed Pa out to the rubbish dump and when they couldn't find an outlet under the car to empty the tank, Aunty Barry drilled a hole in the tank and it all drained out. Then Pa was towed back to us and Aunty Barry put a screw in the hole with something called 'need-it' and we waited patiently until it was dry and okay to fill up again, with diesel this time. All was well and it only put us a few hours behind. I was taken on many short walks whilst they were gone and I could feel Ma a bit anxious but she knew Pa was in good paws. Phew......got out of that scrape.

We cruised down the old telegraph track to Palm River where I wanted to get out into the water, my favourite thing, but the humans decided to keep driving along a very bumpy track, I think I lost some brain cells, and across a deep water crossing, yep, Berta the BT50 made it through to camp at Canal Creek. There was only us staying at this camp. I reckon that insane water crossing kept a few out. Seriously, are these humans nuts!

The next day the folks and I switched cars and we drove with Aunty Phil and Aunty Hauley along an old telegraph track. As we cruised cockatoo, around gunshot and Birdy Water crossings, I came to the conclusion that these humans are mad, very mad. Up and down, swish and swash, bump after bumps. Through muddy water, rivers, sand....just when I planned to get the straight jackets out, we were at the famous Twin Falls and Elliot Falls and we all had an earned swim.

Most humans even jumped from top of the rocks into the water, yikes. Hopefully this has washed the crazies out of their brains. At camp tonight music was played and I can barely remember the awful singing that ensued as I was exhausted, yet again!

The next day we took a dip at Fruit Bat Falls where Pa's phone broke and both the folks lost their sunglasses, such is life. That may mean less photos taken of me as one less phone to be able to take them. We headed up to Punsand Bay and stayed here for three nights. Gorgeous spot, beaches for me to run, animal tracks to sniff and more sleepless nights whilst bush turkeys and bandicoots came up to the tent. Not sure bush bashing is my favourite thing!

After watching sunrise, why does Ma do this, it was finally time to visit what the trip was kind of about. The most northerly point in Australia. We parked the four cars and walked up the rocky cliffs past the mangroves, and back down again to the other side where a small sign greeted us. There was no one about and we managed some crazy photos, even I was happy about these photos. We all dunked our paws into the water that was slushing about the tip, cool feeling on my worn out paws. After some group photos we headed back and I spotted two dingos checking me out on the drive back, I could sense they wanted to eat me. I tried to stare them out, they were both thin and poor looking so a meal of me would have satisfied them, yuk, why am I even writing this.

The next day the humans all went on a helicopter ride, seeing my favourite humans zipping off in a very small tin can with blades on top was daunting but my aunties all soothed me. The folks said it was pretty good but the pilot wasn't very knowledgeable about the area. 

Now, the next part, I needed the straight jacket to stop the humans. Aunty Hauley wanted to go through a river crossing where we had to be winched out. So Ma and I stayed in the car with him and the others put the winch around a tree. I'm looking at this tree, cos I know my trees and as we started winching the tree fell down. Aunty Hauley laughed and then I noticed water on the floor which was handy as I was feeling thirsty.  Ma told Aunty this and they realised the door had a leak. Nothing too serious so onward we travelled. The folks and I got dropped off at Cable Bay and walked back to our campsite at Punsand Bay where they ate fresh fish for dinner. Kindly caught by our neighbours, and I even got a little taste as they had so much given to them.

After a night where I think I slept a little more easily we left the next day for the big trak back to Cooktown. It began to rain, very small amounts but the humans were glad as it kept the dust to a minimum on the roads. Checked out a DC3 plane wreck and caught the Jardine river ferry back across. Four humans and I drove the old telegraph track down to the actual Jardine River, Ma was driving and I gave Pa a glance to ensure he thought this was a wise move. Over a few river crossings, up a hill to where they stopped and even I looked. Aunty Phil and Hauley were down a ditch, back wheels spinning around but they were ok. Seems Aunty Hauley was so busy looking for a termite mound in the shape of Queensland that he'd seen on a previous trip that instead of a path in front, the cars bumper kissed the ground. Pa popped the snatchems on our car and we pulled their car out. They all had a laugh and I just looked at them again thinking to myself 'why'!

 Looking back it was defiantly an adventure and I think it's one of my favourite things, adventure, that's what this is all about. We drove back and met up with the others and as the window was down, the wind was blowing my ears I couldn't help but think.......nothing really. Wind, my favourite thing. 

We spent the next few nights through Coen, Kennedy River, Laura, Old Laura, Normanby River then the scenery changed to rainforest flora and then we were at Cooktown. Stayed here overnight where I'm pretty sure we all had best nights sleep in the big tent so far.

The road travelled the next day took us through the Black Mountains, into The Lions Den and then Ayton where we camped for the night. Great caravan park here, not many people around and I was off leash a fair bit, sniffing the camp dogs butts that lived there. Nice quiet night sleep then off again, putting the cars up rocky roads along the CREB track to Megs Falls and then finally we hit the Daintree and we stay at Cape Tribulation for two nights. Very wet under the big kennel here, sand flies bite me but its a pretty spot here. We go for big beach walks and I am snuck into a camp where dogs aren't allowed for our final nights dinner with the gang. Sad to say ta-ta to my fellow travellers but we must move on. Across the Daintree on the ferry, into Port Douglas to catch up with Aunty Trish and check out the markets and then back to Mareeba where our tin can awaits us. We are all daunted looking at all the dust to clean on the car,  washing to wash and tin can to be sorted out again. The folks get it all done and I help by staying out of their underfoot of course!! Woof!


time to plank, my favourite thing.....