A Farewell to Castle Hill

I am going to be leaving Townsville soon. This has been a very difficult decision to make, and I’m still not sure if I’m doing the right thing, but sometimes you can never know if something is the right decision or not unless you give it a go. And so I find myself having to leave behind all that has made me happy over the past year, in order to move south to Brisbane. Hopefully it will work out, and I will do my best to make that happen, but if it is not meant to be then I will return to Townsville.

This move means I need to say goodbye to my friends, and it is easy to decide what to do with my main group of friends!

We meet up at a lovely coffee shop on the Strand to caffeinate and refresh, before heading for a ride up Castle Hill. 

After refreshment, we take a vote on whether or not to actually ride the Hill – the weather has been oppressively hot and humid lately, and it is impossible to do anything, even sit still, without sweating buckets. It makes physical exertion very uncomfortable indeed, and even waiting until the sun is very low doesn’t diminish the heat and sweatiness.

The vote is split, Jen, Mick and Bec are not too keen to head up the Hill, while Lucy is raring to go and has been looking forward to it. As a compromise, I decide to go up the Hill with Lucy (it was my idea after all…) while the others go to Bec’s house nearby for a glass of wine. Lucy and I will go for well-earned ice cream afterwards, then meet up with the others for the rest of the evening’s plans.

Lucy and I head up the Hill, we go at a very similar pace to each other so it is very pleasant chatting about different things we have found in Australia – Lucy is Dutch, but she has been in Australia much longer than I have. 

Another famously bad selfie...

Trying to get a photo of Lucy over my shoulder

I am working too hard to get many photos, but we pass so many people out on the Hill. People walking and running mostly, some even pushing prams, and a couple of cyclists pass us too. Castle Hill is always busy, and it is pretty heart-warming to see so many people getting out and being active. You see people of all shapes and sizes having a go too, and I feel a lot of admiration for the people who seem to be having a more difficult time of it, but who are still putting in the effort. It’s pretty inspiring :)

My newly installed bike computer, that may or may not be accurate, tells me that a lot of the time I am only going at about 7-9kph. This is pretty slow, so slow that the occasional runner catches up to us and overtakes. But we chug away, we stay cheerful and we don’t stop.

Eventually we make the top – I didn’t time it and now I kind of wish I had, but we enjoyed the journey and the sense of accomplishment so that was the main thing really.

Lucy's recumbent and my Trek hybrid

We chat to a few people at the top, some who we know and some who are strangers just being friendly.

Then we hear the ice cream calling to us, so we get back on the bikes and roll down the Hill. You can build up a lot of speed on the descent, but you have to take it easy: first of all there is a 40kph speed limit, secondly there are lots of walkers and runners to avoid, and thirdly the road winds a lot so you can’t always see cars coming up and you need to be able to avoid them too!

Back on the Strand, we head to Juliette’s for ice cream. This is my favourite ice cream place in Townsville, they have a great variety of flavours and they often swap the flavours around too, so you will normally see something new to try each time you go there. I normally just get one scoop, but Lucy gets two and I am easily led… I get a watermelon sorbet and a honeycomb ice cream; maybe not the best combination, but each of them is delicious.

After this it gets too dark for my camera to be much good, but our next stop is the Rockpool swimming pool. We lounge in the water, where the others catch us up too, and we all chat away as the sun sets.

Luckily for all of us, Mick asks what time we are going for our fish and chips dinner. Rushing out of the water and clamouring to get changed, we all make it to the chippy just in time to get our orders in before they close up for the evening – phew!! We carry our food back to the Strand to eat, but it is not the usual restful picnic spot down there this evening. There is no wind, so the humidity is cloying, and the combination of still air and recent rains means the mosquitoes are out in force. We have to eat while doing elaborate hand dances to keep the mozzies away, but we still all get bitten.

Mick wants to go for another swim as it is so warm, and I am keen as the mozzies can’t bite you in the water! We head back to the Rockpool for one last dip before cycling home, it has been a lovely evening but I am a bit melancholy when I think of leaving all this behind. New beginnings can be very exciting, but sometimes the excitement can be eclipsed by the sadness of the ending that precedes them.

Return to Under The Radar

I love it when a plan comes together, or when a plan turns into an even better plan…

I had agreed to watch a film at my friend Owen’s place, and when we were arranging the time to meet up he said he was pretty keen to head out to Pallarenda again for a mountain bike ride, followed by a swim in the sea to cool off before he would have to head off to work (he works shifts, and was starting late evening).

I was pretty keen on this plan too, so after the film finished we drove out to Pallarenda and jumped on the bikes. It was so hot and humid, even at 5.30pm when we got started. It’s pretty unpleasant to cycle – or do any kind of activity – in those conditions, but that’s just the way it is in a tropical northern summer…

I tried to get a few photos of the track as I was going along, but with the sun already getting lower and big storm clouds in the sky, the little compact water/dust/shock proof camera I had brought along struggled to get decent pictures:

Although my cycle fitness has improved over the last year, and I was riding better than last time (the first time) I tried UTR, Owen was still way fitter than me. Thankfully he stopped frequently to let me catch up, sometimes moving off again when I was in range, and sometimes stopping for a breather and a quick chat before starting riding once more.

Despite my greatly improved endurance fitness, I still struggle to produce the bursts of energy needed to properly tackle some of the uphill obstacles. I frequently lack the power required to get over them and end up either sliding off backwards or falling off sideways… with Owen waiting for me, he often gets to have a good chuckle at my failures!

Another thing I still struggle with is tight bends. I lack the confidence in my cornering ability so I often go too slowly and slide down gravelly burmed sides into the middle of the bend. Or I don’t turn enough and spill out of the outside of the turn. I know that part of the problem is that I don’t look far enough ahead or around the bend enough, but I think that there is more going on as well, and I definitely ought to work on this specific issue a bit more.

One of the hairpin bends I struggled with

Thankfully a really nice flowing section of track comes up and I get to roll over the obstacles, nip round the little bends, whizz past the large overhanging rocks and generally really enjoy the ride. It’s a great feeling, and I wish I could photograph myself looking alright for a change, but I don’t have an extra arm so this can’t happen.

Of course all good things come to an end. We get to a section where Owen makes me go first – he knows I pedal harder with him behind me and he is worrying about time, also he wants to see if he can give me any helpful pointers about my riding technique (he thinks I still don’t look at the track far enough ahead to choose the right line. I think he is probably right, but that also I don’t always know what the right line is anyway, even if I can see it!)

Trying for an action shot on gravely singletrack. Just a little bit of camera shake there!

We follow some firm and rocky track, then a longer section of gravel track before returning to firmer rockier ground again. Eventually I am defeated by a series of rocky obstacles dotted along an ascending piece of track. I don’t have the momentum to roll over them well as I’m starting to flag from keeping a faster pace, and as I try to pedal over one obstacle my pedal clangs into the rock and I lose the bike sideways. Owen gives me credit for giving it a good go though, and I let him take back the lead so I’m not making this section awkward for him. A quick breather, and I do make it over the rest of the rocks though.

Some rocky ups

Further along and Owen wants a brief breather too. We stop for a very short time though, as he is conscious of fading light and looming work, and wants to get a swim in as well if we can.

It feels like we've pedalled much further than 6.1kms

I think this is reasonable and I do my best to keep up with him, I don’t do too badly although I definitely lack grace and style! I can also feel my energy levels fading, I haven’t eaten much over the last few days and I can really feel the lack of fuel in my system.

Eventually we pop out at the Lagoon Trail, where we take the fire track (a smoother, wider track that vehicles can use) to get back to the road as it’s getting too dark to cycle the single track safely. We pass the salt flats, the dark thunder clouds looming above contrast starkly with the translucent glow of the flat, parchment-coloured ground below. It looks eerie, like we have popped out of the track onto another planet. I think it would make a great photo, but my camera thinks otherwise in the dim light. I guess the fact that I was trying to get a photo while still riding didn’t help, but I didn’t want to hold us up just for snaps.

It’s not long before we are cycling in the dark, ominous rumbles of thunder providing a soundtrack to our ride. A few kilometres further, back at the road, it’s too late for Owen to fit in a swim before work and I feel pretty terrible about that, although I couldn’t have gone any faster. The film was a bit longer than he thought and I rode more slowly than he had hoped, and the result was that we ran out of time.

I cheekily think that I might go for a swim anyway, but soon after arriving at The Strand the threatening storm actually arrives. The thunder is the loudest I have ever heard, and the lightening is spectacular. The tropical downpour sends everyone running for cover, and I feel a bit chilly for the first time in ages so no longer fancy a swim. I guess you can’t have everything, but at least I did better than last time :)

Kayaking Magnetic

Some time ago I had agreed to kayak to Magnetic Island with my friend Bec. In between agreeing this and actually doing it however, I was seriously deterred from the idea by the fact that a) there was a very large salt water crocodile around the Townsville coast at the time, and b) a crocodile expert at the local wildlife park made a very good case for kayaking therefore being a very bad idea!

Time has moved on though, and many people have been out and about in the sea and none of them have become a croc’s dinner as a result, so when Bec recently mentioned she was going over to the island again, and would I like to join her, I jumped at the chance.

Two other paddlers who were due to come along dropped out, but Bec and I were still really keen, so last Saturday we had a lovely casual dinner party at Bec’s place. A terrified me – I don’t really do cooking! – made gnocchi with Bec and Jen after my flatmate had showed me how, and we also enjoyed delicious homemade cheese and homemade and -grown green pawpaw salad, brought by other guests. We talked and laughed, and everyone had great fun at our expense when we told them that our plan was to get up at 4am the next day (Bec and I are both a bit famous for being late, and for maybe not being great at getting up and started in the mornings…)

I stayed at Bec’s place to make the early start less problematic, and somehow, despite not really sleeping thanks to the awful heat and humidity we are currently experiencing (90+ percent humidity with night-time lows of 28°C anyone?) we both got up at 4am.

Both a bit dozy, we still managed to work well together to load the kayaks up onto little trolley wheels for the 1 kilometre walk to the nearest beach on the Strand.

It took us far longer than necessary to get down there, as it turned out that our idea to use 2 sets of wheels was more hindrance than help, but at least that was a lesson learned for the return journey later.

Arriving at the beach it was light already, and we took a little time to double check that we had everything, make sure that we were covered up to protect from the sun, could access enough drinking water, had securely locked our trolley wheels to a handy palm tree, and were generally all ready to go.

We were both pretty excited as we prepared to launch, and looking forward to the day ahead.

The swell was against us for the journey out, but wasn’t too big to be a problem. The wind was against too, but was very light, and while the sun was fierce it did stay mostly hidden by clouds, so wasn’t too unbearable. 

We aimed for the right-hand side of the island, the south east side, and worked hard to keep paddling consistently as otherwise we would get pushed backwards – meaning further to paddle!

I kept an eye out for wildlife, and saw a flock of black cockatoos making their way over the sea to the island. Not being seabirds, this was pretty interesting to watch. I was also surprised by quite how many seafaring butterflies I saw. Several times I saw what I thought were turtles coming up to breathe, but as soon as I'd seen them they would be gone again, and I was always left wondering whether it had been my imagination or an actual turtle.

My new sun hat. It's pretty special...

For what felt like ages the island seemed to get no closer, but finally the angles started to change and we could begin to make out features on the island to confirm our progress. We didn’t land at the first town we came past, Picnic Bay, as Bec had in mind somewhere we could go for (second) breakfast and coffee.

I was quite tired by now so passing up the opportunity to land felt a bit painful, but we carried on past the small rocky headland, which seemed to take a disproportionate amount of time to pass, to the next bay. 

More paddling-for-what-seemed-like-forever took us up the length of the next beach to its far end, where we would be landing. The water in this bay was very flat and calm, giving us a bit of a break from the swell. This was ideal for me as for the first time ever in a kayak I had become a bit seasick! Looking down the side of my kayak, I also noticed that the water here was very shallow and clear, and I could see the corals on the bottom as I glided along.

Arriving at the beach, we were both very pleased with our efforts – although we were less enthusiastic about having to carry the boats up the beach to keep them safe. Our muscles protesting, we managed to get both craft beyond the sand, and then further up into the shade of a large fig tree. Success!!

Bringing the paddles along with us to avoid tempting anyone to take the kayaks out for a spin, we headed to the beach-side shower to freshen up before walking around the marina to the Peppers Resort – the same place that had hosted the Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week back in August last year.

The only option available was a buffet breakfast, so we both indulged in the good food, and sadly mediocre coffee. As we were finishing, the rain started to fall heavily, and with grey skies the sun’s heat was diminished, which was quite a relief.

We decided to spend the day relaxing on the island, so Bec bought a newspaper to read. I pretty much always have a book with me, so the two of us lounged around reading and chatting for ages, I had a pot of tea at one point, and nearly dozed off at several points!

We had returned to the small beachside park where our kayaks were, and when it came time to get moving for our return journey we got chatting to a local couple. Living on the island with their three children, they were very interested to talk to us about our kayaking. The dad in particular was interested as he kayaks himself, and he was impressed with our little adventure. He works for the Sealink ferry and was due to start work soonish, so he said if he spotted us on the route across he would give us a toot.

Time was pushing on though, and lovely as it was to chat to these wonderful people, we had to push on too. Launching into the calm water of the bay was much easier than our bumpy start from the Strand earlier, and with heavy arms we got back into the rhythm of paddling. 

As we left the bay and emerged into bumpier water, the swell was hitting us from behind, which was helpful, and a little from the side which was less helpful. Compensating for the sideways push so that we wouldn’t miss our destination, we aimed back towards the mainland and paddled steadily. Each time the swell hit you could feel the wonderful surge forwards it gave you, and I reflected on how much extra work we must have done that morning to overcome each powerful push backwards as we had paddled towards the island.

After almost an hour of paddling, I noticed that the Sealink ferry was coming towards us. I didn’t think that it normally came quite to where we were, but after a “beep beep be be beeeeeeeep!!!” on the ship’s horn and a wave and shout of encouragement from the bridge, we realised that the ferry had come out of its way to spot us. We felt pretty special :)

The ferry heading back towards its usual route

Paddling on, we adjusted course as the swell changed, and we did pretty well to get back to our starting beach with no problems (although reports from the beach made it sound as though we hadn't been on quite as straight a course as it had felt). Getting ready to try and surf the swell in down the narrow space between a breakwater and the stinger net, I spotted a lady on the beach taking a strong interest in us. As we got a bit closer, I realised that it was another friend of ours who had spotted us coming in to land. She and her partner made a great welcoming committee for us, making us feel even more special!

Of course, we still had to carry the boats up the beach, load them onto trolley wheels and walk everything a kilometre back to Bec’s house before washing everything down and getting some dinner, but it felt like we had completed a pretty cool Sunday adventure :)

The numbers:

Each leg of our trip was approximately 10kms, so we paddled about 20kms in total.

The outward journey took 2 hours 20 minutes.

The return journey took 1 hour 45 minutes.

Edit to add: Having said that I previously bottled out of doing this trip thanks to concerns about crocodiles, just 3 days after this trip I was at The Strand when the swimming areas were all closed off thanks to reports of a crocodile. Not everyone believed it, but just a few hours later and the 4.7metre crocodile had been caught! I'm glad we didn't see it while we were paddling!

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