From east to west

 Back on the road again, we decided to check out a place recommended with good fishing and crabbing called Port Stewart. The road in was easy but it still took us about 3 hours to get there. Along the way we saw some lily filled lagoons filled with hundreds of birds. There are so many photo opportunities along the road, I'm always asking James to stop, slow down or go back!! Port Stewart is on the east coast of the Cape on the Northern tip of Princess Charlotte bay. The camp ground was scattered around mangroves and we were instantly aware of crocodiles. We couldn't see them but they were there. We met another Tvan couple and as we were talking to Dennis, he reeled in a fish and gave it to us! That was the only fish we had, unless you had a boat or didn't care about crocs, the fishing was hard. The boys set a mud trap but it got smashed by a greedy croc and James had to repair it.

 We stayed 2 nights, and I must admit, it wasn't my favourite place. It's a place men go with a tinny, a box of beer and fish and leave their wives at home!

 While we were at Port Stewart, we realised that our batteries were not recharging and the fridge was struggling to keep cold. We had run out of ice and we were down to the last bit of meat, our veges got spoiled and we weren't sure where we could get more stores. The nearest town was Coen and they had a mechanic so off we went and I was hoping we could get some more supplies.
 Coen was a very busy little place! With fuel, a mechanic, a pub and 2 shops with basic and very expensive stores it was a pit stop for many travellers.
 James got some advice on his batteries and I filled up the food supplies. We camped just outside Coen on the river and it was a great little spot. With the fresh, croc free water, I did all the washing, James worked on the batteries and Daniel played in the creek...until he got chased out of the water by a water python! It was a relaxing afternoon.

The next day it was up'n' at em and we were off. Destination; Chilli Beach. We were told that this place was beautiful and we might find the rare thong tree! The road was quite good and we had no problem finding the camp sight, the only thing was that the wind was howling. We tried to find a good camp spot but it was pretty crowded. A few people were leaving because of the wind so we decided not to go in there camp. We drove to the southern end of the camp and the very last spot was completely protected from the wind. Perfect!!

 As James pulled out his tool box, Daniel and I did some exploring. The wind blows so hard here that the trees grow in very graceful, wind swept dance poses. Some huge trees have been toppled over and continued to survive. One thing we saw was a lot of thongs that had been washed up, and some campers put them to creative use.

 True to Qld form, the weather began to turn drizzly again but luckily we had a roaring fire going so the rain didn't damper our spirits. In the morning, James continued to sort out the batteries, fix the hand brake, oil and grease the connections, and any other repairs that needed attention. Daniel and went for a walk and I noticed a man charging his batteries, telling James, he went to see him and got a gizmo to help him see if the batteries were getting any charge. Tony, we found out after introductions, just happened to be a mechanic! He gave James some advise and the two discussed car stuff and the roads ahead. I was just stoked that the batteries were recharging, fridge humming and the computer and camera could be recharged.

 On the low tide, we walked across the reef and climbed over rocks to get a great view of Chilli Beach. Even though the weather was drizzly, the low tide brought every one out to explore. There is never a dull moment or an opportunity for boredom. This is something that thousand of dollars of electronics and toys haven't been able to achieve!

 Our next stop we wanted to be was the Old Telegraph Line, but as we headed out we bumped into our Tvan comrades, Dennis and Linda. They were heading to Weipa, and we were concerned about the conditions of our tyres as it looked like we may have bent the Tvans stubs. Like I said, never a dull moment! We parted ways, and decided that we should head to Weipa and make sure Ivan was fit for the roads ahead. We had travelled all this way and not to complete the OTL would be heart breaking.

 We got into Weipa and went straight to the mechanics, who inverted the tires and assured us that Ivan should be ok but will will need to keep an eye on the tires. We stayed in weipa for 2 days, the boys fished and I did some relaxing. We saw our first croc, in fact we saw 5 in one afternoon. You really need a boat up here to fish without endangering yourself!

 Although we had a lovely spot we were very keen to head off and start the Old Telegraph road. So up we packed and head out, with more adventures ahead of us.