Priscilla News - October 3rd 2019

Priscilla is happily settled in a quiet park in Mossman where I have been able to spend time on my new book ‘Innocent Nurses Abroad’, which is now into the design stage. I’m very excited and now have my next book in my head, keeping me awake at night which gives an urgency to start getting it down. ‘Back of Beyond in Priscilla’ is about to be commenced.

Here, in the beautiful rainforests of North Queensland, we have enjoyed a journey down Memory Lane. Naturally things have developed and changed, but in a nice way. There is so much to see and do within a close proximity.

We enjoyed a delightful drive to Cape Tribulation, crossing the crocodile infested river by barge. I was revelling in the greenery, good road and interesting places on offer for lunch.

‘Do you want to go to Bloomfield for lunch?’ asked Rick.

‘If you want to,’ I replied nonchalantly, confident that the Bloomfield Track would be better than when we bounced along it thirty years previously.

Not so….. poor Terry Toyota was in 4WD as we crawled 33kms in over 2 hours. I enjoyed the rough and bounce when I was 40, but it wasn’t the same enjoyment at aged 73!!!

Finally arriving at Bloomfield we were confronted with huge signs stating it was an alcohol free aboriginal community (and good on them). Our thoughts of a cold beer and fresh barramundi lunch on a pub veranda were dashed. We faced the return rough, steep, dusty, single lane bush track in silence.

By this time it was 3pm and I was HUNGRY, Millie was fed up and Rick was silent. All the delightful restaurants closed at 2.30, but we managed the last two remaining pies at a servo.

The highlight of our day was a visit to the Exotic Tropical Fruit Orchard, which served delicious ice cream. We had a tasting mix of jackfruit, passionfruit, coconut and wattleseed. Divine. Thankfully the sugar fix eased my mood.

As I lay in bed, I was still rocking and the following day my poor bones screamed, which gave me good reason to send my publisher multiple emails!

Priscilla was very pleased to have missed that trip. Terry Toyota is booked for a service tomorrow. Millie was reluctant to get in the car the following day! I wonder why?

Author Jenny Old

Author on Board #BackofBeyond #Western Queensland #Australian travels #gypsies #outback