Loka: Stop 8: Tully

I was so glad we still had the cars, it meant we could sleep in a little longer and not have to rely on public transport. It did however also mean that I had to drive Rosie's jeep up to the ferry terminal with half the team, and drive back to collect the bags. I was the only one that knew the way! I understood now why she had been struggling, I could barely change gear and had to floor it to get up the hill. On our second journey I let Rosie have one last hurrah, content being passenger.

Once we were all at the ferry terminal we had a rush to get on the boat. We all grabbed whatever bags we could and hot footed it on board. A short ride later we were back in Townsville. Another short ride (this time by bus) and we were at the train station. Of course, the train was late so we had some time to kill on the platform. I stretched myself out, laying with my head on my bag in the shade and my legs in the sun. I was surprised I didn't fall asleep, for once. The train finally arrived and I settled into my seat and made the most of the entertainment system. This time watching La La Land and Ab Fab. The latter couldn't have been great as I fell asleep half-way through.

We pulled into Tully, a very pretty train station, and collected our bags. We then had to wait for our transfer to the hotel. That's right.. hotel. A ute appeared and we chucked our bags in the trailer, there were only two seats spare. It wasn't a long walk to Mount Tyson Hotel so we could easily manage it without the luggage. However, it was a little bit warm. And so very humid. Tully famously has some of the heaviest rainfall in Australia, hopefully we wouldn't be witnessing it. I was fascinated to see sugar cane farms bordering the town, complete with little tracks for the carts. Pretty cool.

We rendezvoused at the hotel and were allocated our rooms. The four youths were together in one family room, Room 8. Mario had been given the only key, and when us girls eventually climbed up with all our bags, the door was locked. Luckily, a spare was found and all was sorted. I somehow ended up with a double bed, very exciting! We also had free toiletries, which are always a nice surprise. The bathroom door wouldn't close without a fight, and we may have made it even worse.. Luckily there were shared facilities available.

I had a major panic when trying to organise my laundry - I couldn't get into my bag. I have two padlocks, one on each compartment, and the bottom pocket wouldn't open for love nor money. The code must have been changed somehow or other. I gave up trying and settled on reorganising my bag. With my clothes all now in the washing machine, my belly full with lunch, and my bikini on, I was ready for our next little excursion. Niki had booked a maxi taxi to Alligators Nest, a swimming hole at the foot of the mountains. It was named after a group of swimmers that met there, not because of gators.

We arrived to find a few pregnant women bracing themselves to take a dip, their mothers insisting the cold would help. If they were going in, then we had no excuse. I stripped down, leaving my things on a rock near the handy platform, and walked down the steps to the water. I slid in, and was pleasantly surprised. The water was nowhere near as cold as I had been expecting! It was a beautiful spot, with clear water revealing submerged stones and parts of fallen trees. The foliage surrounding the pool almost gave the impression of curtains, a naturally closed off area for everyone to enjoy.

Once I'd done a few laps around, I headed up the steps to the grass bank where the girls were already sunbathing. Time to dry off and enjoy a little sunshine myself. We amused ourselves with a game of Twenty Questions that turned into the most random guessing game ever. I mean jusy try getting vegetarianism, clouds, or a cheese grater with so few questions! It was hilarious. Niki rewarded us with a little treat, she went off into the grass and found a green ant. We all had to lick his bum.. totally harmless, but incredibly sour.

Back to the hotel, it was time for a shower. I then had fun task of prioritising my stuff and working out what I could put in my unopenable pocket. It took a lot less time than I had anticipated, and so I went for a brisk walk to dry my hair and explore the area a little more. I nipped to the IGA to buy some snacks for our last train ride, best to be organised. I then hot footed it back, didn't want to be late for dinner.

We were eating in the pub that night with the locals, I think we were the only guests. I ordered sausages and mash with onion gravy - delicious! I felt so thirsty I drank pint after pint of water, to the amusement of the others. We were still just a little bit hungry, maybe a dessert would satisfy. Us girls and Mario headed next door to the pub and found a small selection of treats to choose from. I ordered a vanilla cheesecake, it was pretty good and totally worth the splurge.

Returning to the room, I somehow or other managed to guess the code on my padlock. I'll be cracking safes next! With my daybag packed and ready for the morning, I changed into my pjs and snuggled into my double bed to read, we had an early start.

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I was awake before my alarm went off at 6.15. Today we were climbing Mount Tyson. I had time for a mini cuppa and a munch on a cereal bar before getting my shoes on and grabbing my water from the fridge. We all met downstairs and began our walk to the base of the mountain. It was already rather warm and it was barely 7am. We got to the start at about quarter past, and read the sign. It was of Level 4 difficulty, with the summit at 600m and an expected walk time of 3hrs return. I was rather looking forward to the challenge, a hike through the rainforest.

Mario and the ladies went rushing ahead, I honestly don't know how they were going so fast. There were rocks, lose stones, tree roots, and overhanging leaves to deal with. I honestly think it was the hardest hike I've had in Australia. If it hadn't been for Aquiles cheering me on, offering motivation and encouragement, I would have struggled even more. I was determined to get to the top, no matter how much I moaned and groaned about it. 

The day grew hotter, and as we climbed the shade grew less. We must be nearing the summit! We found Niki at one sector, it was rather tricky to clamber up and over a huge boulder, and she wanted to make sure we were safe. Niki took Aquiles' place as my personal coach, and he went on ahead. He'd clearly been holding back for my sake, quick as a flash he was off out of sight. The two of us kept on going, Niki made it seem like a walk in the park. Obviously I was still finding it incredibly challenging, but it was so lovely to have cheerleaders.

We were clambering up a section when we heard a distinctive "yoohoo" from above. Had we made it to the top? Turning the corner we found Gabi, enjoying the view at a lookout. After a quick check on my phone I realised we had reached the 600m mark, but it didn't seem much of a summit to me. I sat down, in desperate need of a break and a long drink. We then convinced Gabi to climb a little further with us to reach the others, after all if I could do it then there was no excuse! It only took another 10-15mins of serious girl power and we could hear the other three. I couldn't believe I had got to 634m, and it was only 9.06am.

We took a few photos, but there wasn't much of a view within the bushes. We scrambled back down to the "summit" and took some better ones with the amazing view of Tully below us. Now was time to climb down, and I was much more comfortable with that. There were a few sections where it was best to just slip and slide, thanks to gravel underfoot. We even had a bum shuffle at one point. And I may have had a small stumble when I trusted the wrong tree for support.

Mario, Rosie and I were the first down, and sat waiting for the others in the shade. It had been quite a morning, we were back at the hotel by 11am. I felt so disgustingly sweaty, and was so ready for a shower. Washing away the dirt, I felt so proud of myself for persevering and conquering another crazy hike. With my laundry all packed away, I sat on the balcony in the sun and devoured some of my train snacks. Before long, it was back to the train station and on to our last train to Cairns.

It was our shortest journey so far, and we all split to our different hostels on arrival. I already liked the look of Cairns and was looking forward to exploring. But first, after a quick wander around the city and a chat with Mum, I walked to the pub for a last dinner. We all ate together at the famous Woolshed, I ordered my first ever halloumi burger. It was delicous. What a fantastic way to end my Loka experience, with a great group of people.