THE WALLABY TRACK WITH LIONEL MUSSELL

After a wonderful time at the lovely Walkamin Van Park in Far North Queensland , it was time to come home .

Leaving Walkamin , I ' d planned to stay overnight at Henrietta Creek campground in the Wooroonooran National Park but soon changed my mind when I arrived only to be attacked by a swarm of ferocious marsh flies .

I jumped back into Yemmy quick smart and drove the next 10km with one hand on the wheel as I swatted the black pests with the other hand !

Instead of a very short first day trip , I opted to drive on to stay at Toomulla Beach , a nice free camp north of Townsville .

It ' s not as busy as some – probably because it is on an estuary and not directly on a beach .

With two days in hand before I could go to my favourite national park campground at Smalleys Beach , I opted to stay at Ball Bay , right on the beach . I ' d decided to stay regardless of how much the fee but got a shock when the man came around and told me it was $ 27 a night regardless of whether it was for one person or eight ! $ 54 for two nights with basic amenities is a bit steep when the nearby national park is just $ 6.70 a person – no wonder Smalleys Beach is so heavily booked .

Site 3 at Smalleys Beach – my old favourite - is not the same as it used to be as the trees and shrubs have grown and block the once open view .

The picture I used for the cover of my first book , The ABC of Caravanning was taken from site 3 . It was a great , open view of the sparkling sea and the shore .

The ranger said he ' d shoot me if I told people where it was because back then it was very quiet and he had an easy job !

Yemmy at site 3 , Smalleys Beach .

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View of Ball Bay .

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