After bumping into the Australian cricket captain on the Monday, we decided go on a day trip the next day to Cape Hillsborough National Park. We had heard about being able to see kangaroos on the beach and as I am still one of the only people in this continent who haven’t seen one then we thought it would be a worthwhile trip. Cape Hillsborough is about 50km up the coast from Mackay. Because it is a national park then no dogs are allowed so after a quick swim in the sea at Mackay, we dropped Ben off at kennels for the day and headed up the coast.

I will pinch the sales pitch of Cape Hillsborough from their useful visitor information leaflet: “Rugged hillsides plunge steeply into the sea, and stately hoop pines project above the surrounding vegetation. Rhyolite boulders, lasting evidence of volcanic activity millions of years ago, scatter the headlands. Between the rocky headlands are broad sandy beaches where kangaroos can often be seen late afternoon”. Sounds idyllic eh? Well, it’s all part of a cunning plan to cover up the terror that lies beneath those stately hoop pines, and lure innocent tourists like ourselves into what can only be described as a death trap…