Wellstead - 13. WSD Chapter 13

We chatted for a little while before I excused myself so as to go and round up everyone else for dinner, and we all met up again downstairs in the restaurant where I had booked a table for 11. I had Sam sitting next to me on one side and Lloyd on the other side, and we all chatted and ate through dinner as if we were all old friends. It was good to see everyone was getting along very well. After dinner I took the Parkes brothers along with us and we went to the local casino to enjoy some entertainment. It was well after midnight before the 8 of us finally arrived back in our hotel suites.

The next morning I woke up at 7am and telephoned all the suites of family and friends announcing that we had to have breakfast and be ready to go at 8am, as we were doing a day tour of Litchfield Park and the tour bus would be collecting us at 8am on the dot. Some of our group didn’t look too well and were complaining that everyone was shouting too much. I just laughed at that and continued chatting to the ladies.

By 8am I had everyone fed and ready for the full day tour. We boarded the tour bus right on time. I was pleased that the bus was fully air-conditioned as the temperature was starting to climb already at this time of the day.

As we headed out of the city we were told by the driver that on our left was RAAF Darwin and Darwin International Airport, the only airport in Australia that has Air traffic control managed by the defence department. Some of the sheds and hangers that we saw still had bullet holes in them from Japanese air raids from World War 2.

Further along the highway on our right we were informed that we were passing Coonawarra Naval Base, the only Australian Naval base that is not near water. We were told that there was a lot of swamp and mangroves between the base and the harbour. The naval ships were moored at the nearby Larrakeyah Army Barracks.

We were told that Darwin has the most number of defence bases in any capital city in Australia, not including Tindal Airforce base just south of Katherine. The Airforce also had a communications base near Lee Point in the far northern suburbs and the Army had a second base located on the edge of Palmerston, making a total of 5 defence bases within a 20 km radius.

About twenty minutes later we stopped at a crocodile farm, to look at the different ages and sizes of crocodiles. We had a light morning tea there before we reboarded the tour bus and continued our journey south. We then turned west towards the township of Batchelor, and half an hour later arrived in the Litchfield National Park which has been described as a miniature version of Kakadu National Park, which is a lot further away and needs a few days to fully explore.

Stopping at small natural freshwater spring and pool, we all enjoyed a swim in the cool waters after being informed there were no saltwater crocodiles in these pools. After the refreshing swim we boarded the tour bus again and visited a number of other beautiful spots in the park, including the mysterious magnetic anthills that face north to south. We had an enjoyable picnic lunch in a leafy park in the township before we boarded the tour bus once again and made our way northwards again.

Next, we stopped off at a place called Howard Springs where the water was quite warm, and after some afternoon tea and an hour spent swimming in the warm springs we headed back. It was a great way to end a wonderful day of exploring the great Top End of Australia, as it is known. We arrived back at the hotel shortly after 5 pm, just in time to relax for a short while before getting ready for dinner. I had something special planned there.

“We have till 6.30pm to get ready. Dress casually as we are going out for dinner where it is casual dress,” I announced as we passed through reception of the hotel and made our way up to our suites.

At 6.30 we were all back in reception. I had gone to the desk to make sure that my plans had been organised, and two limos soon appeared. We all climbed in and drove through town in a westerly direction. We could see that the sun was getting ready to set as we arrived at a car park area not far from the casino.

“Welcome to the famous Mindal Beach Markets. Go and enjoy all of the atmosphere and fun of the markets,” I announced as I handed Anne and Elspeth an envelope each and we split into two family groups going in different directions.

I went down to the beach and sat and watched as the sun set over the waters. It was a spectacular sight to see and well worth the trip to watch it. Over the next two hours we wandered through the markets, looking at the wares and buying food and craft items and enjoying the entertainment that was available too. By the time we returned to the hotel we were all totally exhausted and we all retired to our suites to get some much-needed sleep.

The next morning we had a more relaxed and late breakfast, and I agreed to take the boys to have a look at some tourist sites around Darwin, while the ladies spent some time shopping and relaxing. We agreed to meet up again at 3pm for afternoon tea at the hotel, and to say farewell to my friends who had to catch a flight back home, as they had university studies to continue the following day.

After seeing them off at the airport we all went to Casuarina shopping square to do some shopping before returning to the hotel to prepare for the next part of the journey, which was flying to Mt Isa in the morning to catch the next train trip overnight to Townsville. After a relaxing dinner in the hotel restaurant, we sat around in the lounge of my suite for a short while before we retired to our separate suites for a good overnight sleep, as we would all be up at 6 am the next morning to be ready for the 8.30 am flight.

When we stepped off the plane at Mt Isa the heat of the day hit us really hard. We quickly climbed into the taxis and made our way into town where we found a restaurant that served us an early lunch while we passed the time before having to head to the station for our train journey that departed at 1.30pm.

There was not much to see in the town which was mostly a mining town surrounded by a number of large pastoral properties, so we chose to stay indoors. When we boarded the train we found the cabin arrangements were the same as before, and we settled in quickly. We then made our way to the lounge car to have a look around and enjoy a cool drink as we were still a bit hot from being outdoors in the town of Mt Isa.

When the train finally departed, having left half an hour late for some unknown reason, we settled into our journey. Lloyd and the boys went to explore the train, while the ladies and I remained in the lounge car where we chatted with other passengers, interested to know where they were from and how much travelling they had done.

After dinner we gathered as a group to play canasta and had a wonderful time of it. We retired to our cabins soon after 9 pm. Lloyd had a shower and went straight to bed, falling asleep almost straight away, while I read a book for a short while before I too dozed off to sleep. I woke up the next morning shortly before 7am, feeling the train coming to a jarring and sudden stop. I got up, dressed quickly and went searching for a steward to find out what happened. I was informed that the engine and two front cars, carrying cargo and staff quarters, had derailed, but no one was hurt. Buses from nearby Charters Towers were on their way to collect all the passengers.

Dashing back to my cabin I grabbed my mobile and did a search for airlines from Charters Towers, and found that there was a flight at 10am. I telephoned the airline company and found there were seats available for that morning’s flight to Townsville. I booked and payed for 6 seats.

When I hung up the phone, I shook Lloyd awake. I told him to get up and get dressed and get packed, and I went next door to wake up Kyle and Quinn and gave them the same instructions, before calling Anne on the mobile to tell them what had happened and what I had organised.

By 8 am we had been loaded onto a local school bus and taken into town. From there we went in search of some breakfast, finding a café that had opened early as they had heard of the train derailment, and knew that they would need to provide meals. By the time we had finished our breakfast, the café was very over crowded with other train passengers either eating or waiting for their breakfast.

We found a taxi rank nearby and asked to be taken to the airport, and we were soon relaxing in the air-conditioned small aircraft terminal, where I collected the tickets that I had organised and paid for earlier. Only four couples and three single people from the train had managed to get seats on the flight, which would take less than an hour before we arrived in the tropical city of Townsville where I was looking forward to relaxing for a week.

I had organised via Frank, to book and pay for suites at a beachside resort on Magnetic Island. We would be arriving in Townsville an hour later than originally planned, so we would catch the 1pm ferry over to the island. With luggage in tow we arrived in town by taxi from the airport. We found a nice restaurant where we sheltered from the heat and enjoyed a relaxing meal, until it was time to go to the ferry terminal to board the ferry to get to the island.

Magnetic Island is approximately 68% National Park, and has a permanent population of about 72,000 people, who mostly work on the island which is a major tourist location, and a favourite with international backpackers. The accommodation we had were family holiday bungalows. They were very spacious and equipped with everything we needed. We had 2 three-bedroom bungalows well away from the remaining 6 bungalows, located on a slight rocky hill top, with a small beach just below that was separated from the main beach by large boulders.

The small family resort was well away from most of the main tourist resorts and backpacker accommodation, situated in a small cove on the north-eastern side of the island. Once we had settled into our accommodation, we gathered on the patio of my bungalow, all of us better attired for the surroundings, and we decided to have a look around the property.

I was very impressed at what Frank had selected. It was a 15-acre property, off the main road. It had a mixture of eucalypt and palm trees, tree ferns, hibiscus shrubs and small areas of lawn scattered around the place. The main building consisted of the administration, housekeeping and stores, kitchen, restaurant and bar, with a large sheltered outdoor dining area as well as an indoor dining room. A 15-metre diameter round central pool was surrounded by four smaller pools that were two metres higher. Water slides provided a link between them and the main pool.

Nearby there was a botanical mini golf course, which on closer inspection we found had 18 holes, making it a lot longer than most mini golf courses. It was built into the surrounding gardens. Also close to the pools were 2 giant bouncing pillows and a giant chess board, with 1 metre high chess pieces. The last of the facilities we found were two tennis courts with artificial turf surfaces which we were very happy to see.

We decided to play some tennis once it had cooled down a bit in the late afternoon. In the mean time we decided to go for a swim till it cooled down. When a waiter came to take any orders for drinks I asked him if there were any other guests. The waiter, who looked very unhappy, informed me that we would be the last guests for a while as the owners had announced that morning that they would be closing down due to bankruptcy after we left.

I excused myself from the rest of the group and returned to the bungalow to find my mobile phone. I called Frank, asking him exactly how much money I really did have, and would it be enough to buy a family retreat like the one we were staying in at the time. I explained that I had just learnt that after we left they would be shutting down.

“Grant, my dear boy, your late father had done very well in his business, buying a number of Australian and overseas businesses, and you could buy many more. As it happens I did know about this place closing down, and I selected it on purpose so you could see what it was like before I recommended that it be added to the investments of the trust,” Frank said, and I just laughed.

“You are a very sneaky man, Mr Frank Hills. Yes, go ahead with the purchase, and make sure that the staff know that their jobs are safe. Oh, and cancel the flight to Sydney and the train trip to Perth. We may stay here a bit longer. But don’t let anyone here know that I am the new owner,” I said to Frank with a big smile.

After a bit of a chat about the repairs to the house after the burglary, I ended the call and returned to the pool with a big grin on my face. After a relaxing swim and several games of tennis, we returned to our bungalows to shower and change for dinner. Lloyd and I shared a bathroom between our rooms, so I waited till he had finished before I had my shower, which was interrupted by Lloyd walking in unannounced to use the mirror to comb his hair. I could see that he was looking towards the shower screen to look at me without trying to be too obvious. I just faced away from him and continued showering.

Once in the restaurant, there seemed to be a hum in the air. All the staff were smiling and were a lot more attentive to their work, which was better than the atmosphere I observed when we checked in earlier in the afternoon. I knew, of course, what the change in attitude amongst the staff was about. Obviously Frank had been working fast and the news had been delivered to the staff. Even Anne and Elspeth commented on how happy all the staff seemed to be on this evening.

After dinner Anne, Elspeth and I sat in the guest lounge next to the restaurant to have some tea and coffee. While we were being served, I asked if we could have a set of the promotional brochures for guests of the property. A few minutes later a gentleman arrived with a folder in hand. He introduced himself as the night manager and said that he and a skeleton staff were available throughout the night if anything was required.

“Thank-you for your assistance. I was just interested in returning at another time, as I am very impressed with the facilities, but didn’t know much about this place till we arrived as it was arranged by my business manager,” I said to the night manager.

“Very good, Sir. May I present this corporate information pack with everything you need to know. Let me say however that as of tomorrow we will be under new management, as the outgoing owners were in the process of bankruptcy. So, we are not sure what will be happening with any changes. All we have been informed is that all staff will be remaining as is,” the manager informed me before leaving us.

“You didn’t do what I think you have just done, did you?” Elspeth said to me.

“Who, me? No, it wasn’t me. It was Frank Hills who did all the work,” I replied with a big grin. That’s when Anne suddenly realised what we were talking about. “Welcome to your new home, folks,” I added as I opened the information folder which had a lot more than I had asked. I guessed that the manager had worked it out also.

“I suggest we not tell the three boys just yet as I want to put some other plans into place. Firstly, I want to see if we can get Quinn into a university in Townsville, so he can study marine biology or veterinary science. Then we have to find a good school for Lloyd to attend, and we need to settle you, dear lady, and your nephew Kyle, into positions in this organisation that you will both be happy with,” I said looking directly into Anne’s eyes which were tearing with joy.

“The first thing I would suggest you do is demote the housekeeping manager, as he or she isn’t paying attention to detail,” Anne said.

“Good. That settles it. You will take up that new role and I’m sure you will have the place looking immaculate very fast,” I said in reply.

Anne looked a bit shocked at my sudden announcement then recovered with a slight smile as I opened up a folded plan of the whole property, which revealed a lot more than I expected.

As well as the 8 guest bungalows, there was a small group of 8 staff accommodation cabins, hidden away in the far corner of the property, which included a staff recreation lounge and outdoor area. There were also shaded areas indicating plans for another six more bungalows, plus an additional spa pool, a giant octagonal open gazebo, a gymnasium and a sauna and a low level 150 metre long zip line flying fox as well as a private jetty on the edge of the property, just on the other side of the bungalows that we were staying in.

I could see that the night manager was hovering nearby and I motioned for him to come forward.

“Yes, Sir, how may I help you?” he asked as he arrived.

“I see from the information you have provided that you have guessed that I am the new owner of this fine property. Can you please arrange for all staff to be here at 7 am tomorrow for a meeting. Don’t tell them it’s with the new owners. I would like to spring that surprise on them,” I said. The manager nodded his understanding and left.