The Food-Wine-Pets-Travel+ Podcast Food-Wine-Pets-Travel+

Back in Feb. 2011 a Category 5 cyclone called Yasi all but demolished the beautiful town of Cardwell in far north QLD - gateway to Hinchinbrook Island.

It's taken many years to get back to almost resembling its former self but there's still more to be done. We'll have a closer look soon at some of the issues this small community faces - meantime, we had a great couple of nights at the Cardwell Caravan Park and chatted with owner Colin Oke to find out why he loves the place so much! :-)

While the weather this year has been, cold then wet then hot again... whether you're travelling or not, heat is a big factor in the health of our pets - in this case dogs! And we were reminded off that recently sitting in the shade under a tree having coffee with friends the other day when Kaye realised she had copped a nasty sunburn!

Lesson learned – the hard way – That protective shade of the tree moved!! it’s also a timely reminder for us and other pet owners to plan how to provide adequate shelter, water and cooling mats or jackets to protect our pets from heat stress or the even worse condition Heat Stroke.

To help us and help you - we called on a friend who’s treated many pets for heat stress to give us her best advice on what to do if you suspect your best friend is heat affected - Dr Karyn Wesselingh from the Animal Referral Hospital in Baulkham Hills Sydney

Ok... you've decided to get up and go see Australia with or without the kids... but the 'most important' child can't be ignored right? The family dog. So many people are travelling with pets these days - dogs in particular - but the services like vets & groomers we're used to at home are not always easily available on the road. What to do? - Especially if you have a longer haired dog like us - like Chica.... a Toy Poodle.

Now there are plenty of other longer haired breeds that need regular grooming like Dachies etc but so too do short haired breeds like Staffies or Whippets etc...

We asked long time friend and professional dog groomer Todd Clark from Morriset Dog Grooming how can travellers find a groomer they can 'trust'?

You like music?? We might just let this next story introduce itself… 😊

Why would anyone want to leave Australia to visit some exotic island somewhere!

Ever heard of Sarina Beach in QLD?... Well it's our very own 'tropical paradise' just 35mins south of Mackay. We spoke with the co-owner of the Sarina Beach Motel Meaghan Thompson to find out what's so special about the place and why she has 'stuck around'....

Find out more about this tropical paradise: https://sarinabeachmotel.com.au/

During our zig zag tour of Far North QLD on our way to Cairns we stopped off in the small coastal town of Cardwell for a few days. Great beaches and strong community given they were all but wiped off the map by Cyclone Yasi in 2011. Anyway we couldn't resist trying out a pie or two at the famous 'Jesse's Pies' - This amazing beachside pop-up kitchen has been in operation for over 40 years with brother’s Rob and Greg Jesse launching their bright yellow van more than 30 years ago when their father retired from the local bakery. And while the boys are passionate about making & selling pies to travellers everywhere, they really do wish for a bigger and better future for the small town of Cardwell