Cane Stay

Almost reluctantly saying goodbye to Airlie,  we headed further north for our next stop, Burdekin Cane Farm stay.

The Shire of Burdekin is a local government area located in North Queensland, Australia in the Dry Tropics region. The district is located between Townsville and Bowen in the delta of the Burdekin River. We passed through miles and miles of sugar cane on the way and you can understand why this region is known as the sugar capital of Australia.

The farm we were headed for offers sites for fully self contained vehicles on the banks of Sheep Station Creek under their Mangrove Orchard. The attraction here was the opportunity to view a cane burn. Many farmers now green cut their cane and burn the rubble afterwards but in this region they still burn the mature crop and then harvest and it is a sight to behold, happening just on dusk as the wind falls.  We were welcomed by the owner Greg who informed us that unfortunately they had had a burn last night and weren’t planning another for three days, after our departure πŸ˜’

We had a great spot though and the next evening saw a burn from the distance. The road across the creek from us was a constant stream of cane trucks travelling to the nearby cane train to load cages and then returning empty to the fields again. We were reminded of the Vale at vintage time when the whole community witnesses the process of harvesting.

Despite not seeing the cane burn there was actually a lot to see in this region and so the next day we decided to check out the very small fishing community of Wunjunga. You actually drive through a cattle station to get there which was a change from the sugar cane omnipresent elsewhere.

Jimny en route to Wunjunga

Iconic beach shacks are perched on the granite boulders and apparently the fishing is sublime here, you don’t go swimming though…..

In the opposite direction, another surprising attraction we visited was the Ayr Nature Display.

This stunning collection is the life time work of a local man Allan Ey (originally from SA actually) an ornithologist who has collected butterflies, bugs, shells, minerals and timbers and collated into something truly special. Here are just a few photos which really don’t do it justice – have a close look, the birds are actually constructed from butterflies and moths.

On a completely different note, another “attraction” in the area is the cemetery. This region has a very large Italian community and the cemetery reflects the Italian tradition of burying their dead in mausoleums which almost creates a ‘mini city’ feel.

Ayr cemetery

After three nights here we moved on to Ingham where there is another of the CMCA parks, six dollars per night for members, can’t go wrong there 😁 It is very conveniently situated, close to the centre of town and within walking distance of a couple of the main attractions including the Tyto Wetlands and the Mercer Lane murals.

As we arrived on Sunday we decided to go and look at the murals without the weekly shoppers obscuring the view and we were not disappointed. This fantastic project was the brain child of a local woman who wanted to do something to showcase and include the community. The murals consist of various panels of mosaics depicting Ingham’s history and life in Ingham now which is dominated by cane. Multiple community groups participated in their creation ranging from school children to retirement home residents and we thought it was stunning and such a cool concept.

Mercer lane murals

We also wandered around the Tyto wetlands – a unique 90-hectare natural wetland which is home to over 245 species of birds, native Australian wildlife and numerous tropical plant species. We didn’t see the resident croc but were slightly amused by the local Parkrun signs juxtaposed right next to the ‘recent crocodile sighting’ sign 🀣 and we did see lots of different birds, some of them even cleaning the local wallabies.

With recent rain prior to our arrival we were told by many fellow campers not to miss Wallaman Falls.

Wallaman Falls is the highest, permanent, single-drop waterfall in Australia and part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, home to some of the oldest rainforests on earth and many endangered plants and animals. It was a fairly slow drive up there, firstly traversing cane fields and then once again cattle grazing country, this time the fierce looking Brahmans who were quite comfortable observing and blocking passing traffic.

The falls, when we reached them, were spectacular and we thought somewhat reminiscent of the Helmcken Falls we had previously seen in British Columbia. 

Wallaman Falls

Of course a trip to Ingham for Russell wouldn’t be complete without checking out the two local Italian delis which were a feast for the eyes and nose and who knew how many different pasta sauces one could buy!

The Ingham Cemetery was even more impressive than the one at Ayr and has become somewhat of a tourist attraction in its own right with increasingly elaborate memorials to those that have passed away.

The other notable spot within walking distance to the RV park is the local seafood shop. We treated ourselves on our last night, Russell recommends the Spanish mackerel and I had a beautiful feed of Moreton Bay Bugs.

Ingham

Tomorrow, moving on to Innisfail 😊

6 thoughts on “Cane Stay

  1. Thanks Victoria
    Hoping to follow your lead in September.
    Hope to get many more tips as to where to stay.
    Happy travels.
    Anna

    • We weren’t planning on that this trip Barb but may end up having to go down through the centre if NSW remains locked down, we have to be nimble on our feet!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*