Babinda Rotary Club free camp when we last called through was very picturesque – this time it was experiencing a torrential downpour and we had our own river running past the door.

Luckily it was only an overnighter and the next day dawned brighter and drier and the mobile repair guy was there at 0900. He was gone at 0920 after only managing to do a temporary fix so we decided to head south that day.

As we hadn’t stopped at Townsville on our way north we thought we would spend our extra day there and booked in to a convenient caravan park just off the highway (not far enough off as it turned out, it was pretty noisy!)

The drive up to Towers Hill with its panoramic walks delivered great views of the city looking out to Magnetic Island (or Maggie as she is known by locals) and back toward the range in the west.

 

By now it was lunchtime and heading for the coast we found ourselves on The Strand which was busy with weekend events including the local nippers carnival which provided a splash of colour, clad as they were in their bright stinger suits.

We bought fish and chips which were surprisingly good and watched the world go by for awhile until we noticed Juliette’s Gelato which had also been recommended to us and proved to be a delicious dessert!

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We also came across the Ocean Siren, a statue sitting out to sea that reacts to live water temperature data from the Davies Reef weather station on the Great Barrier Reef and changes colour in response to variations in the temperature. The concept is that she represents the health of the reef and she forms part of the Museum of Underwater Art. She is more spectacular at night but we found the idea quite unique and enjoyed reading about the project. She was modelled on a local Wulgurukaba Traditional Owner Takoda Johnson.

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The next day really felt like we were starting the trek home as we headed due west toward Charters Towers. The NSW Covid situation was by now clearly a mess and we had given up all hope of returning via the eastern states so were now committed to the red centre route.

I had read of the popular free camp situated beside the Burdekin River which was on the way to Charters Towers so we stopped in there for morning tea and a look around. It was very popular, many rigs enjoying the spacious campground, one guy has been there so long he had tomato plants bearing fruit!

It was also unexpectedly a haven for butterflies and we added a couple more to our (photographic) collection.

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We ended up staying two nights in Charters Towers which gave us the opportunity to briefly explore some of its rich history. The latest census lists a population of around 8,000 but when the town was booming in the late 19th century it even had its own Stock Exchange! Gold was discovered in 1870 by a 12 year old aboriginal boy searching for horses belonging to the party he was with that had bolted in a storm the night before.

The gold was concentrated into veins and was Australia’s richest major field with an average grade of 34 grams per tonne. The grade was almost double that of the Victorian mines and almost 75% higher than the grades of Western Australian gold fields of that time. If you are interested, read more here.

We did the Venus battery tour the next morning and then strolled around town looking at some stunning architecture from its halcyon years.

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We took snacks and sundowners up to the actual Tower and enjoyed sunset with some local marsupials for company.

Another one of my hot tips was (relatively) nearby Porcupine Gorge. After just over a three hour drive west we eventually rolled into the Pyramid Campground in the National Park and found site 22, ours for two nights. Complete with a firepit (we don’t carry our own so a novelty for us), drop loos, no power, no water and no internet, it was absolutely glorious. We quickly set up and then marched off on the 1.2 km trek down into the gorge for our first look at this stunning area.

Towering sandstone cliffs and lush vine-forest fringing Porcupine Creek provide a striking contrast with the surrounding flat plains that we had traversed to get there and it is sometimes referred to as Australia’s ‘little Grand Canyon.’ Over the next two days we spent many hours walking, swimming, photographing and flying the drone over the gorge. I hope the results succeed in giving you a taste of this gorgeous spot and highly recommend if you’re in the vicinity, check it out! You must pre-book online through the Queensland National Parks website.

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You might have guessed, I loved the place!

Somewhat reluctantly we packed up on our third day and moved on, stopping in Hughenden for a petrol break and a stroll around town. Hughenden was our initiation to “dinosaur country” – it sits on the edge of what was a vast pre-historic inland sea (the Eromanga Sea) once home to dinosaurs and marine reptiles and the area has yielded over 3,000 internationally significant fossils.

These are not them….

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…… but the whole region promotes their dinosaur history with pride and the town was definitely worth the stop.

Continuing on though, our next stop was Richmond, home of Kronosaurus Korner, Australia’s ‘premier marine fossil museum.’ We had scheduled the stay in Richmond primarily to visit this museum and planned a 9 am visit the next day. In the meantime we wandered into town, it was quite hot and we decided to check out the very authentic looking outback pub for a drink. Chatting to Vanessa the bar maid, we discovered that a guy we had met at Porcupine Gorge lookout (‘Robert Ross’) was playing in the bar later that evening so we booked dinner and ended up having a great night out, complete with dogs in the bar, conspiracy theories from the locals and enjoyable (if somewhat nostalgic for me) country and western music.

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The next morning we checked out of the CP, parked outside the very RV friendly Kronosaurus Korner and spent the next two hours totally engrossed in this world class facility in the middle of nowhere. The presentation was of a very high quality, both visually and with regard to content. The specimens on display are original (not plaster casts) and you can see into a glass walled laboratory where paleontologists are at work on latest finds. The theatre shows an excellent film about the Eromanga Sea and its creatures and there are holographic interpretations above some of the actual fossils. Overall we thought it excellent and worth the $20 each (seniors 😉) admission fee. Next time we come this way we will stay longer, purchase a licence and fossick for our own fossils. Many of the exhibits in the museum were uncovered by members of the public in the publicly available fossil sites.

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I had very naively thought that this region would be a quick drive through to get somewhere else but we have constantly been amazed by the rich diversity of the area and wish we had allocated more time here. Next time – more info here if you are interested.

After refreshments at the museum (also excellent, it is such a great package!) we drove off toward Julia Creek, our next destination. Yet another country town with something special to offer….. artesian baths! And not just any artesian baths, artesian baths complete with sunset views and cheese platters! 😍

Having booked the ‘sunset session’ in advance we had a quick stroll into town, then settled in a shady spot playing Scrabble in this lovely Caravan Park. At 6.15 pm we gathered our towels, platter and bubbles and wandered over to the cleverly designed cut out rainwater tanks for a sunset soak. I had been given the tip by the guy who cleans the baths between sessions (yes folks, they are cleaned) that there wasn’t a session after us and we could refill as many times as we wanted! It was pure bliss, we both lost a portion of our tans as we soaked for a good 90 minutes I think. The cheese platter was substantial, the bubbles delicious and all in all a wonderful experience.

 

Moving on the next day, we were headed to Mount Isa where we were catching up with friends John and Steph, from our SA Motorhome group and intending to travel together for the next few days toward the border and on to Alice Springs. Time being limited here we stocked up on supplies for the more remote section coming up, I had a thong emergency (that’s a ‘flip flop’ to American readers) and we were racing around at closing time trying to find a replacement pair. An ugly mens pair from BCF had to suffice but will be replaced as soon as I see Havianas again.

We had time for a quick trip up to the town lookout before departing the next morning, I’m glad we did as we had a chance to appreciate the sheer size of the mining operation here.

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Our destination tonight was a free camp just past the tiny border town of Camooweal.

We arrived with time to visit the Drovers Museum just before town which was also really interesting, it documents the tough life of a drover with a large collection of photos, memorabilia, equipment and an excellent guided tour from a local couple who have first hand knowledge of a drover’s lot.

The Camooweal Billabong proved to be a popular spot, there must have been as many as 30-40 rigs, I suspect some waiting for border permits (we had both been approved) but John managed to find us a spot with just enough shade (in 35 degree heat)  to enjoy the river view and its abundant birdlife. Three very impressive brolgas made their noisy presence known as soon as we arrived but there were numerous ducks, pelicans, galahs and others enjoying a drink and a splash as the sun set and the moon rose. We enjoyed a drink and great company as well.

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Tomorrow, the adventure continues when we cross the NT border and then begin to head south  😍

Our last action packed activity in Mossman was with Backcountry Bliss Adventures, you may remember I mentioned them earlier. We had seen their finish point whilst checking out waterholes. Basically they take a group up the Mossman River, provide snorkels, masks, wetsuits and rafts and combine all four with freshwater snorkeling, rainforest walks and gentle and not so gentle floating down the river.

We had a blast, along with eight others in our group, checking out the plentiful fish and turtles, wandering through pristine rainforest and then tackling the ‘rapids’ on our rafts before a peaceful float under the rainforest canopy to end our day.

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I highly recommend this  activity if you ever have the opportunity!

Tired but exhilarated, we drove back to our farm stay for a shower and some down time but the excitement wasn’t over yet. The local cane farmer turned up in his tractor with his flame thrower and proceeded to ignite the ‘trash’ (that’s a technical cane grower’s term😜 ) directly behind us. We joined the other campers, mostly with drink in hand and watched what turned out to be a real spectacle. Not as dramatic as the burn of the mature cane field that we had hoped to see down in Ayr but pretty spectacular all the same. 

Fortunately one of the other guys had his drone in the air (amongst the smoke) and offered to share his shots with us so I can’t claim credit for these…

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At no time did we feel any threat (quite a bit of heat though), these guys knew exactly what they were doing…. we did find bits of ash in the shower for a couple of days but a small price to pay for witnessing this very foreign event for us southerners.

Having already extended our stay at Harvest Moon by a couple of days, the next day was time to wind our way up Mt Molloy, over the range and on to the Atherton Tablelands, often known as Queensland’s food bowl.

The Mount Molloy road gets straight down to business, nine kilometres of steep and winding road that is punctuated by a couple of stunning lookouts and fortunately a couple of slow vehicle lanes as well! The Fiat performed admirably though and I breathed a small sigh of relief when the terrain flattened out a bit as we neared Julatten en route to Mareeba. We drove straight through Mareeba as we planned to come back from our base and visit it in the Jimny later (this never eventuated so Mareeba and the Mt Uncle Distillery are on the hit list for next trip.)

We did however pull in to the highly rated free camp at Rocky Creek Memorial Campground for a look around and were glad that we did.

“A few kilometres along the Kennedy Highway north of Tolga, the Rocky Creek Memorial Park is situated on the 2/2 Australian General Hospital laundry and medical stores site.

During World War II, the Tablelands area became the largest military base in Australia …. Rocky Creek was the site of the largest military hospital in the Southern Hemisphere — a 3000 bed hospital which treated over 60,000 patients from 1943 to 1945.”

It was a really interesting and poignant spot with memorials to all branches of the armed services, even the animals that have served.

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We checked out the spacious adjacent RV camping area and put that on the list for a future visit before driving on to Atherton, our next ‘home.’

Having been told that this area has numerous spots to explore, we had booked for a week and that turned out to still be too short but it certainly whetted our appetite for next time.

The Atherton Holiday Park is a couple of kilometres outside of Atherton, a little dated but with spacious sites divided by tropical vegetation hedges and delightful owners who have been there nearly two years and are making lots of improvements. We were very happy there, it was quite central and quiet despite being next door to the small Atherton Aerodrome.

Our first day of adventuring saw us exploring the well publicised ‘Waterfall Circuit’ which encompasses three of the better known waterfalls being Millaa Milla, Zillie and Ellinjaa. Millaa Millaa was the site for the somewhat scandalous Clairol Herbal Essence ad many years ago and it is Insta perfect.

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Having done our research though, we intended to see some of the lesser known falls and traipsed through many kilometres of rainforest fitting in as many as we could.

This lovely spot, Gooligan’s Picnic Area, was deserted except for two platypus that kept us entertained whilst we had our picnic lunch.

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The next day we checked out Lakes Eacham and Barrine. The former has beautiful aquamarine waters, a resident freshwater crocodile (is there no getting away from crocs in Queensland???) and is a popular free diving spot. Lake Barrine is better known for its quaint tea rooms and we arrived right on lunch time so availed ourselves of a verandah spot and genuine hospitality.

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Mount Hypipamee was our destination the next day, it sounded very interesting. The park is centred around a ‘diatreme’ or volcanic pipe, thought to have been created by a massive gas explosion which has left behind a crater almost 70 m wide. A pleasant walk to the crater yielded great views and the alternative route back showcased Dinner Falls.

The weather took a bit of a turn for the worst as we drove along Queensland’s highest road with strong winds and at times quite heavy fog. When we reached the aptly named Windy Hill Wind Farm, (Queensland’s first wind farm) it was working at full capacity with an impressive ‘whoosh’ when you were standing right under one.

A little further along the road I spotted two huge birds and a nest in a paddock and after we turned around and went back Russell managed to capture an impressive Wedge tail guarding the nest as we watched the spouse fly off.

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We drove on to Ravenshoe (“Ravens Ho”), Queensland’s highest town and were five minutes too late for lunch at Queensland highest pub, but the local cafe was still serving up a pretty mean burger.

After lunch we found Little Millstream Falls and then, down a long dirt road littered with mean looking rogue Brahmans, Tully Gorge. Tully Falls are a thunderous flow during the wet season but are a little more subdued now, the Gorge itself was worth the drive though.

The following day with the weather looking a bit dodgy, we headed off to the very highly recommended (by literally everyone who had mentioned it) Herberton Historic Village. 

The Historic Village owes its existence firstly to Herberton’s pioneers and then to a long list of dedicated residents who followed them. It exists today because of two couples – collector Harry Skennar and his wife Ellen and owners Craig and Connie Kimberley who continue the tradition of preservation and restoration with the support of the local Herberton community.  

Sitting on 16 acres, it currently comprises 60 buildings which each house an exhibit relevant to the building’s purpose. They range from miner’s shops, to the apothecary (pharmacy), general store, school,  toy shop, forge and many more. There is a huge outdoor area with steam engines, vintage cars, fire engines and all manner of farming and mining equipment. The village is encompassed in a beautifully landscaped environment which includes the Wild River with its own suspension bridge and carefully cultured fruit trees, lawns and garden. We spent over three hours there and thought the $29 (seniors😉)  entry fee well worth it, there was literally something for everyone. Click here for more info.

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Tinaroo Dam was completed in 1958 and is now a very popular spot for all things water related including sports fishing for barramundi. We were particularly interested in checking out the adjacent Danbulla National Park which has several camping spots along the shores of the lake as we thought they might go on our ‘next trip’ itinerary.

After passing through the little village of Tinaroo itself we saw a sign stating Dam Walk and pulled in to investigate. What an impressive sight! I have been unable to find out how much water was being released or why but it was a spectacular view.

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Continuing further around the perimeter we found lots of great little spots to enjoy, got the drone up for a fly, disturbed a very big snake and unfortunately saw too much evidence of feral humans leaving their rubbish at campsites.😒

I think my favourite spot was Platypus Campground and we had our picnic lunch here entertained by a mother duck and her six babies. There were clearly marked camping sites here suitable for our sized rig and with toilets and a BBQ what else would you need. A couple were swimming in the lake and reported it as ‘cool but refreshing!’

 

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The road became dirt as we drove further around but very picturesque with many photo opportunities and more Jimny ‘promo’ video opportunities  😜

As the shadows grew longer we squeezed in one more stop, the spectacular Cathedral Fig Tree.

This strangler fig is estimated to be over 500 years old and its crown towering 50 m overhead is the size of two Olympic swimming pools!

 

We arrived home in time to grab the washing off of the line and fit in a quick scrabble game before dinner. 

Tomorrow, we go back down the range to Babinda for a quick Moho repair job and then begin the trek west to NT.

We exchanged our week of relative luxury in Palm Cove for another farm stay, this time the romantically named Harvest Moon which was a few kilometres north of Mossman on a property run by the delightful Bill and Geneva and adjacent to a cane field. 

To get to Mossman we traversed one of the most scenic coastal routes in Australia where the Captain Cook Highway hugs the coastline for most of the distance between Palm Cove and Port Douglas.

Whilst the views were stunning, the road also required some concentration so when the Palm Cove accommodation rang to say Russell had left his hat behind we drove back in the Jimny for a slightly more relaxed view 😁

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One of the spots that was easier to stop at on our extra trip was the quirky Gatz Balancing Rocks near Wangetti Beach. Someone started piling the local pebbles on top of one another and it has now become a tourist and Insta hotspot and a good excuse to stop and stretch the legs and breathe in the sea air. I did my bit and added a couple, Russell was less impressed I think 😉

Arriving back at Harvest Moon we set up camp with the Great Dividing range our virtual backyard, not a bad view for the next few days.

Each evening Bill lit the campfire and most of the other people staying would come over for a bevvie and a chat about what they had been up to that day, we learned quite a few interesting tips this way and shared a few as well. Most nights there were between 4 and 6 other rigs parked here and therefore it was never crowded or too noisy. Several couples we spoke to were homeschooling kids and had been on the road for awhile and we exchanged stories about dodging Covid and lockdowns with relief (so far.) The resident dogs Sugar and Spice were regular visitors and made me miss Milo and Poppy even more 😢

Mossman Gorge was on the hit list and access has changed a lot since my first and only visit 26 years ago (courtesy of Boots Pharmaceuticals.) You can now only drive to the visitor centre which is run by the local indigenous community and then a shuttle bus takes you to the gorge itself for a little over $12 each. The narrow road was unable to handle the volume of traffic and rather than clear more rainforest this was seen as the best (and surely the most profitable) solution. You can walk but it is nearly 3km and there is no pedestrian path and it is discouraged.

We did the right thing, (lugging our picnic bag and camera gear) and then proceeded along the well maintained boardwalk and path into the actual Gorge and river.

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What a beautiful spot! There were perhaps 20 other people when we first got there, a couple of groups swimming (which is also discouraged, mainly due to the dangers of rapid water level rises in wet season, people have died here) but most just enjoying the peaceful surroundings.

I got the GoPro out and had a little play with underwater shots from the rocks, fish were plentiful and the water absolutely crystal clear.

 

By the time we left it was almost just us and the brush turkey who came down for a drink.

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Having both been to conferences in swanky five star Port Douglas hotels we drove in Saturday afternoon to get a taste of life outside of resorts and visited iconic Four Mile Beach for a quick hike up to the lookout. Port Douglas when I first visited (in 1995) was a sleepy little village with some great eateries in rainforest settings, now it is more like a glam beachside suburb, holiday units abound and the main shopping strip has most of your favourite stores. I guess its a change for the better…

 

As the shadows lengthened we walked around to the marina where the sunset cruises were departing and the day trips were coming back to disembark.

Hitting the road early (for us) the next day we arrived at Daintree Village around 0930 to see that there was a river cruise departing within the next 15 minutes. We had discussed croc cruises previously and neither of us were that enthused but presented with such a convenient option decided we would go. Our captain was very informative and knew where all the wildlife was hanging out and for $25 each we decided we had made a good choice.

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The local famer has lost four cows this year because he refuses to put permanent water in the adjoining paddock (according to our captain) forcing the cattle to come down to the river to drink….. some are quicker than others.

Crocs are quite territorial and this one has about 4 wives and they don’t stray far from their patch, its estimated there about 250 odd ‘salties’ in the Daintree River. At this point we were about 20 kms from the mouth and the true salt water. Apparently the more timid and not considered dangerous freshwater crocodile does not co exist with the salty. Like captain Nick said, “it would be like throwing a pig to the salties!”

Back in the car, the next stop was the Daintree River ferry, the only cable ferry in tropical Australia and the only way to continue northward. A return fare is $39 and you must remain in the car for the ten minute crossing, in peak times there are often lengthy delays but we had only a five minute wait before it arrived and we were soon on our way.

From beautiful Mt Alexandra lookout you can see right down to the mouth of the Daintree.

The Daintree Discovery Centre had been recommended by our host so when the sign came up a little further down the hill we went in to check it out. A combination of board walks, the canopy tower, several excellent interpretive displays plus the Jurassic walk complete with animated dinosaurs were well worth the entrance fees.

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By lunch time we had moved on to Thornton Beach, another inviting beach for the unsuspecting. We had lunch at the unexpectedly trendy cafe, an enormous prawn cocktail that could have served as a main and crispy skinned atlantic salmon on an avo mash accompanied by a decadent pink grapefruit gin. Heaven…

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All is not as it seems though, a couple of years ago two women were enjoying a post dinner wade at the beach when one was taken by a croc as the other watched helplessly. The signs aren’t there for decoration.😒

Moving slightly slower post lunch, we finally arrived at Cape Tribulation and its seemingly endless beach….. the iconic “where the rainforest meets the Reef.”

There is always a silver lining with Covid, we were so lucky to almost have the beach to ourselves which was a good thing as my drone experimentation didn’t always go according to plan, thankfully Russell is a surprisingly good catch 😁

With so much to fit in one day I was disappointed that on our way back we didn’t reach the famous Daintree ice cream company until just after they closed but luckily the newer kid on the block, Floravilla, closes slightly later.

“Lovingly created icecreams that capture the essence of the local ingredients to produce a unique range of flavours. Our processes blend traditional icecream making techniques with an exotic mix of tropical fruit, and flavours to produce an amazing icecream experience.”

Yep, we can vouch for that.

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By the time we got ‘home’ the sun was setting and Bill had the fire going ready for happy hour. Russell prepared the G&T’s whilst I captured an aerial view of Harvest Moon.

Tomorrow, we hit the rapids 😉

We had been lucky enough to secure a week in a time share resort in Palm Cove, just north of Cairns, with the dates lining up perfectly for Zoe to be able to join us for a few days whilst there. We were all looking forward to seeing each other after three and a half months away and thus all really disappointed when SA went into lockdown three days before she was due to fly out 😢

Russell and I had to be thankful that we were in sunny Far North Queensland and not in lockdown and so continued planning our expeditions from Palm Cove, albeit for two not three.

With an eye on the weather we decided to commit to a Great Barrier Reef excursion on Sunday when the weather looked favourable for the 90 minute journey out to the pontoon and subsequent snorkeling, which neither of us are super confident about. There was actually quite a swell going out and I was glad I had remembered the Kwells this time, I wasn’t feeling sea sick when we got there but viewed the waves out on the reef with some trepidation given my pre existing anxiety about snorkeling.

We had chosen a the tour with Reef Magic partly because of their great reviews but also because they offered a number of activities for non swimmers including glass bottomed boat, semi-submersible and underwater viewing observatory.

The pontoon itself was spacious especially given that capacity of the catamaran was running at only about 50% occupancy. We found a spot to set up for the five hour stay and then did the glass bottom boat tour to ‘warm up.’ When we got back most people were in the water, wet suits were supplied and some people were also availing themselves of life jackets and/or pool noodles for extra buoyancy.

Russell surprised me by saying he was going to join me and soon we were gingerly stepping off the steps under the watchful eye of the marine biologist and two lifeguards, feeling somewhat reassured.😁

Wow! I would have been so disappointed if we had missed this experience, the underwater vista was absolutely stunning. As I have said before, my pics do not do it justice but I was impressed with myself for being able to manage the GoPro in one hand, not drop it AND not drown so here they are…..

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I was in and out a few times, never straying too far from the steps, happy to come back for a breather every now and then and soooo glad I didn’t stay high and dry.

We were served a generous lunch on the pontoon and later went out on the semi-submersible to view some coral gardens a little further afield and also saw a turtle. The wind abated quite a bit as the day wore on and as the tide receded and parts of the reef became visible above the water I almost regretted getting changed so soon.

If any of you get the chance to do this, I highly recommend Reef Magic, a very professional outfit with informative talks on the way out and back, in our case showing us the dreaded Crown of Thorns starfish that has threatened the reef at various times.

The thrills weren’t over yet though, we saw a whale on the way back! The captain very kindly altered course to observe him/her for awhile before we eventually lost sight and headed back to the marina. All in all a wonderful day 😎

It was nice also to have a couple of days down time whilst in the apartment – a bath (!), big screen TV to watch some of the Olympics and a couple of nice dinners watching the moon rise between the palm trees.

The other full day excursion we had planned was the combination Skyrail and train to/from Kuranda up in the mountains west of Cairns.

We opted for the Skyrail up the mountain and splashed out on a Diamond View gondola which gave us a glass floor!

We ascended quite quickly from the base station up the mountain to the first disembarkation point of Red Peak station where we had the chance to do a short walk with a ranger whose commentary was really interesting. His explanation of why this ancient rainforest has survived in this locale was something I hadn’t appreciated before… basically the weather systems advancing from the east hit a very steep mountain range almost immediately forcing them upwards and causing precipitation and the exceptionally high rainfall that supports the ‘Wet Tropics.” (That’s a very simple explanation but suffice to say its mostly about the topography I think.)

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We then re boarded and travelled another 5.5 kms over a valley to the next station at Barron Falls where we again disembarked to take in magnificent views up the Barron Gorge and over to the falls, not that heavy at this time.

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Back in the gondola it was another ten minutes before we passed over the river and then gently descended into the station at Kuranda. We hadn’t realised until this morning that Tuesday is the one day of the week that the famous Kuranda Markets are closed (during Covid at least) and guess what, its Tuesday! We weren’t too fussed about this as I had heard that the once very authentic handmade markets are not quite the quality they once were so we were here for the journey not so much the destination.

It was a pleasant walk through the village all the same and we found a nice vegetarian café for lunch and then made a snap decision to quickly visit the Butterfly House before our return train left at 2 pm.

As we paid for the tickets we noted a sign on the counter saying that there were none of the iconic blue Ulysses butterflies on show at this time which was a little disappointing but we both agreed it was still worth the admission price.

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We strolled back to the pretty train station and found carriage two and our pre-allocated seats, unfortunately facing backwards, and were quite surprised at the lack of spacing in this Covid age.

Fortunately though, as the journey began the hostesses did a great job of re allocating seating – which is currently subject to lots of cancellations in this Covid world – and we happily found ourselves in the Gold Club and facing forward😊 These carriages date back to the early 1900s and are made from Silky Oak timber and they wear their patina of age very well. The history of this railway is remarkable, the construction was an engineering feat of tremendous magnitude and has its origins in the Gold Rush of 1873 and the need to find a link from the sea to the rich mining belt.

The fifteen tunnels were hand dug with shovels and pick axes by 1500 men of mainly Irish and Italian origin. They removed 2.3 million cubic metres of earth, constructed fifty five bridges and ninety eight curves and to travel its length was a real delight. 

One of the highlights was passing by the picturesque Stoney Creek Falls.

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The train journey provided a very relaxing conclusion to the day and we were then transported by bus from the Freshwater train station back to the Skyrail base where we had left the Jimny, another very worthwhile excursion.

We rounded off the day with a waterfront dinner at popular NuNu restaurant and toasted our unfortunate cold and locked down friends and family in SA 😒

Next, Mossman, the Daintree and Cape Tribulation.

Leaving Ingham CMCA park and planning on spending a few nights in the CMCA’s Innisfail Park, both of which are unpowered, we decided to stop between the two for a powered site to get the washing done! (Yes friends, we still have housework in paradise 😁)

A relatively short drive from Ingham we arrived at Cardwell where the Bruce Highway again touches the coast. Getting stuck into the washing we still had most of the afternoon free and had read about the local natural ‘spa pools.’ This spot was a favourite with locals and relatively unknown by the wider world until someone posted a photo on Instagram in 2016 and the rest is history. Only about a ten minute drive from Cardwell, what sets it apart from other freshwater swimming spots is the colour of the water.

Much of the water that flows to the creek comes from underground, where it picks up minerals from the sedimentary rocks, resulting in high levels of dissolved magnesium and calcium in the waters.  Depending on the time of day and available sunlight, the colour can vary from a bright, baby blue to a more milky-blue colour.

Luckily it wasn’t too busy when we arrived and by the time I went in for a dip it was almost deserted. I couldn’t convince Russell though but trusted him to document evidence of me getting more than my feet wet.

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We completed our brief stay in Cardwell by having a lovely al fresco dinner at the local pub (curry night) and marvelling at the resilience of Cardwell which suffered major damage in 2011 when it was hit by the category five Cyclone Yasi.

Local banana and cane growers had just picked themselves up after Cyclone Larry nearly five years earlier and were not expecting another cyclone of this magnitude in their lifetimes. Photos of the devastation were almost unbelievable and we spent a moment imagining what it would be like to be caught literally in the eye of the storm.

The next morning another short drive took us through Tully, the wettest town in Australia, and on to Innisfail where the CMCA park is well situated next to the Johnstone River. This park was only officially opened a couple of days before our arrival but has been functional for a couple of months I believe. Once again another great collaboration between the CMCA and local government – this land was apparently a dump historically and therefore cannot be built upon so CMCA leases it and puts it to great use, subsequently pouring money back into the local economy.

We parked up in a nice spot and wasted no time disconnecting the Jimny and heading off to see nearby Etty Bay, about twenty minutes away. Evidence of the banana industry was plentiful and the colourful bags protecting the crop provided a good photo op.

The plastic bags are put in place to protect the fruit against insect and other animal damage and to prevent rubbing. It also creates a microclimate which prevents chill damage, increases yield and fruit quality whilst reducing the flower-to-harvest interval and increasing bunch weight.

This area is part of the Cassowary Coast and we had heard that Etty Bay has a couple of resident birds which we were hoping we may be lucky enough to see. Cassowaries are on the endangered list at present and one of the reasons is the rapid clearing of rainforest creating isolating patches which force the cassowaries to cross roads with unfortunate results. There were many cassowary road signs reminding the motorist to be on the lookout.

We couldn’t believe our luck as we arrived into the tiny Etty Bay car park and almost the first thing we saw was a cassowary strolling along the beach to the delight of many onlookers.

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Another item crossed off the list!

Etty Bay itself consists of a simply a small and very popular caravan park and the Surf Life Saving Club and we had to settle for just an ice-cream for lunch after we checked out the beautiful shoreline.

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Over dinner that evening I did a bit of reading about Innisfail and discovered that it has a special architectural significance in Australia. In 1918 a devastating cyclone hit the region necessitating a major re build of the CBD and the new buildings were adapted to the tropical climate incorporating peaked roofs and wide awnings creating a unique tropical Art Deco style different from the rest of the world. More recent damage by Cyclones Larry and Yasi provided opportunities during the clean up for restoration of the town’s ageing buildings revealing a fascinating cultural story. We did a walking tour throughout the CBD to take in the Art Deco sights and also stumbled across Bob Katter’s electoral office but didn’t have the opportunity to have a yarn 😉

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Another fascinating fact we uncovered on our walk – the trees planted in the Memorial Park were planted during a visit by the Allan Kippax XI cricket team in 1931. The team, which included Donald Bradman, played a game in Innisfail and each member planted a tree to commemorate those who in died in service in WWI.

Across the road from the park is the local cemetery which also served up a nice photo op on sunset and at exactly 6.25 each evening we were treated to the sight of thousands of bats flying overhead from somewhere unknown to a destination also unknown!

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We left Innisfail on Thursday, excited to re locate only 30 minutes away at Mena Creek in order to visit Paronella Park, recommended by everyone who knew we were coming to this part of Australia.

Paronella Park, cited as “one man’s dream” has to be seen to be believed, a unique collection of buildings and gardens on the banks of Mena Creek, created by Spanish immigrant José Paronella.

José Paronella arrived in Australia from Catalonia in Spain, in 1913. For the next 11 years he worked, cutting sugar cane initially, then purchasing, improving, and reselling cane farms. In 1924 he returned to Spain and married Margarita in 1925 and they returned to Australia for their honeymoon.

José first saw this 13 acres of virgin scrub along Mena Creek in 1914. He eventually purchased it in 1929 for £120 and started to build his pleasure gardens and reception centre for the enjoyment of the public.

First they built a house to live in, then they started on the Castle itself.

Apart from the house, which is made of stone, all of the structures were constructed of poured, reinforced concrete, the reinforcing being old railway track. The concrete was covered with a plaster made from clay and cement, which they put on by hand, leaving behind the prints of their fingers as a reminder of the work they had done.

” ……… in 1935, the Park was officially opened to the public. The Theatre showed movies every Saturday night. In addition, with canvas chairs removed, the Hall was a favourite venue for dances and parties.

I’ve taken the above straight from their website, but if you’re interested, please read more here about the amazing story of this property. The current owners purchased what was basically a ruin and have restored it to become one of Queensland’s most popular tourist attractions.

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Our tickets to Paronella also included a night tour where the buildings and gardens are part of a light show but I’m a little ashamed to say that we saw a sign for a trivia night at the local pub and we went there instead 🤣

I’m happy to say though that the day ended on a high note when we came third and took home a nice prize, largely consisting of alcohol!

Tomorrow it’s on to Palm Cove and the Great Barrier Reef beckons.