Hopefully, we'll all meet up in Cairns!

  Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Saturday, July 7, 2007

Winter has definitely arrived in Sydney, with some of the coldest and wettest weather in years, so we've organised to meet up with Bobby and Greg, and Mike and Bev in Cairns on the 7th July.
Murray wants to take our Subaru Forester, but Dianne is not keen on the long drive (she's already done it at least three times), so she decides to fly to Airlie Beach ( actually Proserpine, for A$119 on those great, cheap Jetstair fares) and catch up with Murray there.
Murray sets off on 18th June, driving to Coutts Crossing to spend a couple of days with his brother Adrian,  exploring around the Nymboida River and Dorrigo.

018. Gum trees on 1260 logging area

 Then drives to Brisbane where he picks up his other brother, Evan, for the drive to Airlie Beach. The plan had been to spend a leisurely week driving up, but the weather was so atrocious (very heavy rain, high winds and freezing cold) that they just kept going, arriving in Airlie Beach two days later.
Dianne arrived on the 28th June, just as the weather changed, and the next four days were glorious sunshine, though the nights and mornings were still unusually cold for the area.
We were staying with our niece Lindy and her husband Jim and their 9-month old baby. They've just bought a very large, castle-like house at Shute Harbour, with the most magnificent views out to the islands.

001. View from Lindy and Jim's patio,Shute Harbour

The house has lots of stone, including around the empty pool, the enormous fireplaces (in the Tropics???), and LOTS of very thick stucco, so there's lots of work to be done, so we pay for our keep by doing a few jobs.

002. Another photo of view from Lindy's house

Bobby and Greg are in Airlie now, and we're all about to leave to make our rendezvous with Mike and Bev, when we get a phone call to say Bev's brother in Perth has had a stroke, and she'll have to go there for a week, so our original plan has to be changed.
Bobby and Greg stay to spend longer with their grandchild, and we decide to keep to our original plan, as we've arranged to see some people on the way.
We leave Shute Harbour on
Tuesday 3rd July         &a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;n bsp;         &a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;n bsp;   Shute Harbour- Townsville
Stop at Bowen where they only finished filming yesterday for "Australia",

003. One of props on "Australia" film set -Bowen

the film with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Already they are pulling down the sets. Talk to a local who is pretty impressed with the fact that he was paid double time and a half as an odd-job man as filming went all night.

004. Film set of "Australia" in Bowen

Out to look at Horseshoe Bay, which was wonderful twenty five years ago, but is now overcrowded and too built up. The next bay, Rose Bay, with granite rocks and palm trees, is now much nicer.

006. Near Horseshoe Bay, Bowen

005. These coconuts won't fall on your head

Get into Townsville just before dark. We passed through here five years ago, and were very impressed with the waterfront parks etc, so want to stay. After spending over an hour trying to find a motel, finally find about a dozen in the one street. By this time we aren't as enamored by the town, as we've been through all the industrial areas. Motel room is OK, but nothing fancy, for A$95
Wed 4th July         &a mp;a mp;a mp;n bsp;     Townsville-Mission Beach
Back into town to walk through the waterfront parks.

007. Botanical Gardens, Townsville

Decide against a trip to Magnetic Island that we had been contemplating.
Drive to the top of Castle Hill for a great view over the town.
Drive into Balgal Beach, out from Rollingstone.
Soon after head inland to Paluma, which is a long climb up a narrow mountain road completed as a work-for the-dole scheme in the 1930's. Stop at the historic bridge

008. Little Crystal Creek, near Paluma

over Little Crystal Creek, and walk down to the very pretty waterfall and pools, then into Paluma to have a hamburger lunch at the rustic cafe there. Walk in the rainforest,look out over the coast, then back down to look at the large, clear pools at the Big Crystal Creek picnic and camping area.
Carry on the main road, then in to Jourama Falls, a few kms in from the highway, along a narrow road up a pretty valley with a small, clean river.

009. The river below Jourama Falls

Walk a kilometer up the valley to the foot of the falls, then scramble across the boulder filled river bed, and up to a steep rock slope with a view of the falls proper. Take a difficult shortcut back, and MP manage to lose his glasses in the process, but doesn't find out until later.
Decide against Wallaman Falls or Lucinda as getting late, and carry on straight through Ingham. Look like getting to Cardwell for a repeat of our 2000 trip, where we watched the State of Origin at the camping area. Checked out the marina development , Port Hinchinbrook, just south of the town. Can't get a satisfactory room here, but pick up a couple of coconuts. Miss the camping area, don't like the look of the available motel, so carry on towards Tully, arriving just on dark. Don't find a motel, so carry on toward Mission Beach,

010.

in the dark, travelling slowly to avoid running down cassowaries, which probably cross twice a year.
Decide to go to South Mission Beach first,which looks good.

011. Hinchinbrook from South Mission Beach

Find a Big 4, but no rooms, so carry on North, along a no-through-road, to find the next village. It looks pretty grim, not much light, not what we remember, but there is a caravan park which has a spare cabin, so we book in.
The local restaurants are pretty pricey, and not all that flash, so we settle for a home cooked meal, watching the Blues get up in the State of Origin. Probably a good night not to eat at the pub.
The cabin is pretty rough, with a crook bed, semi-exterior bathroom, but what can you expect for $80.
Thurs 5th July         &a mp;a mp;a mp;n bsp;  Mission Beach-Bramston Beach
Early start, heading North along the coast to find the real Mission Beach. Turns out we were at Wongaling Beach, which is very disappointing as Dianne really wanted to stay at Mission Beach after missing out on the last trip. Check out Clump Point boat ramp and the Dunk Island ferry wharf. Take photos of the beach and outlying islands, and carry on to Bingil Bay to look for familiar places, but it has changed greatly since 1983.
Head back to Tully, filling up with petrol and rambutan (A$8 a kilo!) at El Arish before getting lunch supplies in town, and heading up Tully Gorge. Go right to the power station at the end of the line, check out the river

012. Tully Gorge - some of the rapids

and the flying fox system they use to drop the rubber rafts from the road to the river.

013. More of the Tully River

From the end of the road, you can't see the falls (see later for why) and there are no walking tracks.
On the way back down, stop a couple of times to check out the river.

014. Waterfall on Tully River

Follow what looked like a good track down to the water, but have to walk a long way through rainforest and rocky hillside to the water. The views are worth it, although DP has a nasty fall on the way back up. Stop at another parking spot with a good path down to a large pool and two large canvas protected meeting and eating areas for the white water rafting operations.
Take photos of rapids crowded with rafts (at least 11 of them - not exactly a wilderness experience).

015. Rafters on the Tully River

Stop at a very nice National Park camping spot at the rafting terminus (A$4.50 per person). Tempted to stay, but have places to go, people to see.
Head straight through to Innisfail to look up Bob and Dale, people DP has met on the Lonely Planet website. Have an interesting couple of hours, find common interests (especially travel) and find he used to work with the Trade Commission in Melbourne, and knew our friend Dave. They have to move out of their house tomorrow as it is their turn, as a low priority client, to have their Cyclone Larry water damaged ceiling fixed.
As it is late in the afternoon, we push on to their recommended overnight spot at Bramston Beach. It is 22 km off the highway, along another rainforest fringed, cassowary infested road, just on dark, so we have to take it easy.
The council caravan park has no cabins, and the one which has looks pretty desperate, so we try the motel, which has a vacancy sign out, but no rooms. We bite the bullet, and book into the council park for $15, and a grassy spot for our first night in our tent. Setting it up in the dark for the first time since Easter goes surprisingly well, then we supper on canned ham sandwiches, use the local public telephone box, to arrange Friday lunch with Ray (who Murray worked with in Newcastle in the 1960's, as there is no mobile service, then read by torchlight.
DP finds that she can't curl up on our new camp stretcher, and has to sleep on a pile of mats on the floor. The night is cold enough for DP to use the thick sleeping bag, while MP uses both thin ones. Curlews are very noisy on occasions in the night.
Fri 6th July          Bramston Beach-Cairns
Beautiful morning, 

019. Bramston Beach - our camp

016. Bramston Beach, near our camping spot

and we have a good view of islands and beaches from our camp.

017. Another view of Bramston Beach

Would like to stay another night, but have already made arrangements, so head for Cairns about 10, after repacking all our gear. Vow to avoid camping for a single night in future.
Straight to the Cairns wharf area. End up at the Casino, so ask police outside for directions, but they are part of the Apec security detail, and move us on. Find the Cairns Yacht Club easily, and a 3 hour parking meter. Fill in time by walking to the ferry wharf, then back to the Yacht Club via the riverside boardwalk. We are still early, so have a drink and check out the old wooden club building, and watch the America's Cup replay. DP recognizes Ray's wife Jeanie first, then Ray turns up to introduce us to a group of 8 or 9 locals, in 60 to 80 age range, mostly Poms. Interesting company, but very ordinary food. Have another 6 degrees of separation - Russell has antique Delage cars, as does our friend Geoff in Perth. Turns out they know each other well.
After 3pm, refill our parking meter, then get local information, which directs us towards Sheridan St, and the cheaper accommodation areas. DP goes to find us a bed while MP nurses a splitting headache. End up with a room for two nights at Castaway's Backpacker Hotel. Quite a good room with bathroom, fridge, TV and parking for $70 a night. MP hits the sack, DP uses the free internet. Banana sandwich supper, fairly noisy outside until 10.30
Sat 7th July       Cairns
Call Mike early to find out their moves. End up arranging to meet them at Cairns Cool Waters caravan park, and have a look at the surrounding suburbs, which are quite attractive. Find out there are units available, but after talking to Mike, find they have booked another Big 4 park at Crystal Cascades for when Bobby and Greg arrive. Drive out to check it out. Find we can get one night (Wednesday) plus possibly stay on as annex guests, or in our tent on the same site, if there is room. Pay for the cabin plus Big 4 membership, then head out to Smithfield to shop, then all around town looking for Clark Rubber. There are some big shopping areas in Cairns, but the mattress market is limited (Dianne wants one instead of the stretcher). Clark has nothing we need, so back to the camping shop, which is closed, then back for steak dinner cooked in the hostel kitchen,and an early night watching the Rugby, then more TV till about 2am.
Sun 8th July         Cairns - Atherton
Out of room by 10, hang around at internet till we finish uploading photos to Travelpod, then out of town via the closed camping shop to the climb up the escarpment to Kuranda. Photo from a lookout over the coastal plain, then into Kuranda to park and walk the town. Lots of tourists, tourist trap markets,and some remains of the hippy period. Walk to the station 

0018. Kuranda Railway station

and river, then drive out to the Barron Falls lookout. Quite well done free canopy walk to the lookout, then walked also along the Barron Gorge Scenic Railway station platform. Took lots of photos, but not much water coming over the falls.

0019. Barron Falls

Drive to the other lookout - good rainforest walk along the creek, but a fairly ordinary view over the gorge, down to the plain at the end of the gorge, on the outskirts of Cairns.
The tableland is pretty dry, but get into rainforest again at Speewah, on the edge of the Barron Falls NP, with some good walks all the way down to the coastal plain, and some great camping spots with your own wooden platform, but all of them were taken.
Mareeba is pretty ordinary, Atherton looks better, with some thick rainforest just before the town. Try 2 caravan parks before settling on a unit at Atherton Halloran's Leisure Park, right in town, for 2 nights at $53 per night with senior's discount. Not too flash, no heating, but clean, and well equipped.
Mon 9th July         &a mp;a mp;a mp;n bsp;     Atherton
Out by 9.30 to drive slowly past the Chinatown park, and on to Herberton, crossing the old 2 foot gauge railway a couple of times. Aren't sure if it is still active, so slow down anyway. The town is pretty basic, but not all that historic. Take a photo of a fenced-in collection of older buildings, may have been a pay-per-view historic area once (later find out has closed due to owner not being able to make a profit because of cost of insurance - a common problem in Australia these days. Past the main part of town, see the turnoff to the mining museum. It has a very well maintained collection, particularly the minerals exhibition, and the staff are friendly and informative. Decide to pay $3, and $5 to look at the exhibits, which are good examples of the tin-miner's art.
Walk the mine trail, identifying various mystery items of machinery.

0020. Herberton - mine machinery

Then take the backroad, through Tumoulin, to Ravenshoe. Stop to have a look at a large hydroponic farm with bright pink shadecloth protecting it.

020. Hydroponic veges near Ravenshoe

Have lunch in park at Ravenshoe, then on to Millstream Falls,

021. Millstream Falls

then Little Millstream Falls

022. Little Millstream Falls

- both very nice with rainforest walks. Follow the side road to Tully Gorge National Park, and what the signs say are Tully Falls. When we went to Tully Gorge via Tully, we couldn't find the falls, and now realise this is because they are approached from the top, not the bottom. Find that signposting here (like a lot of places this trip), sends you in the right direction, but doesn't follow up with more signage. When we finally get to a viewpoint,

024. Tully Gorge

025. Tully Gorge

can see what looks like a possible site for the waterfall, but there is no water flowing over the rockface. Continue on to the end of the road we're allowed to drive on (becomes private road for the electricity commission), and then walk back along the river for quite a way.

023. River near Tully Gorge

Ignore the "danger" sign and clamber around the rocks in the river, and eventually find what was obviously the waterfall, with some good views into the gorge, and across to our previous viewpoint. This explains why the signs and literature have the name "Tully Falls" but are very short on any pictures or descriptions!
Have a quick look at Koombooloomba Reservoir (nothing special), then start heading back to our bed at Atherton. On the way have a quick look at Windy Hill Wind Farm, and watch our odometer pass the 4000 km mark for this trip! Pass some lovely landscape around here- grassed tumulus-type hills, and rolling green fields, with mountains in the background.
Abandon the idea of going to the Show, as it's now quite cold, we're very weary, and there are line-ups to get in. Settle on a take-away Makkas for dinner, and back to our unit for what was a very cold night. At present the temperatures overnight are about 9 degrees(!!!) below normal. During the days it's been about 25 degrees, but the nights have been down to about 6 degrees - so much for coming North to escape the winter!
Tues 10th July         &a mp;a mp;a mp;n bsp;    Atherton-Cairns
First stop is the nearby Hallorans Hill, with views to the South and East, over the mountains which are on the coastal plain.

026 Viewpoint Hallorans Hill, Atherton

At this stage the diary is so far behind, we have to resort to our original plan - a summary of our trip.
Detour to see the "Curtain Fig" (great),

027. The Curtain Fig tree

028. The Curtain Fig tree

then the large Red Cedar tree, which was felled in Cyclone Larry.
To Lake Eacham, which is lovely, with a good rainforest walk around it.

029. Lake Eacham

Stop at Lake Barrine, and have lunch at a historic teahouse with views of the lake (which isn't as picturesque as Lake Eacham.)
Photos at the Cathedral fig,

030. Cathedral fig

then carry on

031. View towards Gordonvale

 to Ray's lychee farm at Little Mulgrave, where we have afternoon tea, and a walk around their 5 acres. For some reason their lychees produced for a couple of years, but have had nothing for five years. Must be Global Warming related.
Back into Cairns, where we find a cabin for $84.