More 'firsts' in "No Network Coverage" country

  Cairns, Australia
Friday, October 3, 2008

Cairns Part II: More 'firsts' in "No Network Coverage" country

On Monday morning, me and Bas, another guest at the B&B I was staying at, hopped into a giant 4-wheel-drive with Bob, our guide/driver/chef, for a camping adventure in the mountains northwest of Cairns - I previously thought that we would head west over the Great Dividing Range to the Outback but instead we headed first north along the coast past Port Douglas then westwards and up into the mountains. About 120 kilometers from Cairns, I had a quick glance at my mobile phone and it read "No Network Coverage"... wow! I can't remember the last time I was ever in a place with absolutely no mobile network coverage! Six months ago, I might have panicked a bit being disconnected from the 'civilised' world like this but I'm a changed person now (well, kind of) and I didn't even blink an eye. Anyway, the scenery along the way was beautiful: first past the stunning coast, then along huge sugar cane plantations and hilly cattle country with the occasional farmhouse. As we cleared the mountains, the vegetation changed from tropical rainforest to a drier, shrubby forest type with many gum trees. After about two hours of driving, we turned off the main (paved) road and headed along a dirt road into real bush country. I was glad we were in a sturdy 4WD - it handled the steep road into the mountains and through various streams and dry, rocky riverbeds effortlessly. I loved the vegetation, mostly gum and grass trees (also called 'black boys' but that's deemed politically incorrect these days), and bottlebrush. After about 45 minutes, we arrived at our camping site, a serene spot at the banks of the McLeod River - I was told that this is actually the McLeod River headlands and that the river is several hundred kilometers long and winds its way to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

McLeod River

That spot was just magical: towering gum trees provided a cool shade while the river, with its pebble-strewn bed, was crystal clear. We took several gulps of water from the river and it tasted very sweet and fresh.

McLeod River II

I can't remember the last time I was able to just cup my hands and take a mouthful of water straight from the river without being terribly ill later. Glorious stuff. I set up my tent

My tent

(my first try - it's a lot easier than I thought it would be: knock the pins into the ground, connect some poles, roll out the canvas and clip it onto the frame - easy peasy!) in a jiffy, then helped Bob and Bas collect some firewood. That was easy too. A few months before, the park caretaker orchestrated a controlled bush fire in this area so there was a lot of ready-made firewood just lying around! After lunch, Bob took us out for a bushwalk along the river. Just one kilometer further was an absolutely magnificent spot: at this point, massive boulders that continue as far as the eye can see force the river to branch out into countless streams, creating hundreds of gushing rock pools, cascades and waterfalls. We went boulder-hopping and I found many crystal-clear pools: one I called the jacuzzi, another the bath-tub, and yet another the shoulder-massage spa. OMG factor: 8.

McLeod River waterfalls

We spent most of the afternoon there, enjoying the ice-cold pools.

McLeod River cascades II

We returned to the camp just before sunset and I helped light the campfire (my first time) - Bob and Bas laughed at me initially as I had some 'ignition' problems (the leaves just refused to burn) but as soon as I'd gotten over that hurdle (ok, I used up half a matchbox), we soon had a roaring fire going;

Campfire up and running

more than sufficient to prepare that leg of lamb we brought with us! Bob cooked us a marvelous dinner; the lamb was exquisite and the Merlot that went with it was pretty stunning too! We had a long and lazy dinner, with some very interesting conversation topics, and looked up occasionally to admire the starry sky. I just loved it. I slept very well that night. 


The next morning, we woke up to the sounds of singing birds - did you know that a kookaburra (yes, the one that sits in the old gum tree) makes a sound similar to an excited chimpanzee (I don't know how many of you have seen an excited chimp but I hope you get the picture! When I was in Airlie Beach, I heard them and I commented to the owner of that backpacker place that there must be a lot of monkeys living in the trees behind the hostel. He first looked at me quizzically, then started laughing and said that those were in fact kookaburras, i.e. birds, not monkeys!.... Like I'm supposed to know that?! Anyway, back to when I woke up. I had another 'first' and this one wasn't that much fun. I must say, I loved everything about this camping trip except for the 'nature's call' aspect of it; you know, that call you have to heed, preferably behind some bush. Not a very pleasant thing, especially if you're wary of snakes or spiders who usually hang out around bushes and dead leaves. Anyway, I got that safely out of the way and trudged back to the camp and there was breakfast: bacon, eggs and sausages. Delish! We wolfed it down in no time.

Breakfast!

After breakfast, I made my way down to the waterfalls for a last dip in the pools. I just looked around and took in the majesty of this place: the slender gum trees all around; the colours of the trees, the leaves and flowers, the water and the sky; the sounds of the birds and gurgling and gushing water; and the beautiful shapes of the boulders. Lying there in one of the rock pools with absolutely no one around, I felt so connected with the place, and so free. An awesome, very spiritual experience I will not easily forget.

We left the camping spot (the way we found it) and slowly made our way back to Cairns. Along the way, Bob said that it really felt like a Sunday (it was Tuesday). Bas agreed and said that each day has felt like a Sunday to him for the past two weeks. I thought about it for a moment and then realised; gosh, I've been having this Sunday feeling since the first of July! And all those Sundays have just been awesome! 

Anyway, that was my camping trip. It was an eye-opener for me in many ways and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I left Cairns last Wednesday for Sydney where I am right now. Frits arrived yesterday (yippee!) and we'll be travelling together for the next five weeks. Anyway, I'll leave Sydney for my next blog. All I can say right now is that the weather has been HOT and the food and company have been GREAT!
Till later!
Cheers,Keith