New South Wales, Here We Come

We left Brisbane this morning, no wait, no, it was afternoon!!  Surprise, surprise.  With our son, we had late breakfast, or was it lunch?  Brunch then - at Mark's favourite coffee shop, Le Cabin, in Paddington.  The weather lent itself to a soy hot chocolate, (I do get tired of herbal teas) and some yummy toasted delights.  Afterwards, dropped into my favourite 'eco' shop in Paddington, Biome, to top up on my "natural" lip stick and a gift or two.
Then, bye bye Brisbane and we leave behind a cloudy threatening sky, crossing the border at 1.27 p.m. arriving in Byron Bay early enough to walk into town.
The weather is clear but we're not sure if the Queensland grey skies are following so we've booked into Clarke's Beach  Holiday Park for one night only.

Glasshouse Mountains

I am almost ashamed to admit that we didn't arrive at Maleny until after three o'clock this afternoon!
As you can imagine, this didn't leave us much time for sightseeing, or for having afternoon coffee!
But then, isn't this what holidays are all about?  Sometimes, it's good to simply relax and do things at a slower pace.  The sun was almost setting before we got to see the magnificent Glasshouse Mountains from McCarthy's Lookout so we vowed to be back within the next day or so, depending on the weather.

This photograph of Gardner's Falls was taken after sunset.  

Of course we drove home to Brisbane after dark and I experimented with the camera to take photographs of the traffic along the Bruce Highway.

Car Up A Tree

Last night, we camped at Saunders Park, Saunders Beach, about twenty kilometres out of Townsville.

We decided to camp there rather than in Townsville itself thinking that it would be a nicer spot to camp.

The park was ninety nine percent full when we arrived early in the afternoon but we managed to find a nice spot away from all the other campers/caravaners in a little alcove type area at the start of the driveway.

We went for a walk along the beach after we'd set up.

After dinner we were enjoying a quite sojourn just after dark, marvelling at the fireflies (I've never seen fireflies  before), conversing with the possums, and then we were disturbed by a very loud party at the other end of the park.

Suddenly and with absolutely no warning, a four wheel drive truck came speeding, in reverse, straight for our camp spot.

In a panic, and in shock, I sprung out of my chair, expecting the truck to slam into the front of our vehicle.  Once more, luck was on our side and a straggly little eucalyptus sapling became jammed beneath the truck's back bumper bar, its back wheels about a metre off the ground.

The driver continued to rev the car motor, fortunately, the car remained stationary.

What to do?  All I could think of was to sound the horn of our car because it was obvious the driver had no idea we were parked behind.  In fact, it turned out that the driver was so blind drunk or stoned she had no idea of anything.

To cut a long story short, expletives flew back and forth all night, between the driver and her partner, someone called the police, but to no avail. The car was jammed up the tree and stuck there good and proper. 

Against the advice of the police officers, the car was eventually pulled out and we had a peaceful night after all!

Thank God everyone was safe.

This morning we drove to Townsville.  We bought some fruit and vegetables at the markets and then drove around for forty five minutes looking for public toilets!  Found some at The Strand.

What great facilities at The Strand.  Had some coffee and cake there too and went for a short walk before heading off again, towards Charters Towers, then continued travelling along  the Gregory Developmental Road.
Tonight, we're camped at Belyando Crossing Roadhouse, where we're preparing for a chilly night!
We have a few kilometres to travel over the next two days.
Plans have been made to catch up with some friends in Toowoomba on Tuesday afternoon, so we will need to travel about a thousand kilometres by Tuesday lunch to achieve that deadline.

Water sports at The Strand, Townsville.

The kids just loved this water equipment.  A huge bucket filled with water which tipped out over the kids.  Great fun!

I just love this photograph.  It well and truly reflects what The Strand is all about, spending time with loved ones!  
Behind these two, the parkland was a-buzz with hundreds of people yet they looked like they were miles away from anyone! 

Dare to be Different

Paronella Park.

At Paronella Park, everything is taken care of, even umbrellas for the sun or the rain!

The entry fee into Paronella Park includes a day tour, a night tour, one night's free camping and twelve months re-entry into the park.

Paronella Park is a MUST DO if travelling in the Innisfail area.
The above two photographs were taken on the night tour.

Mr Paronella and his family planted seven thousand trees at the park, including this avenue of Kauri Pines which is now over seventy years old.  Luckily, the avenue escaped damage during Cyclone Larry, but not so lucky were some of the major buildings.


In the early part of the twentieth century, Mr Paronella had a dream to build his own castle, but for other people's enjoyment.
He left Spain to fulfill his dream in a small town in North Queensland called Mena Creek and built his castle alongside Mena Creek and the falls.  He and his family lived in a small cottage on the property.  Every structure at Paronella Park has Jose Paronella hand print on it, literally!

Art Deco

Innisfail

Woke to another beautifully sunny day this morning.  When our car was packed once more, we had morning tea with my sister and brother in law before we said our good byes.
I can't believe that the last three weeks have sped by so quickly.
Mixed feelings about our departure.
Our first stop is Innisfail, which was devastated during Cyclone Larry.  This town has certainly risen from the ashes, as it were.
Many buildings were damaged in 2006 and as we walked through the central business district, we witnessed many tradesmen still carrying out major repairs on offices etcetera.
The good news is that buildings damaged during the cyclone have been restored in the Art Deco style of the town's architectural heritage.
The brilliant blue sky complemented the colourful architecture.
Also visited the Chinese Temple which reflects one aspect of the multicultural influence of the sugarcane town.

We found a shady spot by the river to enjoy the lunch my sister had packed for us before we left Innisfail for Mena Creek.

Oh What a Night!

Above: Our Two Gorgeous Girls! 
Here they are at the gardens, bridesmaid and flower girl.

Top: Our Grand-daughter between Honey Pie and I.
Bottom: Bride and Flower Girl on the dance floor.
Our niece looked stunning in her beautiful white gown which was trimmed with black lace. Bouquets and head pieces were made by Kate from black and white feathers and beading...very unique.
The marriage ceremony was held on The Tablelands and most of the wedding party was transported to the gardens by mini-bus.  I think most of us were praying all the way up the hill because despite the mist and the clouds hanging low over the mountains, the rain stayed away!
What a beautiful ceremony...Kate, always confident, appeared nervous at times but she made a beautiful bride alongside her handsome husband.
While photographs of the bridal party were being taken a yummy smorgasbord of cheeses, cold meats, etcetera was served to the guests and then off we went down the mountain to receive the newly weds at the Cairns Reef Casino.
The ceremony was performed without a hitch and was followed by a sumptuous dinner, including a choice of six deserts!
The most enjoyable part of the night, without a doubt would have to have been the dancing.  Aunts, cousins, nieces, mothers, sisters and friends boogied right up until mid-night.  Notice that males aren't mentioned here? If it wasn't for us females, the dance floor would have been empty.  Well, almost.  I have never danced so much in all my life, and that' no exaggeration.
Sadly, Honey Pie and I had to leave just before the finale because our poor little grand-daughter was well and truly worn out and we had to drive her home!

Freethinker, Vulcan, Open Stope, Ore Pass, Oh, and Puppies!

Here we are, camped under the Bougainvillea on the Town Common (Bill Newburn Park) Irvinebank.

Most of the historic museums seemed to be shut at Irvinebank today, except for Freethinker Cottage where we found these very cute little puppies, amongst other things.

Freethinker Cottage is a privately owned and run "museum" of mining and farm equipment.

Boris the Blitz Truck
Spent a bit of time sightseeing around Irvinebank, again, lots to see and do even though some attractions were shut.  Of course there was a cemetery or two to wander through and The Vulcan Mine remains.  The original Irvinebank Dam is closed to the public but there is a picturesque lake and weir close to the town itself.
But it was the owner of Freethinker Cottage that provided us with the most interest for the day with his endless collection of old motor vehicles, old farm equipment and tools, bush furniture, puppies, local knowledge and so much more.
Drove back to the Tablelands via Herberton and Atherton and now camped at wet and boggy Millaa Millaa.
On the way we stopped at Gallo Dairyland to sample the chocolate and the cheese but because I had an upset tummy I stuck to sampling the yogurt and nothing more.  Purchased some cheese to take back to Cairns.

The Tablelands

Today, Friday 23^rd July is a public holiday in Cairns (Cairns Show Day) and my brother in law had promised us a guided tour around the Tablelands. He grew up on the tablelands in the fifties and sixties.

The weather was somewhat miserable but we made the best of the day and up the treacherous Gillies Highway we went.

Sights we visited included Lake Barrine, The Twin Kauris, The Cathedral Fig, Mobo Creek Crater, The Chimneys, Lake Euramoo, Bromfield Swamp, The Crater, Dinner Falls, Millaa Millaa Falls and Lake Eachem.

Honey Pie and I had visited some of these attractions in the seventies and I'm looking forward to searching for the photographs we took during the earlier visit on our return home to compare them with photographs we've taken today.

We had lunch at Malanda Pub and had to return to Malanda for afternoon tea as everywhere else seemed to be shut! Couldn't blame them really, as the weather was fit for ducks and not much more.

Thanks to a knowledgeable local, we were able to see much more in the time we had than if we'd done the trip on our own.

My how they've grown!  Twin Kauri Pines.

Brightly coloured rainforest fungi.

Hypipamee Crater, Atherton.  That green at the bottom of the picture is water!  How deep is deep?
An eighty two metre deep lake with fifty eight metre sheer granite walls rising above the lake.

Picture perfect, Millaa Millaa Falls.  (People were swimming here even though it was raining).

Serendipity

You may remember the above picture from my blog on July 14.
We received an email from our long time friend O.E. on the 19th July.
He wrote to tell us that he was in Cairns on the 15th July, transferring from a cruise to his flight home.  Was this his cruise ship?  We may never know for sure!  Our history with O and his family is that we never know when or where we may meet again, our catch-ups are rarely planned!
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Had a bit of a rest day today, shopping, blogging and then dining with our nephew and his girlfriend.

Be Prepared

We left our camp at Lakelands just after eight.

Here we witnessed a most peculiar thing.

Camped in tents right next to us were three or four couples in four wheel drives. They were heading for Cape York Peninsula as a group.

We have briefly contemplated a trip to the Cape but have decided against it for a number of reasons. One of the main reason is that we would prefer to travel with other perhaps more experienced four wheel drivers. And there are the time constraints as well. Another reason is that we're not really sure if we're adequately equipped for the adventure.

But, as we sat and had our usual breakfast it was quite interesting to watch these couples pack up their tents and vehicles for their departure.

Some of them looked like they had never set up or dismantled a tent and were relying on others to show them how.

Also, each couple seemed to be doing their own thing.

Finally all of the couples except for one had cleared their site and were ready to depart.

The last couple, well...He wandered off to the ablutions block to spruce himself up and left Her to pack the car.

Eventually he returned while she struggled to fit everything back into the car. Most items were packed into plastic storage containers and two or three were not going to fit back into the car...there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the packing and Mr Camper had absolutely no idea how everything was going to fit back into the car.

Their fellow campers had left the camp ground to wait for the couple by the side of the road. It wasn't long before one of the couples returned to see what the hold up was.

We had packed and left before Mr and Mrs Camper had solved their storage problems.

Also, one of the other couples, we noticed, had packed just about every item they owned into numerous blue “green” shopping bags. I couldn't help wondering how they were going to know which BLUE bag had the item they would eventually want to seek out....oh, how I would love to be a mosquito on the ceiling on one of their vehicles as they trek the Cape!

The heavy closed in rainforest we've encountered over the last few days eventually gives way to open, lightly wooded and undulating landscape as we make our way towards Cairns via the Peninsula Development Road.

At Mareeba after a bit of a drive around the town, we lunched with the Butcher Birds at Skybury Coffee Plantation, had afternoon tea at Mareeba Wetlands Nature Reserve overlooking the beautiful lake then returned to Cairns to find it raining!

View from Bobs Lookout

We enjoyed this peaceful view while having scones and tea at Mareeba Wetlands Reserve.

Welcome Swallows at Mareeba

Another Mareeba Resident.  This one crossed the road with its chicks as we drove out towards the highway.

Far North Queensland

Four Seasons In One Day


Flora of Far North Queensland.  On bottom left is what is called the Cannon Ball Tree which has the most unusual blooms with a heavenly scent and cannon ball shaped 'fruit'.

Our 'camp' last night was in a cabin, the cutest one we've stayed in yet. We anticipated rain but it didn't rain.  I was extremely tired last night so the cabin wasn't wasted!  Had a good sleep but not a sleep in.  The owner of the park had told us the night before that we could stay a little later than ten o'clock but we didn't need to.  Had a look around the lush gardens before departing and then visited Weary Bay once again but by the time we arrived there the weather was starting to deteriorate. 

Continued along the Bloomfield Track (which became a 'road') until we arrived at the Lion's Den Hotel.  All over Australia, pubs-with-a-difference exist (I'm sure) simply to attract tourists to the location. (I say this because there's nothing else there except a pub and lots of tourists!!!)

On the way to Cooktown, we stopped at Black Mountain, a very eerie place to visit.  I've seen nothing else that compares to this place...a mountain that has imploded maybe?  It's anyone's guess.  People have disappeared exploring this mountain.
Next stop was Keatings Lagoon, where Honey Pie locked the keys in the car...It's become his habit to lock the car the instant I hop out...only to be asked to open it again because I've left everything I need inside the car.  I couldn't believe what he'd done!  Keatings Lagoon is five kilometres south of Cooktown...a long way to walk for help and no telephone reception. Contemplated breaking the driver's side window.
 I had a spare set of keys in my handbag which was locked up in the back of the ute inside a locked drawer. Lady Luck was on our side because out of desperation I asked Andrew to check if the back of the ute was open.  It was.  I held my breath as he tugged on the drawer and couldn't believe it when he found that open too!  Couldn't help remarking to him: And if I'd asked you if you'd locked the back of the car you would have sworn it was locked.
Phew!
In Cooktown itself, we had fish and chips for lunch at the Cooktown Cafe, a fellow traveller had recommended the coffee there so followed up on his recommendation.
We drove to the lookout and found road works in progress which meant we had to walk a part of the way.  It was STEEP but we were rewarded with a magnificent three sixty degree view of the region.
We also visited the Captain Cook Museum, The Boat House, Captain Cook's Statue, The Musical Boat and dipped our toes into the Coral Sea (while keeping an eye out for Estuarine Crocodiles).
During the time we were in Cooktown we experienced wind, rain, sunshine, cloud and a broad range of temperatures.  The wind was the factor that influenced our decision to move on to the next port of call.
Headed south again along the Cooktown Development Road to Lakeland where we camped for the night.
At the caravan park we found an almost new ablution block which was a pleasure to use.  We opted out of the camp kitchen which seemed to have been taken over by workers living at the park.
A cooler night tonight.