Far North Queensland

A Bypass Through An Untouched National Park

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Straight back onto the bumpy corrugated road we slowly became immune to the rattle of the car.  As long as we kept up our momentum, it lessened the pain.  It was almost like being in another country compared to Cairns, blue skies were out and the weather was a constant 31 degrees every day!

First stop off after Isabella was the historic site of Old Laura Station.  The remains of this old homestead were very much in tact.  Being able to freely walk through the grounds and buildings at no cost was something unusual for us since the east coast!  Taking photos of the blacksmith and stable yards in the winter, it was unimaginable of how tough it must of been in summer when Old Laura was flourishing.  Especially as it is so remote!

Arriving at Lakefield National Park we detoured past a lagoon blanketed in lilies.  Hearing this site had a residential croc, Mark was quick to spot it and we all had a perve on this impressive beast with Stu’s $6 binoculars.  Our first choice of a camp site that evening was at Kalpower Crossing.  After we were wrecked by the National Park booking system at the Ranger Base, we went for our second favourite spot at Hann River.  This was still an unbelievable spot to crank out a fire and relax.

Throughout this northern section of Australia there were copious amounts of termite mounds, majority built by Magnetic Termites.  These fascinating creatures build their enormous homes in a North to South direction.   After leaving Hann River we drove through the Nifold Plains.  Found here was a ridiculous amount of these mounds.  Hundreds upon hundreds in all directions.  A fine drop of our cask red on the car roofracks while watching a sunset behind these silhouettes would have been incredible.

One last stop in Lakefield for lunch at Sweetwater Creek, we were truly lucky to have great scenery surrounding us.  Unfortunately, upon departure a freak accident occured when a stick flung up under Buzz’s side step, smashing into the underside of the car.  With a bit of panel beating we were lucky enough to push it back into place!

Burning out of the National Park, we quickly found ourselves at Coen (Stu had been chanting “Co-en the saints!” theme song everytime this town was brought up).  After a short pit stop to restock on fuel and groceries we ducked beside a small river only 5km north of the township.  Having the 4WD luxury, we drove through the river and set up on the sandy banks.  By doing this, we were away from everyone else with our own private freshwater swimming hole.

Relocating to another river camp further along our corrugated nightmare of a road, we arrived at Archer.  WikiCamps pulled through with the goods again and lead us down a serious 4WD trail.  After hitting a pretty ordinary camp down one path, we decided to venture down the other where we lucked out and hit an amazing, beautiful oasis.  Another sandy waterhole that was even better than the one at Coen!

Pulling the hammock out for the first time we tied it to some trees over the river and had a great relaxing afternoon.  We even tried catching some small bait fish with a net but didn’t have much luck. Grabbing some firewood and using some red gum previously collected from our last spot, Stu got some coals cranking for dinner.  Putting on a delicious mouth watering chicken stew cooked in the camp oven, we were living the dream.  

In these past days, we made the most of our freshwater swims to clean ourselves up and escape the blistering heat.  As a change of scenery was on the itinerary, we were about to embark on an exploration that was to take us to a saltwater croc haven…

20/08/2016 – 23/08/2016

Far North Queensland

The Next Episode – Northward Bound With Buzz and Woody

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Saying goodbye to civilisation for a while, we couldn’t resist going out for one last big night in Cairns with our new recruit Stu.  Once fully recovered, we stocked up with bucket loads of tinned food, cryovaced meat from the butcher (Stu’s idea) and long life consumables.  We dropped back down for two days at Babinda to wait for Stu’s custom made 4WD snorkel to be installed (worst destination to wait as it poured rain the entire time!)  Once the snorkel was on, we were off on the next episode, departing the Cairns region which gave us so many unforgettable memories.

Sadly, Brook was still very waterlogged from not having a break while we dived and the torrential rain at Babinda didn’t help.  She found herself back in her home on the roofracks.  The next couple of nights we snuck in car parks where a late night tent set-up was required.  Doing a dodgy with these camps we still had great views of the beach and daintree rainforest as we made way to the Bloomfield.  That night sitting in the Cape Tribulation car park before bed, we were chatting excitedly at what the famous 4×4 track had to offer.

In the previous days to the build up of our adventure, we read about the Bloomfield alternative, the CREB 4WD track.  Hearing this potential route had swallowed over a dozen cars in the past week and closed by the council, our path up north could be interesting.  With the first river crossing being the most serious, the rest was rather smooth sailing.  The Bloomfield was well looked after, although unsealed, it was in good nick.  After a few serious climbs and descents the trucks were having no trouble.  All round it was a fantastic adventure with great sights.  We were awestruck by mother nature, cruising along our surroundings went from lush, thick rainforest to instantly transforming to open forest (like that of the High Country)!  We were even lucky enough to see a sunbaking croc from the lookout!

Reaching the end of the track, we went to the Aboriginal town of Wujal Wujal which had a sign advertising ‘The names so good, you say it twice!’.  Stopping by another waterfall, Queensland clearly had a surplus of these cascading wonders.

After hearing about its great history and being the last major town to have sealed roads, we stopped off at Cooktown.  A breathtaking view from the lighthouse lookout and one last petrol refuel (before prices started getting ridiculous) we hit up Battle Camp Rd.  Waving a final goodbye to the bitumen, we started our brutal relationship with corrugations (previously reducing tyre pressure to 32 psi to ease the pain).

An hour and a half in we hit a pretty camp spot called Isabella Falls.  Here there was also a perfect fresh water swimming hole with an added bonus of no crocs!!  This little hideaway was awesome.  We took the opportunity to relax in the bush and stayed a few days not knowing when the next fresh swimmable waterhole may be.  Having decent fires to cook up a storm we enjoyed swimming through the day and refreshing beer in the arvo.

This next part of the story leaves a sad chip on the shoulder.  As Brook finally had the chance to see fresh air, we pegged her out to dry.  Unfortunately she had an awful gut wrenching tang to her.  We could only put it down to our diving in Cairns that she had been locked away for so long in humid wet conditions.  Sadly her fur was falling off and her time with us was over.  One last Kodak moment and we placed her back in the tub to dispose of her…RIP Brook.

As the days at Isabella Falls swept by, we watched cars burn past returning from the northern roads all caked with red dust and mud.  During a deep philosophical chat one evening, Stu with his cleverly depicted number plate suggested calling his car Woody.  A quick lookover of our car with all doors open and the rooftop tent out, it was looking like a spaceship and was quickly dubbed Buzz.  As Buzz and Woody were back on the road, we were keen to shoot down the main drag where these filthy red cars were coming from.  We were keen to see what Cape York had to offer…

Coastal Queensland

A Deep Exploration On The Great Barrier Reef!

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Waking up that Monday felt like we were back at school again.  Waiting out the front of Cairns Holiday Park, our bus arrived to take us to Cairns Dive Centre.  Upon arrivial we met our wacky diving instructor Ethan, who was up for a good yarn.  With only 3 other students in the class, we smashed through the morning theory/videos, with Ethan’s out-there stories about past dives helping our labourious paperwork.  Before we knew it we were in the pool completing some basic swimming and treading excerises before the next stage.

The time had come when we were introduced to our diving equipment which was incredibly exciting.  All geared up for our first test, we were to go against all we have been taught, breathing underwater.  It was simply inhaling and exhaling through our regulators but without goggles on.  As Nay soared through flying colours with no hesitation, Mark on the other hand shot up after 5 seconds as his mind was playing tricks on him.  After another couple of tries, we were all under and having a blast.

The second day we completed a few more basic exercises underwater in the pool.  This included removing our regulators and replacing them, removing our goggles and clearing them, removing our BCD (lifejacket) and some emergency procedures.  Once these were ticked off by Ethan, he then taught us how to became neutrally boyant (practically zero gravity).  From here he made sure we all swam at an even level and once confident we were doing laps 4m below waterlevel!  After having a blast underwater we had a little more theory to tick off and before we knew it our final exam was complete!

The next day was what we were here for, diving in the ocean at the Great Barrier Reef!  We had set ourselves up for 3 days on the Kangaroo Explorer (KE) with CDC having 9 dives which included a night dive!  After Ethan ran through the basic induction with his usual fan fair humour, we sat patiently like excited kids for two hours until it was time for our first ocean dive!

Gearing up and running through the necessary buddy check before diving, we performed a ‘giants stride’ from the diving platform into the ocean.  We were beside ourselves as we slowly descended from the back of the boat as a mixed emotion of fear and exhilliration took over.  The first sight we saw as we dropped below sea level was a great big barracoota!  Upon calming down, we continued to descend and put everything we’d learnt in the pool into practice.

As part of the course, we had to accomplish the skills learnt from the past two days in the ocean.  Once a few were done in each dive we spent the rest of our time underwater looking for cool sea creatures!  During the first dives we were lucky to see a little manta shrimp in his home (a deep hole about 50mm wide), a feather star (starfish with feather like points) and even a frog fish!  These were all pointed out by Ethan as most of the time we were distracted by the vast sea life and the pure amazement of diving in the ocean!!

Having Ethan knock on our door at an ungodly hour the following day, he was suprisingly already up and about in his bouncy mood!  Learning a second way of entering the water, we dropped in backwards off the boat (this definitely woke us up!)  Having a camera man on the Kangaroo Explorer, he joined us for a couple of dives while we continued our skills.  The previous night we were given some slate to draw on and take under water with us.  While being 14m underwater, we took turns in showing our slates as they were filmed.  It was a nifty idea and fun showing our creations!

While completing the skills of removing our goggles and regulator, we had an opportunity to wear sunnies and drink from an empty beer can.  As you can see Nay was looking super fly and Mark was getting jolly deep down at the Great Barrier Reef.  Having each dive last between 30-35mins it was always exciting once the course components were done and we cruised around.  At one stage Ethan showed us a brittle starfish.  Being ever so gentle, it floated onto our arms, crawled around on us and then made its way to the next diver.

It wasn’t long before our first 4 dives zoomed by and we had our open water certificate!  This allowed us to dive up to 18m without an instructor.  In our first free dive, as we buddied up with another classmate Mathieu, we were thrown literally, in the deep end.  Achieving a 44min dive, 16m deep, we were incredibly lost by the end and had no idea where to find the boat.  It wasn’t until we resurfaced that we found we were 150m away and we had to snorkel our way back as we’d run out of air in our tanks.  During the dive though, we had the best experience, seeing a stingray, copious amounts of fish (including nemo) and even two white tipped sharks – Mark unfortunately missed them.

Next up was the night dive!  Absolutely packing ourselves as we were briefed, there was still a rush of excitement among us.  With only a small handheld torch, we descended into the dark with only 5m visibility.  Close beside our buddies we went searching!  An amazing activity during the night was to shine our torches on little bait fish.  This points them out to the larger fish and there was neverending enjoyment watching these big boys chase their dinner.

Feeling like we were ‘lost in space’ with darkness surrounding us, we luckily found an epilept shark.  This small ground dwelling shark nests on the coral beds and has a secondary set of fins which enables him to crawl.  During our eerie night time exploration we spotted a green sea turtle swimming around us too.  With these two great sightings and the thrill of floating in ‘space’, the night dive was definitely one we were going to remember.

As all good things must come to an end, the final day we were looking like zombies.  Deciding to complete our advanced open water dive coarse (allowing up to 30m dives) which involved late night briefs, had our eyes glazing over.  Once we dived back in the water, we were alive again!

On our deep dive that took us to 26m we had a couple of fun activities.  Ethan brought an egg down with him and cracked it open.  Due to the density of the water at this depth, the egg yolk was intact and we took turns passing it around the circle.  It wasn’t long until the cheeky fish caught wind and snapped the egg out of Nays’ hand!  Also taking a tomato and apple to this depth turned them green (as the colour red doesn’t carry this deep through water).  We also had a small game of down ball with the apple and bounced it around on the sand!  After blowing up a decompressed 1.25l bottle of coke and banging it around, Ethan made a loud thumping noise with the bottle.  This apparently attracts sharks as 4 white tips came in to check us out!  The thrill of attracting these beasts outweighed being scared.

Two final dives remaining lead us to navigation skills and one final free dive.  The dive site we were on was unbelievably fun as there were tunnel systems throughout the bombies.  We swam through and navigated the wildlife and coral formations.  Being neutrally bouyant we took full opportunity to do flips at a depth of 18m.  It was mad fun!  Going through so many tunnel systems we definitely didn’t put our navigation skills to use as we lost the boat for a second time having another 100m swim back.  All part of the adventure!

There was a sad realisation on the Friday that our time was up.  Having to catch the charter boat back to Cairns we departed and left our newly found diving friends and hilarious instructor Ethan.  As holidays were ending for these new friends, ours was still continuing with a new companion.  Stu had arrived to join us on the road just as we left to go on the Kangaroo Explorer.  The next great achievement for us on the horizon was the tip of Australia…

Coastal Queensland

The Calm Before A Deep Adventure Into The Reef

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Aiming to complete the final sections of the Atherton Tablelands, we shot down the east coast.  Being late departing Palm Cove, we camped at the Babinda Rotary Club which was a vast area filled with grey nomads also looking for a free spot to stay for the night.  With the luxury of being so small we reversed into a gap and tucked in for the evening.

We had a few days up our sleeves so we continued a little further down to Josephine Falls.  A small 1.2km walk took us to the top section of the falls where swimming was prohibited.  After seeing so many waterfalls, we weren’t tiring with the sights we continued to discover.  On the walk back a path took us to a swimming hole where there was a natural wide waterslide.  As icy cold as it was, we still had a crack!  Around the corner we found a camp at Golden Hole.  With our croc mates still in the area, swimming was also prohibited here.  Besides this, we had a great spot on the grass to watch the sunset over the mountains with the luxury of bottled red wine.

The following day took us back to Babinda and we found a magical tourist destination, The Babinda Boulders.  Arriving early we camped 200m away from the main area.  Prime position had us on grass with only a handful of other campers around and a small walk to a river when in need of a cool off.  This was a great spot to spend a couple of days.

A sad discovery during that morning was the loss of the camera!  Our number one wingman had sadly been left behind at Golden Hole.  Karma was definitely on our side as we shot back and met a couple of friendly backpackers that spotted us searching for it in the grass.  Fortunately they found it the night before and were excited for our companion to be reunited with us!

We quickly discovered that Babinda was one of the wettest towns in Australia with a ridiculous average rainfall of around 15m.  Before this discovery Mark had pulled Brook out to do a bit more work and she was looking prime.  That evening she was soaked as the rain didn’t let off even up until the minute we left.

It was finally time to pack up after ticking these last two places off to complete the Atherton Tablelands.  Dripping wet back in her tub, Brook was on the roof as we burnt back to Cairns.  Another strike of luck lead to blue skies at our new destination to dry things out.  We used the Cairns Holiday Park as our new home.  The next week we were to find ourselves in a classroom again, learning how to dive on the Great Barrier Reef…

Coastal Queensland

Day Trippin’ From A Paradise At Palm Colve

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​Arriving in our luxurious paradise appartment in Palm Cove we were happy to spend the first day lounging around the pool and exploring the main drag.  Unfortunately the heater in the jacuzzi didn’t work and not even the warm tropics made it bearable to sit in in the evening!  We used this cruisy day to have a group discussion and plan our day trip activities.

Day Trip 1 – Port Douglas & Mossman Gorge

After hearing numerous comments about Port Douglas we made way toward the town.  We could not believe the vast quantity of resorts along the main street into the busy shopping district.  Seeming to be a very up market tourist location we had a leasuirely stroll and even stopped for some brunch!

Making it up to Mossman Gorge we were stung with a bus fair along an exclusive road to the entrance ($9 return trip).  The gorge itself had rushing waterfalls flowing into a great swimming hole where we had some lunch.  Beyond this, was a fantastic rainforest walk with a bit of everything.  After checking out some more impressive figs we found another crystal clear swimming hole and mucked around with little fish.  Returning out from the rainforest we had a dip in the gorge and made our way back to paradise.

Day Trip 2 – Kuranda Railway & Skyrail

Highly recommended by several sources we went to check out the old historic town of Kuranda.  At Freshwater Station at 8:30am we were greeted by an old fashion diesel train with an antique interior.  The ride in was amazing with informative announcements over the P.A every few minutes describing how hard it was for the pioneers of this track.  Before arriving at Kuranda there was a quick stop over at Barron Falls where a well positioned lookout had stunning views – pity there wasn’t more water!

There were plenty of markets to browse through and fell in love with a local fudge store (had heaps of tastings!)  While here, we went to the Butterfly Museum which was a giant enclosure filled with hundreds of tropical butterflies.  Unfortunately the Ulysses wasn’t on display in the hot house, although later that day we spotted one at the skyrail which was being mobbed by asian tourists!  It was a great experience just having them flutter around and in some cases landing on us.  We even had a glimpse of the Hercules Moth (largest in the world) that sadly only lives for 48 hrs but can grow to a whopping size of 300mm.

The time flew by and before we knew it we were on the Skyrail home, after waiting an hour while repairs were made.  This was a total adventure compared to the train in.  Soaring above the Daintree we had magnificant views and this time we coasted over Barron Falls.  A couple of small stops and sights on the way back and we found ourselves on solid ground again.

Day Trip 3 – Indulgences of Mareeba

The following day Mark’s mum arrived, a welcomed addition to the crew!  Upon arrival, we had another lazy day catching up around Palm Cove.  Well rested, we followed Nay’s research into a small town 30 mins west of Cairns, Mareeba.  They are famous for their icecreamery, winery, brewery, coffee farms and chocolate – what a day we were in for!

Checking out the tourist information centre it wasn’t long until we were at Coffee Works, where a small fee of $15 each gave us free coffee tastings.  This included a variety of coffees, iced coffees, teas, chocolate and even coffee liquors!  After a small tour of how coffee was roasted and a visit to the coffee museum it was time for lunch at the distillery.  We devoured unbelievable gourmet style pizzas, followed by tastings of their house spirits, including their specialty marshmellow vodka for dessert – we were living like kings and queens!

A final stop at the winery included a variety of tastings but not from your everyday grape wines.  An array of different fruits and flavours lit up the taste buds.  From mango to melon, passionfruit and even others unheard of, it left us buzzing by the end.  Overall it was a day we spent eating our way through, as challenging as it sounds, we successfully came out the other end smiling.

Day Trip 4 – Snorkelling On The Reef

The final day was spent stragetically (calm weather conditions) on the Calypso boat snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef.  Starting the day a little rough as the seas were choppy, we were lucky to see a couple of Hump Back Whales and have them swim directly under the boat!  

Spending over 4 hours in the water it was magical.  Stopping at 3 different sites on the Opal Reef, each stop gave us coral and wildlife more impressive than the last.  It was absolutely picturesque to say the least.  As you’d see in a documentary, some spots were similar to an underwater stadium made of vibrant coral and too many fish to count.  The colours (especially at the last stop) were breathtaking.

After a buffet lunch, we all found ourselves napping on the top deck of the boat on the banana lounges.  Before we knew it we opened our eyes and were back at the port.  Just to top the day off seeing so many fish, we chowed down on fish & chips by the beach.

Time had sadly come to an end with Eileen, Derek and Ron having to depart.  Their stay seemed to fly by so quickly even though we crammed in so many adventures and explored so much around Cairns.  We had a blast!  As we left the appartment behind we were back in the car.  Going down south again, we played a little waiting game until the reef called us back for the next adventure…

Coastal Queensland

An Ancient Lush Wonder – The Daintree Rainforest

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Departing from Goldsborough early in the morning, we cruised through to Cairns airport for the arrival of Derek and Ron!  It was exciting to see them as it had been a long time now since leaving home.  Catching up over some brunch and a stroll through the markets, we stocked up and headed to our accomodation.  Sharing stories over some delicious beverages by the pool (more espresso martinis), lead to the four of us going for a pub crawl down the main drag in Cairns.  There was even a cheeky 3am Maccas run!

You could only imagine the next day was fairly slow as we packed up, filled the car with groceries and made our way to the oldest rainforest in the world – The Daintree.  Taking the coastal road, we had lunch at Wangetti Beach along the way and Derek found his long lost stick mate!  Our accomodation for the first night at the Daintree was at Crocodylus.  This spectacular hide away in the depths of the rainforest really had you amongst nature.  Having to wheelbarrow our gear to a hut wrapped in mesh, housing beds with mozzie nets, this was one spot we weren’t to forget in a hurry. 

After a surprisingly good sleep with the animal sounds through the evening, followed by the loud melodious bird calls in the morning, we went to explore this 150 million year old baby of mother nature.  Starting with a small boardwalk trail we were amazed by the growth and variety of plants the Daintree had to offer.  The info boards along the way did not disappoint with facts throughout the walks – finding that mangroves can’t handle salt water (although growing in such environments) and have adapted by releasing salt into their dead leaves before falling off.  We also had a chuckle at the trees that were thriving through holes cut out of the planks of the boardwalk.

Wanting to spoil ourselves we made a much needed stop at the Daintree Ice Cream Factory where they make fresh exotic fruit flavours daily.  Ron lead us on a self guided tour through the fruit ochards – very informative!  Being slightly held up by a couple of local cassowaries strolling along the bridge, traffic had piled up on the way to another rainforest adventure.  It was amazing to see the enormous fan palms which grow up to 2m in diameter for a single leaf.  These massive palms not only give great protection from the sun but also keep you dry.

Along the road north to our camp at Cape Tribulation we stopped via the Daintree Tea Company where they harvest and make their own tea for a self serve road side shop.  Ron was so excited, he even took up a job picking leaves in the fields!  To escape the rain we decided to hit up the cafe for a much needed lunch.   We lashed out and ordered the native tasting platter of Emu, Croc and Kangaroo burgers.  What delicasys they had in this magical jungle.

The next day took us on a croc tour to see the soul reason for not being able to swim in these prestine waterways.  The tour guide had great bogan characteristics explaining to us that he cruises the river in his boat 2-3 times a day, 7 days a week for the past 30 years, up and down, up and down.  Going for approximately an hour we ended up spotting a few of these ancient reptiles each varying in size.  A small territorial female was found resting by the bank and another further up having a swim.  A month prior, the biggest local 500kg, 5m long croc was shot due to eating a drunk tourist.  Lucky for us a new big boy had just swam up stream from the ocean – this was the first time the tour guide had seen him!

After the thrill of seeing these beasts we relaxed by the pool back at Ocean Safari.  With Mark and Nay staying by the pool, Ron and Derek went canoeing out into the ocean at Cape Trib.  Having a blast their tour group lead them on a small land expedition where they learnt about the green ants having a zesty lime taste!

The final day in the Daintree Rainforest we woke to rain bucketing down on the tent.  Unfortunately we had lined up to go jungle surfing (ziplining) and with weather like it was, she was going to be interesting!  Accustomed to the heavy rain by now we pumped ourselves up and went for it.  With staff members suiting us up in harnesses we then all recieved helmets with character names.  After a briefing from the tour guides, we found we were going to reach heights of 20m and ziplines 78m long!  

To start the run we powered each other up to the first tree platform with a human hamster wheel.  Zooming along in tandems we clung onto our partners and smashed through the rain.  It was crazy fun!  Interesting facts were even told at each tree platform, i.e the average rainfall in the Daintree is 7m/year.  On the last few runs we went solo at faster speeds and even cruised upside down!  The exhillirating experience ended with a race between pairs from the last tree platform.  You can only guess who won!

While already wet and still raining we checked out Emmagen Creek water hole (just north of Cape Trib).  This was also the start of the Bloomfield track which was a tease to know we’d be back in a couple of weeks.  We chose to not swim at the waterhole as we were already cold drowned rats.

By this stage it was already late arvo so we made our way back over the ferry, after stopping for one last cheeky treat at the Daintree Ice Cream Factory.  We burnt back south along the coast where we were to recide at a luxurious appartment for the next 7 days in Palm Cove…

Coastal Queensland

 The Drier Outlook On A Grand Tableland

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Visiting Atherton, it was understandable why the tableland was named after such a town.  For a rather remote area Atherton was large but still held the features of a quaint country town.  Staying the night opposite the pub of Kiera we continued our free camping.  The next day had a few points of interest in store including an apparent impressive tree (not knowing how amazing this could actually be!)

We were awe struck at the sight of this ancient tree.  It just appeared so unreal as it towered over us as we strolled around the board walk with an upward stare.  Having seen nothing like it before we were keen to read the information boards.  Quickly discovering this fig had been a tiny seed dropped on a branch of its host tree, it slowly took charge from here.  Over many years it patiently grew and dropped roots to the ground for extra nourishment.  Once a substantial size the host tree had become a mere skeleton and gave way.  The Curtain Fig was strong enough to support itself by this stage and the host slowly decayed into the ground. 

Departing from the Curtain Fig we stopped to pay our respect at Yungaburra Avenue of Honour, a tribute for people who had passed away in the wars against terror over the last decade.

The next point of interest along the stretch was Lake Barrine.  Formed over thousands of years due to eruptions from a now dorment volcano, it is now home to a variety of wildlife and a quaint but well situated Tea House.  We smashed out another rainforest walk of 5km around the lake and in doing so stumbled upon some more Great Kauri Trees.  How enormous they were standing strong around the lake (compared to their chopped up cousins at Milla Milla).  We decided to treat ourselves with a well earnt devonshire tea once we had returned to the Tea House which had a magical view of the lake in all its glory.

Still fairly shocked at how fairytale-like a tree could possibly grow, we were excited to take a path to another impressive Fig.  With its devine and towering appearance, it was easy to see how it obtained its name as the Cathedral Fig.  A similar growing story to that of the Curtain Fig, the host of this particular tree withstood the parasite a little longer so it towers high instead of draping along a line.  Back toward the car we reminisced over how these marvels belonged in the movie, Fern Gully.

Being in the northern section of the Atherton Tablelands we found a great spot at School Point Campground, one of many around Lake Tinaroo.  As the skies still tried to rain on our parade, we took the liberty to have a tin or two overlooking the lake.  Unfortunately, we struggled to get a fire going as the wood was saturated from the previous few days of rain.  Once a fire was finally established, we were quick to use the heat to dry our dripping clothes as much as possible.

As we emerged from the tent the sun was cranking!  We made our way down to the lake side and sat in the sun eating our breakfast.  It was so peaceful with the sun glistening on the water and the birds resting on the bank.  Occasionally the odd fish would jump out in front of us too! The vast quantity of sights to see around this area seemed like we had only touched the sides with many hidden tracks darting off the main drag.  On our itinerary for the day was a visit to The Chimneys (two grand chimneys remaining from an old homestead), the Mobo Creek Crater (not an actual crater but created by erosion from cooled lava tubes thousands of years ago) and Lake Euramoo (formed by two volcanoes around 23,000 years ago).  

This road then lead us to Goldsborough.  Only a 30 minute trip off the main track, it was well worth it.  Having to book our camp before entering we claimed site #12 and upon arrivial discovered it was a non drive-in site.  With a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude (not wanting an hour return trip to find reception), we slipped into site #2.  An early retirement to the tent lead us to hiding away at 8:30pm as 4 cars were astonished to see someone set up in their camp (it was us)!  We cheekily watched from the tent as they undoubtably cursed and disappeared to sites #6-7. Bloody booking system!

Through our journey in the Atherton Tablelands, we found a variety of places to suit everyones camping desires.  Even though we were washed out in the southern section it was still a fantastic area to explore.  We hadn’t even seen the coastal side yet!  Having to adhere to our time schedule we thought we’d save the region for a future adventure as our sights were set on Cairns.  We had more visitors arriving who were escaping the cold winter freeze of Melbourne…

Coastal Queensland

A Wet Expedition Through Atherton Tablelands

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As we continued our crawl along the Cassowary Coast we decided to stop off at a couple of beautiful beaches for a days rest.  One in particular, Etty Bay, was a quiet tucked away cove with an extremely low population.  Lucky for us as we lounged in the sun a cassowary emerged from the shrubbery to have a suss of what we were up to.  Not intimidated at all, he slowly  strolled only 1 metre from us!  After these peaceful relaxing beach stops it was time for us to make our way towards the Atherton Tablelands.

Starting down the southern end of the tablelands we set up camp at Henrietta Creek Camping Area.  Here we were able to set up right in amoungst the rainforest, what a living room!  From this area there were also fantastic walking trails to a variety of waterfalls nearby.  All were on our to do list.

Arriving late afternoon we took full oppurtunity while the sun was still out to go for a swim in the brown yet flowing “Bush Pool”.  Even though it was murky compared to our other freshwater holes, it was still great for a swim.  As the sun slipped away over the horizon, we thought we were in for a treat with beautiful clear days to explore the area.  Oh how we were wrong.

We woke to the continuous sound of a seriously heavy downpoor of rain, our activities for the day were delayed.  Hiding in the tent all morning lead us to almost losing sanity as the dry season seemed awfully wet!  Lacing up our boots, we put our rain jackets on and set off into the miserable flood-like rain.  Aiming to complete a 6.6km loop to Nandroya Falls, we had a positive mindset that at least the falls will be cranking with all this rain!

Initially doubting our small expedition, the path was saturated and river crossings were already starting to look flooded!  After a short navigation through puddles and an overgrown walkway, we made it to Silver Falls with the entire rock wall powerfully flowing from the extra rain.  Slowly we were becoming more and more saturated.

Another half hour in, we had made it to the main attraction, Nandroya Falls.  The rain did not disappoint, demonstrating the crushing impact these falls had to offer.  Below were smaller overflows of water which with quick realisation would not be cascading if it weren’t for the rain.  Continuing around the loop the rain didn’t ease off. Being the optional longer circuit, we gathered it was less traversed as there was more shrub and fern attempting to take over the track.

Soaked to the bone, we soldiered on over waterways.  Regular leech checks lead to peeling an odd one off the leg as we walked until Nay felt something on her back.  Mark checked it out to discover a blood sucking parasite mid way up Nay’s back!  Fun times!!  As we arrived back at the first river crossing of the circuit, we were gobsmacked that it was no longer a rock crossing but an unbroken torrent of water.  From the torrential rain our past crossing had been engulfed by the river.  Left with only one option, we staggered  shin deep through the swell.  Upon conducting our now regular leech check, we discovered we had acquired over a dozen leeching friends, soon to be swatted like flies!

Back at camp, we dried off and laughed at what we had just been through.  It was already late arvo at this stage but the rain had not let off.  Cowering back in the tent with a cuppa, we threw a movie on until it was time for bed. 

Waking up the next day to our astonishment, the rain was just as heavy!  Having to cross off a couple of the smaller walking trails off our list we departed for the hope of drier pastures.  While still drizzling, we made our way to the Milla Milla Waterfall Circuit (a small 15km loop).  Home of Ellinjaa Falls, Zillie Falls and of coarse, Milla Milla Falls.  These all entailed a short walk in to see each cascade and as with previous waterfalls, each had their small differences that made them amazing in their own way.  Some even included small waterholes for a swim which may have of been appealing if we weren’t already so wet!

Back in town they had a display of a fallen Giant Kauri Pine Tree which had fallen only 20km from Milla Milla due to the root system no longer being able to sustain the tree.  This mammoth tree was approximately 870 years old, with a 2.7m diameter and an 8.5m circumference.  1m of the trunk was equal to 4 tonnes of timber – impressive!!  This would not be the last of these beasts we were to see.  As the weather was clearing, we cruised further around to discover what else the Atherton Tablelands had to offer…

Coastal Queensland

The Thunderous White Water Rapids Of Tully

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Arriving at the pub, we met the shuttle bus to take us to the top of the Tully River. We were lucky enough to be upgraded from the standard to the extreme adventure tour as we filled the final two spots that morning!  Teaming up with three Irish blokes who seemed ready for a challenge, we were introduced to our fearless leader Calum, to take us down the powerful waterway.

Going through some basic instructions, it wasn’t long before we adventured through the first of the fierce rapids.  Being grade 3-4 we were being smashed around the boat and Mark almost toppled out after only the second rapid (what a spud)!  Clinging onto the side of the raft, he was quickly pulled back in.  As we approached the next section of turbulant water, with a simple command of ‘Get down! Lean back!’ we were thrown deliberately straight into a rock in order to bounce off, complete a 180 and continue down the rapid backwards!  The thrills had only just began.

First Expedition on Foot

After racing down the first of the rapids we came ashore and jumped out of the rafts.  Here we had the opportunity to climb up a rocky cliff and go jumping off a 4m+ ledge back into the river!  After a few jumps we were roaring back down through the thick of it where we arrived at a smaller rapid section.  Again we pulled up and climbed out of the rafts.  This time we were to float down these smaller rapids and toward the end we were warned “It may be a drowning sensation as you hold your breath you’ll get smashed by some waves.  Just as you go for another breath, you will crash into another wave and probably inhale some water!  You’ll be right though!”.  Starting to jump into the Tully to face these rapids, Calum yells “Watch out for dildo rock!”.  By the time everyone experienced this rush of drowning, we all admitted that such a rock did attack everyone at least once.

Just before arriving at the lunch stop, we found ourselves on a calmer section of river.  Taking full opportunity Calum taught us how to deliberately flip the raft.  As you can see we all ended up in the drink besides our crafty leader who flung himself around the side as it flipped.  This was only one of the many times we flipped over as the trip continued.  All back on the upside down vessel we rowed under a crushing ice cold waterfall before pulling up anchor to grab some burgers.

Second Expedition on Foot

After lunch we tackled a few more tricky rapids which greatly tested our teamwork.  Departing the raft yet another time we found ourselves above a rapid slide.  One at a time we jumped in feet first and shot down this 3m fall after the leaders had explained “You may be sucked underwater for 2-6 seconds, everyone is different!”  Wanting more, we jumped back in the raft at the bottom and paddled to the base of the slide to climb for a second run.  Only this time was different.  We were instructed to go head first which was exhilirating as we shot through the raging water and resurfaced at the bottom.

Now with adrenaline pumping, we climbed up again for a third slide!  Trying another variation, with only 7 people daring to go again, we linked up one behind another grasping a hold of their life jacket.  That’s right, we made a choo choo train as we all delved into the slide together, losing control as we shot down the rapid.  Nay being in front had her legs shooting up in the air as six blokes pulled down from the back of the train, plunging deep into the water for a solid 15 seconds.  All heads slowly emerged and there were cheers as we had made it without breaking the chain.

Third Expidition on Foot

Pulling up to one last extreme activity we were at the ‘Devil’s Loo’.  Having a raft jammed between two rocks just behind a rapid, we launched ourselves in front of the raft and shot down in the water feet first.  Being flushed out behind the rapid, dodging boulders in the river, we staggered back up onto the rocks to go again!  Mark even flew through this one head first with a few other takers.

With everyone back in their rafts we ventured down the last leg of the river.  After a total of 10km through the day we had a couple of cliff jumps, many raft flips (even one where Nay flung herself on top as the boys ended in the drink!) and not to forget the raging thunder of the rapids.  Totally exhausted we were back on the bus to the pub where we had beers with the crew while banter was had about the days events…

Coastal Queensland

A Mission To A Great Beach

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Slowly waking to the mighty rumbling of Murray Falls, we had a relaxing morning.  For a little fitness we decided on another magical rainforest walk that lead to the source of the noise we had slept with.  Overlooking the mighty falls we quickly discovered each majestic cascade we visited was special in its own way.  Returning down the track we had a short 300m walk to the pools at the base of the falls.  A freshwater bath in these waterholes gave us a great cleanse and even a small slide to muck around on!

Further up the road we stopped by Tully to have a suss of the “Golden Gumboot” which was the height of the town’s rainfall recorded in 1950, a whopping 7.9m!  After marveling at this construction we left Tully with the knowledge of a return trip later on as our adventure continued.  A little further along the track we were suprised at how enticing a hidden sand waterhole by the name of “Alligators Nest” was. A beautiful place to stop for the afternoon without any crocs!

That evening we had arrived at Mission Beach in which a handful of people had highly recommended on our travels.  Upon arrival, sun was shining and a restful beach session was in order.  We quickly understood why people would love this section of Australia (the Cassowary Coast).  Back at camp we unknowingly at the time camped near a gigantic Green Ant nest.  Unlike your standard ants these little fellas are capable of folding leaves over to create nests in trees.  Our neighbour was clearly the home of the green ant queen and her workers!

Road Trip Fun Fact!

If you lick the bums of these Weaver Ants (Green Ants) there is a distinctive taste of zesty lime which even leaves a slight burning sensation.

Sadly waking the next day, we encountered the first serious rain that put a dampener on our time at Mission Beach.  Going into town and exploring the nearby beaches had a gloomy resolve.  Everything was quiet, the beach was grey and the ocean was choppy and brown, very different to the day before.  During our time here we even planned a trip to Dunk Island (a short 45min boat taxi ride) but due to weather conditions we stayed restless around the caravan park.  We did visit the giant cassowary nonetheless!  As our depature day came, a glimmer of hope arrived as the sun came out!  We jumped on a bus and headed back to Tully…