Author: aapalmers@icloud.com

September 14th 2022

We bid farewell to Palm Cove, after in turns both a busy and relaxing stay. Hard to believe it is now 40 days since we left our home in Stirling. The heat and humidity is building in the tropics as we move ever closer to the wet season. News from home is that the weather has remained cool and wet, another La Nina season, the third year in a row, is building sending more moisture across Australia and hopefully not, increased risk of flooding on the east coast, across lower Queensland and Northern NSW.

Our day starts with bright sunshine, temperatures quickly rising to 29c or 88f. We need to be out of our accommodation by 10am but our target is earlier than that. Tracking down all our belongings, packing the car, putting out the trash, etc. etc., all mundane tasks that although mostly completed last night seem to take for ever, or is it that we just move a little slower than we used to. We turn the key in the door to lock position and the ignition in the car to on at about 9.30am. It is not long before we are driving down the Captain Cook Highway heading for the Mamu Tropical Skywalk. Our drive takes us south, skirting Cairns to the west, connecting with the Bruce Highway in the direction of Innisfail. The Bruce Highway runs parallel with the coast but inland along a broad valley floor, ideal for sugar cane production. Some of Queensland’s highest mountains are in this vicinity. Mount Haig, Mount Bellenden Ker, Mount Bartle Frere with a north and south peak is the highest at 1622 metres. All are heavily forested with rainforest that would have come down across the valley floor and to the sea in the days before white settlers cleared the land.

We stop off at Baibinda a town that has a charming railway station with echoes of the past then our journey turns eastward.

Babinda Railway Station

Just before we reach Innisfail to climb into those mountains, the cane fields give way to banana and papaya plantations. The occasional groves of passion fruit vines covering acres across a network of trellises also pass us by, their distinctive white and purple centred flowers standing out against the green of the vine leaves. This all gives way to rainforest, the higher we climb until we reach our destination. The Skywalk site is situated in the World Heritage Wooroonooran National Park.

The Mamu Skywalk is a unique opportunity to explore the rainforest from the forest floor to the canopy, The Skywalk passes through one of the largest remaining continuous stands of complex vine forest on basalt soils in the Wet Tropics. Rainforest plants, insects and bird habitats remain intact, with sweeping vistas of waterways and the rain-forested mountains that surround the area. This rainforest area is linked to the Ma:mu aboriginal tribe that lived here for 2000 generations. 7 generations have seen the rainforest gradually cleared by European settlers but have retained a strong connection to the area, now having control over some of the lands their forebears called home. The Ma:Mu had developed a well travelled network of tracks through the rainforest that linked various camps. They would move seasonally from camp to camp depending on the rainforests food sources. Open cleared areas would be maintained for tribal or clan gatherings. The Ma:Mu had no need to traverse great distances all they needed would be provided for by the rainforest. They constructed primitive housing called Mia Mias, constructed of barbed lawyer cane for frame work (so called because once a lawyer has hold of you then they hang on) (My apologies to the lawyers reading this) with layers of palm fronds covering the frame to make a weatherproof shelter.

This joint venture between the Ma:Mu and private enterprise sees a network of pathways that run through heavily forested terrain. An opportunity became available to build in this protected area after cyclone Larry cut a swath through the park in 2006. Natural areas cleared by the cyclone allowed for minimal impact, materials such as unpainted galvanised steel and recycled plastic became the walkways and boardwalks of today. The gravelled pathways connect to raised cantilevered walkways/boardwalks that hang out over the slopes of the mountains, giving a birds eye view of the rainforest and the picturesque vistas that the elevated height allows.

The walking paths amount to a 1200 metre round trip, with 350 metres cantilevered along the way. At the halfway mark a 350 metre tower rises out of the rainforest, ascending the steel framed tower is by steps made of gridded steel needing at least a moderate head for heights. Amanda watched me ascend staying firmly grounded in the rainforest, the see through steps just not her cup of tea.

The entire experience takes about 2 hours of walking with stops to gasp at the views and study the information provided on local birds, butterflies and animals along the way. The sounds of the rainforest are ever present, cheerful melodious bird calls, shrieks of white cockatoos as they fly overhead. The buzz of cicadas, and other insects as well as croaking frogs. The creature that is on top of most visitors list is the Cassowary, unfortunately a very shy but large flightless bird that keeps to itself in the rainforest. Unlike our humpback whales in Townsville the local Cassowaries kept themselves well hidden today.

Time to move onto tonights destination Mission Beach. We travel east again towards the coast until we reach the Bruce Highway. Then south through, yes more cane fields until again turning east, winding our way through narrow roadways that are cut out of the thick lush rainforest. This is how Palm Cove must have looked before development took hold. Here the rainforest does come down to the Coral Sea at the northern end of the Whitsunday Islands. The Hotel we are staying at is aptly named Castaways, as the town does indeed appear isolated, with rainforest to the west and ocean to the east. A quick walk through reception opens up a scenic view of the Palm tree lined beach and Coral Sea. With Dunk Island on the northern end of the Whitsunday islands in sight a little to our south. The sandy beach itself stretches for kilometres in either direction. After a much needed coffee we stroll a little of the beach.

Then return to our room to rest up before dinner. We enjoy a very pleasant evening listening to the waves ebb and flow just metres away before retiring to our room. As I write the sounds and smells of the sea fill the air through the open balcony doors, the constant repetitive lapping has already sent my dear Amanda to sleep after her stressful night last night packing.

We will have a little time tomorrow to investigate the town further, but are already wishing we had booked more nights here. We travel to Airlie Beach some 600 kilometres tomorrow for a two night stay. Stay tuned as our journey of discovery along the Coral Sea Coast continues..

September 13th 2022

A lot has happened in the last two weeks of our stay since Kylie, the grandchildren Krystal and Tyson together with partners Ken and Bronni with little Lincoln all arrived.

Kylie is team leader with an organised itinerary, first off, the must do historic railway trip up to the rainforest tourist town of Kuranda. Gold Class tickets give us morning tea and a more luxurious railcar, enough morning tea that we are able to miss lunch altogether. The train ride takes us along winding tracks through thick rainforest and through numerous tunnels. We pass by the Baron falls a spectacular waterfall that drops 150 meters (350 feet) into the Baron River below. All the while a warm tropical rain has fallen from the low mountain cloud above and around us, making a declaration that we are after all here in the rainforest realm. Once in Kuranda we split up to walk the streets laden with tourist shops and cafes for some, others take the direct route to view the butterfly farm. The Butterfly farm is a famous sanctuary and breeding place for Birdwing, Cruiser, Lacewing, luminous electric blue Ulysses butterfly’s and other tropical species. Inside their enclosure they fill the air, amazing visitors with a colourful fluttering display. If you standstill long enough you are sure to be subject of a nectar search, especially if you are wearing colourful clothing. The rain pauses for awhile allowing us a couple of hours to wander around, spending some tourist time in the streets of Kuranda before we need to start our journey back to the coast. Kuranda is also connected to Cairns by a cable car system named Skyrail, supports and cables takes us across 7.5 Kilometres of rainforest treetops, where if you are game you can look down into the rainforest eco system spotting babbling brooks, tropical birds and butterfly’s. Our journey this time is hampered by continuous rain, raindrops ball on the cable car windows creating little lenses of reflected rainforest making viewing difficult on our way back down to the plains.

Another busy day sees early nights for the visitors, they will have a day off the following day enjoying Palm Cove until we meet up again on Sunday.

Meanwhile we take a trip to Cairns Botanic Gardens.

Sunday is Fathers Day in Australia, the day starts with a drive to Port Douglas about 45 minutes north of Palm Cove along some of the most beautiful Coral Coast coastline.

The town of Port Douglas has a fascinating history, established in 1877 after the discovery of gold nearby, the Port Douglas Post Office opening on 1st September 1877. The Town quickly grew and at its peak Port Douglas had a population of 12,000 with 27 hotels. A state school opened in 1879, but when the Kuranda Railway opened from Cairns to Kuranda the town’s significance dwindled along with its inhabitants, a cyclone in 1911 further added to the towns woes wiping out most of the town’s buildings save a few sturdily built ones. Significant ones such as the main wharf, courthouse and Catholic church had to be rebuilt, the Chinese population never saw their temple rebuilt though. By 1962 Port Douglas had become a sleepy fishing village with a population of 100.

Today the town is a thriving holiday-retirement destination sporting world class hotels and restaurants. The population of 3500 hasn’t reached the heady days of the gold rush but during the dry season May to September the towns population easily doubles. For us the famous market beckons, every Sunday a large market springs up on a beach front park, hundreds of visitors wonder through inspecting the mainly arts, crafts and hand made products on offer. Amanda is by now well known by one skilled jewellery designer who has manned a stall at the markets for many years, we make a bee line in that direction so that now other members of the family can try her wares.

Back in Palm Cove we enjoy a very special, for me Father’s Day dinner, having daughter Kylie, Grandson Tyson, himself having his first Fathers Day, with Bronni, Granddaughter Krystal and Partner Ken and Great Grandson Lincoln all together is a rare treat.

The next time we come together we are off to the Cairns Aquarium. The aquarium is situated in the heart of downtown Cairns. In another tale of Gold Rush times, it wasn’t until the discovery of gold by the early explorers that the development of Cairns began. Officially founded in 1876 as a frontier town to support the gold rush. The city took its name from the State Governor of the day, Sir William Cairns. The original site for Cairns laid on a sandy bank lined with dense rainforest and mangroves. Cairns looked like it would never be raised out of the ground until the Queensland government chose the site as a starting point for a railway line that would service the flourishing Atherton tablelands. The line would provide a transport route for tin and timber to be shipped to southern ports. The gold rush ultimately began to die out and the people of North Queensland began to look for other ways to make a living. The flat coastal lands became major sugar cane plantations. Cairns continued to thrive with fishing and pearling becoming large industries along the way. Now a fast growing city with a distinctively tropical flavour and an international airport. Cairns has become a destination for lovers of the tropics from all over the world. Usually very evident by the huge number of young backpackers that flock here to sight see and boost the local workforce in the dry tourist season. Sadly those backpackers are missing, save a few, that either stayed on and made it through the pandemic or are newly arrived as Australia gradually opens up.

The Aquarium doesn’t disappoint with both freshwater and Coral sea exhibits, amazing living corals and sea anemones as well as rainforest water loving snakes, frogs, fish and lizards. One feature of the aquarium’s tanks is a walk through glass tunnel where tropical fish, Manta rays, sharks and other sea creatures swim all around and above you. So clear is the glass that you need to reach out and touch it to allay any fears of shark attack. We all meet for lunch at the restaurant where a huge tank forms one wall, it’s a seafood restaurant, is this a visual menu? Once seated at our table we have a constant view of the antics of a colourful array of tropical fish. One Trigger fish repeatedly shows off his skills as a limited chameleon, changing colour from black to white, while resting from short sharp dashes around the tank in a volcanic rocky hollow. Meanwhile a diver clad in a full wetsuit, goggles and mask, tethered by an air hose vacuums up any fish waste from the crystal clear waters. Oh, and the food is good too! I decide to have squid as I don’t see any of their kind gazing accusingly at me.

The next adventure for the visitors is Green Island, Green Island is one of the most popular destinations on the Great Barrier Reef. This 12ha island is a true coral cay formed over thousands of years by the build-up of sand and coral rubble deposited on the calm side of a platform reef. The ferry ride is just 45 minutes making Green Island a relatively close option for first visitors to the reef. From the beach, there one can snorkel swim or catch a glass bottomed boat to view the coral and tropical fish without entering the water oneself. Ideal for little Lincoln. As we have had various visits to the outer reef we decide not to go with the kids on this visit. Instead deciding to spend the morning in Cairns checking out the new city works along the esplanade that have taken place since our last visit pre Covid in 2019. The local government haven’t wasted anytime, the entire length of the esplanade has had a make over enabling the area to be more people friendly and less attainable to vehicle traffic. The restaurants that line the esplanade, once the hang out of backpackers look decidedly more sophisticated. A few outlets remain where a visitor on a budget can pickup a cheap meal, but like every facet of the consumer market in Australia prices have skyrocketed.

Away from the esplanade, alongside the Marina a large building housing a hotel once operated as a tourist mall with art Galleries, various shops and a mini clothing market. At one end the hotel still operates but the mall space, although surrounded by busy restaurants overlooking the Marina is now practically empty. One remaining occupied shop draws our interest, not a shop at all but a display area for a wonderful array of model buildings, in fact it is a replica of historic Cairns from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s the amount of work on the exterior of the building models is phenomenal, with some having internal detail as well. The model builder switches off, the overhead light and switches on the internal model buildings lights and the town comes alive. Not only are there the usual major civic buildings but also Chinese temples and shanties from gold prospecting times. A Chinese visitor is taking a deep interest, seems an ancestor once lived in Cairns during the depicted era.

Some expansion of the Marina area has occurred since ur last visit, with a floating heliport, sitting on the mudflat’s that are a feature of the Cairns harbour. When the tide is out the muddy sand is in constant movement as mud crabs scurry about their muddy business. A seafood restaurant we visited in 2019 still remains floating along side a wharf in the Marina, the floating restaurant only sells fresh seafood, that is, it is uncooked sashimi style or simply plunged into boiling hot water for seconds, placed on ice to cool and served, the restaurant is unique. Fresh Oysters from the shell, king prawns, scallops and lobster are among the crustaceous fare. Situated on series of small fishing boats moored together, aptly named Prawn Star 1, 2 & 3 etc., as the restaurant grows they just add another boat. That slightly rocking motion makes an interesting walk to your rudimentary table with the possibility of walking the plank across several boats before finally being seated, but all very worth the visit. Definitely good to see them flourishing, a testament to the experience, on this occasion however we pass them by.

Instead finding a coffee shop over looking the mudflats between the Marina and Cairns with the rain-forested hills beyond. Amanda and I enjoy a coffee as we watch aircraft disappear into and emerge from the lush mangroves that surround the Airport further north along the coast.

Time to move on we walk back along the esplanade, alongside the man made lagoon where children play in the cool waters and young adults tan themselves on the surrounding lawns.

A new feature on the esplanade is a large Ferris wheel with lantern shaped gondolas, lights flicker as it wheels around, but today their are not too many riders at this early part of the afternoon.

We wander back to the car through the city seen through new eyes, thanks to our miniature model maker we can now identify several of the original historic buildings on the way.

The evening brings dinner with some old friends from Melbourne that we met through our involvement with a development on Kangaroo Island. Like us Palm Cove holds a special place in their hearts but unlike us they purchased a property here and now live here during the dry season returning to Melbourne only for the the southern summer. Each year on our visits we always catch-up with them for dinner and tonight they have chosen a restaurant in Cairns. A chance for us to see a little of Cairns by night. We enjoy a wonderful tropical night, with great food and conversation. Ron and Lorna are an amazing couple in their 80’s and still enjoying life to the full. Inspiring indeed.

Tyson, Bronni and Lincoln are frequent visitors to Trivia street, Lincoln enjoys the privacy of his own pool.

Kylie & Co. take in Mossman Gorge a 56,000 hectare area within the World Heritage Listed Daintree National Park. About a 50 minute drive north is best known for its spellbinding beauty. Tree-clad mountains rise sharply from the riverbanks of the Mossman Gorge and set the scene at the spectacular entrance to Daintree National Park. This is the spot where crystal-clear waters tumble over ancient granite boulders and the Kuku Yalanji people happily share their culture, stories and legends through Dreamtime walks and tours. This is beautiful area one that we have visited numerous times with family and friends over the years, Tyson and Krystal have childhood memories of visiting there in 2005 and are interested in renewing their acquaintance with the area. Meanwhile grandpa and grandma relax back in Palm Cove as the weather becomes decidedly warmer. Everywhere we look the Hawaiian influence is pervasive, Hawaiian shirts for sale, a Tommy Bahama store even our morning juice is an Aloha blend.

Kylie and company’s time in Palm Cove came to an end too quickly, we meet them on the beach the night before they leave to watch a fireworks display, but not before visiting our favourite ice cream kiosk. The display is to be put on by a private wedding party, but since a public warning notice is required to be displayed around the village holidaymakers turn out in numbers. The night is perfectly still, the full moon rises out of the sea reflecting glittering moonlight across the ocean, the tide laps at our toes as we watch the fireworks start up down the beach about 50 metres from where we are standing. Starting slowly the colourful explosions gradually climb higher and higher into the velvet night sky. Filling the air with smoke tinted colour. Until the last largest, loudest firework explodes raining down shards of white fire that is extinguished before it reaches the moon rippled sea. A fitting farewell to Kylie & Co. The next day sees them flying out with grandpa and grandpa giving a hand with the luggage before we drive back to Palm Cove to enjoy the last few days of our time here and prepare for our ten day adventurous journey home.

Farewell to Palm Cove for us also comes too quickly, tomorrow we drive the 167 kilometres to Mission Beach stopping along the way to trek the Skywalk boardwalk just outside of Innisfail……..to be continued.

August 31st 2022

Fourteen days have passed since our arrival in Palm Cove, we are half way through our stay here. Amanda and I discovered Palm Cove in 1993 when her parents, Jim and Shirley travelled to Australia in the late winter of that year. We had searched through the travel pages of the local weekend paper for a getaway that offered a uniquely different Australian experience, (thats the way we researched our holidays in 1993). It is easy for us southerners to forget how big Queensland is and how tropical the far north is. With just two seasons, wet and dry the temperature stays a fairly consistent 24-32c but the humidity increases significantly in the wet, fortunately for us the dry period coincides with the southern winter. Making the dry a perfect time for us to make a winter escape. In those days colourful pictures of tropical Cairns adorned the Advertisers travel pages, then a growing township boasting an International airport. Further north a string of beach settlements bordering the Great Barrier reef are dotted along the coast like pearls washed upon the shore, the advertisements for these tropical destinations drew us in to investigate. We chose Palm Cove for its reputation as a relaxed destination and an esplanade that contained a number of restaurants all within walking distance to accommodation. Having booked ahead Jim and Shirley flew into Cairns from Portland, Oregon, USA, with us arriving the day before to make ready for their arrival. We immediately fell in love with the place, the beautiful sandy beach situated in a secluded cove just 30 minutes north of Cairns lined with palm trees on the beach side and stately 500 year old melaleuca trees on the town side represented an idyllic holiday location for us now kid free adults. In those days the town side consisted mainly of old beach shacks, well weathered by the salty sea air and the rainy seasons humidity to a colourful distressed state. Investors had begun moving in on the sleepy mainly residential town, times where a changing. The village centre located on the esplanade, consisted of a group of colourful timber clad buildings that surrounded an elevated plaza accessed by stairs, all very Caribbean in character. Today the village still exists in much the same format that Jim and Shirley would have no trouble in recognising. Now though gone are the beach front shacks, one by one they gave into the pressure of big money and the inability to meet the ever increasing property taxes, just a few hold outs now remain, replaced by sophisticated holiday apartments, with a slightly Moroccan Mediterranean feel. The big corporate hotels are absent here, but a few smaller chains exist. The local authorities have restricted new buildings to just four levels preventing a Gold Coast like expansion and helping to retain the towns charm. Rain-forested hills form a backdrop to the west of the town, a feature of the Cairns and Northern beaches landscape they descend down to the sea in numerous locations around Cairns. As well as stretching north along the coast, growing ever thicker as you travel up the Captain Cook Highway to Cooktown and the tip of Cape York. Today many more restaurants line the beach front esplanade of Palm Cove, it is good to see them thriving again after the last few torrid years, but no pubs, not that there isn’t at least one tucked a away in a corner of the town, after all what would an Aussie town be without its local pub.The local surf club though does score a beachside location, an institution in any Australian coastal town, this one operates its own bar and grill, catering for a range of tourists from young marrieds to seniors like us, profits going to maintain local surf life saving in the township. The overall feeling is one of a relaxed holiday atmosphere, where one can feel the soft warm air on your skin, take in the ocean breezes and enjoy the blue ocean and the golden sands. All the elements that come together to spell HOLIDAY in big capital letters. Take a walk down the esplanade, the holiday mood is all pervasive, a good meal, coffee or ice-cream can be had anytime of the day and at night raucous teenagers are absent and the little ones safely tucked up in bed. Perfect for us grumpy old men and women. All that being said the village is full of life with the constant turnover of local tourists, (overseas ones are yet to return), the extensive caravan park is constantly full replenished with a steady flow of grey nomads weary from their wanderings seeking a few days and nights of rest and recuperation.

In the spirit of the town our days have mostly consisted of reading and relaxing by the pool during the day and trying out new restaurants by night. Feel like people watching, then take a stroll down the esplanade to soak up the atmosphere.

Helen and Howard had arrived not long after us and settled into the caravan park. From then on we shared many an enjoyable evening meal exploring new or old restaurants or home BBQ’s even a memorable lunch after visiting Port Douglas, in the tree tops at the Thala resorts Osprey restaurant over looking Pebbly Beach and the Coral Sea. Helen and Howard have now left their space in the Caravan park that quickly filled, they tried desperately to stay on for a few more days, but no travellers had a mind to give up their precious spot. They planned to travel further into the Australian Outback, exploring the isolated towns between the Coral Sea Coast and Alice Springs along their way. Eventually they will turn south again to return home.

A local resident gave us a tip about the Cairns Dam, when built the result created a man made lake, now known as Lake Morris reservoir. The reservoir services Cairns and surrounding districts sitting in the mountains to the west of Cairns. Now, I use the term mountains reservedly as Australia’s mountains are more akin to tall hills than mountains found in the the rest of the world. At 403 metres or 1322 feet it is a 15 Kilometre narrow windy drive through lush tropical rainforest to the reservoir and dam known locally as as Copperlode Dam. The site for the reservoir although discovered by Frank Morris who surveyed the area on foot in 1935 wasn’t built until 1976. The original site contained a large waterfall known locally as Copperlode Falls, hence the name of the dam and resulting Lake. The views from the summit are breathtaking as they look west to Cairns city taking in a panorama of rain-forested mountains and as far as Green Island in the Coral Sea. We sat and ate our picnic lunch in the picnic grounds overlooking Lake Morris, no road or construction noise reached us here from the city, the only sounds the occasional bird call on the whispering breeze disturbed the absolute silence and peacefulness of the site.

Kylie, our grandchildren Krystal and Tyson with partners Ken and Bronni arrived today. Great Grandchild Lincoln experiences his first plane ride at 10 months old how life has changed. We picked them up from the Cairns airport and have them settled into their hotel at the southern end of the esplanade an easy 15 minute walk from our rented house on the northern end of town. We will gather here tonight for a BBQ before meeting up again tomorrow to travel 26 kilometres by slow train to the rainforest town of Kuranda, every 50 metres we will travel the elevation rises one metre. Kuranda is an arty little rain forest tourist town up on the Atherton tablelands. Mostly a market town with locally made hand crafted products and indigenous artwork, with the occasional cafe and novelty shop thrown in. The train ride will be a trip down memory lane for Krystal and Tyson having experienced the trip in 2005. The return trip by cable car, quicker but much more exhilarating will also awake memories of the past I’m sure. They all have seperate and joint adventures planned for the days ahead, we look forward to catching up with them at various times to hear about their adventures. For us we have plans to visit the Cairns Botanical gardens, a tropical paradise for plant lovers like us, who can only dream about a tropical garden and the colourful exotic species that abound here. The Aquarium also in Cairns is on our list, as the attraction has had a major upgrade and move of location, no longer the funky little country tourist spot it used to be. With the many international visitors over past years competition and Cairns unique spot on the Great Barrier Reef has mean’t aiming for an elevated level of sophistication. Now the Aquarium is home to more than 16,000 Aquatic Animals, in 9 Key Ecosystems, across 11 Zones.

In fourteen days we will be back on the road again exploring more of the Capricornia coast line before once again heading into the Outback for our trip home. Stay tuned we will be back.

August 14th 2022

This morning once again brings a glorious sunrise to start the day in Townsville. A few more photo’s are irresistible.

The view from the tenth floor of our hotel is a big plus, whereas the unloading and loading of the car from this altitude is a definite minus. After our homemade breakfast of fruit and granola in our room we start the packing ready for an early take off. The hotel is pretty well fully automated, we haven’t seen a single employee for the two day stay. Someone crept in and serviced the room during the day and we drop our key into the human contact free checkout box as we depart. The last leg of our journey north is 375 kilometres, with an estimated arrival about 1.30pm in Palm Cove. The terrain becomes more and more tropical with rainforest that covers any areas not cultivated with sugar cane, mountains that always remind me of Hawaii, green and lush telling a story of increased rainfall and humidity. We pass through the Paluma Range National Park to the west whilst the Coral sea is to our east. The towns are neat and tidy, the first, Ingham a reasonably large community of 4500 people founded around 1870 as a most suitable place to grow sugar cane, the first mill established in 1872. In those early days the work force consisted of south sea islanders contracted for 3 years, paid just 6 pounds a year.

Another National Park looms ahead to our west as we travel on towards Cardwell, the Girringun National Park, is one of this areas wet tropics world heritage parks and is an official World Heritage Site. Hinchinbrook Island is just off the coast to the east forming part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the island is the largest on the Great Barrier Reef also the largest Island National Park in Australia. By the time we reach Cardwell a comfort stop beckons, we spot a small park with public facilities but when we drive in it is much bigger than first anticipated. And very popular, with hardly a car parking space available. The park is right on the ocean front with a narrow sandy beach with waves lapping at the shoreline. Hinchinbrook Island visible across the strait. The reason for the parks popularity is soon evident, there are several pop up food vans one selling coffee and muffins, one selling various hot foods and one specialising in pies, Queenslanders it seems love savoury pies. since arriving in the sunshine state we have increasingly noticed the abundance of pie shops or bakeries advertising pies of assorted ingredients. Even the United Fuel Stations are called “Pie Face” followed by the town name. A curiosity that had us wondering up until now. Our stop involves the bare minimum with us soon on the road again. Cardwell is indeed a beautiful little township with a definite holiday vibe about it. Population about 1300 the town sits on the edge of the Cardwell State Forest. Amanda notices a street market along the town beach front, Can we, can we she asks pleadingly can we stop to take a look a little closer on our return trip. Our next town is Tully that has the distinction of having the highest rainfall in Australia 4000mm per year, compared to Stirling’s 1100mm. One of the contributing factors towards the high rainfall is the towns location between two Mountains Mt. Tyson and Mt. Mackay.

Sugar cane, sugar cane, sugar cane, the cane fields completely dominate the landscape for this part of the journey along the Cassowary Coast. A Cassowary is a large flightless rain forest bird found only in the northern parts of Queensland.

As we approach Innisfail banana plantations start to appear, also extensive, spreading out over hectares, with the fruit ripening under covers with aluminium foil tops and colourful fabric bottoms that are open to the air beneath. A colourful site as we head relentlessly north. Once we arrive at Innisfail we are in familiar territory. Innisfail is the largest town on the Cassowary Coast (Pop. 7250) and also is a high rainfall area. The town received world wide news coverage when cyclone Larry devastated the town and banana plantations in 2006. Leaving many homes destroyed and crops ruined. Innisfail is as far south as we have travelled from Palm Cove on any of our previous trips. At 116km south a round trip is a full day of sightseeing especially if travelling a loop through the Atherton Tablelands and returning via the coast on the Bruce highway where we are today.

After Innisfail we continue along the Bruce Highway passing through the town of Babinda, Mount Bartle Frere, the tallest mountain in Queensland at 1611 metres (5285ft) sits in the Wooroonooran National Park off to the west on the eastern edge of the Atherton Tablelands, a vast elevated plateau with a considerably cooler climate than down on the coast. From here we pass through the familiar town of Gordonvale before taking the ring route around Cairns to the Northern Beaches and our destination Palm Cove. We stop off to do a little shopping along the way, enough to tide us over for a few days to settle in, but arrive in good time. We unpack and settle into our accommodation here for our month long stay. The journey behind us, we can put our feet up and celebrate having made the journey without too many hiccups. Will sign off for now and settle on some plans for our adventures in Paradise, 28C and clear skies. Helen and Howard will join us on a few excursions, with Kylie, Grandkids with partners and Great Grandson Lincoln to arrive in two weeks for some great family fun in the sun time. To be continued…….

August 12th & 13th

A pink haze stretches out from the horizon as we look out over the Mackay Marina at the sunrise a little after our alarm as woken us at 6.30am the day is going to be beautiful the chill in the air is not as frosty as yesterday in Rockhampton. After breakfast at the hotel we pack the remainder of our bags, then make several trips via elevator from the 4th floor to once again load the car. By 9.00am we are on our way along the Bruce Highway headed for Townsville. Once again fields of sugar cane dominate the landscape, we pass by a refinery puffing clouds of white steam into the sky from the process. The air smells like candy floss, taking us both back to the days of our youth and the fairs we went to as children. The further north we travel the more tropical the landscape becomes, mango orchards with their hundreds of neatly planted and pruned trees are in blossom putting on a colourful display of peach patches that adorn the trees like ornaments on a Xmas tree.

Agave plants also are grown out here, mostly used for tequila production, if it involves alcohol than we Aussies find a way to produce it, The plantation stretches out into the distance. Our plan is to drive straight through today, we have plenty of healthy snacks and water to keep our energy levels up. When we checked out the hotel the manager advised us that the road from Proserpine to Bowen would be slow going as the construction company carrying out the roadworks began the work in several places over more than several locations then promptly went broke, leaving the state government with a mess to clean up and a find new contractor willing to do the work. Construction at the moment is fraught with disaster many have quoted low prices to obtain the work only to find the cost of materials has gone through the roof. Sending one by one to the wall. While travelling our son Troy calls us from Philadelphia, ostensibly to wish Amanda a happy birthday, we have to wonder at the technology that enables us to speak clearly with someone so far away while we are on a bush road in the wilds of tropical Queensland. When the phone system works it works well, but so often the system is unreliable even over just a few kilometres. Our chat sees us through a good thirty minutes of road time the traffic again is heavy until we reach Proserpine, this town is the gateway to Airlie Beach a jump off point for the Whitsunday islands. This brings back memories for me of sailing with Troy and Matt and Amanda’s dad Jim, on Shirley’s brother Bryan’s yacht to Hamilton island and White sands beach, where we swam with turtles in turquoise waters. Bryan moored his yacht at Airlie Beach from where we departed on this once in a lifetime adventure in 1986. Further north the road opens up and we are able to put on some good time, their are plenty of drivers always anxious to pass slow moving traffic. We too do not like to sit behind buses or road trains for too long but it’s a game of patience on these narrow roads with only the occasional overtaking lane that seem to be randomly placed. Bowen is our next comfort stop but we waste no time there, quickly back on the road.

We are making good time with about 125 kilometres to drive until we reach Townsville when without warning we come to a grinding halt, no roadwork signs alert us of a problem, all we can do is wait until we can move on again, after about twenty minutes the line of traffic behind us stretches for kilometres, a curious young girl from somewhere behind us walks by she is off to find the cause of our stoppage. Meanwhile our bladders are yearning for some release fortunately we have stopped on a low bridge over a dry creek called Arrow Creek. I decide to take a walk under the bridge for some relief. Amanda wants to on hold on for awhile until we discover the cause of the problem. Our young scout returns to tell us bad news indeed, ahead an accident has occurred, a triple fatality, it will be several hours before the necessary services arrive to record the accident and remove the vehicles and very sadly the occupants. We can’t move forward although there are other roads to or destination they are distant and remote, a few drivers turn around to go back but most can only sit out the long wait, like many others we too have to respectfully wait it out. Amanda once hearing this news decides to use the creek, that I now rename Piddle Creek as I am sure many more will be using its services over the coming hours. The hours pass by, as we read or talk with other travellers, with no change in the situation, news filters in from the front that our wait could be as long as 6 hours, we chat to the motorists nearby some are going to Townsville like us, but other Queenslanders are going to a dinner with friends or attending a wedding. Still others are on a tourist transfer bus to Cairns to go diving, or other activities and one young man from Brazil is hoping catch an international flight to Bali the next day. There are delivery drivers and caravaners, truckers and travellers all stuck together in this moment.

Just as the sun goes down a local young farmer with his wife and child pass by they have access to the road via their farm gate, they are handing out capsicums (large red and green peppers) they have so many they are giving them away, too bad we have no use for them at the moment. Communication from the police is still non existent as the sun goes down in a ball of flame lighting up the sky to  the west, moments later a glorious full moon rises in the east.

Life goes on. As darkness descends news filters through that we should be moving  within the next 15 minutes, we arrived at 12.30pm and eventually slowly move off at 6.30pm. As we pass the scene we can see a road train off to our right where it eventually came to rest 20 meters off the side of the road, on a flatbed truck is the remains of a single vehicle crushed beyond recognition. There are 10 Kilometres of vehicle head lights ahead of us in a long line and just as many we imagine behind us. We finally make Townsville by 8.30pm, tired and hungry. We have an early start tomorrow as we are catching a whale watching boat like Captain Ahab and his wife we will go Whale hunting for our Moby Dick. The morning brings a beautiful sunset, orange light fills the sky over the ocean in front of our 10th story room on Townsville’s Strand.

The ocean is almost flat only small ripples move gently to shore, we have to double take for a moment as a group launch their outrigger canoes and upright surfboard paddlers, paddle along on the quiet ocean. Are we in Queensland or Hawaii? We are definitely in Queensland but the scene is very much Hawaiian. A short walk down The Strand on Townsville’s beach front, now quiet after last nights revellers are sleeping in, brings us to the Marina precinct. From there we find our way to our assigned wharf embarkation point, we have arrived early, find a bench on a grassy spot and wait for the boat to arrive. We have arranged to meet our friends Helen and Howard here to share this experience, our efforts to meet up with them last night for dinner didn’t pan out due to our traffic delayed problem yesterday and in Rockhampton the previous night we ended up on opposite sides of the city. This morning though we are sure to see them as we are both booked on this adventure

Our boat, the good ship Kalinda, soon arrives, as does Helen and Howard and the other 26 passengers. We have time for a short chat to to them about their journey too Townsville, but it is not long before the Captain calls us to order, we board the boat and set off into Cleveland Bay. Magnetic island sits just 8 kilometres off the Townsville shore to our north in recent years becoming effectively a suburb of Townsville with over two thousand residents, a ferry operates regularly between the town and the island. The islands size is approximately 52sq kilometres, mainly rocky and mountainous, 15sq kilometres is dedicated to National park. Captain James Cook named the island in 1770 when he experienced magnetic interference to his compass that he believed emanated from the island. No evidence found since could qualify his experience.

To the south of the bay is Cape Cleveland. Humpback whales are frequent visitors, after making the journey to Antartica to feed on enormous amounts of krill, they travel up the coast of Australia to the warmer seas to have their young, here they stay in sheltered bays where predators rarely visit to nurse their calves for a few weeks fattening them up for a return journey to the colder regions. We don’t have a great deal of expectations but it is not long before we see our first mother and calf. After a brief visit with them we pursue further sightings deeper out into the bay. The horizon offers up white plumes of water as whales breach the surface and crash back down into the small waves, we can see from a distance the occasional expulsion of water from the whales blowholes as they surface to take in air. Our pursuit is successful as we find ourselves in the midst of a pod, whales are surfacing all around us, typically rising and taking in air then, going back under the surface only to re-emerge a few seconds later, showing a dorsal fin and a large part of their upper body, before once again expelling water from their blowhole and diving a little deeper showing a tail briefly above the water as they dive.

We see mother and calves swimming side by side and a group of playful adolescents, rolling and showing a flipper. Again we can see larger breaching off on the horizon and the chase begins once more. This is the holy grail of whale watching, our Captain takes chase hoping to have us close enough to experience one of these breaching events. We venture deeper and deeper until we are out into the coral sea, but the whales are not interested in putting on public displays for our benefit. During a lull in activities I take a comfort break, from my precarious position in the rocking and rolling Head, I hear screeches of delight, not once but twice. Once back on deck Amanda lets me know I have missed the holy grail event. All in all we sight 22 Whales, the Captain tells us a record this season so far. At the start of the journey the Captain advised in the event that we did not find any whales as a fall back position we would sail to the eastern side of Magnetic Island. He had received reports of a large number of turtles sightings there and worth a look. Our pursuit of so many whales though put an end to that, not that anyone cared too much as we all said the trip after all is a whale watching one. The crew put on a great lunch of make yourself salad wraps, with many various ingredients to choose from with plenty of fresh fruit for desert. Freshly baked blueberry muffins came out for afternoon tea before we made our way back to shore. Arriving back at the Wharf at 3.30pm Helen and Howard join us for a drink at a local bar before heading back to their campsite. Another short stroll along The Strand finds us back at the hotel, we change and venture out again along The Strand, a promenade that stretches right along the beach front for 2.2km is lined with restaurants, hotels and apartments on the shore side a pathway and lawn on the seaside, with a water park for children, a swimming pool and an exercise park for adults with uniquely designed exercise equipment. There are also covered picnic areas and barbecues. A very popular place for walkers in the morning and party goers in the evening. Anyone visiting The Strand couldn’t help but be in a holiday mood. The restaurant we have in mind has filled up enormously since we passed by in the late afternoon, but we manage to score a table for two at an eating spot called Californian Taco. The meal is fresh and delicious, with many different taco ingredient combinations to choose from. We leave there tired but we’ll fed and well satisfied with the day. Tomorrow we reach our goal, Palm Cove.

August 11th 2022

This morning is Amanda’s Birthday since we don’t have far to travel we can afford to relax a little. The unpacking and repacking on a daily basis is a bit of chore reminding us why we like to go somewhere and stay put for awhile. Mackay is about 333 kilometres north of Rockhampton situated on the Coral Sea at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. The town is best known as the sugar capital of Australia producing more than a third of Australia’s sugar. Once we hit the road about 9.00am the open land continues with cattle stations, then moves into denser forested areas giving hints of the rain forests further north. There are number of State Forest’s along our route, Aricia, Eugene, Mount Buffalo, Glencoe, Collaroy, Rosedale and Kelvin but Sugar cane slowly becomes the prominent feature of the landscape the further north we travel. Sugar trains with long runs of linked cages full of harvested sugar cane snake their way through the fields making their way to the local refinery. We turn towards the east at a town called St. Lawrence (Population 235) that takes us to Clairview (Population 145) for our first glimpse of the Coral Sea. From there we travel inland again until we reach Mackay, the road doesn’t follow the coast exactly but there are plenty of signs pointing the way to secluded beaches and camp sites at varying distances off to the east as we travel, no doubt local surfers and off roaders know these sites well. Cape Palmerston National Park has amazing beaches that stretch for kilometres but for caravaners and campers only, no luxury hotels in this neck of the woods. The road, known as the Bruce Highway is a busy one between the two towns of Rockhampton and Mackay. The traffic is thick with all types of caravans, winnebago’s and four wheel drives towing trailers and pop up vans, we even spot and old converted bus towing a trailer. The grey nomads and the young international travellers are all on the road heading north this morning. The huge road trains that keep the area stocked with all the essentials manufactured down south are also on the road making the going a lot slower than we have experienced over the past days. Never the less after a couple of comfort stops we arrive in Mackay around 1.30pm, after refuelling, (I’ve switched to 98 octane my fuel usage as dropped now averaging about 1000 kilometres a tank) we look for our accomodation at the MacKay Marina Village, we’ve splashed out for Amanda’s birthday with a room over looking the marina and the coral sea.

Before dinner we take a stroll along the beach walk that runs along the development here, the beach is pristine against the blue of the Coral Sea. At the Marina end their is a small village of restaurants and pubs to service the local inhabitants, Boaties, Yachties and tourists that stay in the area. Right at the very end is a lighthouse, a curiosity that local people thought well worth saving.

The prefabricated lighthouse came to be constructed in 1885 on Pine Islet in the Coral Sea and part of the Percy Isles some 120km east south east of Mackay. After the Eastern and Australian Company’s steamship ‘Normanby’, en-route from Hong Kong to Brisbane, ripped her hull open on the then unknown and uncharted rock now known as (Pine Islet).
The Manned lighthouse operated for just on a century until 27th August 1985 when, as part of the Federal Government’s policy of automation and unmanning, the kerosene powered light, the last in existence in Australia had its light extinguished, but not for good. After strong lobbying to retain the historic structure in the region by locals they had their reward when the Federal Department of Transport in December 1986 agreed to transport the lighthouse from Pine Islet to Mackay.
After a lot of effort by a wide range of groups and individuals, the restoration of the lighthouse to full operational status came to fruition in late 1995. Formally opened on 20th January, 1996, However new plans for developing the marina site meant the lighthouse could not be opened for public viewing in its then location and another relocation had to be affected. Finally the plans for the marina upgrade became public and the lighthouse had to be relocated. It was not until September 2002 that the lighthouse again moved intact to its present site and once again shone its beam again on 29th December, 2002.

Lighthouse Facts
The Tower: Dimensions: 35 feet (10.7 metres) in height
15’4″ (4.67 metres) base diameter
11′ 6″ (3.51 metres) diameter at balcony
Construction: Timber frame, wrapped externally with rivet jointed iron plates bolted to an iron bed plate secured to bedrock with 1½” bolts.
The Light: Originally an oil wick burner lamp using whale or vegetable oil, this was replaced in 1923 with a silk mantle type 55mm incandescent kerosene vapour burner.
700mm focal radius catadioptric revolving lens with four fixed sections and four flash panels.
The rotation mechanism is clockwork, wound every two hours.
Power: Fixed White 22,000 candle power and Flash 209,000 candle power. Visibility: 21 Miles.
Significance: Pine Islet Lighthouse was the last operational kerosene light in Australia.

As we walk back to our hotel we notice the yachts in the marina, one stands out from all the others with the mast the tallest in the marina. On closer inspection we see it is the 100′ Super Maxi Black Jack that gained line honours the Sydney to Hobart Yacht raise in 2017.

We have finally reached the Coral coast and tomorrow we travel further north to Townsville for a two night stay, we will catch up with some friends also travelling north by caravan via a different route and go on a whale watching expedition. Stay tuned.

August 9th & 10th 2022

Our accommodation in Miles is a Great Western motel definitely a cut above our previous stays the room is spotlessly clean and well maintained. The chain motels always lack that little bit of quirkiness, that makes them a little sterile but we can’t have everything or can we! Well this is the best we have experienced so far, we always aim for a place with a little atmosphere or charm, there out there somewhere probably all in Tasmania, a state that does tourism so well. We wake again to clear skies but the temperature is freezing with a 1 degree start. Today we travel to Rockhampton, we can’t wait to start our journey along the Capricornia coast with our two night stay there.  Once on our way we travel north via the Leichhardt Highway through Gulaguba, Wandoan and Taroom. (love these town names). The German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt gave his name to this Highway, he is remembered for three extraordinary expeditions. In 1844 Leichhardt and his companions travelled nearly 5000 kilometres from the Darling Downs in south-east Queensland to Port Essington an old Norhern territory township that later became Darwin. The country side now is mostly open cattle country interspersed with small forested areas, there is plenty of Golden Wattle in bloom along the way adding a bright yellow burst of colour to the otherwise dull bush. We stop in Taroom for a rest stop, we have entered the Banana Shire, we can’t see that this is a banana growing area being still too far south but we will keep our eyes peeled maybe we will see a BIG Banana.

Once past the township of Taroom we enter rolling hills and can see off in the distance low mountains ahead and to the east and west. Amanda’s map tells us they are the Auburn range to the east and to west the Isla Gorge National Park the latter stretching away from the highway to the mountains we can see. Theodore is the next little town on the route as we enter we cross the Dawson River that is flowing strongly. There is a pull off point allowing us take a picture of the weir with its back drop eucalypts and Palm Trees. Entering the town we had noticed along the river banks native palm trees have sprouted and grown tall, following the course of the river. These are the first palm trees sighted, we are excited, as this means our tropical holiday is beginning.

Leaving Theodore we come across hectares of cotton fields as far as the eye can see, at first we wondered about the white fluffy balls along the roadside, then we twigged to cotton, none of the plants had cotton on them, obviously they had undergone recent harvesting. But now in various stages of growth from young and green to brown stubble they stretched for kilometres. It would seem that growing cotton in a dry and parched land is somewhat out of sync, but given the Great Artesian Basin then maybe not. As long as the resource is managed well, but we humans have a habit of stuffing these big issues up and two million years is a long time to wait for the Basin to refill.

The next town on the route is named Banana, the town the Shire is named after, this has us intrigued, we are in Banana Shire, but there are certainly no Banana plantations along the roadside. Turns out the name Banana derives from an old dun-coloured working bullock called Banana, used by local stockmen to help them when herding some of the wilder cattle into the yards. Originally Banana formed part of a much larger sheep station but in 1855 the out station gained its own lease. In 1887 a minor Gold-rush occurred here increasing the population by a few hundred but it is now a sleepy outpost, population 356. And to think we nearly went bananas looking for those plantations.

In the Darling Downs area it doesn’t rain a lot sometimes years the most recent drought lasted for seven years, but 2022 brought exceptional wet weather across Australia. When the skies do open up then the ground is inundated for 100’s of thousands of square miles/kilometres, the Darling river floods, along with many tributaries, river-lets and creeks. This inevitably leads to road closures, as we travel through the area we constantly see signs like this one pictured below advising of the road conditions ahead.

Along the way we always look for a pleasant place to stop and eat lunch, this time that place turned out to be Wowan, another sleepy town, population 216, their emblem the Bush Turkey a wild bird with a ferocious appetite for digging up all vegetation and consuming it, look out if you are a gardener in this town.

The buildings here, mostly timber clad are so old, the locals turn them into museums rather than knock them down and replace them. We find Wowan to be a lovely little town with some obvious care taken by the residents to present the town as a modern neat community. We look for the loo’s and find a picnic area close by where we can sit and have lunch in a small covered area with a picnic table, two palm trees are growing in the tiny lawned park, ideal. A memorial stone dedicates the park to the pioneers who founded the little town and thanks the Commonwealth government for funding it. The temperature has risen to 20C the breeze still has a chill in it but mostly stays calm while we enjoy our lunch.

We are now not far from our destination Rockhampton, once again we take to the road that is now a long switchback of ups and downs and curves making overtaking slower moving traffic impossible. We pass through two more towns Dululu and Westwood, there is coal mining in this area that has led to concerns about the loss of jobs for the locals as our move to reduce carbon emissions accelerates. At one point we drive parallel to a train line for awhile, trains hauling coal are running along the track, enormously long trains a kilometre long hauled by two diesel electric engines at the front and one in the middle and one at the back, simply huge. The trains are delivering coal directly to the Stanwell coal fired power station one of the most efficient in the country that we spotted off in the distance a few kilometres back. The trains also connect directly to Rockhampton Port where much of the coal is exported all over the world. Coal has become the lifeline for Rockhampton over the past 20 years bringing prosperity and growth, no wonder the population of many whom are associated with mining are facing the future with some trepidation.

Our accommodation is situated about 8 kilometres north of Rockhampton on the main highway to Mackay giving us the chance to drive through the centre of town and refuel. Rockhampton is a large town of about 89,000 people, situated on the Fitzroy river about 48k inland from the Coral Sea. The towns history goes back to British colonisation and is one of the oldest in Australia dating back to 1855 when the Archer brothers put in claim for a large portion of fertile land in the area. Naming the River after Sir Charles Fitzroy. The town officially proclaimed in 1858, within the year, gold was found at Canoona, and led to the first North Australian gold rush. This led to an influx of migrants who quickly transformed Rockhampton into the second-largest port in the state; during this period, Rockhampton gained the nickname the “City of the Three S’s”, “Sin, Sweat, and Sorrow”.

On arrival at the hotel/motel (the owners call it a resort), we are delighted that the restaurant is open, the room is spacious, clean and certainly adequate for our two night stay. We have provided for our own breakfasts so far but decide to have a restaurant breakfast the next morning, forcing us to make an early start, during dinner the previous night we laid our plans for the day to come. After breakfast the first stop is the Archer lookout at 604 metres above sea level we should have an excellent view of Rockhampton and surrounds. the drive is only 18 minutes from where we are staying at Parkhurst. Once again the day is glorious but a chilly start that has us in jumpers to start the day. Once we arrive and park we discover a small circuit that takes in the spectacular views from platforms that jut out into the tree tops.

The walk known as the Nurim circuit is only 940 metres long with a children’s playground in the centre. The walk is set in the beautifully manicured grounds, of Fraser Park among grass trees and lawn areas with picnic tables but we just about have the site all to ourselves this morning.

We can see for kilometres from the lookouts but there isn’t a graphic of the scene with identifiers of significant places. Amanda spots a couple with a child and engages them in conversation to ascertain some of the local places of significance, turns out the couple have just moved to Rockhampton after spending 20 years on the popular Queensland Sunshine coast. The father of the child instigated his return to Rockhampton, returning to the place he grew up. The motivation that his mother lived here and that house prices on the Sunshine Coast had escalated so high that they could no longer afford to buy a house there. With five children they needed a large home. This is a common story now in Australia all across the country people are moving out of cities to more rural areas mainly for economic reasons. This is working for far more people since working from home during Covid proved a resounding success. As it worked out a perfect couple to explain the scene laid out in front of us. He had also travelled extensively to the UK and the USA leading to a quite a conversation about travel.

The land here is known by the Aborigines as Nunthi Land the Fitzroy River, as Tanuba that literally translated means “Big River” and formed a prominent feature of their culture. Barramundi fish can be found in the river, about as far south as they survive naturally. The aboriginals call the fish Buddamoonde meaning fish with “Big Scales”. Crocodiles also exist in the river known as Dakani by the local Darumbal clans.

Our next stop is the Rockhampton Botanical Gardens about 30 minutes south of Mt Archer. Tropical gardens are always a favourite full of exotic plants that we wish we could grow down south in the Adelaide Hills. Plants with plenty of strong colour in foliage and flower. When we arrive we stop off at the information centre for a map and then we are on our way around the gardens first established in 1873. They sit on a site of 70 hectares of which 30 hectares is under cultivation. The gardens are a national treasure, heritage listed in 1999. We discover that the main claim to fame is the age of some of the trees planted all those years ago. Kauri and Banyan trees over 100 years old.

A War Memorial (Cenotaph) forms the centre piece with a Japanese garden, a Tropical Fruit Arboretum a flowering tree lawn and a Colonial Experimental Garden.

All adjacent to a lagoon that is named in two parts, The Murray Lagoon and The Yeppen Lagoon, the lagoon is full of bird life, Moorhens, Ibis, Spoonbills and Ducks around 60 species visit the lagoon during a typical year. There is a pontoon that acts as a bird hide, jutting out into the lagoon often used by bird photography enthusiasts. The Murray Lagoon has played an important role in Rockhampton’s history since European settlement in 1853. During the 1860’s Murray Lagoon developed into a popular bathing spot for all members of the community. James Scott Edgar, the first curator of the Botanic Gardens, took advantage of this and between 1873 and 1874, removed mud, cleared weeds, and imported fine sand to replicate a beach like environment for bathing. Edgar also installed a springboard for diving where one could plunge into 10 feet of water, and a diving pontoon in the middle of the Lagoon in the deeper water. Due to its remote location, men originally used the lagoon for nude bathing however, after some time, Edgar planted a stand of bamboo as a screen so that women could also enjoy the bathing facilities. The only evidence of those times is the stands of bamboo that have survived to this day.

The gardens are just so peaceful that after a good walk around we sit on a bench overlooking the lagoon just listening to the bird sounds and watching the antics of the Ibis and Spoonbills as they migrate to a stand of trees on the other side of the lagoon for a midday nap. We finish off the day with a late lunch at the tea house, eaten under the magnificent shady Banyan Fig Tree pictured. The food a low point but such a delightful setting that all is forgiven. While we eat Rainbow Lorikeets entertain a Grandpa and Grandma with their three grand children, the Lorikeets doing their best to entice the children to part with some of their ice cream. All in all a fun day out, time to head back to the Resort for an early night, we drive to Mackay tomorrow.

PS Don’t forget if you can’t see the photo’s go to the comments section at the bottom of the post and click on that, you should then be able to see the pictures. Haven’t figured this out just yet, hope this work around works for you. Please comment.

Cheers Tony & Amanda

8th August 2022

This mornings sunrise is a cracker, Amanda reports that bands of orange, red and pink wash into the sky from the horizon pushing back the darkness, banishing the stars, by the time we pack the car the sky again is pristine blue and the air crisp after morning dew. Apart from the wind the weather has treated us well on our journey so far. Perfect temperatures for travelling and the limited sightseeing we have done so far. Once again the skies are clear but there is a distinctive nip in the air. No need to hurry this morning the days drive to Miles is relativity short 461km. We stop at an IGA to pick up a few lunch items and right next door is one of Charleville’s attractions the Historic House Museum built in 1889 at a cost of £2049.

The building originally acted as the town’s first bank, the Queensland National Bank. The building painted red and cream and built inside out on the front facade, that is the frame in the form of cross members is on the outside and the interior walls are clad with timber planks. The building is raised above the ground on timber logs allowing airflow underneath. The structure now houses memorabilia of domestic and commercial significance including phones and switchboards from past years; old gramophones with music from past centuries, kitchenware, old bottles and appliances, hurricane lamps and much much more.

The memorabilia doesn’t stop inside the house in the back yard are sheds with old sulkies a Cobb & Co coach a steam engine and a really unusual oddity an ambulance that ran on railway tracks.

THE CHARLEVILLE RAIL AMBULANCE
Before the outback roads became all weather surfaces, in wet weather motor traffic between the towns of Charleville, Morven, Cunnamulla and Quilpie became impossible. Road Ambulances could not travel, hindering the ability to pickup injured patients and transporting them to Hospital. Ten rail ambulances operated in Queensland to cope with these conditions, each painted ambulance yellow with a canvas hood, and with prominent red crosses, a welcome sight in the far west of the state if you had urgent need of one. They would be operated by a qualified a Railway Department Driver accompanied by an Ambulance officer. After a fatality in Quilpie in the early 1920’s, the local medical doctor in Charleville asked for the purchase of a Rail Motor Ambulance in 1922.
Gardner of Enoggera built the ambulance body on an English Standard chassis manufactured by Coventry Motor Company of England, and delivery of a new Rail Ambulance took place seven years later in Charleville during December 1929. The ambulance had a 10h.p Standard engine, had a length of 15ft. 6 inches and a width of 7ft. 8 inches.The ambulance managed a maximum speed of 20 m.p.h (32 k.p.h.) on a straight road at first, but this for safety reasons had to be reduced to 15mph in 1935, and 6mph on curves. Amazingly it continued service until 1956 and is now restored and on display.

After an hour of poking around this fascinating house of treasures we decide we best move on to our first stop Morven along the Warrego Way heading due west to Miles.

At first the landscape is fairly well forested and dry looking but as we enter sheep and cattle country the taller vegetation thins out and plains that stretch to the horizon takeover, then again as we pass through Tregole National Park the density of more substantial trees and shrubs becomes more prevalent. Morven is a don’t blink or you’ll miss it town. We barely slow down and we are through it. This leg of the journey seems devoid of any wild life, no more goats or Emu’s instead large Prickly Pear plants dot the side of the road. As we pass the Mulga Bup (Pub) we are reminded that we are in Mulga country, Mulga refers to a type of wood common in outback Australia, the indigenous people used the timber as a vital resource. Banjo Patterson a famous Australian Poet used the term Mulga in the bush ballad Mulga Bill’s bicycle a humorous story about an outback man that when faced with increased cost of feed for his horse brought a bicycle (as many did in those days) only to abandon it in a creek after not coping well with the new fangled contraption. Eventually the term “Mulga” came to signify the outback.

The next town along the way is Mitchell founded in 1864 it has a rich history in sheep and cattle farming, the town also has a spa that bubbled up from the Great Artesian Basin, many of the towns in this Western Downs area rely on the water from the Basin for everyday use. The hotel we stayed at in Charleville used this water supply and we can attest that it does have a slight odour but tastes great is soft and is delivered to the tap slightly warm. We stop in Mitchell to take a few photo’s of the Bottle Trees and architecture then move on to Roma the next town along the Warrego Way before stopping for lunch. As the road is a main link to Brisbane we start to see a build up in traffic, a lot more Road Trains, often towing one or two trailers making them very long vehicles indeed.

Roma is the largest of the towns in the area with about 6000 people, acting as the main service centre in the region since 1900 when miners found natural gas here, making it a central point. As with the other towns along the Warrego Way, cattle, sheep and grain growing dominate the industry here.

We stop for one of our in car picnic lunches, either the wind or flies have kept us inside at lunch times so the car has become a “Dining car” We are staying in Roma on our way home and will have a closer look on our return. Looking at the GPS we can’t help but wonder at all the town names in the district. some examples Bargunyah, Muckadilla, Bindebang, Noorindoo, Wallumbilla, Dulacca.

Moving on along the highway our destination for the night is Miles, we pass through Yuleba State Forest and again the landscape becomes heavily forested, we arrive at Miles at 3.30pm. We have used only half a tank of fuel since leaving Charleville but fuel up for the next days travels to Rockhampton. We check in to our hotel to find the restaurant closed, the chef has cut a finger badly the night before and is unable to work. One of our must haves for the trip, not having to search for a restaurant every night is a dismal failure, so far we have eaten at two pubs a bowling club and an RSL, tonight we make our own after a trip across the road to the local IGA, grocery store, to be continued………

PS, we have had some reports that readers can’t see the pictures if you are unable to view them scroll to the comments section at the bottom of the post and click on that, the pictures should appear above the comments section. Cheers Tony

August 7th 2022

Amanda is determined to have an early start for our trip to Charleville tomorrow and so we set the alarm for 6.30am, I don’t tell her that the drive is any easy one only 454 kilometres. She has misread the itinerary, thinking we have another 600 Kilometre ahead of us. As a result we are up early and on our way by 8.00am first stop Cunnamulla. By 9.30am we have crossed the Queensland border.

The landscape has changed little from yesterday, but the goats must be New South Welshman as the numbers dwindle when we cross the border. We see our first Kangaroos, again thankfully behind property fences but Emus become the predominant wild life with many grazing in paddocks on both sides of the road. The abundance of rain is very evident creating pools and swampy conditions along the roadside sometimes stretching into the countryside as far as we can see, in some areas there is evidence that water has covered the road but is now clear. At the Bourke visitors centre we found that quite a few roads out of town could not be travelled on until cleared of water and debris. The result is a landscape that becomes greener all the way to the border. Once across the border we drive through drier topography that lacks the colour of the previous days travel. the weather today is sunny but somewhat cooler. Continuing on though the green once again comes through and vast plains open up with cattle and sheep on both sides of the road. There are some big stations out here running cattle and sheep as well as Emu’s by the numbers we see.

In good time we arrive in Cunnamulla, famous for Sheep and Water. Cunnamulla sits in the midst of the Great Artesian Basin that sustained Aboriginals for thousands of years and became key to opening up this area for sheep wool production. Early European explorers identified this great resource and soon drilled new wells that brought forth springs of water to support the sheep and cattle industry outback Australia became famous for in the early days of the 20th century. Approximately 22 percent, an area of over 1.7 million square kilometres beneath the arid and semi-arid parts of central eastern Australia encompassing parts of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory sit above this vast resource. The water takes almost two million years to travel from its starting point at the Great Dividing Range to where it surfaces in the deserts of central Australia. The water was so plentiful that in 1898 a small town nearby called Thargomindah became only the third town in the world after Paris and London to produce hydro-electric power for street lighting. Early days saw the resource plundered but a much more measured approach is being taken in these times, until at least we fully understand how the system works and replenishment occurs.

Cunnamulla is a neat and tidy outback town with plenty of charm, its a Sunday so not much is open but we have a good look around and learn something of the district.

In the centre of town outside the Shire building is a bronze statue of the Cunnamulla Fella, a fictional figure featured in a song by the now passed famous Australian Country and Western singer Slim Dusty.

The centre of town features a gazebo and a rose garden. The rose pictured had the most magnificent perfume.

A pristine white fountain obviously well maintained takes pride of place in Cunnamulla’s town centre in memory of the Great War of 1914-18 a reminder of the sacrifice young men from the districts of Warrego and Paroo made in that conflict. A feature of the Great War showed how the innate bushcraft of the Queensland outback stockmen became put to valuable use with the Light Horse Brigade that served in desert warfare at that time.

Once again we head off to complete the days journey to Charleville, I have now broken the news to Amanda that we haven’t that far to travel today, so we make a pact to continue with the early mornings. We stop off at a roadside rest stop for our picnic lunch at a place called Wyandra about 100 kilometres south of Charleville. The landscape has once again changed to more of a low forest with the silvery blue/green foliages trees again a dominant feature, we pass through areas that can sustain the larger red river gums a testament to the amount of water locked away in the subsoil. A flock of about 50 Galah’s rise into the sky in front of us, a soft grey cloud that turns pink as their underbellies become visible when they wheel in unison away from us into the blue.

We finally arrive at Charleville, fill up with fuel, I am starting to find it hard to buy Premium Unleaded 95 Octane so have to fill up with Ultra Unleaded 98 Octane, the car might love it but our wallet isn’t at $2.26 a litre. We then go onto our accommodation, the room is compact (a nice word for tiny) but has everything we need for a one night stay, at least there is no singing toilet. The Restaurant at the Motel is closed being Sunday, and we are directed to the local RSL Club. The Returned Soldiers Clubs are the mainstay of social life in small country towns, they offer gambling, mostly KENO, Slot Machines and Horse Racing as well as a Restaurant (Bistro) and bar. We settle for a basket of seafood pub style, nothing fancy but enough to sustain us for another twenty four hours.

Tomorrow we will take a look around Charleville before making our way east to Miles. The night sky here is spectacular so much so that there is a Cosmos centre that offers stargazing experience as well as a Solar telescope enabling close up viewing of the sun and solar flares. To be Continued……..

August 5th & 6th 2022

Accommodation at the Broken hill outback resort is situated 14km outside Broken Hill on the main highway to Wilcannia, Cobar and Bourke. The resorts web pages have a romantic view of campfires and outback pub atmosphere much suited to the adventure traveller. I found the room a little tired, red dust had stained everything and although clean just gave it a tired look but Amanda always the practical one found it more than adequate, it did have kitchenette, although small and even a leather sofa in front of a flat screen tv, a coffee table and plenty of wardrobe space all contained within a very small area. The building forms a long line of rooms raised off the ground, with steps to a  wooden walkway that gives access to your room. Underneath the timber framed building is obviously not insulated our delicate feet, not used to walking on cold floors gave up a little yelp as we visited the bathroom in the wee hours of the morning. The resort is popular, contains a pub within it, there is very little lighting as we walk the 100 or so meters over to the building that houses the reception, bar and restaurant. Amanda uses her phone to light the way, as we walk through the caravan park that sits in front of our room. Soft light emanates from the caravans adding to the outback campsite charm. The pub is busy, not one mask insight and we have forgotten ours, it offers all kinds of pub style food, pasta, pizza, steaks even Nasi goreng and a chicken korma, we go for a veggie deluxe pizza that features a heap of pumpkin, it’s big like everything out here, slightly underdone, the staff are busy, the kitchen is overrun with orders I notice one patron sending back his meal to be further cooked, Amanda asks for another glass of Chardonnay the bar maid pours a quarter of a glass and tells me they have run out, the quarter glass is on the house she says, I think she means she’s run out of that brand but no, Amanda has drunk the pub dry of Chardonnay.  On our way back to our room we look up at the stars, the Milky Way shines in all its glory as billions of stars have filled the now midnight blue dome from horizon to horizon in a 360 degree plane, a magnificent sight after the mostly cloud filled skies of a Stirling winter. 

It’s morning the expansive outback sky a pale blue fading to white with clouds at the horizon is still there when we wake, Amanda sees her first sunrise in awhile watching the darkness make way for a watercolour wash of pink and pale blue grow to cover the inside of our big sky. Time to have breakfast and make our way to Bourke some 602 kilometres away. Broken Hill although in New South Wales is set on South Australian time, we set our clocks forward by 30 minutes making it 9.30am when we leave. We turn on to the highway the GPS advises for the next 451 Kilometres ahead, keep straight on.  Our fist stop is Wilcannia 197 kilometres away the landscape is low scrub but the colours are vibrant after the recent rains, sage, rust, charcoal, olive and gold feathery topped grasses, with a touch of purple here and there that could be Salvation Jane or in NSW known as Patersons curse, all on a backing of terracotta earth. There is water pooled on the side of the road in places, remarkably the feral goats are ever present grazing in small groups or just Mum and kids, occasionally we see the larger Billy goat males with a variety of Horn shapes twisted into different configurations. A stretch of road that goes on for tens of kilometres is lined with golden straw coloured grasses that form a contrast between the black asphalt and the multi coloured scrub beyond. We reach Wilcannia, stopping for a quick look around, the town is well past its glory days remnants of the original settlers buildings still exist but are badly weathered by the red dust and baking sun. Wilcannia is on the Darling river that has recently flooded all along its length some 1472km, we try to find a park where we can view the river, turning off when we see a riverside caravan park. The park is abandoned recently flooded, I can just see the top of a riverside park bench sticking out of the water.

We make our way back to the road for the next leg, Cobar, an old copper mining town. The GPS says turn left on Barrier highway and keep straight on for 241 km. There are many opportunities to stop along the way at rest spots for truckers and travellers alike, with varying facilities ranging from none to  picnic tables, water tanks and outback loos. We stop at one such spot around 12.30pm for a cuppa and some picnic lunch. The wind that followed us yesterday still persists and although it is a warm 20c the wind quickly chills. There are a few travellers at the stop with four wheel drives towing a variety of high clearance caravans behind them that are suitable for off road adventures. One by one they come and go, then it is our turn to hit the black top once again. We are small and fast cutting through the wind the caravans slow and cumbersome as they fight the sometimes buffeting cross currents. The landscape continues to change, sometimes rocky, at times two metre silvery leaved mop topped bushes take over. In one area that stretches for kilometres these bushes look manicured, with taller conical shaped trees behind them it is as if we have entered a vast park, lush green low growing vegetation covers the ground looking freshly mowed. The feral goats have pleached the bushes making the trunks bare of foliage and of a uniform height. The sight is quite beautiful and completely natural. The only other wild life we see apart from the feral goats are emus usually thankfully inside the property fence line, one sighting is of a dad and his chicks now almost grown to his own height (Emu dads perform the task of hatching and raising of the chicks) they are much lighter in colour than their parent, as we pass they seem to stretch their necks skyward towards their father no doubt still looking for an easy feed. A lizard scampers across the road in front of us as quick as a flash and disappears into the scrub on the opposite side of the road. We reach Cobar and stop off to refresh, we will be travelling this way our on way back to take a look around.

Back on the road as we now head north again, the afternoon sun always low in the sky at this time of the year creates a magical light casting long shadows across the road from the taller trees along the roadside. The Cumulus clouds have slowly increased in number and size as the day has progressed sometimes casting large shadows. The temperature has remained fairly constant throughout the day at around 20 degrees. We will be Back ‘o’ Bourke around 4.30pm NSW time.  Bourke is so remote that the name became inshrined in Australian slang, synonymous with the outback, any one referring to a remote outback place would just say Back ‘o’ Bourke. In the late 1890s Bourke was a major inland port for wool. At its peak, the Bourke Wharf had three steam driven cranes handling 40,000 bales of wool a year. This was shipped down the Darling to ports in South Australia and Victoria, then sent by rail to Adelaide and Melbourne for local textiles and export. Following the advent of irrigation on farms in the 1880s, cotton, citrus fruits and wheat were also shipped by paddle steamers. The paddle steamers used massive amounts of timber, sourced from the riverbank to fuel boilers for power, causing a long-term reduction in habitat for animals and riverbank stability. They were also responsible for large-scale removal of fallen trees (snags) from the river to improve river navigation.

We arrive in Bourke around 4.30pm our accomodation is the aptly named Bridge Inn as its sits adjacent to the original steel and timber bridge across the Darling river opened in 1883.

The bridge looks very much abandoned, hopefully it will feature as a tourist attraction at some future more prosperous time.

The accomodation actually situated on Bogan Street (we tried not to hold this against them) is quaint painted burgundy and cream hinting at its existence in some earlier time period. Fairly spacious but lacking some mod cons like a wardrobe. It does have a certain charm but I have to admit there are some drawbacks, a few light bulbs missing here and there and a singing toilet, yes when you flush it lets out a long mournful wail for more than a few seconds.

Dinner is at the Bourke Bowling Club we are not members but are reliably informed they serve the best Chinese in town, the only Chinese in fact. The sky is red with a magnificent fiery sunset as as we make our way to dinner, we booked for an early meal and arrive on time, parking on the road outside, angle parking only boot to the curb, apparently that’s they way they park in Bourke. The food is great, we haven’t had Chinese for a long time preferring authentic rather than westernised versions. This is westernised food but extremely fresh and delicious, after some entrees of Spring Rolls, Dim Sims we have Honey Prawns and Lemon Chicken.

This morning after breakfast we drop by the visitors centre to see if they can add any words of advise as to the sites of Bourke. We had planned to take a ride on the little paddle steamer Jandra but the boat is unable to sail in waters over 7 metres with the recent floods the level rose well in excess of that height, although receding the water had still not dropped enough to enable the steamer to launch, unfortunately we will miss this treat.

We decide to take a walk around town to the historic Port Bourke where the old wharf still stands and along the riverbank. Red tailed, Black cockatoos are every where making a raucous noise we observe them swooping around the tree tops on the river bank.

In town itself there are a few historical buildings, the Lands Department and Courts are of exceptional design, a lot of thought went into keeping them cool in the long hot outback summers long before the time of air conditioning. Also the Post Office, and London Bank now a Guest House.

After another simple homemade picnic lunch we take a look at a mural painted on a water tank, painting on country town silo’s has become quite a thing but this is slightly different. Painted by Lightening Ridge artist John Murray on a disused water tower, the murals subject is Percy Hobson the first Indigenous athlete to win a gold medal at a Commonwealth games, the achievement took place in 1962 at the Perth Commonwealth games. Aged 20 he cleared 6′ 11″ (2.11m) setting a new Games record.

Last stop the historic cemetery, the last stop for townsfolk of all denominations since pioneering days. Laid to rest here are Afghan Camel drivers, bush poets, a policeman shot by Captain Starlight, a notorious bush ranger and many too young pioneers that became victim of the age they lived in. Fred Hollows the acclaimed eye surgeon is also buried here known world wide for returning eyesight to the poor and underprivileged in the world notably Australian aborigines, but also in poorest parts of Africa, Nepal and many third world countries.

Dinner tonight is at the Port of Bourke Hotel, the usual pub fare very outback country with lots of characters. The steak appeals so we choose a rump, with salad and chips. On the subject of meat, the locals have made an industry out of the explosion of feral goats in the area after the 7 year drought, thankfully goat wasn’t on the menu, we would enjoy it but not so much after seeing so many on this trip. The meat is mainly exported to the USA a large Billy can bring up to $500.00 a head, believe us when we say there are millions of dollars walking around out there manicuring the roadside.

Tomorrow we drive to Charleville 613km north, situated in South East Queensland.