Mount Isa again - Monday 23 - Friday 27 June
Well, the 200kms of corrugated, dusty road was not as much fun on the way back out (it never is), but we did stop at the Riversleigh Site D Fossil area, the Riversleigh Fossil Site is World Heritage listed and one of the most significant fossil deposits in the world. The D Site is the only area accessible to the public of this area, some of the fossils found date back 25 million years!
The Mount Isa Show was on during the weekend while we were at Lawn Hill and as we headed back into town we saw them all heading out, looks like we'll be travelling with the carnies.
We had to spend the week in Mount Isa waiting for some money to clear so we could stock up before heading into NT. A looooong week, thank god we had our friends Carol and Brendon here, don't know what I would have done if they weren't here.
Worth mentioning in Isa is the Irish Club (biggest in the world) and Tourism Centre (best in the world).
We are looking forward to hitting the road again tomorrow and heading towards Darwin.
Friday, June 27, 2008
An oasis......
Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park - Thursday 19 June to Sunday 20 June
Lawn Hill Gorge is absolutely spectacular and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who has an extra three weeks to drive out here from the coast!
Carol and Brendan have canoes, so the next morning they set off for a paddle and were lucky enough to see a big freshwater crocodile in the water, in fact Carol and Brendon saw Emus on the drive out, a freshwater crocodile and feral pigs on the trip while all we managed was some cows and a turtle.
Carol and Brendon in canoes at Adeles Grove
Tubing at Adeles Grove
Brendon and I were the only ones brave enough to swim to the pontoon at Adeles Grove
We had picked up a brochure on Lawn Hill and saw that there were some walks one of which was a cave shelter and indigenous artwork so we set out in the afternoon to go on the walks, all seemed fine, we went over the bridge, we turned right, there were no signs which we thought odd, we ventured back to the office to get another copy of the maps (as we had left ours back at the campsite) Brendon went back to the campsite to get more beer, we walked some more (in circles) Hutchy went back to the campsite to get more beer, and after about two hours we realised that the maps pertained to the Lawn Hill Gorge camping ground, not the one we were staying at. We decided that we would go to Lawn Hill the next day to do the walks.
We had a lovely dinner (of prawn curry with the frozen prawns given to us at Groper Creek) and a roaring campfire, and the next morning set out for Lawn Hill Gorge. We did the walks, the caves and artwork were amazing as is the Gorge, and then hired a three seater canoe for Hutch, Jess and I, and set off up the gorge, had a great afternoon. To do both Upper and Lower Gorges took about two hours with a swim inbetween, just perfect!
The next day we had a designated lazy day, and the day after that too, and then headed back to Mount Isa on Monday.
From this.........
To this........
Put another log on the fire.....
Bush creativity
Lawn Hill Gorge is absolutely spectacular and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who has an extra three weeks to drive out here from the coast!
Carol and Brendan have canoes, so the next morning they set off for a paddle and were lucky enough to see a big freshwater crocodile in the water, in fact Carol and Brendon saw Emus on the drive out, a freshwater crocodile and feral pigs on the trip while all we managed was some cows and a turtle.
Carol and Brendon in canoes at Adeles Grove
Tubing at Adeles Grove
Brendon and I were the only ones brave enough to swim to the pontoon at Adeles Grove
We had picked up a brochure on Lawn Hill and saw that there were some walks one of which was a cave shelter and indigenous artwork so we set out in the afternoon to go on the walks, all seemed fine, we went over the bridge, we turned right, there were no signs which we thought odd, we ventured back to the office to get another copy of the maps (as we had left ours back at the campsite) Brendon went back to the campsite to get more beer, we walked some more (in circles) Hutchy went back to the campsite to get more beer, and after about two hours we realised that the maps pertained to the Lawn Hill Gorge camping ground, not the one we were staying at. We decided that we would go to Lawn Hill the next day to do the walks.
We had a lovely dinner (of prawn curry with the frozen prawns given to us at Groper Creek) and a roaring campfire, and the next morning set out for Lawn Hill Gorge. We did the walks, the caves and artwork were amazing as is the Gorge, and then hired a three seater canoe for Hutch, Jess and I, and set off up the gorge, had a great afternoon. To do both Upper and Lower Gorges took about two hours with a swim inbetween, just perfect!
The next day we had a designated lazy day, and the day after that too, and then headed back to Mount Isa on Monday.
From this.........
To this........
Put another log on the fire.....
Bush creativity
Mining town...
Mount Isa - Tuesday 17 & Wednesday 18 June
So we arrived in Mount Isa at 6:00pm and were directed to our campsite by the Assistant Managers Carol and Brendon. As they only get one day a week off Carol and Brendon had been working right through to save up days off for when we arrived. They had worked about 23 days straight! So you can imagine they were pretty tired and needed to get away as they also live in the caravan park. Because we had not been in phone range Carol was not sure what day we were arriving, they had to work the next day but then could have four off. I suggested that we pack up and go to Lawn Hill Gorge for thier days off, they, of course thought this was a brilliant idea so Hutchy, Jess and I spent the next day shopping and getting prepared for the trip.
Brendon and Jesse on the caravan park caretakers choice of vehicle
We set off on Thursday morning, Carol and Brendan looking forward to a break and Hutchy, Jesse and I looking forward to having some travelling companions for a few days(all very excited to be getting out of Mount Isa).
The trip out was long to say the least as we had to stop for a few refreshment (cold beverages), firewood collection and 'comfort; stops along the way.
We had decided to camp at Adele's Grove instead of the Lawn Hill groge camping ground, even though it was more expensive it had hot showers and you could have a campfire (no brainer really!).
Arriving at Lawn Hill is an experience in itself becuase you are travelling on red, corrugated roads with barren plains all around and then you arrive at this lush tropical oasis.
Miles from anywhere....
A shady spot (few and far between on this road)
Creek crossing, Brendon's Truck
So we arrived in Mount Isa at 6:00pm and were directed to our campsite by the Assistant Managers Carol and Brendon. As they only get one day a week off Carol and Brendon had been working right through to save up days off for when we arrived. They had worked about 23 days straight! So you can imagine they were pretty tired and needed to get away as they also live in the caravan park. Because we had not been in phone range Carol was not sure what day we were arriving, they had to work the next day but then could have four off. I suggested that we pack up and go to Lawn Hill Gorge for thier days off, they, of course thought this was a brilliant idea so Hutchy, Jess and I spent the next day shopping and getting prepared for the trip.
Brendon and Jesse on the caravan park caretakers choice of vehicle
We set off on Thursday morning, Carol and Brendan looking forward to a break and Hutchy, Jesse and I looking forward to having some travelling companions for a few days(all very excited to be getting out of Mount Isa).
The trip out was long to say the least as we had to stop for a few refreshment (cold beverages), firewood collection and 'comfort; stops along the way.
We had decided to camp at Adele's Grove instead of the Lawn Hill groge camping ground, even though it was more expensive it had hot showers and you could have a campfire (no brainer really!).
Arriving at Lawn Hill is an experience in itself becuase you are travelling on red, corrugated roads with barren plains all around and then you arrive at this lush tropical oasis.
Miles from anywhere....
A shady spot (few and far between on this road)
Creek crossing, Brendon's Truck
The Savannah King
Normanton & Mt Isa
Krys 'The Savannah King' allegedly the biggest crocodile ever captured in the world at 28ft4inches in 1957 by a Woman - Krystina Pawloski who apparently was a school teacher and a famous crocodile shooter and photographer alongside her husband.
Brendon (who has spent a lot of time in NQ beaches) doesn't believe that as croc could get this big so I tried to find out more info on this on the internet. I couldn't get any more info but I did come across this hilarious blog about travelling, definitely worth a look, this chick is really funny http://fanfeckingtastic.blogspot.com/
The Mount Isa welcome sign, we do feel like real Australian's now, although we still have not left Queensland so we probably should see a few more states first.
Krys 'The Savannah King' allegedly the biggest crocodile ever captured in the world at 28ft4inches in 1957 by a Woman - Krystina Pawloski who apparently was a school teacher and a famous crocodile shooter and photographer alongside her husband.
Brendon (who has spent a lot of time in NQ beaches) doesn't believe that as croc could get this big so I tried to find out more info on this on the internet. I couldn't get any more info but I did come across this hilarious blog about travelling, definitely worth a look, this chick is really funny http://fanfeckingtastic.blogspot.com/
The Mount Isa welcome sign, we do feel like real Australian's now, although we still have not left Queensland so we probably should see a few more states first.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Hi Karumba!
Karumba - Sunday 15 & Monday 16 June
Well the king of Croydon woke up feeling a little sore and sorry for himself, eve took some panadol for about the second time since I've known him. Nevertheless, we packed up and headed on out of town for Karumba.
Karumba is at the base of the Gulf of Carpentaria and the mouth for the Norman River, and it is a fishing village with about 700 permanent residents and several thousand visitors in the winter months. Prawning and Barramundi fishing being the main industries (and hobbies). A brilliant sunset is a major drawcard too. Karumba caravan parks are virtually booked out over winter, with many people returning year after year, most have boats. Apparently the fish weren't biting when we were there but Hutchy managed to catch his first keeper (a bream) for the trip! (I reckon it was only just legal).
Upon arrival we had Fish (Barra of course) and Chips for lunch from the 'famous' Ash's take-away and enjoyed that sitting on the foreshore. Interesting beach at Karumba because it has mangroves and mud flats where the tide comes in (only one a day) but at the river mouth is beautiful soft white sand. Lots of great shells too.
This is a place where there are saltwater crocodiles and Jesse had no qualms about informing absolutely everyone in the campsite at the top of his voice that 'there are crocodiles in the water there and so you have to be careful'.
We paid a visit to the Barramundi Discovery Centre which is a farm started by the professional fisherman of Karumba because the were worried about being fished out by tourists. They have successfully re-stocked many of the dams and open water in the gulf with fingerlings (baby fish). Check out their website at www.barrimundidiscovery.centre.com
After a tour (very short) of the rest of Karumba we headed back to the park for some fishing and shell collecting, still no fish for Hutchy, so he decided to get up early the next morning for a fish and hallelujah finally caught a pan-size bream.
We left Karumba then planning to stop somewhere half-way to Mount Isa. Well, there actually isn't really anywhere to stop half-way between Karumba and Mount Isa except for a couple of dusty roadside stops so decided to keep going and arrived in Mount Isa around 6:00pm that night. Breaking the campers first rule of being off the road by 4:00pm, but Jesse was happy watching a movie in the back and we figured there was no point stopping and setting up just to pack up again in the morning and make it to Isa.
Of course coming out of Karumba we had to stop in Normanton to see 'Kris - The Savannah King' a statue of a huge croc caught back in 1958 in the Norman River.
We also had to get beer and fuel. We paid $1.97 for fuel and then had to wait for the bottle shop to open at 12noon and then paid $56.00 for a carton of 24 stubbies fuel..... the bugger about this being that we ended up in Mount Isa anyway so could have bought it there at $48.00....
Karumba Golf Course (if you look carefully you can see the yellow flag on the 'green')
Karumba beach at the mouth of the Norman River
Fun in the mud
Feeding the fish at the Barra Farm
Sunset at Karumba
Well the king of Croydon woke up feeling a little sore and sorry for himself, eve took some panadol for about the second time since I've known him. Nevertheless, we packed up and headed on out of town for Karumba.
Karumba is at the base of the Gulf of Carpentaria and the mouth for the Norman River, and it is a fishing village with about 700 permanent residents and several thousand visitors in the winter months. Prawning and Barramundi fishing being the main industries (and hobbies). A brilliant sunset is a major drawcard too. Karumba caravan parks are virtually booked out over winter, with many people returning year after year, most have boats. Apparently the fish weren't biting when we were there but Hutchy managed to catch his first keeper (a bream) for the trip! (I reckon it was only just legal).
Upon arrival we had Fish (Barra of course) and Chips for lunch from the 'famous' Ash's take-away and enjoyed that sitting on the foreshore. Interesting beach at Karumba because it has mangroves and mud flats where the tide comes in (only one a day) but at the river mouth is beautiful soft white sand. Lots of great shells too.
This is a place where there are saltwater crocodiles and Jesse had no qualms about informing absolutely everyone in the campsite at the top of his voice that 'there are crocodiles in the water there and so you have to be careful'.
We paid a visit to the Barramundi Discovery Centre which is a farm started by the professional fisherman of Karumba because the were worried about being fished out by tourists. They have successfully re-stocked many of the dams and open water in the gulf with fingerlings (baby fish). Check out their website at www.barrimundidiscovery.centre.com
After a tour (very short) of the rest of Karumba we headed back to the park for some fishing and shell collecting, still no fish for Hutchy, so he decided to get up early the next morning for a fish and hallelujah finally caught a pan-size bream.
We left Karumba then planning to stop somewhere half-way to Mount Isa. Well, there actually isn't really anywhere to stop half-way between Karumba and Mount Isa except for a couple of dusty roadside stops so decided to keep going and arrived in Mount Isa around 6:00pm that night. Breaking the campers first rule of being off the road by 4:00pm, but Jesse was happy watching a movie in the back and we figured there was no point stopping and setting up just to pack up again in the morning and make it to Isa.
Of course coming out of Karumba we had to stop in Normanton to see 'Kris - The Savannah King' a statue of a huge croc caught back in 1958 in the Norman River.
We also had to get beer and fuel. We paid $1.97 for fuel and then had to wait for the bottle shop to open at 12noon and then paid $56.00 for a carton of 24 stubbies fuel..... the bugger about this being that we ended up in Mount Isa anyway so could have bought it there at $48.00....
Karumba Golf Course (if you look carefully you can see the yellow flag on the 'green')
Karumba beach at the mouth of the Norman River
Fun in the mud
Feeding the fish at the Barra Farm
Sunset at Karumba
Hutchy the king of Croydon
Croydon - Saturday 14 June
We had planned to stay in Georgetown, a bit of miscommunication about the river there. Hutchy had been told by someone at Mount Molloy that there was a great place to camp by the river and they were catching Redclaw and Barramundi there. When we stopped at Mt Surprise for fuel the fella at the petrol station told us if there was water in the Georgetown river he would run bare assed down Burke Street. He was right, the river was dry and there was no free camping to be seen, we decided to keep going to Croydon which was the next town 100kms away and a bit closer to Normanton. We were also told Karumba would be booked out and to ring ahead, difficult with no phone range. I called from a pay phone and managed to get an unpowered site at Sunset Caravan Park (we were told it was the best place to stay) for the next two nights.
Croydon is a lovely little heritage town, it was the fourth largest city in Queensland during the gold rush. There is only one pub remaining of the thirty-two that were in operation at that time.
And.... you wouldn't believe it, this caravan park had FREE washing machines after I had done all my sheets and all at Undara because they were only $2.
We went up to the pub for dinner, what an experience! The two barmaids were two very cute, very young German backpackers who had got the job through an agency in Brisbane, they had been there four weeks and were leaving in nine days to travel (they were pretty excited about that!). What a smart move by the publican! but then it is the only pub in town so I guess he doesn't really have to be a marketing guru to get customers in.
Hutchy made friends with the chef and after we had settled Jesse into bed he ventured back up there for a few games of pool. Well he came home pretty drunk and pretty happy with himself as he held the table all night beating everyone including the chef and publican. We reckon they will be talking about him for weeks to come.
A fellow traveller on the highway...
The pub at Croydon where Hutchy is pool king.
We had planned to stay in Georgetown, a bit of miscommunication about the river there. Hutchy had been told by someone at Mount Molloy that there was a great place to camp by the river and they were catching Redclaw and Barramundi there. When we stopped at Mt Surprise for fuel the fella at the petrol station told us if there was water in the Georgetown river he would run bare assed down Burke Street. He was right, the river was dry and there was no free camping to be seen, we decided to keep going to Croydon which was the next town 100kms away and a bit closer to Normanton. We were also told Karumba would be booked out and to ring ahead, difficult with no phone range. I called from a pay phone and managed to get an unpowered site at Sunset Caravan Park (we were told it was the best place to stay) for the next two nights.
Croydon is a lovely little heritage town, it was the fourth largest city in Queensland during the gold rush. There is only one pub remaining of the thirty-two that were in operation at that time.
And.... you wouldn't believe it, this caravan park had FREE washing machines after I had done all my sheets and all at Undara because they were only $2.
We went up to the pub for dinner, what an experience! The two barmaids were two very cute, very young German backpackers who had got the job through an agency in Brisbane, they had been there four weeks and were leaving in nine days to travel (they were pretty excited about that!). What a smart move by the publican! but then it is the only pub in town so I guess he doesn't really have to be a marketing guru to get customers in.
Hutchy made friends with the chef and after we had settled Jesse into bed he ventured back up there for a few games of pool. Well he came home pretty drunk and pretty happy with himself as he held the table all night beating everyone including the chef and publican. We reckon they will be talking about him for weeks to come.
A fellow traveller on the highway...
The pub at Croydon where Hutchy is pool king.
Lava Tubes
Undara Lava Tubes - Friday 13 June
We left Archer Creek to backtrack a little more and look at the Millstream Falls, supposedly the widest single drop falls in Australia and then on to Undara Volcanic National Park and the Lava Tubes. We arrived just after lunch but decided to book a tour for the next morning and have some time to relax and do some washing ($2 washing machines here!) and tidying up.
Millstream Falls
A lady from Sydney with her three children camped next to us here, her husband works on rigs and is only home 1 week out of four so she decided to do the trip with the kids and he will meet them on his weeks off! Very brave of her, she was in a 20 year old Jayco about half the size of ours.
The tour through the Lava Tubes was quite amazing, the history of the property very interesting as well. The property was privately owned as a cattle station and when the state government at the time (around 1990) was compulsorily buying propertys as National Parks, the family sold the property but retained a lease to manage the Laa Lodge and tours into the tubes. The tubes were formed one hundred and ninety thousand years ago when lava from the volcanoes spread into the natural contours of the land and then cooled as the lava stopped flowing. They are like massive natural tunnels, quite amazing.... What makes this lava tube formation unique is that it is the longest lava flow on Earth from a single volcanic rate in modern geological time, more than 160kms. It is now broken up into accessible tubes (about 8) and those that have collapsed or are inaccessible due to toxic gases (about 300).
Unfortunately it was very hard to get a good photo because of the poor light but you can check it out at http://undara.com.au if you are interested.
Entrance to 'Stephensons' Lava Tube
We left Archer Creek to backtrack a little more and look at the Millstream Falls, supposedly the widest single drop falls in Australia and then on to Undara Volcanic National Park and the Lava Tubes. We arrived just after lunch but decided to book a tour for the next morning and have some time to relax and do some washing ($2 washing machines here!) and tidying up.
Millstream Falls
A lady from Sydney with her three children camped next to us here, her husband works on rigs and is only home 1 week out of four so she decided to do the trip with the kids and he will meet them on his weeks off! Very brave of her, she was in a 20 year old Jayco about half the size of ours.
The tour through the Lava Tubes was quite amazing, the history of the property very interesting as well. The property was privately owned as a cattle station and when the state government at the time (around 1990) was compulsorily buying propertys as National Parks, the family sold the property but retained a lease to manage the Laa Lodge and tours into the tubes. The tubes were formed one hundred and ninety thousand years ago when lava from the volcanoes spread into the natural contours of the land and then cooled as the lava stopped flowing. They are like massive natural tunnels, quite amazing.... What makes this lava tube formation unique is that it is the longest lava flow on Earth from a single volcanic rate in modern geological time, more than 160kms. It is now broken up into accessible tubes (about 8) and those that have collapsed or are inaccessible due to toxic gases (about 300).
Unfortunately it was very hard to get a good photo because of the poor light but you can check it out at http://undara.com.au if you are interested.
Entrance to 'Stephensons' Lava Tube
A place to wallow....
Innot Hot Springs & Archer Creek - Thursday 12 June
We had heard about Innot Hot Springs which is on the Savannah Way west of Ravenshoe so we set off to check out these thermal pools.
We arrived at the Hot Springs around lunchtime and it wasn't quite what we expected but very interesting nonetheless. We decided (against Hutchy's better judgement) to have a dip and it was quite pleasant. There was roadworks at the bridge which didn't really lend to the peaceful atmosphere, but we can't really complain.... We saw a real swagman here at the springs, he had his tarp and swag set up under a tree and was travelling with two horses.
After a little wallow in the Hot Springs we backtracked a little to a free campsite we had seen at Archer Creek, a nice little spot but you aren't allowed to camp right next to the river anymore which is a bit of a shame.
Now this free campsite had toilets but I think I would have preferred if it didn't. There was a singel toilet each for ladies and men and the ladies toilet had four, not one, not two, not three but four rather large huntsman residing in it. Which was okay on the afternoon we arrived as they were all in one spot on the roof opposite to the toilet so I could keep an eye on them all while I was sitting down. Not so the next morning, they had dispersed and were scattered around the toilet making it impossible for me to use this facility with comfort. I walked up there twice and looked in and just couldn't do it. Hutchy had told me there were none in the mens, so I took my chances in there. There was actually one but I was happy to be able to keep my eye on it while I did my business.
I was happy to be packing up and leaving for the Lava Tubes....
Windfarm at Ravenshoe
The hot water comes out this tap on the right and at that point the water is BOILING hot, I found it amusing that the sign said 18 steps to Cold Beer but there was no way you could walk across in that section.
Wallowing....
The swaggies camp and horses.
Archer Creek
We had heard about Innot Hot Springs which is on the Savannah Way west of Ravenshoe so we set off to check out these thermal pools.
We arrived at the Hot Springs around lunchtime and it wasn't quite what we expected but very interesting nonetheless. We decided (against Hutchy's better judgement) to have a dip and it was quite pleasant. There was roadworks at the bridge which didn't really lend to the peaceful atmosphere, but we can't really complain.... We saw a real swagman here at the springs, he had his tarp and swag set up under a tree and was travelling with two horses.
After a little wallow in the Hot Springs we backtracked a little to a free campsite we had seen at Archer Creek, a nice little spot but you aren't allowed to camp right next to the river anymore which is a bit of a shame.
Now this free campsite had toilets but I think I would have preferred if it didn't. There was a singel toilet each for ladies and men and the ladies toilet had four, not one, not two, not three but four rather large huntsman residing in it. Which was okay on the afternoon we arrived as they were all in one spot on the roof opposite to the toilet so I could keep an eye on them all while I was sitting down. Not so the next morning, they had dispersed and were scattered around the toilet making it impossible for me to use this facility with comfort. I walked up there twice and looked in and just couldn't do it. Hutchy had told me there were none in the mens, so I took my chances in there. There was actually one but I was happy to be able to keep my eye on it while I did my business.
I was happy to be packing up and leaving for the Lava Tubes....
Windfarm at Ravenshoe
The hot water comes out this tap on the right and at that point the water is BOILING hot, I found it amusing that the sign said 18 steps to Cold Beer but there was no way you could walk across in that section.
Wallowing....
The swaggies camp and horses.
Archer Creek
A bit of rain....
Babinda - Cathy and Cookies house - Wednesday 11th June
Brendon and Carol had given us the details of some friends of theirs (Cathy and Cookie) who have a property just south of Babinda where we could camp the night. Carol had told me that this was an exceptional property and she wasn't wrong, they have two acres on the most amazing creek I have ever seen on a private property and thier house, hat they built themselves and made of mostly recycled materials, is also just brilliant, it is also at the base of Qld's higest peak, Bartle Frere.
Cathy, Cookie and thier son Aston welcomed us with open arms We pooled our resources together for dinner and feasted on steak and lamb cutlets and seafood curry and had a great night with these lovely people, thanks guys for your hospitality, it was great to meet you....
We had some quite heavy downpours in the afternoon and had to time our unpacking of the caravan accordingly, for the first time we felt like we were really in Tropical NQ.
We would have loved to stay an extra night but we were on a mission to get over the tablelands and start heading west.
A beautiful property....
On a mission to help Dad fix some leaky pipes.
Cathy and Cookies creek...
Brendon and Carol had given us the details of some friends of theirs (Cathy and Cookie) who have a property just south of Babinda where we could camp the night. Carol had told me that this was an exceptional property and she wasn't wrong, they have two acres on the most amazing creek I have ever seen on a private property and thier house, hat they built themselves and made of mostly recycled materials, is also just brilliant, it is also at the base of Qld's higest peak, Bartle Frere.
Cathy, Cookie and thier son Aston welcomed us with open arms We pooled our resources together for dinner and feasted on steak and lamb cutlets and seafood curry and had a great night with these lovely people, thanks guys for your hospitality, it was great to meet you....
We had some quite heavy downpours in the afternoon and had to time our unpacking of the caravan accordingly, for the first time we felt like we were really in Tropical NQ.
We would have loved to stay an extra night but we were on a mission to get over the tablelands and start heading west.
A beautiful property....
On a mission to help Dad fix some leaky pipes.
Cathy and Cookies creek...
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
A good free campsite
Mount Molloy - Monday 9 & Tuesday 10 June
Once back in Cairns, we had planned to do a dive on the Reef and also the Train / Skyrail trip to Kuranda which is a little town up on the tablelands from Cairns. Unfortunately, the caravan park we had wanted to stay in was $56 per night because of peak season and school holidays, we worked out it was going to cost us about $1,000 to do all that we wanted and also it was raining so a dive wouldn't have been that great, ditto for the scenic train and skyrail. We decided to just hang out in a free camp for a few days and drive to Kuranda and some other spots we wanted to see around Cairns and then head west! We camped at Mount Molloy at the Rifle Creek free campsite. Mount Molloy is about 40 minutes drive from Mossman, Kuranda and a bit further to Cairns but it is the only free campsite within coo-ee of Cairns so was very popular.
Rifle Creek camping ground at Mount Molloy
The police had literally blocked off the road from Cooktown after the weekends festivities, they were breathalysing both ways. We ran into our Canadian friend, Don, also on the way back from Cooktown, he had been up there for the weekend and was heading back to Gordonvale to catch up with some people he had met along the way. He was pretty happy that he got through the roadblock.
When we arrived at Mount Molloy, Jesse was asleep and it was still early so we wanted to drive down to the Mossman Gorge to have a look. We unhitched the van, made sure it was all locked up, left some fellow campers in charge and headed down the range to Mossman.
The Mossman Gorge section of the Daintree National Park is just stunning. It is postcard picture perfect rainforest with large boulders and creek running through, and a great swimming spot! Unfortunately it started to rain quite heavily while we were there so we did not get to enjoy it for long or get as many photos as I would have liked.
Mossman Gorge
Suspension bridge at Mossman Gorge
We fueled up at Mossman, I was quite amused to see the toilet keyring of choice at this petrol station was a toilet brush.
The next day we set out to have a look at Kuranda which is a town NW of Cairns up on the tablelands. A beautiful spot with great markets and shopping and lots of indigenous artwork, most people take the train or skyrail up to Kuranda from Cairns but as we were coming from the other way, we decided to drive, it was very cloudy and wouldn't have been able to see much anyway.
We drove down to the Barron Gorge which is spectacular, but both of us thinking how good it would be to see some of these places in the wet season.
Barron Gorge
We met a fabulous didge player 'Jimmy' who played for us (before the train crowd hit the streets).
Jimmy and Jesse
After lunch we headed down to Cairns as we had to collect our mail from the post office and we decided to go to the Casino Wildlife Dome which has a tropical bird and animal park at the top (used to be the high rollers area). Hutchy wanted to have a flutter on roulette at the Casino, he seems to have a goal of playing roulette in every Casino in Australia. Anyway the Dome was good, Jesse was very excited to see his first real crocodile 'Goliath' who weighs is over 4m long, and Hutchy won $150 on the tables, a good afternoon all round.
Goliath
After some food shopping back up the range to our campsite, we met some lovely people at this campsite. Some who have settled in there for a few weeks even have nightly get togethers around the campfire, talk around the campfire at these free spots seems to centre on how many grandchildren you have, I reckon my Grandpa would be the king of the free camps with 27 of us (with me being the oldest and Jodi's little boy Ethan who is only three months old being the youngest). Also, everyone is keen to share information on the good spots to camp and places to see. Hutchy and I agreed that we both like the free campsites better as caravan parks just don't seem to have the same communal feeling.
On Wednesday we packed up and headed off again, we planned to stay at Babinda again and from there head out on the Savannah Way through Ravenshoe to Innot Hot Springs and then onto the Undara Lava Tubes.
On our way we dropped into the Golden Drop Mango Winery, did some tasting, and picked up a bottle of Mango Cello mmmmm. We pulled in to Atherton for lunch and had a look at the Crystal Caves. We cracked a Mexican Geode to send to Nellie for her birthday.
Cracking the Geode
The inside of the Mexican Geode, 44 million years old.
From Atherthon we headed down to Gordonvale and Babinda, dropping in to see the Curtain Fig which is just an amazing tree.
Curtain Fig
We were blown away by the Cairns area, there is so much to do and see and it is all just beautiful, and we didn't even see the reef....
Once back in Cairns, we had planned to do a dive on the Reef and also the Train / Skyrail trip to Kuranda which is a little town up on the tablelands from Cairns. Unfortunately, the caravan park we had wanted to stay in was $56 per night because of peak season and school holidays, we worked out it was going to cost us about $1,000 to do all that we wanted and also it was raining so a dive wouldn't have been that great, ditto for the scenic train and skyrail. We decided to just hang out in a free camp for a few days and drive to Kuranda and some other spots we wanted to see around Cairns and then head west! We camped at Mount Molloy at the Rifle Creek free campsite. Mount Molloy is about 40 minutes drive from Mossman, Kuranda and a bit further to Cairns but it is the only free campsite within coo-ee of Cairns so was very popular.
Rifle Creek camping ground at Mount Molloy
The police had literally blocked off the road from Cooktown after the weekends festivities, they were breathalysing both ways. We ran into our Canadian friend, Don, also on the way back from Cooktown, he had been up there for the weekend and was heading back to Gordonvale to catch up with some people he had met along the way. He was pretty happy that he got through the roadblock.
When we arrived at Mount Molloy, Jesse was asleep and it was still early so we wanted to drive down to the Mossman Gorge to have a look. We unhitched the van, made sure it was all locked up, left some fellow campers in charge and headed down the range to Mossman.
The Mossman Gorge section of the Daintree National Park is just stunning. It is postcard picture perfect rainforest with large boulders and creek running through, and a great swimming spot! Unfortunately it started to rain quite heavily while we were there so we did not get to enjoy it for long or get as many photos as I would have liked.
Mossman Gorge
Suspension bridge at Mossman Gorge
We fueled up at Mossman, I was quite amused to see the toilet keyring of choice at this petrol station was a toilet brush.
The next day we set out to have a look at Kuranda which is a town NW of Cairns up on the tablelands. A beautiful spot with great markets and shopping and lots of indigenous artwork, most people take the train or skyrail up to Kuranda from Cairns but as we were coming from the other way, we decided to drive, it was very cloudy and wouldn't have been able to see much anyway.
We drove down to the Barron Gorge which is spectacular, but both of us thinking how good it would be to see some of these places in the wet season.
Barron Gorge
We met a fabulous didge player 'Jimmy' who played for us (before the train crowd hit the streets).
Jimmy and Jesse
After lunch we headed down to Cairns as we had to collect our mail from the post office and we decided to go to the Casino Wildlife Dome which has a tropical bird and animal park at the top (used to be the high rollers area). Hutchy wanted to have a flutter on roulette at the Casino, he seems to have a goal of playing roulette in every Casino in Australia. Anyway the Dome was good, Jesse was very excited to see his first real crocodile 'Goliath' who weighs is over 4m long, and Hutchy won $150 on the tables, a good afternoon all round.
Goliath
After some food shopping back up the range to our campsite, we met some lovely people at this campsite. Some who have settled in there for a few weeks even have nightly get togethers around the campfire, talk around the campfire at these free spots seems to centre on how many grandchildren you have, I reckon my Grandpa would be the king of the free camps with 27 of us (with me being the oldest and Jodi's little boy Ethan who is only three months old being the youngest). Also, everyone is keen to share information on the good spots to camp and places to see. Hutchy and I agreed that we both like the free campsites better as caravan parks just don't seem to have the same communal feeling.
On Wednesday we packed up and headed off again, we planned to stay at Babinda again and from there head out on the Savannah Way through Ravenshoe to Innot Hot Springs and then onto the Undara Lava Tubes.
On our way we dropped into the Golden Drop Mango Winery, did some tasting, and picked up a bottle of Mango Cello mmmmm. We pulled in to Atherton for lunch and had a look at the Crystal Caves. We cracked a Mexican Geode to send to Nellie for her birthday.
Cracking the Geode
The inside of the Mexican Geode, 44 million years old.
From Atherthon we headed down to Gordonvale and Babinda, dropping in to see the Curtain Fig which is just an amazing tree.
Curtain Fig
We were blown away by the Cairns area, there is so much to do and see and it is all just beautiful, and we didn't even see the reef....
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Endeavour Falls
Endeavour Falls - Sunday 8 June
We left Trevethan Falls and wanted to check out Archer Point which is supposed to be the best fishing spot on Cape Trib, if it was nice there we would set up camp for the day because Cooktown was booked out for the discovery festival, which, each Queens Birthday weekend celebrates the landing of Captain Cook with a re-enactment ceremony. Archer Point was really windy so we decided to continue on to Cooktown and take our chances on getting some accomodation there. We pulled up just as the re-enactment was in full swing, Jess was asleep in the car so we didn't get out but we saw the smoke from the cannon (cast in 1803) which is set off each year at this time. After a cruise around town and some food shopping we decided to go back down to the foreshore for lunch. Jesse and Hutch had a tour of the replica of the Dutch VOC ship the Duyfken that in 1606 was the first ship to see the Australian Coast and charted a section of Cape York Peninsula.
We decided to head about 30kms up the road to a park at Endeavour Falls, a nice park with a great swimming spot. Hutchy spent the afternoon looking at the maps of Cape York trying to come to terms with the fact that we are as far North as we are going to get. Had a quiet night and early to bed, thankfully, as a rooster nearby started crowing at about 3 in the morning I reckon, can't believe no-one has rung its neck yet. So we are currently on the (sealed) road heading back down to Mossman to have a look at the Mossman Gorge section of the Daintree National Park.
Endeavour Falls
The Duyfken at Cooktown
We left Trevethan Falls and wanted to check out Archer Point which is supposed to be the best fishing spot on Cape Trib, if it was nice there we would set up camp for the day because Cooktown was booked out for the discovery festival, which, each Queens Birthday weekend celebrates the landing of Captain Cook with a re-enactment ceremony. Archer Point was really windy so we decided to continue on to Cooktown and take our chances on getting some accomodation there. We pulled up just as the re-enactment was in full swing, Jess was asleep in the car so we didn't get out but we saw the smoke from the cannon (cast in 1803) which is set off each year at this time. After a cruise around town and some food shopping we decided to go back down to the foreshore for lunch. Jesse and Hutch had a tour of the replica of the Dutch VOC ship the Duyfken that in 1606 was the first ship to see the Australian Coast and charted a section of Cape York Peninsula.
We decided to head about 30kms up the road to a park at Endeavour Falls, a nice park with a great swimming spot. Hutchy spent the afternoon looking at the maps of Cape York trying to come to terms with the fact that we are as far North as we are going to get. Had a quiet night and early to bed, thankfully, as a rooster nearby started crowing at about 3 in the morning I reckon, can't believe no-one has rung its neck yet. So we are currently on the (sealed) road heading back down to Mossman to have a look at the Mossman Gorge section of the Daintree National Park.
Endeavour Falls
The Duyfken at Cooktown
Now we're getting serious....
The Bloomfield Track & Trevethan Falls - Saturday 7 June
In the morning before we left, we went for a walk to look at the river mouth where one of our fellow campers caught a barramundi, and seen a croc. If was raining a bit and we had to walk over rocky mangroves to get to the creek, one of the staff at the park said we wouldn't see the croc at this time of day because it was feeding time not resting time (I mentioned to Hutchy that I didn't think feeding time was the best time to be looking for a croc but we went anyway)....
Anyway, the same staff member had mentioned to Hutchy some falls which were a bit off the beaten track but not too far away and said we would get there with 4WD and van no worries, so we set off to first tackle the Bloomfield Track which is the coast road out of Daintree north of Cape Tribulation, 32kms of 4WD only track and then a further 30 odd kms of unsealed road, find these falls and on the way to visit the Lions Den which is a famous pub at the end of the Bloomfield Track.
The Bloomfield Track was a great experience, the first creek crossing we came to was at the door level on the car and caravan, but that was about the deepest. The steepest hill presented a bit of a problem as we approached it in high 4WD not realising how steep it was going to be, got a few car lengths up and realised we weren't going to make it, backed down, shifted into low 4WD and tried again. We eventually made it up, amidst concerns about the extra engine noises we could hear being the gearbox. We saw our first croc sunning itself on the bank of the Bloomfield River just out of the Wujal Wujal community. It took us just over 2 hours to travel 32kms and then almost another hour for the next 30kms. We left our campsite at 10:30am and got to the Lions Den 60kms away at 1:30pm just in time for a beer and lunch. Great pub, stickers and writing all over the walls, and most everyone is just passing through on their way to or from the Bloomfield Track so there is an amazing sense of adventure and freedom.
Warning sign for the Bloomfield Track
Now we're getting serious. A proper 4WD track at last!
Our first croc! Bloomfield River
From the Lions Den you can see Black Mountain, this is an incredible pile of black granite rocks, it actually looks like a giant dump truck has just dropped the rocks in the middle of nowhere, and is said to be a sacred area for the local indigenous people, amazingly though, the brochure that I read said that the lighter coloured areas on the mountain are from when the rocks get so hot that they explode!!!
Base of Black Mountain
Lions Den Hotel
So we continued on our way to the Trevethan Falls, which the staff at the Cape Tribulation Camping Ground had told us about. He told us it was a good road, well it was for the first 7-8 kms but then you turn off the main gravel road and head up what can only be generously described as a goat track, we passed a group coming back from the falls who told us we wouldn't get much further with the van but there was a bit of a clearing where we could turn around. We kept going. We eventually came to halt at a reasonably tight corner which had pretty much half of the road washed away in a gully about 2 foot deep. That's when Hutchy got out of the car to see what the rest of the road was like and if there was anywhere for us to turn around. But we pretty much had no choice but to keep going as there was no way he could have backed the van down the 2-3 kms of road. He came back and said there was a clearing but pretty rough track up ahead. We kept going. The track in some parts was covered with exposed rocks and tree roots, some that had been cut off so Hutchy was worried about them ripping the sides of the tyres on the van, also trees hanging over the road which to go in on the angles needed to avoid the rocks and tree roots made it a bit tricky to bring the van around withougt hitting the trees. All in all Hutchy did a fantastic job driving, and the van held up extremely well as did the car, we love our Landcruiser! I reckon we could get into just about anywhere
This was the good part of the track....
Trevethan Falls
This is the life!
The beautiful Trevethan Falls again....
We really had no option but to stay the night here as there was no way we could get back out before dark. We had a good night relaxing under the stars with our little campfire and this beautiful spot all to ourselves!
In the morning before we left, we went for a walk to look at the river mouth where one of our fellow campers caught a barramundi, and seen a croc. If was raining a bit and we had to walk over rocky mangroves to get to the creek, one of the staff at the park said we wouldn't see the croc at this time of day because it was feeding time not resting time (I mentioned to Hutchy that I didn't think feeding time was the best time to be looking for a croc but we went anyway)....
Anyway, the same staff member had mentioned to Hutchy some falls which were a bit off the beaten track but not too far away and said we would get there with 4WD and van no worries, so we set off to first tackle the Bloomfield Track which is the coast road out of Daintree north of Cape Tribulation, 32kms of 4WD only track and then a further 30 odd kms of unsealed road, find these falls and on the way to visit the Lions Den which is a famous pub at the end of the Bloomfield Track.
The Bloomfield Track was a great experience, the first creek crossing we came to was at the door level on the car and caravan, but that was about the deepest. The steepest hill presented a bit of a problem as we approached it in high 4WD not realising how steep it was going to be, got a few car lengths up and realised we weren't going to make it, backed down, shifted into low 4WD and tried again. We eventually made it up, amidst concerns about the extra engine noises we could hear being the gearbox. We saw our first croc sunning itself on the bank of the Bloomfield River just out of the Wujal Wujal community. It took us just over 2 hours to travel 32kms and then almost another hour for the next 30kms. We left our campsite at 10:30am and got to the Lions Den 60kms away at 1:30pm just in time for a beer and lunch. Great pub, stickers and writing all over the walls, and most everyone is just passing through on their way to or from the Bloomfield Track so there is an amazing sense of adventure and freedom.
Warning sign for the Bloomfield Track
Now we're getting serious. A proper 4WD track at last!
Our first croc! Bloomfield River
From the Lions Den you can see Black Mountain, this is an incredible pile of black granite rocks, it actually looks like a giant dump truck has just dropped the rocks in the middle of nowhere, and is said to be a sacred area for the local indigenous people, amazingly though, the brochure that I read said that the lighter coloured areas on the mountain are from when the rocks get so hot that they explode!!!
Base of Black Mountain
Lions Den Hotel
So we continued on our way to the Trevethan Falls, which the staff at the Cape Tribulation Camping Ground had told us about. He told us it was a good road, well it was for the first 7-8 kms but then you turn off the main gravel road and head up what can only be generously described as a goat track, we passed a group coming back from the falls who told us we wouldn't get much further with the van but there was a bit of a clearing where we could turn around. We kept going. We eventually came to halt at a reasonably tight corner which had pretty much half of the road washed away in a gully about 2 foot deep. That's when Hutchy got out of the car to see what the rest of the road was like and if there was anywhere for us to turn around. But we pretty much had no choice but to keep going as there was no way he could have backed the van down the 2-3 kms of road. He came back and said there was a clearing but pretty rough track up ahead. We kept going. The track in some parts was covered with exposed rocks and tree roots, some that had been cut off so Hutchy was worried about them ripping the sides of the tyres on the van, also trees hanging over the road which to go in on the angles needed to avoid the rocks and tree roots made it a bit tricky to bring the van around withougt hitting the trees. All in all Hutchy did a fantastic job driving, and the van held up extremely well as did the car, we love our Landcruiser! I reckon we could get into just about anywhere
This was the good part of the track....
Trevethan Falls
This is the life!
The beautiful Trevethan Falls again....
We really had no option but to stay the night here as there was no way we could get back out before dark. We had a good night relaxing under the stars with our little campfire and this beautiful spot all to ourselves!
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