The drive through the rainforest and tablelands near Atherton was breathtaking. So lush and green with incredible views. Caught up with the Ransleys as we pulled into Atherton. A bit bigger than we expected. Quick stop for fuel before continuing on towards Mareeba. A bit easier drive through this section but still beautiful. Stopped in Mareeba for Saturday morning markets. Very good markets with lots of fresh produce. We bought quite a bit of fruit and veggies as our supplies were depleted after 2 weeks in Karumba.
We enjoyed morning tea before heading off to Cairns. The road through Kuranda to the Captain Cook Highway was one of the most windiest pieces of roads we have been on yet. Beautiful but quite stressful towing the caravan as was a very steep, windy descent. When we finally made it down the hill we encountered a couple of large very weird roundabouts. We were relieved to arrive safely at Cool Waters Caravan Park just before lunch. This is a beautiful little park nestled into the rainforest and backing onto a creek. Very beautiful setting but also very crowded. The roads are very narrow and the sites quite close together. We got in with little difficulty with the help of the caravan park
staff.
Had some lunch before heading off with the Ransleys for a quick tour of downtown Cairns. This is the second time Sandra and I have been to Cairns as we flew up here for 4 days about 3 years ago. We stayed right on the Esplanade at that time and didn't have a car. Cairns is bigger than we remember but we didn't see all of it the first time. We found a parking spot near the Esplanade before doing a short walk through the area. Got some tourist information and had a quick walk through the markets at the Lagoon. Did some shopping at Bunnings and Dan Murphy's on the way back to the caravan park. Went around the bad roundabouts again much to the girls regret. They add lanes in the middle of your trip around and depending which you choose you need to take a specific exit. We had a bit of fun but I think I've got the gist of them now. Returned home for a lovely prawn and calamari dinner.
Sunday we had a bit of a sleep in and a big cooked breakfast. We did some grocery shopping, laundry, caravan cleaning and some other chores during the morning and early afternoon. Brett arrived from Karumba to spend a few days with us on his way home. The Ransleys hosted Sunday afternoon football on their veranda. Stephen bought a new antennae at Bunnings which seems to have finally resolved his TV reception problem. Hurrah! Enjoyed a relaxing day as we are planning a busy week. Finished it off with a beautiful baked dinner in honour of Mother's Day.
Monday the five of us did a tour of the Atherton Tablelands and surrounding area. We set off South of Cairns towards Gordanvale. At Gordanvale we turned inland towards Yungaburra. We then experienced a new low in winding roads easily surpassing the previous winner from Saturday. Very long, slow, winding road up the mountain. Lots of construction that didn't look like it would make the road much better. We were all feeling a bit seedy by the time we reached the top. Only one spot along the way to stop at a lookout. It was beautiful but a horrible drive.
Our first stop once we made it over the summit was the Cathedral Fig tree. Beautiful large tree in very dense rain forest. Got a few photos before hitting the road again.
Next stop was Lake Barrine where we saw some large Kauri Pines and the Tea House located on the lake. Created by a volcanic explosion many years ago. Sandra & I had done a boat tour on our previous rip of the lake. Very nice.
Malanda Falls was our next destination where we enjoyed our picnic lunch. Falls were rather small but there was a nice swimming area for warmer weather. Next stop was Atherton where we stopped at a roadside shop that sold Gluten free products.
We continued on through Mareeba north to Mount Melloy. Interesting drive as the scenery changed again to flatter countryside. Nice looking free camp site near the turnoff to Cooktown. We headed East again towards the coast rejoining the Captain Cook Highway just South of Mossman. We stopped in at Port Douglas for a quick drive through town, a stop at the lookout, and a cold beer at the Pub.
We then drove South along the Ocean Drive towards Cairns. Stopped at a couple of pullouts including one where hang gliders were taking off. Looked like fun. Coast line is not the most beautiful and the water was churned up and dirty from large swells. Somewhat cloudy and hazy as well. Arrived home after a long day and more than 300KM covered.
Tuesday we were up early as Carol, Stephen, Sandra, and I were taking a scenic flight to Cape York. We took off at 7:30AM and did a low level flight north along the coast. Highlights were flying over Cape Tribulation, Cooktown, Cape Melville, Princess Charlotte Bay, Lockhart River, Forbes Island before landing at Bamaga. The flight was over 2.5 hours of tricky flying as the weather was poor and we had to fly quite low in places below the clouds and avoid other areas. The landing into Bamaga was fairly tense as we did an instrument landing only clearing the clouds under 700 feet. I was lucky enough to be co-pilot and thought I did quite well given my first landing was quite challenging. I think Carol only began breathing again about 15 minutes after we landed. We saw some wonderful sights on our way but unfortunately the poor weather negatively affected our experience and our photos.
Once safely on land we were picked up in a 4WD Bus/Truck vehicle that was to transport us from Bamaga to the tip of Cape York. It was raining quite steady and the road/track north deteriorated as we made our way the 30KM north. Unfortunately about 1KM from the tip we came across another tour bus that had broken through a culvert and become bogged. Local council workers were able to extricate the bus but decided the road was unfit for further traffic. We were all disappointed but the problem was really out of our hands. We retraced our route back to Bamaga stopping at the Croc Tent on our way. This is a unique souvenir shop set up in a tent. Lovely young family that run it but Sandra made it clear there was no way she would ever move here.
We were taken to Loyalty Beach where we enjoyed a nice buffet type lunch. The girls had brought their own gluten free food but were actually able to eat almost everything supplied. We did a quick tour of the property after lunch before be toured through the 5 Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander communities that make up Cape York. The communities while basic were well maintained and clean. We were told there is very low crime, the indigenous people very respectful, and religious. Apparently several denominations have churches that serve the local communities. We found the Islander communities to be somewhat better presented with lovely gardens.
We decided it would take a special type of individual to make this area your home. You are very isolated and fairly basic living conditions. Might be a good place to look for Australia's Most Wanted (just kidding). Both our tour guides were friendly and made us feel welcome. They apologised profusely for being unable to get us to the tip. After viewing a DC3 wreck from WWII we were escorted back to the airport.
The weather had cleared marginally and our pilots knowing our disappointment with not reaching the tip of Cape York said they would see what they could do once they took off. While still overcast we were lucky enough to do a low level pass over the tip. To top it off we proceeded north to the Torres Strait Islands landing on Horn Island to refuel. The weather had cleared a bit more and we did get a couple of pictures of blue water around the Torres Straight Islands. Once refuelled we flew over Thursday Island and Prince of Wales Island before climbing to 10,000 feet for our flight home. The last 1.5 hours in the dark after viewing a beautiful sunset above the clouds. We landed in Cairns again at 7:30PM. We were exhausted and luckily Brett had prepared our evening tea for us upon our return. We turned in early after dinner.
Wednesday morning we enjoyed a bit of a sleep in and an easy start to the day. We decided in mid morning to do the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail. We took the Skyrail up the mountain to Kuranda. The five of us were able to fit in one tramway and it stopped in two locations where you got off and toured. The first stop was a rainforest walkway and the second was a series of lookouts overlooking Barron Falls. Both stops were good, the views were sensational, and we all really enjoyed the trip to Kuranda.
In Kuranda we walked around markets before buying lunch. After lunch we did a walk along the river and through more rainforest before stopping at a Pub for a cold drink. We then walked to the Historic Kuranda train station for our 3:30 trip back down the mountain.
This is obviously quite a popular attraction as I think there would have been at least 15 passenger cars. The station and the rail cars are both very nice and true to their historic roots. We enjoyed one short 10 minute stop at Barron Falls again on our way down the mountain. Viewed them from the opposite side of the Gorge. Great views going down the hill and a marvel of engineering when you consider it was built in the late 1800s. The ride down was windy and the brakes squealed most of the way. I would probably recommend doing the train up and the skyrail down for future travellers.
Once again we didn't return to the caravans to tea time. Had a quick drink before enjoying an easy tea the girls prepared.
Thursday saw us up early again and heading North for a day in the Daintree. We left at 8:00AM and arrived in Mossman Gorge for our first stop. Had a lovely walk up the gorge on a boardwalk with beautiful view of the rainforest and the Mossman River. Water is so clear and the variety of growth in the rainforest is very impressive. Spent a good hour enjoying the surroundings and then morning tea. Brett went in for a swim while we had tea.
From there we headed off north to Daintree Village. Had a quick look around but decided to pass on the multiple Crocodile Cruises as we had seen so many in the Northern Territories. Continued on to cross the ferry over the Daintree River and deeper into the Daintree National Park.
Drove out to Cape Kimberly for a walk on the beach before continuing on to the Daintree Discovery Centre where we enjoyed a picnic lunch. We decided against the tree top walk at the Discovery Centre to save on time and money.
We continued north along the coast towards Cape Tribulation. The rainforest was beautiful but somewhat claustrophobic as it is just overwhelming. The road is very winding with steep climbs and descents.We missed our turn off and ended up heading north on a 4WD track where we did a river crossing at a swimming hole before returning back to Cape Tribulation.
Once at Cape Tribulation we did a walk along the beach and up to a lookout. This is a unique site in that it is the only place in the world where two World Heritage Sites come together. In this case the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately the weather did not co-operate and the views were a bit cloudy and hazy.
We returned home from here having another long day arriving home around 7:00PM. Had another early night after tea. Great day!
Friday saw Sandra and I enjoy a somewhat relaxing day. Sandra was busy with laundry and cleaning while I tried to catch up on the Blog and photos. Carol got a big surprise this morning when Adam showed up with Jacque who came up to visit Brett. They all enjoyed a day out at the Esplanade while Sandra and I caught up on our house cleaning. We did some shopping in the afternoon and prepared for moving on tomorrow. I have really enjoyed our time in Cairns although the weather could have been better. So much to see and do with such diverse environments. Beautiful ocean/reefs, lush rainforests, and beautiful mountains and tablelands. I could spend longer here experiencing more of what the region has to offer. Sandra hasn't liked it as much because of the weather, the busy traffic, and winding roads. I think her and Carol have decided they like the wide open spaces of the outback and Western Australia. Not sure what they will do when they get back to Newcastle and Central Coast traffic.
PANIC OF COURSE..
ReplyDeleteI think you are correct! I have tried to fix the windy oops I mean winding roads problem too.
Delete