Forsayth Queensland

We finished packing up on Sunday morning before heading off towards Forsayth just after 9 AM. The trip to Georgetown was uneventful with minimal traffic. There are some very narrow sections of road so we were happy we didn't encounter any Road Trains.

The countryside was very pretty especially near Routh which was East of Georgetown. We stopped at Georgetown for a quick break before heading South towards Forsayth. The road was sealed except for a 11 Km stretch in the middle. We arrived at the Forsayth Tourist Park around lunch time. The entry to Forsayth had lovely gardens with lots of historic relics/garden art included! Those who know Sandra or Carol would know this was definitely a hit! I had to make sure they only took pictures and checked their pockets before we left.

The park was quite small but nice and shady! Pricing is reasonable at $22 for a powered site. Using Air conditioning was an extra $3/night. Glad to report the amenities are lovely and clean! No frog experiences but one of our travelling partners did see a python in the rafters one evening. Rating is 3.5 Stars and park was lovely with a bit of a dry creek bed winding through it. Would stay again!

Took a walk down to the local General Store/Pub in the afternoon which again was well worth the visit. Had been done up fairly recently and the prices were reasonable. We enjoyed a cold drink on the veranda which was good with a bit of a breeze blowing through. The girls loved the cast iron bar and railway ties!

We were up fairly early on the Monday morning heading South for our day trip to Cobbold Gorge. About 45 km of gravel road that was for the most part in very good condition. Arrived in lots of time for our 10:30 tour and had a bit of a look around the resort. They have really done it up nicely with a beautiful restaurant/bar/swimming pool as the highlight! Quite an oasis in the middle of the outback to be honest. Would definitely recommend as a travel destination.

Given the number of people booked on the morning Gorge tour we needed to take two vehicles. We were lucky enough to be part of the overflow group that got to travel on the original 4WD bus called "Ugly". I think you can see why it earned it's name from the photo! That being said it was the only one that could cross the Gilbert River on the way to the tour. Had to return to pick up the other passengers while we walked to the actual tour starting point. When the season kicked off a few weeks ago the tour participants actually had to wade across the river to get to the starting point.

Once we were all at the starting point we completed a bit of a walk up to the Sandstone Escarpment where we were able to look down into the Gorge from above. Quite an informative tour guide into the Geological and Aboriginal history of the area.

 We then walked back to the bottom of the Gorge where we boarded some electrically powered boats for the River Gorge tour. Beautiful scenery and lovely quiet environment. Lots more pictures than what I've included here but hopefully this will give you a bit of a taste for the experience!

  We walked and caught "Ugly" back to the resort. There we enjoyed a nice meal at the restaurant/pub before having a cool swim in the infinity pool. Had a couple of cold drinks while we enjoyed the view! Great way to finish off our tour. Cobbold Gorge is another must see when touring the Savannah country!

Enjoyed a relaxing afternoon back at the caravan park. Tuesday was a bit of a relaxing day with a bit of cleanup/laundry. Stephen and I enjoyed a few beer and some darts down at the local pub in the afternoon while the girls did hair colours on each other! We met a lovely couple, Tom and Bridget from Switzerland, who were camping next to us. They joined us for happy hour and we had a great visit with them before a late dinner. Tomorrow sees us on the road again to Croydon.

Talk to you soon!

Mount Surprise, Queensland

Tuesday morning we packed up and headed towards Mount Surprise on the Savannah Way. We passed through Atherton again before heading South West to Ravenshoe. The road near Ravenshoe was very winding with steep hills. Took our time with the caravan and fortunately there wasn't much other traffic on the road. We stopped just past Ravenshoe at a windmill farm for a break and morning tea. We had stopped here on our previous trip but the wind farm had been shrouded in fog. There were 20 windmills which makes it the original and largest wind farm in Queensland.

We continued West after our break passing through Mount Garnet leaving the Kennedy Highway and joining the Gulf Development Road. The Development Road was mostly good but with some narrow bridges and sealed

sections. Luckily we didn't meet any Road Trains and was very little traffic heading West. We arrived at Mount Surprise and checked into the Mount Surprise Tourist Park. This is quite a small park and easy to miss as has a very narrow gateway/entrance. It took us a while to find a suitable site as quite overgrown and power/water connections not laid out in an organized pattern. After a few false starts we got setup on a nice shaded site with both power and water. We had the park to ourselves which was nice.

This is a very reasonable caravan park at $16/night for a powered/drinking water site. Also had a swimming pool which we definitely took advantage of! The amenities were basic but relatively clean. Unfortunately, the amenities were also home to a number of green frogs. Now I love green frogs as much as the next person, but I have decided I don't enjoy sharing a toilet bowl with them. I've got a really great story that I won't share on this medium! Perhaps we can reminisce over this one some day in person! Sadly, I will have to give a reduced rating of 2 for the amenity service based on my experience! The caravan park also is home to some miniature horses, exotic birds (caged), and an orphaned Emu. Quite an interesting little place and would definitely recommend as an overnight stay.

We took it easy on Tuesday and Wednesday with a bit of cleanup/laundry/blogging. We took a quick walk around Mount Surprise on Wednesday afternoon and covered all the highlights in about 20 minutes. There was an interesting Railway museum/display which outlined the history of the area and the Savannahlander Train. Also a couple of gem shops/displays, one of which you could rent fossicking gear. Topaz are the main gems located near Mount Surprise and there is a public area where you can fossick for them. Only require a $10/month license and some digging gear. Not really what interests Sandra and I, but might be for other travelers. We enjoyed a number of trips to the swimming pool to keep cool.

Around noon on Thursday the Ransleys arrived to join our adventure. They were pretty tired as had been doing some long travel days. Their trip North had also been marred by an ant infestation in their caravan and the door latch on the caravan giving out while traveling! We spent some time helping them address the ant issue before Happy Hour. Sandra and I had prepared a BBQ Chicken dinner for the 4 of us. It was a nice meal/evening but we all turned in early to catch up on some sleep.

Friday we had left free for the Ransleys to catch up on their rest/sleep. Unfortunately, much of it was spent attacking the ant problem again. They seem to be spawning in areas that have already been fumigated/cleaned. Was another warm day so we spent quite a bit of time cooling off in the swimming pool.

Saturday morning we were booked into explore the Lava Tubes at the Undarra Experience. This was the main reason we had included Mount Surprise in our itinerary. The four of us were up early to make the 45 minute trip back to Undarra in the Ransley's new Ford Ranger. Had an uneventful trip on mostly sealed road meaning we arrived with a bit of extra time. We booked in for our tours and had a bit of a visit before the 10:30 tour. The Lodge at Undarra is very nice and would be worth consideration if you are travelling through this way. Lovely Bar/Restaurant area with reasonably priced meals.

The tour began with a short bus drive into the National Park. The guide was very informative and stopped at a number of locations to describe the geography, wildlife, and vegetation. Got to see a large Wedge-tail Eagle flying down the track in front of the bus! Saw a large flock of Black Cockatoos as well.


We then left the bus to tour a couple of Lave Tubes. The walk was primarily on boardwalk through the Tubes/Tunnels and was well laid out. The "Archway" was our first stop and was incredible. Look at the colours in the rock patterns!

We then took a boardwalk through two different Lava Tunnels. Very interesting! The temperature was so much cooler and lots of moisture dripping off of the roof/walls.

Finished up our tour about 1 PM back at the Undarra Lodge. Had a quick break and drink of water before jumping into the car and heading to off to another area of the National Park. We had  a nice picnic lunch at Kalkani Day Use area. Very clean with covered tables and toilets. After lunch we completed a short 2.5 KM walk up to the rim and around the Kalkani Volcano. Was a bit of a climb but we got a great view of the surrounding area and Volcano eruption sites.

We returned to the caravan park and did a bit of housekeeping/trip preparation before Happy Hour. Sandra and I enjoyed a quiet meal of leftovers and completed some pack up for tomorrows journey. We enjoyed our time in Mount Surprise but wouldn't recommend it for more than a few days unless you are there for the fossicking. Undarra Experience was definitely the highlight and highly recommended.

Mareeba, Queensland

Wednesday morning we completed our pack up and had a final swim before hitting the road again. Stopped for a quick break and morning tea in Innisfail before continuing North towards Cairns. The traffic was a bit busier than what we had been used to but the road was good with lots of overtaking sections. We took a bypass route at Cairns that took us through Redlynch before turning West on the Kennedy Highway. The first 14 Km to Kuranda was very steep and winding. Gave the Jeep a good test but survived with no incidents. Kuranda to Mareeba was a much easier trip.

We arrived at the Mareeba Rodeo Grounds (Kerribee Campground) just after lunch. We met some people that had camped beside us one night at Charters Towers as we were checking in. Got a spot next to them and proceeded to get setup. We got a really large site with water and power which costs $18/night. There are about a dozen vans here now but can have upwards of 300 vans here during the peak winter months. The people we knew were spending their second winter here. Lovely big area but don't think I would enjoy it so much with 300 vans.

We enjoyed a late lunch and Sandra got caught up with some laundry. Enjoyed an early happy hour with 3 other couples.

Thursday morning we did some grocery shopping before visiting the local Visitor Centre. A very nice Visitor Centre that houses a Heritage Museum. Very well done and only a gold coin donation if you like. Spent a good hour going through the history of Mareeba which includes mining, Tobacco, military, etc. Thursday afternoon we planned out our activities for the next few days.

Friday morning we ventured out to Emerald Falls which is back towards Kuranda. Had about 10 Km of corrugated dirt road to reach the Falls. We completed a short 2 Km return walk up to the Falls. Quite a steep climb with lots of natural stone steps. Glad we completed early in the day as was fairly exposed to the sun. Got a good look at the falls and a view across the valley. On the return trip we lowered the tyre pressure as per my Brother in Law Gary's recommendation. Made for a noticeably smoother trip back to the pavement. Topped up the air pressure again to continue our trip. Will definitely use this technique for future excursions on gravel/corrugation.

Our next stop was Davies Creek National Park. Again we had a bit of gravel road to reach our destination. It wasn't as corrugated as the Emerald Falls road but the final 2 Km from the camping area to the Falls was narrow and winding.  We then took a short (850m) walk to a couple of lookouts and along the creek to a swimming/picnic area. Really beautiful views and nice cool clear water to refresh yourself in. Would highly recommend to fellow travelers. Not as well publicized as the Emerald Falls but both of us thought was a superior view and falls. The walk along the creek was wonderful as well.

We returned to our caravan around lunch time for a quick shower and a change of clothing before heading out for lunch. We retraced our steps East of Mareeba to Jacques Coffee Plantation. Had a lovely lunch there on their deck overlooking lovely gardens. Food was very nice with a couple of Gluten Free options and priced reasonably. After lunch we took part in a brief tour of the Plantation. Involved a short film about the family history and the coffee making process. The Jacques family is certainly resilient as they were wiped out twice financially before succeeding on their third try. Well worth a visit for a meal and the tour. Finished off with a coffee/tea and liquor tasting. Returned to the caravan where we enjoyed Happy Hour with our neighbors. Enjoyed a nice Prawn Salad to top off our Good Friday.

Saturday morning we decided to head towards Atherton for some exploration. Our original plan was to attend the Yungaburra Markets and then complete a drive around Lake Tinaroo. When we arrived at Yungaburra we decided to change our plans. Thousands of people (Sandra thinks hundreds but hey I write the Blog) must have had the same idea as we did and being Easter Weekend it was packed. There were cars parked everywhere and traffic was mostly at a halt. Knowing how I am around crowds, Sandra graciously agreed to foregoing the markets. We eventually got our vehicle clear of the traffic and headed East towards Gordonvale. We turned North on the Danbulla Forest Road to travel around Lake Tinaroo. The plan was to explore the many free/low cost campgrounds around the lake for possible destinations on future trips. We first stopped at the Cathedral Fig Tree which we had seen before. Still very impressive although a bit of construction would appear to be in progress.

As we continued from the Fig Tree the road was signed as unsuitable for caravans which was unexpected given what we have read in our Camps book and a couple of caravan magazines. However after several kilometres of winding very narrow, rough road I would certainly agree with the signs. The road was very dense dark rain forest with limited pull off areas. We stopped at Lake Euramoo which was created from twin craters.

When we reached the turnoff for Fongon Bay the road was closed because of bridge construction to complete the loop around the Lake. Very poorly marked and very inconvenient. We took a drive into

Fongon Bay where there were numerous campers. A lovely area but really only suitable for campers and tents given the road. There were a few caravans and lots of boats which would have been interesting trips into the campground. We confirmed that the road around the Lake was indeed closed before retracing our steps back the way we had come.

We took the Tinaroo Falls Dam Road into Tinaroo from the Atherton side of the Lake. Good road into Tinaroo from there and a lovely Day Use area on the Lake. We enjoyed some sunshine and a nice picnic lunch while watching everyone enjoy water activities. Sandra counted about 17 boats/jet skis in the one bay we were in. Lovely area and a very nice looking Caravan park just across from the beach area.

We then decided to explore around the Lake as far as we could from this side to see if the campgrounds were more accessible. As we proceeded past the Dam site we once again were greeted with a sign saying the road was unsuitable for caravans. The road was paved for a few kilometres before returning to gravel. Very deep corrugations and narrow, winding road for most of the rest. We stopped at a pullout and walked down to a section of the lake that was full of tree stumps from when it was flooded by the dam. Very peaceful and we were joined by a little duck family.

Stopped at Platypus Rock Campground and walked to Platypus Rock?? Not sure why it is called this as just appeared to be a big rock that you could climb to the top. Couldn't see anything from the top as overgrown rain forest in all directions. Campground was again only suitable for tents and campers from our perspective.

From there we continued as far as Kauri Creek campground where the road was again closed. This was a slow trip as got in a line of about 8 very slow moving vehicles. Was some lovely sites near the lake front there but don't know how/why you would take your caravan on the road into it. Retraced our steps slowly back to Tinaroo before heading into Atherton. We grabbed a few things from Woolworths there before heading back towards Mareeba. We stopped at Humpy Nut World at Tolga on the return journey where we got some fresh vegetables and potatoes.

Arrived home late afternoon tired and somewhat disappointed in our days adventures. While Lake Tinaroo is beautiful I would not take our caravan into any of the campgrounds other than the Lake Tinaroo Holiday Park.  We topped the day off with a nice baked Chicken dinner with fresh corn on the Cob. Was definitely the highlight of the day!

Sunday morning sees us taking it easy and doing some domestic activity. Sandra has got some laundry on the line and I'm doing some Blog catch up. We see our future travelling partners, the Ransleys have hit the road early this morning. They plan to catch up with us at Mount Surprise by the end of this week. Spent the early afternoon relaxing while catching up with both Mum and Justine on Skype which was nice!

Our caravan neighbours own the same vintage white Jeep Grand Cherokee that has unfortunately been putting ours to shame in the cleanliness department! As such we gave ours a bit of a cleanup with some buckets of water and elbow grease. Once the car was somewhat respectable again, we enjoyed a nice happy hour with our neighbours, Tony and Erica from South Australia. We ended up getting a little bit wet, but then got to enjoy a lovely Double Rainbow that stretched to the ground on both ends. Beautiful!

Monday morning we got an early wake up call as we heard a few vehicles tearing around the field. Turns out they were the ground support teams for some Hot Air Balloons. Got a great show as two of them landed in the caravan park. One flew right over all of the caravans and landed in the back corner, and the second landed right behind where our caravan was located. Apparently this is a fairly regular event during the winter months at the Park. Great to see!

We had breakfast after the Balloon show before heading down the road to the Mareeba Golf Course. Sandra and I enjoyed (?) a round of golf with a golf cart. The course was quite green but a bit disjointed. We had to return to the club house after our first couple of holes to grab a map. It went a bit better with the map! There were lots of kangaroos on the course and they didn't seem very afraid of the golfers. I had an average round while Sandra struggled early but improved significantly towards the end of the round.

We returned to the caravan for a nice cold shower and some lunch. Then off to IGA and Coles for some grocery shopping. Will likely be the last Coles we see for several  weeks. Goodbye civilization!

Enjoyed another nice Happy Hour with a our Mareeba friends before saying our goodbyes! We enjoyed Mareeba and would definitely recommend the Rodeo Ground as a place to stay.

On the road again in the morning to Mount Surprise where we will meet up with the Ransleys.