Atherton, and Flying Fish Point

We left Cooktown after a wonderful and busy few days. Our first stop was the wetlands of Keating's Lagoon, on the outskirts of town. We parked and headed down the track to the Bird Hide, with Carol leading the way. She froze, and in classic comedy style, I walked all over her. There, just a few feet ahead, slowly slithering across the track was a large eastern brown snake! Now given that he is number 2 on Australia's most deadly reptile list, we followed deadly snake etiquette, and backed up, and gave him plenty of room. When he had cleared the path, we continued on to the Bird Hide, on high alert.

The Bird Hide was out over the billabong, which was covered in water lilies. Really beautiful. The only birds we saw, were a few Magpie Geese, that live up to the name in black and white, a couple of Brolga, and a couple of small waders running across the water lilies. It is a huge area, and was worth the look.

Past the Black Mountains, we were on our way to Lake Tinaroo, in the Atherton Tableland region. Australia's wet tropics tableland region, and a real food bowl, of fruits, vegetables, sugar cane, tea, coffee, and beautiful dairy products. We continued past the Palmer River Roadhouse, where I was informed it was too early for one of those delicious hamburgers, and headed for Mount Molloy. The sky had become threatening, and about 20kms from Mount Molloy it started to rain, our first rain since early August. The rain got heavier, and was soon torrential. We slowed down, and then suddenly the car disappeared in a spray of water, as we'd hit a large area of water across the road. All of a sudden, 6 tonnes of car and caravan was aquaplaning down the road, unable to stop or steer. We were veering left towards the cutting wall, when the wheels hit bitumen again, and I was able to get it all straight again. We looked at each other, and simultaneously said "Oh Shit!, that was close!" Our heart rates were up, and we were thankful for the weight distribution hitch that had kept our rig all together, and prevented the dreaded sway that can be fatal. We drove into Mount Molloy with elevated heart rates.

Nothing in Mount Molloy caught our eye as a good coffee spot, so we continued on to Mareeba, where we followed the signs to Coffee Works, "its like Disneyland for coffee!" They make their own coffee from locally grown beans, and you can taste all 14 varieties, as well as chocolates and liqueurs, made on the premises. There is also a cafe, and excellent gift shop, all in an old iron factory in the industrial part of town! We ordered a lunch of Burger plus an "authentic" Caesar Salad. It was one of those new age style burgers with a huge round blob of meat, lots of green leaves, a little tomato and mayonnaise, a Turkish Bread Roll, all with a long skewer through the centre so it won't fall over. For God's sake, send the guy out to the Palmer River Roadhouse to Burger School! Then there was the "authentic" Caesar Salad, which seemed to have escaped across the Adriatic as it contained tomato and cucumber! Still it was all fresh and tasted good.

At the exact moment I put the burger in my mouth, I hear Hi! It was a couple we had done our trip up to the Cape with. I said mmmh ahum, swallowed, and said fancy seeing you here. We compared itineraries since the Cape trip, and were amazed to find we had been in the same caravan park in Cooktown, at the same time, but hadn't seen each other!

Back in the car we headed to refuel the car and the wallet, and then back on the road towards Atherton. The road is lined with beautiful farmland full of fruit and vegetables. We drive through the quaint little town of Tolga, described as the Food bowl of Queensland, and looking at the food stalls, you can see why!

All set up at Lake Tinaroo

We stop in Atherton to replenish supplies at Woolies, then out to the arty village of Yungaburrah, and our caravan park on Lake Tinaroo. The Lakeside Caravan Park is surrounded by the lake. It is small, and full of frustrated fishermen cursing the rain, which is incessant. We set up, and batten down the hatches as the wind has joined in with the rain, to make it more fun!

Millaa Millaa Falls

That night it was like we were camped under a waterfall. We had over 200mm of rain in 12 hours, that is 8 inches on the old scale, and it was still raining! What to do on a wet day in the Atherton Tablelands? Visit the waterfalls! Of course, what better time to take a look. So off we went to have a look at 5 of the 18 waterfalls, listed in the brochures.
On the way, we found Gallo Dairyland, which was a good find. A working dairy farm with its own Cheese Making facility, cafe, and a Chocolate Room. So into the tasting room, to check out the cheese. It was excellent. Soft cheeses, washed rind cheeses, and some nice cheddar. We stocked up, had a good coffee, and Carol found some chocolates to her liking.

The Malanda Pub

Further down the road was the town of Malanda. It has one of the huge wooden pubs, the area is famous for, as well as a large Dairy Farmers factory. We also found our first waterfall, Malanda Falls. Next stop was the TarzaliMillaa Millaa Falls, then Zillie Falls, Ellinjaa Falls, followed by a beautiful drive through the well named Misty Mountains, to Ravenshoe and the Millstream Falls, the widest drop in Queensland. All the falls were running well, though much of the water was very brown. Back to camp we went, and another night of rain and intermittent downpours. The good news, no leaks!

Next day we continued to dodge the showers, and did the volcanic lakes of Lake Eacham, and Lake Barrine, as well as visiting all the galleries and gift shops at Yungaburrah. We went into Atherton and walked through town. We called in at The Crystal Caves, an amazing little shop in town, full of those crystal eggs of amethyst and lots of other semi precious stones.

We packed up in the rain, and headed down the range towards Innisfail and our next destination of Flying Fish Point. Before we get there, we have booked a night at Paranella Park, an amazing place in the middle of nowhere. There is a lot to talk about Paranella Park, so this stay will be the subject of a separate post.

Cyclone damage is everywhere

We were going to Flying Fish Point on a recommendation. It is a fishing spot, right on the coast, 7kms east of Innisfail, at the point where the Johnstone River meets the sea. It is a sleepy place, full of holiday homes. The area was ravaged by category 5 cyclone Yasi, in February 2011, and still shows the scars. The famous Ella Beach National Park, is still closed. Our caravan park is very nice. We have our choice of the place, as it is deserted. Apparently, from June to September, the place is packed. It is hard to imagine. We are parked among the palms, right opposite the pool.

We walked across the street to the beach. The seawall is still under repair, and sections are still closed. The sea is brown as far as you can see, and full of debris, due to the 500mm (20 inches) of rain over the past week. The beach is littered with debris, and uninviting. We are clearly not seeing the place at its best. We can only get a phone signal spasmodically, and internet is impossible, adding to our luke warm feeling. We had unfortunately prebooked and prepaid for 5 days, based on the recommendation, and there was no way we were getting a refund. All other recommendations from this source have been deleted! We decided to make the most of it, and have a look around the surrounding area.

The art deco water tower at Innisfail

Innisfail is a nice town. It is a cane growing, and banana growing town. Yes all you banana deprived southerners, the bananas are ripening, and the cyclone Yasi caused drought, should soon be over. The town's unique feature, is all the art deco buildings, apparently the result of rebuilding after a cyclone. On the edge of town, is a parking spot frequented by local growers, so almost daily,  we visit, to stock up on bananas, papaya, paw paw, watermelon,  avocado and mangoes, all at crazy prices. Woolworths are spreading lies! They are not the fresh food people, these guys are, and boy can you taste the difference.

The weather has turned great again, so we take to the roads. Driving south, the evidence of Cyclone Yasi is everywhere. The hills just don't look right. Instead of lush rain forest, they are covered in stripped trees with new shoots close to the trunk, or dead trees covered with new vines. It goes on for miles. We call in at Etty Bay, which is the beach the Innisfail locals use, and the Sugar loading facility at Mourilyan Harbour. We go a bit further south and drive out to Kurrimine Beach, which is really nice. The caravan park is right on the beach, which we take a note of, and there is a pub and a couple of shops and cafes. We had a coffee opposite the beach, which was really good, and on the way back to the highway, called in at the Murdering Point Winery. They make wine from fruit, lychee, davidson plum, mango, passion fruit, lemon aspen, and exotic tropical fruits, jaboticaba and black sapote. We had a taste, and I have good news for all the grape growers. Stick with the grapes!

Mission Beach has a nice feel

Hot Dogs & Lime Spiders on the beach

A little further on, is Mission Beach, which is lovely. we will come back here. It has a good beach, that looks across to Dunk Island, a nice seaside shopping strip, with nice cafes and services. We like it here, and there is a really nice caravan park, on the edge of town, opposite the beach. We find a beach side food stall, with tables on the sand, so lunch is a must. It is back to the 60's, with Hot Dogs and Lime Spiders all around!

More driving through the area. There are lots of new homes and new subdivisions around Mission Beach. There is also a lot of scaffolding and shiny new iron roofs. We are driving through a new subdivision when we see a huge paperbark tree lying on a block of land, with the root ball still in tact. It had been plucked out of the ground, and carried hundreds of metres, from a paperbark forest beside the subdivision!

Tully's wellington boot

Cyclone Yasi damage in Tully

The town of Tully is famous as the wettest spot in Queensland. The town "Big Thing", is a wellington boot! The town was also right in the path of Yasi. There is scaffolding around a lot of the buildings, and lots of new roofs. Many homes still have tarpaulins for roofs, and many more are simply deserted, probably the uninsured. We see damaged houses with signs saying "House For Sale for Removal", which we assume to mean buy the house and take it away. The whole thing is very sad, and you can only imagine the anguish of the people involved.

We have been using our Seniors Cards a bit in Innisfail. McDonalds has free WiFi in all its stores, so we have been buying 50cent ice creams, drinking free coffee, and checking our email, along with all the other pensioners! We have managed to easily fill in the 5 days around Flying Fish Point very well. We are ready to move on to our next destination, Rollingstone Beach, another recommendation! Please be good!!!

Cooktown

We leave Port Douglas on a beautiful warm morning, with the promise of a hot day ahead, as we drive to Cooktown, our final destination on this trip north. From Mossman we climb up the range through beautiful rain forest, occasionally catching glimpses of the flat plains below and the turquoise blue ocean beyond.

The vast savannah

On top of the range, we reach the outskirts of the small town of Mt. Molloy and we turn north for Cooktown, some 270 kms away. The scenery quickly changes to the dry tree savannah, studded with ant nests, and the rolling mountains as far as the eye can see.We are reminded again, of the vastness of this land. We are back in the outback, and we've only just left town!

Not a sign you find in the city!

We are also back in cattle country, as the road signs remind us, and are constantly on the alert for cattle on the road. You regularly round a bend, or top a crest, and find a cow or two nonchalantly standing in the middle of the road, with that "I was here first" look in the eye.

It is late morning and we make it to The Palmer River Roadhouse, a beautiful little oasis perched high on a hill, looking down over the river and the plains. It is beautifully kept, and is a small caravan park, as well as a fuel and food stop, and of course, a pub! There is a small museum, full of memorabilia from the gold rush era of the late 1880's, when 20,000 men worked the goldfields of the Palmer River.

The Palmer River Roadhouse

We decide on an early lunch and order the house special hamburger. Now this is an original Aussie, pre McDonald's, hamburger, made with a huge real beef pattie, loads of fried onions, lettuce, tomato, and yes, beetroot! It is topped off with BBQ sauce and served on a bun the size of a dinner plate. It arrives, your eyes light up as you remember that all hamburgers used to be like this, you try to put your mouth around it, knowing it isn't possible, but some how you persevere, and with sauce dripping off your chin and elbows, you are transported into culinary heaven!

The Black Mountains

Back on the road, licking the last dregs of BBQ sauce from the corners of the mouth, we climb through the ranges until we are about 25kms from Cooktown, when we are met by huge mountains made from black boulders. They look like giant piles of gravel, that must have been the result of mining or some man made event, but no, these are the Black Mountains, the result of a volcanic eruption millions of years ago. Quite amazing! There is a viewing area where we stop and read all about them, including the Aboriginal legend that says the mountains were made by rival lovers who competed for the love of a woman, by building the tallest pile of rocks. They are so taken by their task that they don't see the cyclone coming, and all three are blown off the mountains to their deaths. God women have a lot to answer for!

We motor into Cooktown, and quickly find The Big 4 Holiday Park. The friendly staff lead us to our spacious site, surrounded by palm and mango trees, and set up is quickly accomplished, so we head into town for a few supplies. Cooktown isn't big, but it looks nice, with some wonderful old buildings. At the far end of town is the harbour area, which is in fact the entry of the Endeavour River. We notice a lot of aboriginals around town. In fact they are the majority of the population, with a number of large settlements such as Hope Vale and Wajul Wajul close by. We also notice a trawler with a sign saying Prawns fresh off the boat, and immediately know what is for dinner. King Prawns at $12 per kg, with a small shark thrown in for nothing! I'm not kidding. He gave us this small shark, from which we cut a few cutlets and grilled on a flat grill plate. They were delicious! From the wharf we went to the only supermarket in town. The IGA Supermarket must be a gold mine. Everything on the shelves is 30 to 50% more expensive than normal. We buy only what we must. Surprisingly, the price of fuel, is the same as Cairns.

Endeavour River from Grassy Head

A quick trip up to Grassy Hill, the amazing 360 degree lookout in town, was essential. The views are unbelievable in all directions, and the old lighthouse has been restored. Even though it doesn't work it looks good.

Our objectives in Cooktown were, to look into all the Captain Cook history, drive down the Bloomfield Track, visit the iconic Lions Den Pub on the Bloomfield Track, do some fishing, and someone we had met, told us to do a tour with one of the local Aboriginal elders, by the name of Willie Gordon. Well, I am pleased to say we accomplished the lot!

The Capt Cook Memorial

As hopefully all of us Aussies know, Cooktown is named after Capt. James Cook, who in 1770, on his great voyage of discovery finding Australia, hit the reef off Cooktown and had to land to make major repairs. He was in the area for a few months. The wonderful museum, which is housed in what used to be a convent, is so good. We spent hours there, reading the history and looking at countless exhibits. We felt awash with patriotism, as we left, marvelling at how those few men, so long ago, achieved what they did.

The town of Cooktown, really didn't eventuate until the 1880's when they were looking for a sea port to service the gold rush at the Palmer River. Because of its proximity to Asia, this gold rush was dominated by Chinese, with 18,000 of the estimated 20,000 who were in the goldfields, from China. Consequently there is a lot of Chinese history. The church also had a large role to play, good or bad, depending on whether you were white or black. The gold rush ended and the town shrank again. Fascinating to read it all.

Around Archer Point

John at the entrance to The Lions Den

On Saturday, our first task was to do the Cooktown markets. This didn't take long as they were the smallest markets we've been to. Mostly it was a few locals with some things they'd grown at home, so we picked up some star apples, an exotic fruit that is purple in colour, and when you cut it you see the star where the flesh is like the texture of a lychee but with a softer and much sweeter taste. Very nice. We bought 5 for $1. We also bought a large watermelon, one kg of passion fruit, and a small butternut pumpkin for $4.50. After that we decided to do the Bloomfield Track drive and the Lions Den Pub. We also booked John onto a fishing trip for Sunday, with a local guide. Firstly we drove out to Archer Point, a beautiful area to the south. The scenery was magnificent, and the remnants of gun emplacements and PT Boat bases were all along the coastline. From here we headed out to the Lions Den Pub, which has operated continuously since 1875, which when you consider where it is, can only be viewed as a miracle. The pub started as a drinking hole for tin miners, and with the miners started the tradition of writing on the walls and ceiling. The miners used to nail their pay packets to the walls, and give their pay to the publican. They would then write there expenses down next to the pay packet so that each time they came in, they knew how much they had to spend! In more recent times, visitors have simply recorded their visits or left cards, caps, underwear and other souvenirs, all over the place.

Along the Bloomfield Track

Signs at the Bloomfield General Store

I first became aware of the place reading about the Bloomfield Track, which is one of Australia's iconic 4WD routes, joining Cape Tribulation and Cooktown. It is not a place I'd take our caravan. It is for serious 4WD only, but I wanted to see it and the Pub, first hand. So having enjoyed a refreshing ale, and a good look around, not to mention buying a souvenir or two, we hit the track, which was in pretty good condition. We drove around 40kms, which is about half way, and turned around at the Wajul Wajul Crossing, after which the track gets a lot tougher. We hardly saw another soul. You travel through the rain forest most of the way, but the trees along the way are so caked with dust, it isn't pretty, just remote. You arrive at Bloomfield, which is just a General Store. The signs along the road, begging you to stop and spend some money, are Classics. We had to stop and have a chat with the cheery shopkeeper, and buy a couple of ice creams! We went on a little further to the large aboriginal settlement of Wajul Wajul. It is row after row a brightly coloured houses, most in bad repair with cars and other junk strewn around. We have learnt that material possessions mean little to the aborigines. They are practical people who only see things for their use. They don't keep house like westerners. We reach the river crossing, get a wave from some of the local aboriginal kids having a swim, and turn around for the drive home.

Saturday night we headed into town to the Bowls Club to watch the first Rugby World Cup semi-final between Wales and France, and have dinner. We were told they put on a good feed, and they were right. All fresh local beef and seafood. Carol did the enormous plate of garlic prawns proud, while John wrestled with the Reef & Beef. We couldn't even contemplate dessert. Some of the people in that restaurant must only eat monthly. We couldn't believe what was being devoured by some of them!

Off for a morning fish

Sunday morning, Carol has John at the boat ramp at 6.30am to meet Mark from Gone Fishing Charters. Mark had left England 15 years ago, got to Cooktown, fell in love with the place, and never left. We slowly motored up to the public jetty, where Mark threw out a small hand net and caught about a hundred small herring for bait, and off we went. As you can see from the picture, we were in a small boat, but headed straight out to the reefs off Cooktown. Mark said that the mackerel were running, so we should have a good day.

Now that's a mackerel!

I was surprised at the light tackle he had on board, and when I mentioned it, he just said it made for more fun. Well the fun started quickly when I hooked my first mackerel. The rod bent like crazy and the weight of the fish felt enormous. We got it on board, and at around 65cms I was ecstatic, but Mark said he hoped we could catch a decent one! As the morning progressed the fun got better. I hooked a small (80cm) reef shark, which we tossed back, a few more "small" mackerel, then I hooked something big. Turned out to be a whaler shark of around 120 to 150cm in length. It did one big jump out of the water just beside the boat, and then broke the line. I'm telling you I was glad, as there wasn't enough room in the boat for me, Mark and that shark! I caught a couple of nannygai which we tossed back, then I hooked a good size nannygai which got hit by a big barracuda just below the surface, and left me with nothing but a fish head on a hook! Just before we started to head in, there was a big splash beside the boat. It was a big mackeral chasing a school of bait fish. Mark yelled to get a cast out among the action, which I did, and soon that big mackeral was on the line. I was struggling with the weight of the fish, so Mark took over to make sure we didn't lose it. The small rod was bent almost 180 degrees. Mark was really excited, so I assumed it was a good one. All in all it took about 10 minutes before we could get it alongside, gaffed and into the boat. The picture says it all. What a fantastic few hours, and a freezer full of fresh mackeral  fillets to boot.

Willie Gordon

Monday morning we head out towards Hope Vale to meet up with our Aboriginal guide, Willie Gordon, and do our Rainbow Serpent Tour. We meet Willie at the gate to his land, to be told that we are the only tour members today, so it will be a personal tour. 

Willie is a Nugal-warra Elder and story teller. He is passionate about his people and the preservation of their culture. His list of achievements for his people, and the community in general around Cooktown is astounding. For us, the tour was fantastic. Having Willie to ourselves for over 4 hours, gave us the opportunity to ask hundreds of questions, and to gain an insight into the aboriginal people, we've never had before. We now have a much better understanding of the problems faced by the aboriginal people, since the white men arrived, and into the future.

We walked through Willie's ancestral land, which is a rugged volcanic landscape full of huge boulders and a vast variety of vegetation. All was done at a slow pace, as Willie stopped regularly, to look and listen at the signs around, and to give us a rest! By the time we have finished, we had climbed over and through the rocky landscape, and had visited 6 rock art sights, and gained a knowledge of how his people have survived for thousands of years, in such a hostile land. There was so much information to be absorbed and understood.

John & Willie deep in conversation

Where to begin without provoking political debate? Well here goes! The first thing we learnt was that the aboriginal people are a family based society, not tribal, in that they don't have a king or chief. The elders are responsible for education, economics and spiritual guidance, and those responsibilities are shared among the elders. Each family group, no matter how large, has its own language, and among the languages are many dialects, so very few aborigines can communicate with other aboriginal communities. Right from the beginning, the white men never fully understood this, and chose one person as the leader of the tribe, and often he wasn't the smartest or best person for the job! So when the aboriginal people have been put together for ease of administration by Government or church, conflict was guaranteed. Willie likened it to putting groups of Japanese, Chinese, Italians, Russians and Australians all together, choosing a Russian as leader and telling them all to get along! 

Willie talked about reconciliation. He asked where I was born.I said I was born in Australia. He said he was too, so that made us both Australian. Neither of us had anything to do with what happened way back then. We can't change it, so let's worry about the future. Too many of his people are worried about the past. Sure it was bad, but there have been lots of bad things for all peoples. We shook hands, and Willie said that's reconciliation. Willie talked about Aboriginal politicians. He reckons they are as useless as white politicians, with too much self interest. Remember the family thing. Aborigines are not one people. Noel Pearson is Willie's cousin, and he is constantly debating this with him. Get representatives of all the aboriginal families together, and then there will be progress.

I loved Willie's logic. Everything was so simple and practical. He explained about the Rainbow Serpent and how everything is born of light and water. How the aborigines are spiritual not religious. That they are the custodians of their lands and all that is in it. He explained about their art, which is important for the story it tells rather than how it looks. I laughed at the thought of all those white people paying a fortune for aboriginal artworks that look good. They could be buying Woman's Weekly when they think they are buying Shakespeare! What a perverse kind of revenge!

Willie's family art from the birthing cave

We got to taste bush tucker and marvelled at how the aborigines knew what to eat and what would kill them. He rubbed leaves together to make hand creams and ointments. We all crushed green ants, and tasted the sweet lemon flavour they produce. There were barks that created halucagenic effects to get through painful experiences. He stopped and listened at the slightest sounds, and explained what they were. He coaxed a small lizard to let Carol give it a drink off a leaf. Every minute was a new adventure.

More of the family rock art

He took us to the birthing cave where his mother was born, and showed us the art drawn by his grandfather. He told us what it all meant, and how that only the men were allowed to paint, and that the hand stencils were in fact signatures. All pretty amazing. We saw how the paints were made from oxides and water, and how brushes were made from grasses. Along the trail, he would stop and bend down to show us the tracks of a wallaby or goanna or dingo. He showed us where a dingo had been sitting, or where a kangaroo had been resting on its tail. He told us that as a recognised black tracker he is called upon by the SES if someone gets lost, to help with the search. All in all it was a fantastic morning of learning, sharing and friendship. We will remember it always.

On the way back to the cars, Willie told us a terrific yarn that shows what perception is all about. "A minister in the church asks an aboriginal man if he would like to become a Pastor and spread the word of the church. The aborigine asks what he would have to do. The minister explains he would have to be baptised with an English name, learn about God and the bible, he would have to teach others, and he would not be able to eat meat on Fridays. The aborigine says it sounds pretty good, so the minister takes him down to the river and baptises him with a new English name of Peter. The minister pays a surprise visit on Good Friday and finds Pastor Peter sitting around a fire enjoying roasted kangaroo. What are you doing Peter? It is Good Friday. How can you be eating meat. Well says Peter, the kangaroo is hard to catch and this one jumped out in front of me and was easy to spear, so I did. Anyway minister don't be worried. Before we cooked him up we took him down to the river and baptised him. Called him Fish, so there be no problem!" There endeth the lesson.

Cooktown was a great adventure from the minute we arrived. Shame about those bloody sand flies! You guessed it, back to join the dots legs for John! I did ask Willie, who said rub on baby oil before applying insect repellent. Wasn't quite the bush remedy I was expecting!

Port Douglas

Time for a swim on our own beach

Port Douglas is only 60kms north of Cairns. If the Great Ocean Road is Australia's best drive, then this is number two. We quickly clear the northern suburbs of Cairns, pass the turnoff to Palm Cove and straight away we are driving alongside the turquoise blue Coral Sea. It is like this all the way to Port Douglas, with the road winding past deserted beach after deserted beach. It is a hot day, and doesn't take long before we have to put our footprints on one of those beaches. We find a suitable parking space for the car and van, then into the van for a quick change, and into the warm tropical waters. Heaven! The ability to just change the schedule in the blink of an eye, is what makes our journey so special.

It takes us 2 and a half hours to drive the 60kms, to our next home, The Pandanus Caravan Park in Port Douglas. It is only a short walk into town and the main beach, and apart from the noisy backpacker lodge next door, is very nice.  The sites are spacious and the park is almost empty, as most of the "southerners", have now well and truly started their homeward journey.

Port Douglas has grown enormously since we were here more than 20 years ago, but has lost none of its charm. Development has been closely monitored. No high rise here. Just classy resorts set among the palm trees. The main street is an amazing collection of restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops, and is alive with people day and night. It also now has a good supermarket, so no need to go out of town to shop. It is the gateway to the outer Great Barrier Reef, and there is a flotilla of craft, of all shapes and sizes, motor and sail, all trying to get your dollar for the trip of a lifetime. On land it is the gateway to the beautiful Mossman Gorge and the World Heritage listed Daintree Rain Forest. So much to see and do. If you like Noosa, you'll love Port Douglas. We sure do. It has an ambience and feel we really like.

Daintree River Ferry Crossing

We took a drive to Cape Tribulation to see the wonderful Daintree Rain Forest. This entails a drive north through the sugar cane town of Mossman, where as luck would have it the markets were on. The setting, under the magnificent Rain Trees was worth the stop in itself! The markets were small, but we did pick up a couple of presents, and some more fresh produce. We are buying our produce at roadside stalls and markets whenever we can, as the quality is fantastic, and the prices so cheap.

Creek crossing on the
Cape Tribulation Road

Fantastic Cassowary Road Sign

A few kilometres north of Mossman we take the Daintree Ferry turnoff, pay the hefty $22 return fare, and cross the river for the drive to Cape Tribulation. It is a beautiful drive, with the rain forest descending down the mountains to the edge of the sea. These are the oldest rain forests on earth, and are World Heritage listed. Along the road are a couple of lookouts to see the surrounding countryside. We also find an exotic Ice Cream Farm, that makes yummy ice cream, from all the exotic tropical fruits, that only grow in the tropics. Of course we sample a couple! Then further down the road is the Daintree Discovery Centre, with the 23m canopy tower and aerial walkway. We take the audio tour which is very informative, and yes we made it all the way to the top of the tower. The drive through the rain forest is one wow after another, and we love the Cassowary warning signs, that are around every corner. The Cassowary, a large flightless bird up to 2 metres tall, is critical to the survival of the rain forest, as it is the only bird large enough to spread the larger seeds around the forest. We make it all the way to Cape Tribulation, and find a lovely restaurant in the rain forest called Whet, and enjoy a lovely lunch of Reef Fish, before heading back down the road, to the second Ice Cream Farm we spied on the way up! At this one, the ice cream was better, and cheaper! On the way home we stopped in to look at all the various beaches, such as Wonga Beach. They are all similar with a palm fringed beach, and huge yellow signs, saying "WARNING/ACHTUNG Saltwater Crocodiles can cause injury or death. NO SWIMMING!"

Now that;s a water hazard!

Most of our days are spent lazing around Port Douglas, taking walks to the beach for a swim. We do our usual sticky beak at the local real estate scene, and this time it paid off, with a 2 for 1 voucher for golf at the magnificent Sea Temple Golf Course and Resort, where the remaining units are marked down 50%! We told them we had sold up in Sydney (the eyes light up!), we got to look at a couple of nice places, told the girl how much we loved our golf, and hey presto, one golf voucher! We did enjoy the golf, though the water hazards are really punishing. You not only lose the ball and a penalty stroke, you can get eaten! Apparently there is a resident crocodile who inhabits the lake next to the 12th. We both hit really straight drives, and didn't upset him at all.

John heading to the Reef

One of John's reef photos.

John did a wonderful day trip to the Outer Barrier Reef. Carol is not big on snorkellingsnorkelling only, rather than go with one of the mega boats, that cater for diving as well. It is about 1.5 hours out to the reef. The crew, which includes a marine biologist, provide fantastic commentary on the coral and marine life. Morning tea, afternoon tea, and lunch, are all included. I teamed up with an American guy named Jim, who was on a motor bike tour around North Queensland. He was a really interesting guy, and we had a great day sharing stories about our respective countries. He had snorkelled in Mexico, but was blown away by the Great Barrier Reef. I hired an underwater digital camera, and was able to take some great shots of the coral, so Carol could share the wonderful experience, without getting wet. It was a fantastic day.Carol also did the shops of Port Douglas proud.

Back on dry land, we also did a drive into the Mossman Gorge, which is again a magnificent drive and walk into the rain forest. The track winds along the beautiful Mossman River, and there are fantastic swimming holes all along the way. It is popular with locals and visitors alike, as it is crocodile free! The water is freezing, which really surprised us, so we just dipped our feet in to cool off! Again there are raised walkways, designed to keep people on the path, and limit damage to the forest. They obviously have big plans for the whole National Park, as an enormous Visitor Centre is currently under construction, and looks like it will be ready for the 2012 dry season.

The birds fill the sky.

Another really amazing phenomenon in Port Douglas, is the bird life. Around dusk the sky is filled with huge flocks of lorikeets and other birds, coming home for the night. The best place to see this is right in town. We took up our vantage spot on the verandah of the Court House Hotel. Initially they come in small groups, then the groups swell in size, and finally there are 1000's. The noise is deafening!  and then it is all over.

In addition to the birds, the fruit bats also start their nightly migration. Most nights we would sit out beside the caravan and look skywards as the birds flew into town and the bats flew out of town. It is quite a sight to see.

Sitting beside the caravan one evening, I was given a first hand reminder of why it was such a good idea not to take our caravan to the top of the cape. A caravan that was arriving, caught my eye because of its unusual colour. As I looked closer I realised it was a Traveller Penthouse, similar to the van our friends Julie and Ron have. The colour was due to the red dust! I went over and started a conversation with the owner, who came from Erskineville, and he was very happy to tell his storey. The caravan was a mess. All the legs were missing, a broken window, and there were huge dings and stone chips all over the place. Even the gas bottles were dinged! The caravan was just over 2 years old, but was a wreck. Red dust was everywhere, inside and out, and their 2 year old 200 series Landcruiser was much the same. He told me he had spent an extra $20,000 getting the van ready for "off Road". It looked to me like he needed to spend that again to get it fixed! He told me that the road was in the worst condition for years, with corrugations 20 - 25 cms deep, and littered with large rocks. He only went one way! He brought the caravan and car back, from Seisha, by barge, to Cairns, something he had booked a year ahead. Apparently they load all the 20ft shipping containers onto the barge first, then lift all the cars and caravans on top, strap them down tight, then 36 hours later you arrive in Cairns, having enjoyed a 5 star cruise with 35 other guests. Thank God we flew!!

The 8 days in Port Douglas has flown by. It is time to pack up and head for Cooktown, our northern most destination. We will definitely be back for a longer stay. We really feel at home here, and our weather has been exceptional.

Cairns

From the outback at Undara we headed back to the coast and the Far North's major tourist centre of Cairns. We soon hit the mountains of the Atherton Tableland, having driven through Mt. Garnett and Ravenshoe, past quite a large Wind Farm, and into the thriving little town of Atherton. The area is rich dairy country, plus there is an enormous range of other produce, including coffee and chocolate. The area is also home to some amazing fresh water crater lakes, and a host of waterfalls. We will be staying in the area on the way back. We enjoy a lovely lunch at a quaint little cafe cum gallery, and then it's back on the road and down the mountain to Cairns.

We are driving the Gillies Hwy through the Gillies Ranges, and it provides some spectacular scenery as we descend the quite steep and winding highway, to the sugar cane plains around Gordonvale. Here we join the Bruce Hwy again and turn north for the short run into Cairns.

We find our caravan park, The First Caravilla, and check in to an almost deserted park where we choose a site near an enormous Raintree, that will shade us from the western sun, but still allow us satellite access to the north. Whilst unpacking, our nearest neighbour comes over to invite us over for a cold beer, whenever we are ready! It didn't take long, and we were soon yarning away, swapping stories with Lindsay, his wife Nan and another neighbour Marty. This is a great social life, and we are meeting some very interesting people along the way. Lindsay is a particularly nice guy, and over the next week or so, we spent a lot of time having a chat about life, families, places to see and things to do. Seems we have a lot in common.

Cairns Esplanade.

We immediately like Cairns a lot. The tropical gardens, the warm weather and friendly people, quickly put us at ease. With an International Airport, the place is full of tourists from Asia and Europe, and the downtown area is always abuzz. There are day markets, night markets, and the most fantastic Fruit and Vegetable market that runs every Thursday to Sunday. You buy direct from the growers and the quality and prices are excellent. Lots of beautiful tropical fruit here, and we stocked up well a couple of times.

The pool along the Cairns waterfront

The waterfront has undergone a great restoration, with beautiful parks, gardens and boardwalks, and this amazing free form beach pool. Cairns itself is on a muddy tidal estuary, and has no beach of its own, which shocks many first time visitors, expecting to see sandy beaches, and be able to swim at their hotel front door. The Cairns Council overcame the problem with the pool area which is very extensive and fully policed with Life Guards. Carol and I love this area, and each morning we found ourselves driving the 5kms down to join the 100's of others, walking the waterfront, followed by a coffee at one of the many cafes along the Esplanade. We particularly liked the cafe that boldly told the world, "Fluent Espresso Spoken Here!"

At night, the place comes alive with all the tourists and backpackers filling the bars and restaurants, and with the Rugby World Cup in full swing, the atmosphere was terrific. We really enjoyed "Rattle and Hum" a pub/restaurant that had indoor and outdoor areas, huge TV screens, and usually the biggest crowd, all dressed in team colours, whether it be AFL Grand Final or Rugby World Cup.

Kuranda Scenic Railway.

The gorgeous Kuranda Station 

We did the iconic Cairns tourist things such as The Kuranda Railway and Sky Rail. We marvelled at the engineering feats of building his railway back in the late 19th century. Yes, it resulted from another Gold Rush, but at least it wasn't allowed to fall into ruin. It has been fantastically restored and maintained, and is a must do in Cairns. When we get to the top, I'm sure that the aboriginal guy, sitting on the footpath playing his digitally enhanced didgeridoo, was the same guy I saw 20 years ago, and The Original Kuranda Markets have been joined by The Second Oldest Kuranda Markets, The Best Kuranda Markets, The Only Kuranda Markets and a couple more that skip my mind, all selling the same T-Shirts and stuffed Australian Animals, not to mention Crocodile Dundee hats and boomerangs with signs that say "do not throw whilst in the shop!" Would someone actually do that? Anyway, by this time I've seen enough Japanese tourists wearing Crocodile Dundee hats and Koala Bear backpacks, all having their picture taken sitting on a wooden crocodile, making the sign of the V (what does that mean?), so it is time for the return journey, by Sky Rail.

Now those that know me well, are aware of my phobia about heights, so like a true gentleman, I sit with my back to the view with my eyes closed, and listen to Carol's commentary. I am getting better. I can now open one eye at a time! Carol says the scenery was spectacular. I apologised for bending the handrail I was hanging onto, and we made it down in one piece, where I was immediately in need of a drink of water, as I had dirt on my lips from kissing the earth on arrival!

Some of the 24 Creation Windows
at St.Monica's Cathedral Cairns

A specimen from the Orchid House

We toured the working waterfront, and learnt about what goes in and what goes out by ship, as well as the role of the navy. We looked around the sugar storage and loading area. We visited St. Monica's Cathedral, to marvel at the magnificent Lead Light "Creation Windows". We drove through the cemetery, with commentary about how only fake flowers are allowed, to avoid the need for water and a breeding ground for mosquitoes and the diseases they carry! We spent a considerable time at the Botanic Gardens, where David was in his element due to his passion for plants. You didn't need to be a plant person to be impressed by the Orchid House, and the varieties of fragrant ginger plants set among the palms and ferns, kept the wows coming. By now we needed reinvigorating, so it was off to afternoon tea, where instead of one of those touristy cafes, we went to a real food lovers cafe, for beautiful espresso coffee, and a scone about the size of a dinner plate, with enough home made strawberry jam and cream to do the job! Off to the lookout to see the lie of the land around Cairns, followed by a drive into the lower levels of the Barron Gorge and a walk across the dam to the oldest Hydro Electric Power Station in Australia (remember that for trivia nights!). Finally, we head up to Palm Cove for the obligatory Opal Mine Retail experience, and then down to the jetty at Palm Cove, as the sun set behind the mountains. All in all, a fantastic afternoon for $45.00 each! We got dropped off at "Rattle & Hum" and watched the rugby and had dinner and a few drinks among the noisy revellers, before taxiing home for bed.

The rest of the time around Cairns was spent relaxing, other than our day trip to the Cape. We did enjoy a lovely lazy lunch up at Palm Cove one day. The setting here is picture postcard.  Palm trees and sandy beach, islands just off shore, and nice resorts and restaurants nestled among the palms. It is very nice. We called in at Trinity Beach and Yorky's Knob( Carol could never live in a place named such!), doing the general look around of beach side suburbs, and were ready to pack up and head a little further north to our next destination, Port Douglas.

Cape York

We made it to the Top!

One of our adventure "must do's", was  to stand on the northern most tip of Australia. Well folks it has been done, and what a great day we had getting there.

The top of Cape York is over 1000km's from Cairns on a dusty red road full of corrugations, rocks, river crossings and sand traps. Fuel gets up to $2.30 per litre, and food costs sky rocket. If you average 40km per hour you are lucky. Five people have already been killed this year on what is a dangerous road. Add to that 3 tonne of caravan, and the task is daunting. Thankfully, we talked ourselves out of a lot of pain, suffering and cost, and took to the air, on what is the longest scenic flight in the world!

Boarding our scenic flight to the Cape.

We were at Cairns airport at 6.45 am with 11 other intrepid adventurers to board the two twin engined Piper Comanche aircraft of Daintree Air Services. Under the command of Captains Greg and Marty, the 10 minute briefing was enough to let us know that we were in for a long, fun filled day. Everyone was excited, and stayed that way until we touched back down in Cairns again at 6.45 pm.

We were with Capt. Greg. Carol was immediately promoted to 1st Officer and sat up front next to the Captain. Ever since Top Gun, she just can't resist a man in uniform! John, quickly dubbed "Big Fella" by the Capt. was assigned the seat directly behind the 1st Officer, as this was the furthermost spot away from the lunch!

Vast areas of Silica sand dunes.

We were soon airborne, headsets on, for the Captains witty commentary,and flying along the coast at low level, varying between 1500 and 2000 feet, getting the most amazing views. The first thing that struck us was all the bush fires and smoke. Capt. Greg told us that this was a phenomenon that had been going on for millions of years. They are slow burning and flare up during the dry season, die down at night, and get going again the next day. As soon as the wet season starts, they all get put out. Capt. Greg does a great job of dodging the smoke. One minute we were out over the Great Barrier Reef, and the next we were over the World Heritage Daintree Rain forest. We soon passed the rain forest, and it was like someone had drawn a line, as the rain forest gave way to savannah. We passed over Cooktown, Cape Bedford and Cape Flattery, went back out over the reef to look at some of the beautiful reefs and small islands. The land and sea scapes, constantly changing. We flew over the vast Silica Sand Mining leases operated by the Aboriginals. The sand is some of the purest on earth, and sought after by the Japanese for making lenses. Morning tea was served. The person in the back of the plane played hostee, and opened the esky to get the box of muffins, which were duly passed around with a juice!

We saw the remains of the many airstrips that were built by the Yanks during WW11, and  we even saw the remains of aircraft left on the beaches after the war ended. Apparently, the area is littered with plane wrecks, many of which are only now being discovered, due to the remoteness of this place. Past Cape Melville, with another reminder from Capt. Greg that it is a long way to the top! At Lockhart River, we ran into traffic! Another plane was landing, and Capt. Greg got quite excited as we flew low over the top of this guy landing at Lockhart River. From here we tracked passed Captain Billy Landing and headed on to Bamaga, where we would land, on the newly sealed airstrip, and be met by our guide for the 34 km drive to the tip, plus a tour of the area and a picnic lunch. During WWII, this landing strip was one of the longest in the world at 3,000 metres.The land part of the tour is operated by the local native people, and Capt. Greg has warned us to expect anything!

The land of the Cape York region, was handed back to the traditional owners, the Injanoo people, following the Mabo Native Title decision. Prior to that, the area had been owned and operated as a cattle property, by the Jardine family, who in addition to the cattle had tried their hand at a number of crops, including Mangoes, Cashew Nuts and Rubber,as well as a few other things I can't remember! None of it has been kept up by the local people, and we only saw  the remains of a few buildings and overgrown plantations.

Our guide for the day is Brett, and we learn that this is his last day, after two years in the job.

The red dust road to the tip.

Now Brett, came to the Cape in the '70's when the telegraph lines were being put through. He is a white man, and speaks with that typically slow drawl you only find in the outback, from people who have spent their whole life there. The humour is so dry. My only regret was not having a tape recorder! We climbed into the new, air conditioned bus, which was a blessing in the heat and humidity, so different to Cairns, and headed down the 4kms of new bitumen road, before  hitting the red dirt road to Pajinka, the tip of Cape York.

The lady in the front seat up next to the driver, was full of questions. " What kind of wild life do you get up here?" "What you see is what you get, I guess", came the reply. "Is there anything unique to the area?" "Well there is a kind of cockatoo that only happens north of the Jardine River." " What does it look like?" "Well, it's a black, boof headed ugly bastard, with rosy cheeks." Will we get to see any?" "Maybe, yep there's one over there." As he points to the sign with a painted black cockatoo with rosy cheeks garishly staring down at us, advertising a Fishing Resort!

We drove past a sign to Somerset, which Brett informed us was a settlement set up by the British in the mid 19th century. "Them Brits had been having a few shipwrecks around the cape, and a few of the local headhunters had been gnawing on the survivors. Anyway they sent out a few troops and built a hospital, which the termites ate, so they gave up! Just left a few ruins."

Off to the top of Australia.

We soon reached a sandy beach, which we thought was our destination, but Brett informed us we had about a one km walk up over the rocks. "Yous look like you should make it!" So off we went. I wasn't sure what to expect at the top of Australia. I felt it should be a tropical beach. Instead here we were climbing over rocks and down the other side, to a sign saying here you are! It was quite a thrill as we all stood next to that sign, with Brett doing the expert photographer thing. We dipped our toes in the water, and took in the remoteness of the ocean, the small rocky islands and the long secluded beach.

Picnic lunch at the top of Australia

Back to the bus, and what an idyllic spot to have our picnic lunch. By now, the tide has gone out around 100 metres, leaving nothing but white sand and beautiful turquoise water.
We all enjoy the rest, the salad lunch and a cold drink, before back on the bus for a look around town.

The remains of one of
the resort buildings

I was surprised by Brett's reaction to the local people. There was no doubting his honesty. We drove back past a resort that had been built by Reg Ansett back in the '70's. "It used to be well supported back in them days. But after Mabo, every thing went to the native people. They wanted it, but didn't know what to do with it. Staff wouldn't turn up, the place ran down and people stopped coming. Who's gunna pay top dollar for rubbish? There was a fire in the generator room. Never got fixed, so they stripped everything worth money out of the place, and walked away."

Souvenirs and red dust!

Back on the road, we had a stop at The Croc Tent, the only souvenir shop at the tip of Cape York, and the only place you can buy "official" souvenirs to say you made it. A young couple own the tent. They drag it, and all the stuff inside, up to the Tip  each dry season, then pack it all up and head back to Cairns for the wet season. They deserve every cent they make! I can't imagine how they cope with all that dust. Everything is in plastic bags and signs ask not to handle the T-Shirts. How do they keep it clean?

From here it is a tour around town and a brief, one man's history of life at the top of Australia. The entire area is part of The Injanoo Aboriginal Land Trust. It is home to 4 different tribes, put together by the whites for ease of administration, and who don't get on well. Consequently, they live in separate settlements called Injinoo, New Mapoon, Bamaga and Umagico. In the middle is the seaside town and port of Seisia (pronounced Saysha.)

Bamaga, named after the king who founded the settlement, is home to the Torres Strait Islanders. These were first brought to the area by The Yanks during WWII, to help build things. Our guide, Brett, described the Torres Strait Islanders as good, hard working, and keen to be educated. Following the war, after a huge cyclone almost destroyed their island, King Bamaga brought his people to the mainland. They got on OK with the Injinoo, but then when the other two tribes were moved into the area, things went a bit pear shaped. Brett described the Mapoon as a bunch of thieving mongrels! "If anything goes missing, the cops go straight to New Mapoon to find it!" When asked if the locals do any business like agriculture, Brett told us that any attempts, usually by the Torres Strait Islanders, ended up with all the proceeds being stolen before they could be harvested, so they gave up. They did set up an abattoir, and brought up live cattle to be fattened and slaughtered as required, but all that resulted in was some days with no meat at all, and very high prices, with the cheapest cuts being $16 -18 per Kg.

Mayor's house

The biggest and newest buildings in town, are the Police Station, Court House and Centrelink. The pub was described as a slaughter house, and looked like a dump, but the supermarket looked quite new and well kept. Beer is now $65 per carton for XXXX Gold, almost double Cairns prices.The only ones who look after their houses are the Torres Straight Islanders, many of whom even have a kept garden. Otherwise the houses are a mess, all surrounded by broken furniture, bikes, cars and junk, sitting in the dust.

On the way back to the airport, we stopped at a wreck of an old DC-3 that had crashed soon after take-off during WWII, killing all six on board. It was just off the main road, and Brett thought it would be pretty funny to show us just before we all got back on board! He confirmed that the bush around here is full of old wrecks. So Brett left us at the airport, having successfully completed his last day as a tour guide. The future will be driving road trains around Charters Towers. "The missus says 2 years with all these black fellas is enough, and 2 wet seasons here, is 2 too many! The temperature doesn't get below 30 day or night, and the humidity is always 90% plus. It's bloody awful!"

Palm fringed beaches west Cape York

Back on the planes we set course for Weipa, on the west coast of the cape, and home to Comalco's vast bauxite reserves. The low level flight along the coast is breathtaking. Miles of palm fringed sandy beaches, lots of rivers, the occasional fishing boat, and not a house or person to be seen. Capt. Greg reminds us that the land below is "crocodile central" so no resorts here! We finally see a sign of civilisation, Skardon River Mine and airstrip, where fine talc is mined, and soon the red earth of the bauxite mines are visible. Flying into Weipa we see a well laid out town with modern houses, and a thriving port area. Capt. Greg tells us that houses sell from $500,000 up, which is met with gasps of surprise! Who wants to live here?

Weipa port from the air

We quickly have a look around the airport, whilst the planes are refuelled. We are surprised to hear a jet landing, and find that it is one of the Federal Government fleet. Capt. Greg tells us to keep an eye out for someone famous, but we didn't recognise anyone! More wasted taxpayer dollars at work! Why don't they drive and learn a little about the country.

Back in the air we are told it will be a smooth, high level instrument flight back to Cairns. So once Capt. Greg has the course set with air traffic control in Brisbane, he is relaxed and ready for a chat. Carol asks him a question, which he lifts his headphone to hear, as we all can only hear, not speak. He tells us all the question and launches into a long winded reply. Now Carol was finding the headset uncomfortable and hadn't put it back on at Weipa. Ten minutes later Capt. Greg notices a little snickering coming from others on the plane, and breaks his long answer, looks straight at Carol, and says "and why am I talking to you. You haven't even got a bloody headset on!" The plane was filled with laughter. All the way home we were given a series of terrific stories of Capt. Greg's 30 plus years visiting the cape.

We landed back in Cairns just after sunset, all singing the praises of Daintree Air Services, after one of the best days sightseeing we had ever had.