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!!!