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Published: July 24th 2008
When we originally booked our trip with Trailfinders they recommended that we have a few days peace and quiet to recharge our batteries in Australia. Fortunately they could recommend somewhere (funny that!) - a place owned and managed by them (doubly funny that!!) - called Bloomfield. Despite not really knowing anything about it and really just relying on a knowing look from Nick at Trailfinders, for our whole trip Bloomfield has represented an "oasis" in an otherwise pretty frantic wizz around the Southern Hemisphere - thankfully it didn't disappoint... actually quite the opposite...
Bloomfield is situated on Weary Bay just North of Cape Tribulation in far Northern Queensland literally at the spot where Captain Cook crashed and burned (or scraped anyway) on the Great Barrier Reef. Talk about a wingeing pomme - just look at the names, add to them Mount Misery and Sorrow and you get the picture that he wasn't a happy chap....
You arrive by plane along the Queensland coast, past Palm Cove, Snapper Island (looks like a crocodile - more of that to come), Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation - breathtaking. Taking a left fork, at the last minute, at the range of mountains you
arrive at a grassy airfield (keep the wallabies off the strip, please) then take a land rover followed by a boat up the river and into Weary Bay where Bloomfield awaits... low tide makes this trip impossible.
Essentially it used to be the fishing lodge belonging to Trailfinders owner, Mike Gooley, and if you weren't looking for the place it is unlikely you could find it. Literally "nestled" in the rainforest, it caters for a maximum of 32 guests, we were 12 at our greatest, in a beautiful, relaxing open plan atmos. You all eat and play together - eating three times a day and river cruising, grinning, walking, chatting, fishing, learning, swimming, laughing and sometimes sleeping the rest of the time.... heaven. Doug Cluney, who we had the pleasure of meeting with his wife Ruth, described it as being like a really good house party and we couldn't agree more...
We were very lucky, we met some absolutely wonderful people. The aforementioned Doug and Ruth, semi-retired legends from Stevenage who charmed the pants of us; Chris and Bob - dairy cattle farmers from Tasmania - never short of a story and a smile; Tony and Lyndsey from
Soho and Milan currently residing in the UAE with enviable plans to end up in Tuscany. Kelly and Mick from WA - currently building tree top walkways near Cairns but continuing their travels round Australia in a troop carrier. Plus, of course, all the staff were absolutely fantastic - at one point there were more staff than guests, lucky old us. Ben and Courtney, Shane, Paul, Wendy, Louise, Ryan... they were all brilliantly happy and helpful.
We also met some other Queensland residents - though i wouldn't necessarily call all of them friends - four crocodiles by the river (how big and scary are they? just amazing); a snake in the bar (Evening all, what's your poison?); a frog on the window (much debate if it was real or plastic - thanks Bob for sorting that one out with some cutlery); plenty of fish on the reef (stripey, spotty, scaly, streaky - yellow, orange, blue, grey, red, pink, big, medium, crocky-size); a few spiders in the room (somewhat larger over here); birds in all shapes, sizes and colours; butterflies as big as your hand and much prettier.
After four days of bliss we had to leave, Chris and
Bob kindly dropped us off in Port Douglas - and here we are. Winding away the hours in the local internet cafe, while we wait for the rain to go. Not too bothered though... just so great to be here. Off touring tomorrow for a few days then we fly to Ayers Rock on Sunday.
Happy Birthday Fi and Ollie!!!
Lots of love
Louise and Nige
xx
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Sue
non-member comment
green with envy
I am absolutely green - you have been having an amazing time. You might find I'm repeating myself as I have already typed this comment but it mysteriously disappeared. I'll try and finish this time. We are still in Ioannina, waiting for the kids to come back from camp, Athens, Germany etc. Andrew is working in Lesvos and won't be coming back - he applied for and got a place at University of Lincoln to study architecture - so you might be seeing something of him. Will text Louise as to the whereabouts of the duvet. Lol Sue et al