The Gulf Country and The Atherton Tablelands.

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OK, here we go again.
The drive from Mt. Isa up to Cloncurry was very spectacular scenery-wise. Hilly and green after lots of dry countryside. We stayed overnight just north of Burke and Wills Roadhouse in a free campsite and met up some friends we have met many times along the way, Bruce and Joan from Busselton plus another lovely couple. The folk you meet along the way are just so friendly and happy to tell you about any must-not-miss attractions. On the 2nd day we arrived in Normanton after travelling through countryside littered with Brolgas, slim grey birds about 4ft tall with bright red plumage on their heads. If I said we saw thousands it would not be an exaggeration, and with each one we were equally impressed.
Normanton is an old gold mining town steeped in history, now with very few permanent residents. Three pubs, one bank and a few shops but a lovely feel to the place. Pat and I attended the school fete and took part in what they call a 'cent sale'. Local people and businesses donate gifts - ranging from bottles of wine to lawnmowers to children's toys to electrical gadgets all of which have little tins placed beside them with a slot in the top. The range of items was both varied and huge. You buy a strip of tickets (about 10) for $3, all with the same number on and you go around the donated gifts putting a ticket with your number on it in the tin of any items you would like to win. It was a great way to raise money for the school and although neither of us won anything we did enjoy the game.
Normanton boasts a replica of a huge crocodile (called Krys) measuring 28ft long and 13 ft around the girth which are the measurements of an actual croc caught in the area. We managed to pop Millie in it's mouth for a great photograph.
A visit to Normanton would not be complete without a trip on the famous Gulflander train which runs between Normanton and Croydon. We went on a morning tea journey and from the windows of the train we could see Brolga, Storks, Shags, Herons, Eagles, Kites. Jabiru, Wallabies and even two wild black pigs with their litter of piglets. Our morning tea was taken at a water hole full of birds and consisted of tea or coffee and a beautiful gateaux, not what you would expect in the Australian Bush. The train leaves from Normanton station which is a beautifully kept historic station with immaculate gardens. Two lovely Brolgas live there, Gregory Peck and his wife Mrs. Peck. Apparently they have lived there for years and have reared many chicks.
The caravan park there was clean and spacious boasting an artesian spa almost too hot to sit in. Poor Pat slipped on her way in and ended up going in head first, where is your camera when you need it?. Thankfully she did not hurt herself. The folk at the park very kindly looked after Millie, Freckles and Buddy while we took the trip on the train, a gesture which we were very grateful and impressed with.
Normanton and the Gulf area have huge rainfall and earlier this year they were completely cut off with huge floods which widened the river to over 13km wide, and we were told that the Gulflander would have been 4 meters under the water - almost impossible to comprehend.
We visited Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria, a favorite for fishermen with boat trailers lined up in the car parks. Can you believe cooked Tiger prawns for $12 a kilo? We sat on the beach with fresh bread rolls and ate them fresh with a kite sitting nearby waiting for the scraps, then went back to the shop for more to take home to put in the freezer. Again more Brolgas, even walking along the main street. Amazing !!!
After Normanton we went on to Croydon which is an old gold town, now kept in beautiful condition full of old houses, the hospital and courthouse to inspect freely, lovely parks full of very clever sculptures depicting the lives of the early settlers. We had lunch in the oldest working shop in Australia which was a lovely experience, Sitting at a nearby table was a man who works for the Shire and he told us many interesting things about the town. We all agree that Queenslanders are a very friendly group of people.
That night we had planned to stay in a free campsite but when we arrived there it was about 6 inches deep in fine dust, like talcum powder, so we drove in and out again and headed off to find somewhere more hospitable. We found a park in Georgetown to rest our heads then headed off to Mt. Surprise early the next day. Well, what a wonderful camp site we found there. It is called Bedrock and hints of Fred Flintstone and his family with the toilet blocks named Fred and Wilma. The caravan park was full of drive-through sites which are so easy to get into, no reversing of caravans and so no frayed tempers. The site offered beautiful meals in their camp kitchen, we had mixed grill one night and Pizza another. Pat and John met up with some old friends from Perth and we dined in good company under the stars.
We had read the glossy brochures about the Undara Lava Tubes showing easy access on pristine boardwalks so we though that was just right for us. Trevor and I booked a tour (Pat and John had been on a previous visit) through the office at the caravan park and off we went with the hat, water bottle and walking shoes we had been advised to take. After a nice drive out to the area we proceeded to climb up the side of a volcano, then all around the perimeter. Great exercise and amazing views and a great cup of morning coffee on our decent back into the car park. Day over? Not on your life. Another drive to another part of the national park and off down a track leading to the collapsed parts of the lava tubes. As the lava travelled along river beds it left huge tubes and over many thousands of years some of them have collapsed and exposed the insides which is where visitors can go. Not the nice easy walkways that we had seen in the brochures, oh no, not for us. Off we go down steep boulder strewn paths into the bowels of the earth, down rope ladders into pitch darkness illuminated with a little torch beam. It was a real marathon but we were so proud to go the course and see such interesting natural icons.
While at this camp site we used our outdoor carpet to keep the dirt from getting into the caravan. This is secured down by tent pegs which Trevor ties bright orange bags (Millie's poo bags) around to prevent us from falling over them. This time we put our outdoor table over one of the pegs but one morning I needed to move the table to put our outdoor oven on to cook a batch of scones. Having moved the table I then went around it to plug in the power, and promptly hooked my sandal on the tent peg and went down flat on my face. All I remember is my chin hitting the floor. Trevor picked me up, covered with leaves and dirt, I had a cut on my foot, a huge bang on my knee, an badly sprained arm and of course a bruised chin. After a cup of tea and a wash down I gradually stopped shaking, only to be upstaged by Pat, who did the very same thing an hour later when she fell over her own tent peg. Talk about the walking wounded, we were comparing the colour of our bruises for weeks. Both Trevor and John have vowed not to use tent pegs again - ever...
We were all sad to leave Mt. Surprise but we had to move on and after some sound advice from fellow travellers decided to go to Lake Tinneroo in the Atherton Tablelands for our next stop. When we booked in we were offered 7 nights for the price of 5 so decided to make it our base and explore from there. The camp site is on the edge of Lake Tinneroo and the scenery was stunning, although the weather could have been better. We were so high up in the mountains that we were often in clouds all day long and temps were a bit low but luckily our air-conditioning is a heater too so we were snug enough. While here we visited Yungaburra, a lovely village which was like stepping back in time. We spent some time at the Duck Billed Platypus viewing area but sadly did not manage to see one but were lucky enough to see an enormous turtle and a water lizard that must have been 4 -5 ft long. I am very keen to see a platypus as when I was a little girl my brother John and I both had a stamp collection. Of course John is older than me and had a bigger and better collection but I had an Australian stamp with a Platypus on it and John was always trying to trick me into swapping it with him, but I declined. Never mind, hopefully we will get another chance as they are native to Queensland. The curtain fig tree in this area is awesome and Dinner Falls is well worth the walk to get to see them.
As a tea lover from way back I was delighted to visit the Nerada tea growing area in Malandra. It is a strange sight to see a crop of tea growing in Australia when we usually think of areas such a Ceylon and India. The crop is a bright green colour and the bushes are waist height and grown very close together. Obviously tea is now cropped by machine rather than by hand as times gone by, but the Nerada tea centre has a wealth of information about the history of tea. We came home with several boxes of tea to try and enjoyed a nice big pot on their verandah..
Herberton is another quaint village we visited, mainly because they have a spy camera and photography museum, which of course interested Trevor greatly.
Well on to Mossman now, down off the Atherton Tablelands which have been one of the highlights for us. The tropical plants are superb and grow to incredible heights, lush and deep green, many with flowers which almost seem impossible colours and the butterflies are the most vivid blues and reds you can imagine.
We are meeting Nigel and Michele next week and have lots of exciting things planned so will tell you all about that next time.
Will chat to you again soon.....

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Comments

[brian]

Hi the Bennetts
Hope you are all well. Have you met up with baby bro. yet?

[Brenda and Ray]

13/8
Hi Folks - we are enjoying your blog very much - you make us wish we were with you.....keep your bruised chin up Marilyn. Love to you and your fellow travellers. Looking forward to the next instalment. With our love. Ray and Brenda

[William Brett]

Foot loose layabouts
Gotta be honest. Today 15 Aug/09 is the first opportunity I've had to check your blogg. Quite fascinating. Have been doing my best to look after Annie. Dementia is difficult. I finally had to take a back seat for a few days to recover. But last Thursday gout took over my right foot, so I am no further forward except the gout is now under partial control. The dogs have had to make do with my front and back yard. Today I can put some pressure on the foot thus I can hobble here and there at home. Friends have brought me a few things from the IGA. I talk to Jude almost every day, or vice versa. I hope I have persuaded her to NOT quit on her mammoth Uni studies since she is more than 75 % thru them. Most of all I envy the climatic warmth you must have found in those latitudes. Here we have endless gales, horizontal rain and a thermometer STUCK at 16C--max. I may emigrate. Please take care and stop falling about! William