Australia: East Coast sojourn April - May 2019

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"Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else." - Lawrence Block

After a delightful four day stay in Cairns, it was time to move on and Cyril duly obliged pointing us on an inland routing to Yungaburra.This looked far more interesting than the A1 down to Townsville which did not hug the coast and probably traversed endless sugar cane fields. Talking of sugar. SA produces about 2 million tons in a good year whilst the Aussies are more than double at 4.5 million tons. Almost 95 percent is grown in Queensland and with all the rain, heat and sunshine, the cane stalks are impressive in height.

The routing meant that we had to once again work our way through the Rain Forest mountainous area and a real bonus was the Gillies Pass which has 267 twists and turns as one winds upwards. This had GPS Sue on the edge of her seat. The views were spectacular on the climb up and finally we summited onto expansive grassy plains surrounded by low lying, forest clad hills. A sign ahead indicated the Cathedral Fig Tree which the LPG mentioned as being a “must see”. Mind boggling. A massive strangler fig with a circumference equal to anything we saw in the Redwood forests in Oregon.

Shortly after this minor deviation, we drifted into “wee, winsome Yungaburra which ticks every box on the country-cute checklist” (thanks, LPG). Seemed like a good spot for that must have mid-morning coffee recharge and after a brief walk around, a Visitor Centre came into view. An idea had formed in my mind based on the close proximity of Lake Tinaroo which boasted good fishing. The two volunteers at the centre were very helpful and a snap decision to go and take a look at the lake and RV Park was made. Just a brief comment about the Aussies and their unbelievable willingness to volunteer for all manner of community chores at no cost. In this Visitor Centre, two volunteers, an elderly lady from the UK living on her own in Yungaburra for 50 odd years and an elderly guy, who picked up our accent, said he had moved there from Malawi almost 18 years ago. He bade us “totsiens” and off we went to check out the nearby lake. Within the hour we were checked in and had replenished supplies in the local store. This fresh water lake boasts the biggest Barramundi caught in Australia to date at 38kg which is a very big fish and had my fishing buttons going off the wall. Long story very short. No fish despite thrashing the water with a fly in the late afternoon and the following early morning. I did console myself by noting that no one else caught a fish.

We had not quite finished with Yungaburra and just out of town, we set off on foot on a 2km walking track in a quest to see platypus which frequent the Peterson Creek. This path was built after rehabilitation of the river’s edge in the 1970’s and is now maintained by a volunteer group called “The Old Guys in Blue”. There’s that community spirit thing! A stunning walkway through indigenous forest with raucous bird song all around. And to cap it all we did spot one small platypus along with a water dragon (lizard) and turtle. The other impressive observation in this little town was the hanging pot planters, with superb flower arrangements, lining the streets. All, of course, done by volunteers.

The meander through this area, named the Atherton tablelands continued. The countryside bears a resemblance to the Nottingham Road area in the KZN Midlands with the exception that the huge summer rains had made it look like the emerald fields of the Irish countryside. Bright green and lush with pools of water and strong running creeks. These little, mostly farming towns,are nicely spaced and on queue we drifted into a sleepy little town by name of Milanda which proudly attributes its fame and existence to the fact that in 1908 some 560 cattle were physically moved there from NSW. So, the oxygen enabling this little town to breathe and flourish is milk! Lots of it. Further down the road was a town most Aussies probably don’t even know exists. Millaa Millaa, dubbed the “Village in the mist”, was a perfect quiet back country town for a much-needed caffeine infusion. Not sure how this town got its name but it sounds as though it has some Aboriginal origin which no one remembers.

There is an always an upshot to being off the main highways and our routing now tilted back towards the Rain Forest for one last time. Quick comment on highways. The Aussies stretch the concept a bit further than most as the A1 running along the coast is called the “Pacific Highway” but in reality’ it is mostly a single lane roadway. The roads are generally very good and there is a never-ending barrage of signs imploring any driver in terms of what to do and what not to do. To date we have not seen a single fender bender which is testimony to the manner in which the Aussies drive and they simply do not speed and perhaps, all those signs really do work. Apart from sign watching, the countryside was sublime with tropical fruit being grown in abundance against a backdrop of small mountains shrouded in misty rain. There were a number of farmhouses alongside the road selling fresh produce in little kiosks operating on a total honesty system. Pick your produce and put the bucks in the little coin tin. Not sure this will take off in sunny SA. Back down on the coastal plain we drove through Innisfail and noted the cyclone shelters located in the town due to the fact that the Northern Queensland coast has on average 5 cyclone threats each summer. Some get angry and very grumpy, others just chill and move on. Back on the A1 we spotted a sign “Murdering Point Winery” and decided it was too good to be missed as it proudly pronounced itself as the best winery in Queensland. Not a vineyard in sight but curiosity got the better of us. Turned out to be a range of tropical fruit wines and the “vintner” didn’t really take kindly to my comment that we were looking for the stuff made from grapes. Ouch! Move on.

Timing is everything and late afternoon we arrived at Cardwell, a small seaside town about 180km from Cairns. The RV Park was right on the beachfront and during check in formalities, I was told that “Happy Hour” was on between 5pm to 6pm. Didn’t want to miss this opportunity, so after parking Brutey and doing the usual hook up chores, we charged down to the pub to claim our half price drinks in a superb setting looking out over a calm ocean front at sunset. Quick word about these RV Parks that are such an important aspect of the RV travel “thing”. As a rule, they all seem to have the best location in town, or wherever one finds them. The actual sites are well laid out with a concrete slab for an outdoor table and deck chairs alongside the parking bay. On arrival one hooks up to power and water supply. The shower and toilet facilities are spotlessly clean and pleasant. There is always a laundry with washing machines and drying lines and then, if needed, a cooking area with stainless steel barbeque equipment and dish washing areas. They all boast a swimming pool and kiddies play area. The RV and Holiday Parks concept is a very competitive market and social media is unforgiving if they are not up to standard. For anyone thinking this is “rough” camping, it simply is not. As standard practice we always check the joint out on Tripadvisor and obviously avoid those that have been mauled by negative comments/ratings.

Cardwell was a revelation to say the least. It is tiny and has a population of roughly 1300 people according to the 2016 census and yet it has a waterfront area that boggles the mind with a beautifully designed 3km concrete pathway running just above the beach. On each of the three occasions that we tested Garmin devices walking this superb promenade, I kept wondering how it was possible that this splendid walkway had been built there of all places. It looked new. The answer came via an Aussie lady we befriended around the RV Park pool who told us that Cyclone Yasi had destroyed the town in 2011 and it had been largely rebuilt by way of State funds and the sheer will of the townsfolk. Good on them! Interesting that all along the promenade are countless signs warning of the dangers of salt water crocodiles and the dreaded “stingers” ( box jellyfish). In 30 deg C heat accompanied by sweat gushing humidity, our inclination was to rush down to the beach and plunge into the surf. Nope, not a good idea! On our second day there, a guy went jogging with his two dogs and at some point, he let them run loose down on the beach. He turned back at some stage on his jog and watched in horror as a “saltie” launched out of the water and zapped one of his pooches. This was recorded on a phone by someone who happened to be there and the video went viral on the Cairns Post website.

On an anecdotal level, the walks done to date have inevitably meant that one encounters the good people of Australia. There is almost always a friendly greeting along the lines of “Gid day, Mate” or “How aaah yi, mate?” being the most common. Now for us Saffers, we often think this is an invitation to say “Good morning” or whatever, thinking that there is a possible two-way chit chat on the cards. Forget it. The Aussie bloke or Sheila has greeted you and they move on. No further chats on offer!

Cardwell was a delightful spot for a full day break and getting a few chores done. It rained a bit adding to the 3000mm recorded in Northern Queensland in what has been an incredibly wet summer. It was also an opportunity to pull out maps and look at what lay ahead on this 2500km saunter down the East Coast of Australia. The only date that counts is 27^th May when we hand Brutey back to the Britz RV guys in Sydney.

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Photos

Yungaburra
A very large 500 year old strangler fig tree

Aussie Icons
Just about every small town has one. A very old original hotel that is still operating.

Lake Tinaroo
Dusk. Warm but no large barramundi about.

Petersen Creek
Spot the platypus!

Cardwell
3kms of stunning walkway lined with solar powered lights

Cardwell
Lots of signs warning of those pesky things that can cause a problem. Especially directed to the Germans!

Cardwell
Happy hour with a seriously good view thrown in.