The Dance of the March Flies

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The Dance of the March Flies. We have to be in Mackay by Friday and there is a lot to see between Trinity Beach and there. First stop Boulders at Babinda which is nestled in the valley near Bellenden Ker and Bartle Frere.It's March Fly heaven at this place. We couldn't stand still for long these little buggers attack fiercely. Best way to deal with them is to keep moving as they are slow to land . I found myself doing this crazy half trot, arm swinging, twisting walk whilst trekking to the viewing platform. But it was ok because the other visitors were doing a similar style of sightseeing arm and leg fling, slapwalk. Bit like a German Beer Festival dance gone wrong. There was an elderly couple slapping each other and I noticed a family in the distance walking single file smacking the flies off each other's back and legs with great vigour. Perhaps they had been traveling a while and needed to release some pent up frustration on each other. On the surface of it, if you didn't know the ugly terror that is the march fly and just by chance took a drive into that car park, day use area where the people smack each other and seem to enjoy it, you'd quietly put the car in reverse and get the hell away all the while thinking you've escaped with your life.It's a wonder anyone gets to see the boulders, but we did and they are gorgeous, big massive granite rocks the size of houses that lie in a creek bed. Mother nature has carved a wonderful water course through this place leaving this amazing sight. There are tranquil green clear pools and rushing falls and rocks where you can see the water is trying to carve a new way through. You can imagine how smooth these rock surfaces are as this is Australia's highest rainfall area. It's a beautiful place. As we followed the track back from the observation deck I asked Wayne to keep an eye out and to be ready to hit me when necessary. He did.. But I got him back.On to Art Deco Innisfail where many of the town buildings are unmistakably architecturally built in this style. I found that to be quite curious and quaint. Wayne told me the town has been rebuilt in this style after being smashed by a cyclone in the 1930s. The building facades are really colorful and beautiful, not overstated, but they give the place life. It would need something to be cheery about, the sauna like heat of the day was really oppressive. I loved the water tank I think the Bardon Tank should look colorful like this one.<br style="color:񑘕 font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px;" />Vicki suggested a visit to Etty Bay, a picturesque little coastal village that consisted of a shop, a surf lifesaving club, one residence and the best caravan park in the country, which was chock full of expensive vans and grey nomads. This must be the place where the Art Decoeans from Innisfail go to play on the weekend. We then drove on to the Cassowary Coast to visit Mission Beach, Bingle Bay, Wongaling Beach and South Mission Beach. There are warning signs everywhere telling you to be aware of the cassowaries but we never saw one anywhere, like the elusive crocodile they must have some sort of non visibility pact going on. Dunk, Bedarra and all the Family Islands out there on the reef were in full view of all the beaches. There were a lot of bush fires around so it was a little hazy. There is so much development here. It's such a desirable place to live. Thirty five years ago it was a bush track through the jungle and arrogant Cassowaries sauntering in front of you as you drove.On to Ingham where it's a smaller Art Deco version of Innisfail and just as nice. I love these country towns the have so much life in them. At Ingham we turned inland towards Girringun National Park to see Wallaman Falls the longest single drop waterfall in the country. It's nearly 300 metres high. Fires everywhere, once again. We found ourselves driving towards our destination through bush fires. This time we were heading uphill into the Girringun National Park and I had a real sense if foreboding on this one. Again the fires were within metres of the road. At one stage the smoke haze was between us and the setting western sun when we encountered a murder of crows sitting on the road as it was the only place not burning. As we approached they took off it was like a scene from the movie The Birds. If you can imagine a blazing hot red late afternoon sun like an angry orange red ball in the sky, grey black billowing smoke turning into an orange smoke haze and hundreds of pitch black crows flying up off the road as we approached. Fires were on both sides of the road. I admit to gripping the door handle a little tightly as we drove through there and I thought for a minute I heard the music from the shower scene from Hitchcock's Psycho movie. <br style="color:񑘕 font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px;" />Leaving the fires behind us we began to climb up into the steep range, the views of the Gorge and the smoky forests behind us were spectacular. There was a distinct drop in temperature and humidity as we climbed higher. The waterfall was really beautiful in the late afternoon sun. I instantly got the vertigo, leg wobbles as I approached the viewing platform. It was a long way down. It looked like a Rift Valley to me there must be a fault line under there as everywhere else was up and it looked like a huge deep cleave was carved right through the rock creating this beautiful canyon way back in geological time. Looking down the deep gorge you could see the zigzag of the river as it made it's way between the steep walls of the jungle clad hills. Lots of hard volcanic rock here, lots of jungle, one tiger snakes (we saw one), many many scrub turkeys. We camped at the fantastic campground in the national park, had dinner and settled in for a couple of wines. The kangaroos, wallabies and bandicoots were very cheeky and wandered around us as we sat, not spooked by us at all.Given that we were boiling and really hot during the day it was a big surprise that in the early hours of the morning we had to find jumpers and blankets to keep us warm. I swear this trip is making me toughen up. Three weeks in a tent (another week to go) cold showers almost every night, midgees, mud, car troubles, fires, camp food, red dirt, red dirt, red dirt, dirty fingernails, instant coffee, insect bites all over me, no make up, no perfume, bad hair days every day, no hair straightener, very few changes of clothes. My god who have I turned into? I realized I am too soft, Wayne's tough as old leather boots he can deal with anything physically and mentally, he can shrug horror situations off with the blink of an eye, but I am a princess. And you know what... it's been the best fun we've had together.

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