Update from North Queensland

---

Our next port of call was Weipa, home of the largest deposit of aluminium containing Bauxite in the world (allegedly) . So we just had to go for a mine tour. When I think of mines, I think of underground, but here they just scrape it off the top. They are very eco friendly though, and remove the topsoil first, then they replace it and reseed when they have finished, and in a few short years you would never have known they had been there. Saw lots of lovely big trucks and other mine vehicles. They ship the bauxite to Gladstone, south Queensland where it is processed into Alumina, and then into Aluminium. They also ship to other parts of the world, probably including Hungary - for them to then release the sludge into the Danube! Weipa has been the hottest place in Australia whilst we were there - 37°.

We then headed for Cooktown, in one go - over 600km (the campsites on the way were so grim we kept going). We went to Cooktown 11 years ago and it was a ghost town then - now it is thriving. Last time it was a horrendous dirt road, now it is tarmac - taken much of the magic away. We kicked around in Cooktown for a couple of days, fishing, reminiscing, that sort of thing. Met a lovely couple from New Zealand that we will keep in touch with.

From Cooktown we took the 4WD track (Bloomfield track) through to Cape Tribulation. Lots of lovely (and rather deep!) river crossings. It rained most of the day which added to the excitement somewhat. We camped on the beach at Cape Trib - and got eaten alive by mozzies whilst wandering the mangroves in search of a cassowary. We didn’t see one, but met some people who did - which is almost as good! (and a lot safer, it has to be said).

Cape Trib was a bit too touristy and the campsite was the least value for money ever ($40 and not even a hot tap in the loo!), so we only stayed for 1 night, before heading for our long time favourite place, Port Douglas. This has turned into another tourist trap - albeit an expensive one - all big hotels and expensive restaurants. Even the old pub on the corner which used to have a bench all along the outside for the drunks to perch on, has been turned into a ‘Bistro’. We hardly recognised anything. But the campsite was relatively cheap and right in the middle of town, and very nice, so we had a couple of days there.

We had to get the windscreen repaired again in Cairns, but decided not to stay there, but head, instead back to the Atherton Tablelands where we spent a couple of days just wandering about looking at waterfalls. (The horrendous weather everyone is having has made them really worth seeing).

Somehow, although Brisbane is having the worst wet weather ever recorded, and everywhere else seems to be under water, we have generally managed to dodge the rain. The only time we have seen any was when going through the rain forest -which is what you would expect.

Just spent some time at Mission Beach, cassowary spotting, and are spending tonight at Lucinda - a tiny little seaside town with a lovely campsite and a great fishing pier - sadly with few fish!

---