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Published: November 7th 2005
Barron Falls
A walk through the rainforest rewards you with this viewOctober 24th
Cairns
Check out time 9.30 a little early.
Steve picked up car but because he was early we got an upgrade.
Drove along the coast, which appears similar to Hawaii, for a few kilometres and then turned inland.
The scenery really changes here. Steep roads, rampant, lush and tropical vegetation.
We are now in Far North Queensland in the Wet Tropics ...rainforest.
Great views of the Cairns area from the lookout points.
Can see the Hawl Along waterskiers. They have a zip wire and are dragged round the lake by that instead of a boat.
Arrived at Kuranda mid morning. This is the only village actually in the rainforest so the pamphlets say. It is a fair size place with a good info centre and several things to do and see. And when you've done those there are the market, shops and cafes to patronise.
The Banjo cafe had lots of info on Banjo Patterson who wrote Waltzing Matilda and great coffee.
Found a miracle cure called Emu Oil which is good for what ails you in particular joint pain. Thought I might try some until I discovered that it is made from rendered down Emu fat. It
Joy and Despair
Rory, Steve and the X box controller would be like rubbing purified lard on yourself....not my idea of fun.
Steve and Owen took one of the self guided walks around the village while Rory and I visited the Butterfly Sanctuary.
They do not have vast numbers of species here but it's quality not quantity that is the aim.
The guide was very informative and the museum small but classy.
The range of camoflague that butterflies use caught Rory's imagination.
There was one that looks like two leaves and another that looked like two penguins standing back to back.
In the aviary we saw several large Ullysses and Bird wings. Wearing bright pink was inspired as the butterflies seemed to be attracted to it and flew very close.
We left the sanctuary and found ourselves in pouring rain.
Bought picnic makings and drove to the start of the self guided walk to Barron Falls.
Ate in the car as it was raining very hard.
Steve and I trekked the boadwalk to the falls and left the lazy kids in the car.
The feeling of being high up in the trees of the rainforest is novel and fun...even in the rain.
The view of the falls and the gorge
Rory looking for fish
Snorkelling in Lake Eacham at the end is awe inspiring and this is not the wet season when the volume of water would be much higher.
The cable car that ends in Kuranda must have a great view of this.
It is too wet now to make any of the other walks much fun so we head for Mareeba.
Although not too far from Kuranda the landscape as you approach Mareeba is significantly different. It is less humid, the vegetation is no longer rainforest and there are orchards and cane fields.
Find cousin Richard's house on the outskirts of the town.
It's about 4 years since we last saw each other so once we establish that we have bought 'goon' wine (ie not good) we set to catching up.
Rory had spied the X box in the corner before his head was fully in the backdoor so that was the boys sorted for the evening.
Rich is no longer a vegetarian and he cooked Kangaroo steaks for the boys.
October 25th
Slept in. That goon wine is a recipe for a hangover, plus we had a comfy bed.
Put some time in getting the blogs ready to upload.
The boys welded to
The next James Bond
I hear the vacancy has been filled the x box.
Steve renamed about a thousand photos.
Shopped and cooked tea... very domestic.
October 26th
Borrowed Richard's fins and snorkell and headed for the Crater lakes a few kms inland.
Lake Eacham is surrounded by forest and is un developed except for a couple of bbqs and some loos. Tranquil even with the odd bus load of tour folk.
The water is clear and there are loads of fish to be seen from the banks.
Steve and the boys swam and snorkelled in the lake but didn't manage to find the turtles that live here.
These turtles have the unusual skill of being able to breathe through their bottoms!
The flies here are large 'March Flies' and they bite...hard and more than once.
Investigate Yongabarra on the way home. This English stlye village is quaint with a large pub dominating the centre overlooking the green.
Stood at the Platypus viewing point for a while but nothing moving.
A short side trip took us to the Curtain Fig Tree.
This is an amazing site. A fig tree supported by hundreds of arial roots that indeed look like a curtain.
Driving back to Mareeba we notice the huge
Other side
View across lake Eacham number of termite hills. They are everywhere and some are vast. Well it seems a nice place to live to me!
The keys Richard gave me dont fit so we spend aninteresting half hour driving round Mareeba looking for cricket nets. (We know Richard will be there)
We dont find any cricket pitches but end up in the stables of the race course.
Decide to grab a couple of beers, some crisps for the boys and wait on the porch chairs.
We managed to get beer that does not have a screw top...hard to do in Oz but hey it's been that sort of day.. Luckily Rich's shed is unlocked and we open them with the help of a wrench.
Not too long to wait.
Eat tea then sit on the porch, chilling until bedtime.
October 27th
Spend morning washing, packing and on the computer.
After lunch we head off to the coast north of Mareeba for a few days.
The campsite we tried in Mossman was not really set up for tenst so we ventured a little further to Wonga Beach...I love that name.
Hotter and more humid here.
The site had 2 pools,a super camp kitchen,
Forest meets Lake
Lake Eacham near the Turtle viewing platform grass and access to the beach.
But it is now on the verge of Stinger season (nasty jellyfish) and we are advised not to swim in the sea. They put nets out a later which makes it safer but they haven't got round to it yet.
Beach is long and sandy fringed with palm trees, very picturesque.
Dont find the spa mentioned in the brochure until we are in the relaxing pool. There is one pool for swimming and a warmer one for floating about in.
If a certain button is pressed on the of ledges around the pool errupts in a jacuzzi fashion. Bit of a shock the first time I can tell you!
Prepared tea in camp kitchen and marvelled at the 'bloke' culture that seems common here.
The wives did everything (including keeping husbands supplied with beer) while the men sat and watched TV and ignored the kids!
Dont think that would suit me....
October 28th
Walked the Mossman Gorge paths. These give views of the gorge and a crcular tour of the rainforest. Mostly shady so heat not such a problem.
There was a swing bridge which is not one that swings open to
The Fig's curtain
Ariel roots of the huge fig tree in the forest let boats through but one that swings when you walk on it.
Some waterholes but the boys didn't swim.
Shopped at the 'local' supermaket/cafe in Mossman. Odd mix of things but a good Deli and very friendly.
Too hot to do a lot this avo so pool and a walk on the beach suffice. Rory found a coconut on the way to the beach.
October 29th
Trip to Cape Tribulation today. This is the furthest north we are allowed to go with this car. It is the place where Captain Cook said all of his tribulations started. Well he was ship wrecked here so I guess that is fair enough.
Can only get to this area by ferry. We spied 3 lads fishing at the edge of the river..exactly what we have been told is dangerous..there are salt water crocodiles in the rivers hereabouts.
View of the beach and the edge of the Great Barrier reef great.
Not safe to swim here...stingers and possibly crocodiles.
The beach was covered with tiny sand balls making patterns. From crabs excavating holes?
They are said to be the inspiration of the Aboriginal Dot pictures and they really do look like
them.
As we picnic in the woods next to the beach we are treated to the site of 2 adult Cassowarries and their chicks.
For those of you who are now lost (I would be too until yesterday) these are large flightless birds that resemble Turkeys and have blue heads.
Some of the tourists being shown around by a ranger ignore his warning and try to get into the bush to get photos of themselves with the birds. They do not seem bothered by the warning that these birds can disembowel you if they think you are a threat to their chicks.
We alway have a bird's eye view of several other species of birds doing their thing in the bush.
Andy you would love it here.
Walk the Mangove path, a circuit through the forest. You're really in the jungle here. Spot a large lizard....a monitor we think... ambling through the undergrowth.
Cant see the turles as there is very little water.
Mosied on down to Mason's store complete with water hole, we were very hot.
Behind the store is a path through the forest to a water hole where we are told it is OK to swim. The
Camoflague
Can you see the Greenwood for the trees ? water was not very high so it was more a splahing about hole.
But it was cool and quite clean.
Spot of refreshment at the store and then we made our way back across the river to Daintree Eco Lodge.
Here we joined a night time wildlife cruise on the Daintree river.
First thing we came across was a green tree python. Rory had a quick hold of him but we didn't catch it on camera...I stayed at the other end of the boat...I could see quite well enough from there.
Saw some unusal birds and millions of fruit bats.
Looked for crocs but there were none around except for a pair of eyes that dived the moment the torch hit him.
I think I liked the two eyed bird parrot best...the smallest parrot in Oz.
The stars were highly visable from the river and we saw Venus but the southern cross is somewhere else at the moment.
Magical experience.
October 30th
Packed up and drove to Port Douglas.
Came across the final stage of the Croc Ralley on the beach. This is a mountain bike endurance race that has several stages in inhospitable areas ending with this
The Swinging Bridge
I was not about to stand on it longer than it took to cross it so I am not in this picture sprint on the sand.
Great fun to watch.
The beach seemed OK for swimming. Port Douglas is a trendy place and I guess their stinger nets have been set up for a while.
Inspected a campsite in town but it was tired so we passed. Also a huge beige spider (I have been told it was a Huntsman) crawled on the car and put me off.
The campsite out of town was great so we did the right thing.
Rory and I shopped while Owen helped to put up the tent..not quite a first but close.
Then into the pool before tea of kangaroo sausages.
October 31st
Woken early by the birds nesting in the tree above the tent...and the lady behind us on her mobile phone.
Had a walk round Port Douglas Marina. Lots of boutiques and tour shops. It was hard to reach the jetties without going through the shopping centre.
Lots of tours to the reef on offer. And some tremendous boats.
Saw a fish swimming backwards. Extremely hot and little shade. We piled back into the car and continued on to Cairns.
Saw a pub advertising Toad Racing this evening but I don't think
Paradise
The relaxation pool at Wonga Beach they will let the boys in.
Ate in a food hall. Great food but portions far too big.
These halls are similar to those in some of the Malls and shopping centres in UK but feature a great deal of Asian and fresh cooked food rather than KFC and the like.
Settled down on the boardwalk of the Lagoon. The beach in town is not good swimming so they have built a huge open air pool which is free and varies from beach to deep.
Boys swam but did not like the water. They went for a walk and left me reading.
Back to camp for a swim and an early night.
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