Advertisement
Published: March 29th 2008
Edit Blog Post
As I had managed to have a bit of a practice around the campsite the night before I drove the next day. I was a little nervous to start with as I have not driven anything so big or old before!!!! It was really easy though and we set off back on the Bruce Highway. We had seen that there were some waterfalls along our planned route so decided to stop off and take a look. They were a little way off the highway but we figured they would be worthwhile as the area had had so much rain in the recent weeks. We followed the signs and came to a layby for a look out point. I pulled over to it and we both neally stopped breathing as we encountered the bigget cliff drop you can imagine. You could see right down into the valley and it was pretty knee wobbly. The weather was not great that morning as it kept bursting into showers and grey skys so the photos did not come out that well but it was damn high!!!!
We continued along our path, I am sure we were in the Wooroonooran National park at the time.
The waterfalls were a short walk through the rain forest. Now this is proper rain forest and as soon as we set off on the walk we encountered signs for loose rocks and steep cliff drops and also a warning of a particular plant in the area that can pack an almighty and uncomfortable sting by hooking its hairs into your skin. By this point we return back to the van and don our boots, raincoats and hats to be sure of not coming to any harm that could have been avoided. The rainforest was dense and although a path was cut through you do feel quite disturbed by the noises and rustling in the bushes. At one point i had my hands tucked into my raincoat and Tim was finding my constant jumping quite hilarious I was convinced something was going to get me. Obsessed by the thought of a spider crawling down my back I kept myself well tucked into my covering!!! The first falls we got to was Tchupala. The walk got very close to the edge of the rocks and we had to be careful with loose ground caused by the rain. You coudl hear the
water pounding down long before you got to them. The area then opened up to a small standing area which was quite precarious but the falls looked amazing. Split into two seperate falls the water rushing down was immense and well worth the dodgy walk to it. There were some more steps to go further down the hill but these had been closed due to a cyclone a couple of years ago that had made the path unsafe. We headed back the way we came and then onto the next falls which was Wallacha. These falls were not as high as Tchupala but the flow of water was much heavier and wider across the rocks. I was quite enjoying the view until a spotted what can only be described as a spider the size of a mouse. That was it for me game over and I insisted that we return back to the van. Tim didnt argue I think he could see the panic on my face and we got back to the van in quick time!!!!!! We spent pretty much the rest of the day driving after that. Through small towns which were beautiful, larger towns that still seemed
sleepy in comparison to home. Australia is full of space and open areas. The small towns look american in design with old style saloons. The hotels are great, they belong in a cowboy movie. These places are both welcoming and delightful. We stopped off at a few along the way for tourist information and food. Whether you got to the butchers, bakers, bottle shop or newsagent everyone is friendly and smiling. I dont think anyone in these places even recognise the word stress!!!!!!
Finally we arrived at our destination, Mission Beach. We found a small council campsite which was right next to the beach and set up for at least the night. We were hoping to find out what the weather situation was going to be before we decied if we would stay longer. Fortunately when we arrived the sun was shining and although the breeze was cool on the beach in the camp it was quite sheltered and warm. Mission beach itself was huge and surprisingly empty. We expected it to be packed with people but a local told us that in the autumn season the place gets quite sleepy. The beach was our first encounter with stingers.
The guy who gave us the van and marked off the best areas to stop had mentioned them in passing and we both thgouht he meant sting rays. Stingers are actually jellyfish that pack a nasty and potentially deadly sting. As we walked onto the beach we saw a sign that explained this and also a large tube marked vinegar. It seemed that if you were unfortuante enough to get stung you had to wash the area with vinegar to help dislodge the particals. Well that was enough to put both of us off even if it had of been swimming weather!!!! We headed back to camp and cooked up a delicious kangaroo chilli (we both now feel quite bad about eating kangaroo and will not again, more on that later). It was a lovely meal though and the weather fended off the rain long enough for us to finish and wash up.
The following morning we woke early and checking out the window realised another day was starting grey and dreary. It had rained in the night and within half an hour of us waking the heavens opened again. I was also suffering quite badly with bites, we
didnt know whether it was ants, mozzies or flies but I was covered and Tim who normally doesn't get touched was getting quite a few. That morning we decided that we would have to put our mosquitoe net up in the van so we packed everything up and Tim got to work on that not the easiest of tasks. We had got talking to a local guy who told us that the weather was not due to get any better and that he had spoken to a friend in Townsville who said their weather had been lovely for days. We had planned to visit Townsville anyway so we decided to bite the bullet and head south quicker that we had anticipated.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.238s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 14; qc: 56; dbt: 0.1675s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
william m
non-member comment
Beasties in the Rainforest
Did you come across any leeches in the rainforest? I hate them more than the spiders. Seems like you've had a wet time in Queensland. William