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Published: September 15th 2011
Tuesday 6th September – Today required a fairly early start as I had a hair appointment booked for 9:00am at the nearby Smithfield Shopping Complex. We were there in good time and as my appointment was likely to last the best part of two hours, Graham did what he usually does – strolled off to buy a coffee and a paper. I was reasonably pleased with my hair – the colour, the shape and the length were all good although they charged me more than they said they would. However, I was delighted when I met up with Graham - without giving any hint of his intentions, he had gone to a nearby barber shop and had his bushy locks trimmed considerably so that he looked human again. Actually I really liked his long hair, especially when he wore it “free-flowing” under a hat but I hated it when he put it in a pony-tail which he occasionally did (just to annoy me I think). Now though it looked perfect – not too short and with a bit of shape to it. He had been trimming the front and sides himself, just letting the back grow, and this had been going
on for about 9 months. I laughed when he told me the hairdresser had described his look as “medieval” (if I was not such a kind hearted person I could have used that word myself!)!!!
By way of celebration, we made our way into the city and parked as near to The Lagoon as we could get. We had to pay a couple of dollars for the privilege of being within easy walking distance but as we had a bit of kit with us it was worth it. It was certainly worth it when we indulged ourselves in the lagoon. The weather was glorious, the water was warm, and there were plenty of young bathing beauties sunning themselves so Graham was happy (and a few “studs” for me) – it was perfect. The Lagoon is large enough to accommodate hundreds of people easily with some wooden surrounds, grass areas, a couple of sandy beaches and fountains for the young at heart. Swimming was a delight and it was difficult to drag ourselves away but our parking time would soon be up and we still had our picnic lunch to eat. We found a table just along from The Lagoon
from where we could do a bit of bird spotting on the nearby mud-flats. It was a really successful and enjoyable morning which actually stretched well into the afternoon.
On our way out of town we spotted signs for Centenary Lakes which we knew were adjacent to the Botanic Gardens. We parked next to the Salt Water Lake and followed a boardwalk along the lake edge and then through a bit of a rain forest. This took us to the Botanic Gardens which we strolled around for a while but never too far from the café. They were advertising scones with jam and cream which we always find difficult to resist. We had one serving between us with a pot of tea for two which all went down very well. We strolled back to the car via the Fresh Water Lake where we spotted several turtles basking in the sun on the edge of some tree stumps. It was a really enjoyable walk and an area which probably warranted more of our time but our original intention was to re-visit a gorge walk we had done before.
So, on our way back to Lake Placid we took a
bit of a detour to Crystal Cascades – the area we had stayed in eight years ago. The caravan park here was very good and the only reason we stayed at Lake Placid is because we wanted to stay somewhere different and Lake Placid had been recommended by several people. We have no regrets as we feel that Lake Placid is marginally better. But we remembered that, a few kilometres beyond the caravan park at Crystal Cascades is a creek and a gorge with a series of small water-falls and swimming holes which give the area its name. It was getting on towards late afternoon by the time we had parked up and started our climb up through the gorge but it was delightful and with only a few other walkers about it was as though we had the place to ourselves. The small water cascades were very healthy looking and the swimming holes looked inviting. The walk went on for a couple of kilometres and climbed very steeply towards the end. We spotted loads of fish and the occasional turtle but had to be wary so as not to brush against “The Stinging Trees”. These are harmless looking shrub-like
trees which have a very potent “sting” on their leaves – so much so that the stings can cause much distress and require immediate attention to prevent serious illness. Needless to say, we kept well away from them. We returned to the caravan much later than originally planned and had a very casual evening. We were just thinking of turning in when Enid, Graham’s Auntie, phoned. We had a great chat and we were brought up to date with lots of news from home. With the Skype chat we had with Graham’s sister, Barb, the previous evening we were now fully up to date with all happenings in Stanley/Derby and Tewkesbury!
Earlier in the day yesterday we had booked a special all-day trip for Friday which involved a 7:30am pick up from the Lake Placid Caravan Park. We intended having a “rest day” the day before, Thursday, so today, Wednesday 7th, was the only day available for us to do our other planned excursion – a trip to Mareeba Wetlands. We didn’t get going very early but eventually wound our way up the steep climb from Smithfield along the Savannah Way towards Kuranda and then carried on to the
town of Mareeba where we visited the Information Centre. It was an absolute hive of activity with many people on duty, all volunteers, and a small conference going on discussing the on-going development of the museum and Heritage Centre set behind the Information Centre. We were invited to stroll around the Heritage Centre and it was truly fascinating. To us, no development seemed necessary as all of the displays were brilliant and was an excellent record of how the businesses and industries in the area evolved over the years. Had we made this our main focus for the day we would not have been disappointed but our intention was always to visit the Mareeba Wetlands – a bird sanctuary about 15 kilometers beyond Mareeba and about 10 of those kilometres along a gravel road. On arrival we were immediately impressed with the location of the main centre. The outlook was absolutely delightful with a wonderful view across a large lagoon. The centre boasted a small café which offered hot snacks so we partook of a chicken and salad filo with the customary pot of tea on the veranda overlooking the lagoon. It was a brilliant location to be having lunch
and we were joined by numerous swallows flitting about and up into their nest in the eaves of the centre.
For whatever reason there were not many birds out on the lagoon – just a few jacanas, a darter and some geese. Just near the veranda, though, was an aviary full of the very rare and endangered multi coloured gouldian finches including quite a few youngsters. These were part of a breeding and re-introduction programme that the centre is involved with. We were a bit disappointed, though, to learn that any other activity, including a walk around the lagoon, had to be paid for so we contented ourselves with the very pleasant lunch and the delightful view. Just as we were leaving we were joined by an adult emu and half a dozen small emu chicks which entertained us for a while and which totally enthralled three touring Americans who were there.
On our way back to Cairns we diverted into Kuranda and strolled around leisurely. We made our way down to the river-side and thought about doing a boat trip. We waited to see if anyone else would turn up for the next trip but the absence
of any enthusiastic “punters” encouraged the boatman to pack up early. So we’ll never know what delights the Barron River at Kuranda has to offer. We compensated ourselves with some sweet things – Graham had a coffee/cheesecake special deal and I had a delicious ice-cream. The return drive back down the steep Savannah Way was interesting but no-where near the test of nerve that the Gillies Highway presented a few weeks ago.
Thursday was a day to catch up with washing sheets etc so that’s what we did but at about 9.45, Dave, one of our neighbours, came rushing round to tell us that the Cairns-Kuranda train was due soon. A couple of days earlier he had showed us where the mountain rail track was visible high above us. So I hurriedly got out the camera with the long lense and stood ready to take the all important photo. Time passed but Dave was certain we hadn’t missed the train as he had heard it earlier further down the track. After about TWENTY minutes of patiently waiting and being assured THAT IT WOULD APPEAR …. IT DID!! And I got some great photos. Dave’s certainty never waivered but then
he was a passionate train enthusiast – so much so that he and his wife were off on that train the next day to Kuranda and whereas we came back on the Skyrail they would be coming back down on the train. A few days later they would be doing a steam train trip in Ravenshoe.
A very casual day passed by with plenty of reading, chatting with neighbours and a swim in the pool. We also prepared for the morrow wondering what we should take with us for what we hoped would be an enjoyable and varied day. We wouldn’t have much time to spare in the morning as we would be leaving at 7:30 prompt. Two alarms were turned on and an early night was called for - but not until we had watched episodes of ‘Doc Martin’ and then ‘William and Mary’!
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Darryl and Sarah
Wallaby Wanderers
Even the plants are out to get you!
The Stinging Tree - shudder!! We did actually go looking for one, apparently they look like raspberry plants! Well done on the train pics, fabulous and I\'m very envious. To be fair you didn\'t really miss much on the river trip ... it\'s relaxing, I\'d say that was about it!! x x x