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August 2013
01 August 2013
Another beautiful night at Mary Kathleen and another beautifully sunny day. We broke camp this morning and drove about 5 km's to where we had no choice but to leave AJ while we walked the extra 2 km's up to the mine. There we were walking along enjoying the morning sun when we heard a noise and looked up to see a group of eight camels enjoying some of the local bush for breakfast only 30 metres away from us. We stopped for some photos and then continued on as did they only to find another group of six a little further on. The male of this group was not too happy to see us so close and he was bellowing and snorting as he hearded his harem off away from us.
The first group of camels
Coming to a fence and gate we did what everyone else does and walked around it and continued on up the hill passing what was the processing plant area on the way. We arrived just as the sun began to fill the depths of this very large hole and spent about 20 minutes taking photos and exploring.
This photo doesn't give much of an idea of the size but there would be enough room to put an AFL ground inside and the terraces are each around 40 feet high.
Walking back to where we had parked AJ we passed the remain of the processing plant and the second group of camels from the trip up. Back in the old town site it was time to take some more photos before heading off to Cloncurry to pick up the mail and figure out where we were going next.
The days travel ended when we spied a caravan already in a nice gravel pit about 40km's out of Cloncurry about 500m down a side road. We pulled in and asked if they minded having neighbours before finding our spot for the rest of the day.
02 August 2013
Seems we were not the only ones who like the idea of a gravel pit as two more campers came in just as the sun set. They must be afraid of the dark though as they had the place lit up like a Christmas Tree. Even so, the sunset and stars were pretty nice and the night peaceful.
The stars and campers at the Scrubby Creek gravel pit
Leaving our campsite we drove the easy 85km's to our next camp at Julia Creek. First stop was the dump point and then the information centre where we arrived just in time to watch the staff feed the Dunnart, a small feisty rodent that lives in the area that is almost extinct and to obtain a free permit to be able to camp at the town's free camp just down the road.
Julia Creek is a pleasant looking little town and another through this area that has access to the artesian basin underneath their feet. There is a free camp less than 2km out of town on a watercourse and the general rule is you can stay as long as you like but every 4th night has to be in the caravan park if you do.
Our campsite at Julia Creek.
This road has just been sealed and thankfully is not the highway but a short cut for us campers to get into town.
The council come and empty the bins as well as check your permit (has to be put on your windscreen) and there are taps around the place to use or fill your tanks with.
03 August 2013
We remain camped at Julia Creek and took a stroll into town this morning to get a few things and to have a look around, then it was a lazy afternoon sitting by the waters edge watching the Swans as they foraged in the weeds, preened themselves and then tucked their heads under their wings and floated along as they snoozed, waking only to reposition themselves when they bumped into each other or the bank.
The sun has been very pleasant and we have been sitting under the awning to save getting burn 't but the wind has been reasonably strong and that has been the only downfall on a perfect camp.
The view last night as the campers settled in for the evening
and then the stars and the Milky Way came out to play forcing me to get the camera out again
Getting a good shot and processing it right has become a bit of an obsession
04 August 2013
Another peaceful night ending with the start of another beautiful day despite the rather strong wind. Bacon and eggs cooked our special way and listening to Macca on the ABC before a nice hot shower. Joanne got the washing done and I topped up the water tanks from the tap nearby and then it was lunchtime, all the while we watched people and their rigs come and go.
After lunch was taken up compiling the necessary documentation and information for our tax return from last years activities and then as the wind had subsided somewhat we sat outside to enjoy the view and the sunshine.
We are allowed four days here before we have to leave and so far we have enjoyed every minute of being here.But all of that will come to an end either tomorrow (Monday) or Tuesday and we will once again hit the road to see some more of the country.
Part of last nights sky.
05 August 2013
The wind has died down today and it is a beautiful 28 deg, the morning was quite cool and the mornings entertainment was watching as various rigs left after their four days and other new campers arrive as well as some housework and more motorhome modification discussions with Lyn and Malcolm who have a motorhome and who have parked just near us. We also made a decision to stay for our full four days and so will leave here tomorrow.
Today is also meals Monday at the council owned caravan park so we are taking up their invite to go up for a meal put on by the local Pony Club. Apparently a different organisation does the meals each Monday and all the free campers are invited to attend and enjoy a meal ($10 a head) with the townsfolk.
08 August 2013
It's been a few days since we updated last but... We left Julia Creek and crossed some of the most uninspiring, flat, open grassland we have had the pleasure of viewing, and we are so glad we hadn't ridden that way when we cycled around Australia. Not far out of Julia Creek we took a 2 km detour into Nelia where the 100 year old Post Office closed just after its centenary and where we found a few old houses, a gallery and some artwork by the way of Brolgas made out of old machinery.
The Nelia Brolga family
From Nelia we moved on to Richmond, a nice little town that is mad on Dinosaurs and one that has a free RV park for overnighting. Same rules and deal as Julia Creek but no water or views. We shared the very large area with six caravans and five motorhome's and I think almost everyone had been into town to spend some money as thanks for the free camp one block back from the main street.
Leaving Richmond we moved onto Hughenden, another Dinosaur mad town and another with an RV camp, this time in the showgrounds car park just a block or two from the main street. No facilities at all and a small charge of $6 per night which is a small price to pay for being so close to everything.
After a peaceful night we took the 74 km drive out of town to the Porcupine Gorge and Lookout. The walk down to the gorge was marked at 1.2 km and quite steep, but eventually we got to the bottom and started exploring the creek, pyramid rock and of course taking photo's.
Pyramid Rock
Some of the interesting rock formations that line the creek
Joanne following my lead up to get photos from a higher vantage point
So after about 2 hours of exploring and photography we climbed back up to the car park realising just how unfit we had become. 5 km down the road was the lookout which was high up above the creek and where it takes a 90 degree turn providing a great view in both directions.
The view away from the sun was the best
Photo's taken and lunch enjoyed we made our way back into town for another night at the RV camp in town where we spent a very nice evening talking with Malcolm and Leanne from Atherton who were on their way home.
10 August 2013
Leaving Hughenden we continued on our way across towards the coast. Stopping in Charters Towers a month after we were there with Kim and Carolyn we topped up our fuel and food, surfed the net for some information, caught up on emails and then with a change of plan we headed North out of town towards Fletchers Creek.
Arriving at Fletchers Creek we found the place still quite busy and it was a toss up between a waterfront site near the road or a quieter spot down the end opposite the creek but with a concrete pad to keep us out of the dusty stuff (we took the latter). The wok is up and beaming the TV in and the awning is up to keep the inside cool.
The view from our camp. The creek is just over the road
11 August 2013
Such a nice spot and such a pity to be heading off to go somewhere else so rather than do that we decided to stop and linger longer. As the sun was getting up we changed our angle on the site to maximise the sun, cooked and enjoyed a nice BBQ breakfast and then it was time to do the washing and the rest of the day was spent relaxing.
Later on we spent a few hours, a few drinks and some nice time with Steve and Gail who are camped near us before we retreated from the cooling night air for the warmth of bed.
Fletcher Creek last night opposite our camp as the sun set
12 August 2013
We awoke this morning to find the fog had rolled in during the night, the sun managing to clear it around 9am. Joanne went for a walk while I remained warm and comfortable in bed. We enjoyed breakfast and then sat reading for a bit until the sun came out and it was time to put the awning and chairs out.
A cool foggy start to the day
Joanne took this shot of the fog over the creek on her walk
Took a paddle in the creek this afternoon and it was quite chilly so I am glad that I didn't decide to take a dip! The number of campers has dwindled somewhat and there are some good spots to be taken on both sides of the creek.
We spent a few hours with Steve and Gail again this afternoon and then retired for the night to watch tv.
13 August 2013
We decided to leave Fletcher Creek today after a very pleasant 3 days camped there but before we left the area completely we took the short 2 km drive into the Dalrymple National Park where we found more great camping spots both in and out of the park and marked the area as one to come back to again.
We had traveled this route only a month ago and so didn't bother with too much exploring except for a trip into Greenmount to look at the town. Once a mining town it is now just another outback town. The houses are all very neat and we were surprised at how nice the place actually was.
We drove on and eventually stopped in a gravel pit just 25km South of the road to Normanton.
14 August 2013
Our gravel pit camp was a good one and with minimal traffic was quiet and the only visitors we had were a group of Emu's. We headed off towards Atherton and a visit to Joan but before that we stopped for morning tea and a paddle at the creek which is fed by Innot Hot Springs.
Beautiful hot spring water!
On the way to Ravenshoe we stopped at Archers Creek where we had camped with Bill and Julia 11 years ago when we were cycling around Australia. Our old campsite and the creek is blocked off to vehicles but we managed to find it ok. Neither of us remember the top area being so big and there was fourteen caravans and motorhome's in there when we left.
Heading into Ravenshoe where it was wall to wall caravans and motorhome's. Unable to raise Joan on here mobile and not wanting to just turn up we drove out to Kairi near Lake Tinneroo where we had spotted a free camp on wikicamps. Turns out there is a large grass and tree area opposite the pub which is a 24 hour rest area. Taking up residence with a number of others we settled in for the rest of the day.
15 August 2013
Back into Atherton for some shopping and then up the hill again to Joan's place. There was Joan in the garden as usual and so we parked up and caught up with much enjoyment at each others adventures before settling in for the night on her front lawn.
16 August 2013
Leaving Joan to prepare for her weekend of market stalls we topped up the larder and headed out to Rocky Creek for a few days.
18 August 2013
Much of the Atherton tablelands during World War II was filled with Army units of some sort and for various reasons and Rocky Creek is no different. What was a large troop assembly area and hospital is now private farmland, a memorial park (Rocky Creek itself) and the campsite we are staying in. The memorial area is quite interesting to walk through and has lots of information, maps and photo's of this place during the war.
Around 40 campers in at the moment
We have spent our time here relaxing, watching tv and generally watching the world go by, but will head off for some other interesting place tomorrow.
Today was quite a warm day of 31 degrees C and a good test for the modification we have made to our fridge. The mod consists of a computer fan placed inside the fridge and connected to the controller terminals on the back. The fan pulls cold air from the freezer plate and circulates it around the inside of the fridge thus cooling all areas inside and not just at the back. Before the modification our fridge ran more than Forest Gump but now...it runs for a third of the time it ran for before and the contents are as cold as they should be. It will be interesting to see how this mod performs in extremely hot weather but if it does an idea along with an $9 fan will have potentially saved us buying a new fridge and around $1,500, not to mention our house batteries life span.
19 August 2013
Leaving Rocky Creek this morning we were on the road before most others. We stopped in Mareeba for a few things and to top up the water tanks and then headed North once more, heading the opposite way to that we had cycled 10 years ago. The lay of the land has changed somewhat and instead of going up and down the hills they are off to one side, the ground in between the road and them now filled with sugar cane and banana plantations. Clouds over the hills and mist in the valleys adding to that tropical feeling.
We stopped at Mount Molloy for morning tea and to check where we had camped a decade ago and then instead of turning right towards the coast we went left and began our trip towards Cooktown. This was a change to our original plans in the area but we are getting used to things changing so a door to another little adventure opened and we were on our way.
Vast areas of open woodland with metre high dry grass underneath sat at the foot of some majestic looking hills which off in the distance looked like hills with a five o'clock shadow.
Passing Lighthouse Mountain where a large rock stands atop the mountain looking like a lighthouse and then through Mount Carbine which consists of not much more than a pub and a few houses we arrived at Bob's Lookout where the best view was obtained by doing a u-turn to face back down the climb and the way we had just come.
The view from Bob's Lookout
Continuing on we were on an excellent road as it made its way up and up some more, parts of the old road running alongside as both crossed creeks that were all dried up but which would be raging torrents during the wet season.
We passed lots of travelers heading South so as one person said, "the southerners (Victorians) are all migrating South again for the summer" so it will be interesting to see how many people are in Cooktown when we get there.
About 80 km's South of Cooktown we climbed a hill and then spotted a motorhome over in a very large gravel pit and decided that they needed company. We found ourselves a nice level spot on gravel and with the mercury hovering in the low thirties put the awning out and opened the windows to let the most beautiful breeze through our home and settled in for the rest of the day.
20 August 2013
Our gravel dump camp turned out to be popular with a car and caravan coming in later on to make three of us camping there. The night was very peaceful with the temperature getting down to around 18 deg C. As the sun was hitting the panels to top up our batteries we enjoyed breakfast and then headed off but didn't get too far before our first stop came into view. Less than a kilometer after starting we came to the Byrestown Range and lookout so decided to check out the view.
That's where we are headed
The countryside through here is quite beautiful and made so much more by the surrounding hills. Arriving at Lakeland we decided to take a slight detour and headed off to see what was at Laura. This is the road to the Cape and with Weipa on the distance boards we wished we had a vehicle that we could take there, but that will have to be another trip sometime. We were passing through banana and other fruit growing areas and then as we got closer to Laura we were passing through more hills with their sandstone outcrops and cliff faces. We managed the hill and corner at Hells Gate and found ourselves in the very small town of Laura, so small that it has a pub, general store, roadhouse and a few houses. So small that even the local Constable helps unload the supplies truck. Just North of town was the Laura River which was more of a trickle but very picturesque.
60 kilometers later we were back on the road to Cooktown. We stopped at the Annan River for lunch and very carefully got a shot of the river after noting there was a recent crocodile sighting in the area.
We arrived in Cooktown to find a very pleasant little town with a wide main street and that tropical feel about it. We took the short but steep (first gear) road up to Grassy Hill Lookout which is in fact Cooks Lookout and where he climbed to survey the passage out through the reef.
Cooktown sits nestled between the hills and the sea as seen from halfway up to Cooks Lookout
The view of Cooktown and the sandbanks at the entrance to the river from Cooks Lookout
The Cooktown lighthouse and view North along the coast
After spending tome time overlooking town it wa time to take the very steep descent back into town. In first gear most of the way down we were glad the trip was only a kilometer of so in length. A quick visit to the information centre and then the Council where we had our motorhome inspected for its "self containment" before we were issued with a two day permit ($5 a day) to camp at the RV camping area one street back from the main street.
Arriving at our camp we found three other campers, water taps and a dump point next to two parks (one has a retired Leopard Tank in it) where the railway station was once located, and right behind the caravan park. Seems the council here is very pro RV visitor and has got exactly what we need so we will fill their survey in and hope it helps keep the RV camp alive.
21 August 2013
With a nice sea breeze blowing the temperature overnight remained above 18 deg C and it wasn't until the early hours of the morning that the covers got pulled up, the midgees however were out in force and it took some time to get used to them annoying us as we drifted off to sleep last night.
This morning we took a walk around town to see the sights, and there are quite a few historic buildings and locations to view. Cooks landing place, where he beached the Endeavour to repair it and then named the river after it, The Queens Steps (especially built for Queen Elizabeth during a visit), the old Post Office (circa 1880), the cannon sent to the town (along with cannon balls 1 rifle and someone to operate it) to protect it from the perceived Russian invasion, and the various plaques along the path.
So with all of that history and the temperature beginning to climb it was time to go back home and relax for the rest of the day.
22 August 2013
Packed up, dropped the questionnaire off at the council, got some fuel and headed out of town. Heading down the highway we decided to check out Archers Point and after 16 km of a fairly good dirt road and some dry creek crossings we arrived at a small camping area next to mangroves and a small beach. A bit further up there was a tidal creek crossing the road and an inspection of it found that it was fairly solid underneath courtesy of some rocks and gravel. We decided to give it a go and after crossing the creek successfully found a magic campsite (no phone signal) and decided that we just had to stay for a bit to enjoy it. So after a whole 29 kilometers we made camp.
Our Camp site and surrounds
A closer view
This reef was totally covered at high tide
We spent the afternoon walking around the rocks and beach, taking photos and generally relaxing. Around sunset the clouds began to build up as the moon illuminated the ocean in front of us.
23 August 2013
It rained a little during the night and we awoke to an cloudy and somewhat angry looking sky, but if the sky clears it has the promise of a nice sunny day. One camper left and another came in and parked virtually in front of us left so we decided to leave the higher ground and flattest area to move sites and be closer to the water so that nobody would come and camp in front of us and spoil the view again. The ground is fairly uneven and it was a bit of a juggling act to get the right spot for maximum sun on the panels, maximum view and maximum levelness, but we managed to do it okay.
Before we moved
The hippies down a bit from us were pretty quiet last night despite their saying they would be having music and a few others come and join them, and the girl who lives in her birthday suit was up early this morning snorkeling around the reef looking for breakfast while the others remained in their vehicles and probably hoped she would catch something for them too.
Joanne's photo of the Sunrise over the old wharf
By mid morning the cloud that had built up decided to clear and the breeze has stiffened somewhat, but it is still so very nice as we sit in the shade of the few trees that line the shore.
Our new camp spot
The wind kept up and as night fell two four wheel drives came in, parked near us and set up camp and had to use their vehicles to block the wind so they could get their tents up. Then around midnight the rain began to fall and quite heavily. A peek outside at the wind and the rain was enough to send us back to sleep with thoughts of what tomorrow might bring.
24 August 2013
This morning the wind was quite strong and with the storm clearing the sky looked like it was going to clear to a nice day. As it turned out the wind kept up and the sun did it's best to peak through the high clouds. Funny thing is that even though the wind is quite strong it is not cold courtesy of being up in the tropics.
Sunrise after the storm
The people that came in last night turned out to be aboriginals visiting the area and talking with them they seemed very nice, the kids were great and like all kids were running around on the beach enjoying themselves and not annoying anyone.
Joanne climbed the hill (2km) once more to get coverage on the phone for emails and messages etc and then after a lazy morning and a shower we contemplated leaving for some better weather and in the end decided to stay and enjoy Archer point for one more day.
Later in the afternoon we took a stroll along the beach and found this little guy. We are not sure what it is but it could be some sort of sea slug.
We threw it back into the water a number of times but it kept coming back in on the tide so we gave up and left it on the sand.
25 August 2013
Another peaceful but windy night before we drove back into Cooktown to enjoy breakfast near the wharf, a shower and went over to the RV parking/camping area to use the dump point and to top up with water before heading South.
Stopping at the Little Annan River rest area for morning tea was a good excuse to check out the waterfall and gorge the water has carved through the rock.
You can just see the road bridge at the top
On the way into Cooktown we passed a waterhole that had nice water lilly and bird life so stopped for a proper look this time. There was plenty of birdlife over near the cattle and it wasn't long before other people stopped for a look and photos as well.
Not too far down the road we came to Lakeland again and this time took a drive around town (3 streets) for a look before taking AJ through the vehicle wash down to remove any seeds we may have picked up underneath. It also allowed us to wash that salt spray and dirt road dust off. Then it was up to the Byrestown Range lookout again but this time for lunch before we traveled the huge distance of half a kilometer onto the gravel dump we had stopped in on our way up to Cooktown, which is to be our camp for tonight.
26 - 27 August 2013
Not much to tell about these few days except that we made our way back to Rocky Creek between Atherton and Mareeba and just kicked back for a two days while we figured out what we wanted to do next and to kill a few days before we make our way to Innisfail to collect the mail.
28 August 2013
Today we made our way down the range and into Cairns and then out as quickly as we could. The lush green of the bush testament to plenty of rain. Halfway down the range we came to a small lookout and stopped to get our first glimpse of the area around Cairns though the grey skies did nothing to improve the view.
Smithfield at the bottom of the range in the foreground and Cairns behind the hill on the right
Coming into town it was a case of traffic, traffic and more traffic, traffic lights, people, and all that comes with a growing tropical city that is a mecca for the tourist trade. Not wanting to even attempt to find a spot to stop we made our way out of the hub and after passing HMAS Cairns and two LCH's up on the slip stopped for lunch at a small boat ramp. Lunch over it was time to head off again, this time using the new by-pass road heading towards the small town of Gordonvale where we know of a campsite. Unfortunately when we got there we found it rather run down, pretty much full of campers and not to our liking, so we pressed on some more.
Passing through cane field after cane field as we headed further South was a pleasant experience as was watching the clouds build up along the range that the road follows. We arrived at the small town of Babinda at the base of Mt Bellenden Ker, Queensland's second highest mountain and where we also knew of a campsite. On arrival we found the place quite full, partially because they have a new amenities block ($2 hot showers) and a large area out the back to camp in all less than a kilometer from the centre of town. We found ourselves a spot and set up camp for a day or two before we go into Innisfail to collect our mail.
30 August 2013
Time to get moving again and so after checking that the mail parcel had actually made it to town we drove the 30 kilometers into Innisfail and found a very busy, bustling place which appears to have outgrown its business district, the parking on each side of the street being angle and then parallel in the middle making already narrow looking streets even narrower.
Heading out of town we drove through South Johnston where we had cycled through back in 2003 and what then appeared to be a ghost town but not now. The sugar mill was in full swing with great white plumes coming out of its chimneys and the town looking like it also had some life back in it.
We were passing through more and more cane fields and even the odd cane train, but cane is not the only industry here. Banana's and Paw Paw (Papaya) are also very popular and all of these crops cover every available spot on the land. Arriving at Mena Creek we stopped and viewed the waterfalls that are next to Paronella Park. Finding a walkway down to the waters edge and a viewing platform we were looking directly at the falls and parts of Paronella Park including the top of Jose's Castle.
Mena Creek Falls and part of Paronella Park
We had visited the park back in October 2002 and so didn't bother with a return visit but continued on our way stopping at Mission Beach for lunch. The stiff onshore breeze made for a cool lunch and left our skin sticky with salt spray, so off to South Mission Beach for a look before heading on to the free camp in the showgrounds at Tully.
There are signs everywhere around this place informing motorists to slow down for Cassowaries or where there have been recent sightings, and not far out of South Mission Beach there was one on the side of the road. A quick U-turn and we were back for a quick photo as the traffic banked up behind us.
Not having seen one of these birds before we were glad of the opportunity despite it not being the best shot we could have got
A few more kilometers and we arrived at Tully, home of the Big Gumboot where we stopped at the information centre to obtain our 2 day free camp permit before a visit to the local Courthouse to place an early vote for the upcoming Federal election before making our way to the showgrounds to pull up a spot.
The free camp area is a large concrete slab which was probably an old pavilion. There's no power but there is water, toilets, dump point etc with five bays, and it is right at the start of the main street so nice and close to town for a walk around tomorrow.
31 August 2013
Tully is hosting a large horse event and guess where they are staying? Yes, right next to us, so as the afternoon and evening wore on in came all sorts of horse floats, horses, riders, pens, electric fences and even float activated water troughs and by the time we went to bed there was a distinct equine smell in the air. Thankfully they were fairly quiet but their events over in the arena seemed to go on all night.
This morning when we awoke the skies were very grey and as Tully sits between two mountains, the tops of which we could not see, we were going to be in for a wet day. Well, we often say if we don't like the neighbours of the view we can move and that is exactly what we did, but not after Joanne took a stroll around the shops and I paid a visit to the Tully Gumboot.
The Gumboot is the height (7.93m) of the actual yearly rainfall in back in 1950
Tully's average annual rainfall is 4.17m and in March 1967 had 1.32m (52 inches) in a 48 hour period
You can climb up inside the boot for a reasonable view of the start to the main street and the Tully Sugar Mill which is just opposite. So with all of that done and the rain beginning to fall we headed South to where we hoped there would be blue sky.
Finding our way out to Murray Falls (on the Murray River) we went to the falls themselves (in a National Park) and where there is around nine camping spots. The falls are a short way along a boardwalk which has a number of viewing platforms with which to view them.
They are not very high but it is a very pleasant spot
Further downstream there is a day use area where you can swim and relax as some others were doing when we arrived there.
The Swimming Area at Murray Falls where we enjoyed morning tea
Morning tea over we headed off to Bilyana where we knew of a rest area but on our arrival we found it to be quite full so opted for a quieter spot in a gravel pit just 500m up the road instead (it's also sunny here :)
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