GRANITE GORGE and FLEETWOOD MAC

6^th October, 2015

Time to pack up and move on. We've had a nice restful couple of months at Walkamin Caravan Park but before we head south we are going to spend a couple of nights at Granite Gorge – a small gorge about 30 kilometres away. We pull into the caravan park and set up camp. It's not long before we are visited by one of the resident peacocks intent on trying to attract one or more of the peahens.

Peacock on display at Granite Gorge Caravan Park

The caravan park and gorge are on privately owned land and a fee is payable by day visitors if they wish to access the gorge. Our camping fees allow us access to the gorge any time we wish and there are different grades of track that can be hiked. The main tourist season is over so there are only a few other campers in the park – just the way we like it. We set off to tackle one of the less difficult tracks

Wok on the trail at Granite Gorge

which takes us to the dam above the gorge.

Wok checks out the turtles in the dam

We then follow a trail along the top of the gorge

View over part of the gorge

before making our way down the steep boulders bordering the water course.

Walking amongst the boulders

Along the way we run into the inhabitants of the gorge – they blend in well to this rocky landscape.

Spot the rock wallabies ....

The rock wallabies are one of the main reasons people come to the gorge and they are very used to people. Food for feeding the wallabies can be bought at reception and it doesn't take long for them to come around once they see the paper bag in your hands.

This adult rock wallaby was keen for a feed

The wallabies aren't very big but they can certainly get very demanding and pushy when it comes to getting a handout. There were a few juveniles around and this little tyke was hard to resist.

My what a long tail you have .... !

You can see how small he is by comparing him to Wok's hand.

This little guy is just way 'TOO CUTE'

We spent a very pleasant couple of days at the gorge. Because it is off the beaten track there is no traffic noise – just the sounds of the bush.

It was time to head south following the inland road through Charters Towers, Clermont and Gayndah before stopping in at the Sunshine Coast to get the car and caravan serviced. Then it was further south to Newcastle where we caught up with some friends and rellies before pulling up and freecamping in the reserve beside our son Trent's home at Lake Munmorah. We had a specific reason for being here. Our son was treating us to a live Fleetwood Mac concert at Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley. We have never been to such an event before and all we can say is that it was an experience we will long remember. Along with thousands of enthusiastic Fleetwood Mac devotees we arrived at the open air venue which is set amongst the vineyards of the Hunter Valley.

Monster stage at  Hope Estate for Fleetwood Mac

The weather was not co-operating at all and the previous night's performance had been plagued with rain. We had come prepared though – with ponchos at the ready. Our seats were not far from the stage and we had a great view of the performers.  Luckily the rain stayed away for most of the night – just a slight drizzle about two thirds the way through. Nobody seemed to mind though with everyone singing and moving to the music. The members of Fleetwood Mac may be getting a tad old now but they can still put on a performance that some younger bands would find hard to keep up with.

Fleetwood Mac rocks the stage

We had an awesome time and didn't even mind having to wash all the mud off our shoes the next day. After visiting with Trent we returned to the Sunshine Coast where we will be spending Xmas with our daughter and her family. We're camped in Tina and Paul's backyard where we have lots of company – the alpaccas, chooks, ducks and lots of native birds. We hope everyone has a safe and merry Xmas and finish this year's blog with a Granite Gorge 'photo bombing' rock wallaby. See you all in 2016 …. !

RAVENSHOE to COOKTOWN

10^th August, 2015

We're heading south. Yes – we know that this is the wrong direction but we have booked the caravan in for its 12 month service at the Crusader dealer in Townsville (no dealer in Cairns). By noon we are on the outskirts of Townsville and freecamp overnight before braving the early morning commuter traffic. You know a town is developing rapidly when you run into traffic jams but we made it to the Crusader dealers bright and early. All was going smoothly – the guy behind the reception desk was pleasant and efficient – noting down all our details and checking out the van ready for its service. Wok unhooked the van and we were in the process of working out where to spend the rest of the day when the proverbial 'spanner in the works' cropped up. The service guy called in to say that due to a death in the family he would be unavailable to work for a few days. Oh well – these things never seem to go according to plan! We decided to get the service done later in our travels and headed west over the ranges where we found a nice spot to camp beside the Burdekin River.

Camped beside the Burdekin River

Wok tried his hand at fishing but had no luck catching anything. We did enjoy the ambience though and spent a pleasant afternoon watching the swallows fly back and forth to their mud nests under the nearby bridge.

View of the bridge from our campsite

In the morning we turned north and travelled up the Kennedy Highway to the small village of Ravenshoe. We checked into the quirky little campground there which is run by the Railco Railway Museum. There is a 7 day limit on camping here but with the campground a stone's throw from the centre of town it is very popular. The $15 a night fee on a powered site is also an added incentive to stop here for a few days. For railway enthusiasts it can't get much better than this.

Wok checks out the steam engine from our campsite

Our site backs onto the railway line where volunteers help to run and maintain a working tourist railway museum. While we were there the steam engine was having maintenance work done so the Sunday tourist run was not operational. However we were treated to the 'wonder if it works' drill

Robyn watches the steam engine go by

and the 'shunting' and 'hooking up carriages' exercise.

Hooking up the carriage

It was great fun – railway enthusiasts come from all walks of life and are an interesting bunch.

We are now on the southern end of the Atherton Tablelands and take a few drives to explore the area. There are lots of dairy farms on this end of the tablelands with Millaa Millaa displaying this unique sculpture. We have posted a photo of this before but think it deserves another go.

The Reluctant Cow

We visit a dairy and do some cheese tasting – very yummy! The scenery is very pretty in these parts with rolling hills and lush green grass. It's a stark contrast to the drought affected country which is not that far west.

Countryside around Millaa Millaa

After spending a week in Ravenshoe we head further north to one of our favourite places to stay – Walkamin Central Caravan Park at the northern end of the Atherton Tablelands. We are going to base ourselves here for about six weeks while we check out some areas we have not been before and generally relax until it starts to get warmer down south. Of course supermarket shopping is always a chore to be done and while we were in Mareeba stocking up on groceries we happened to park outside a house with this great 'dog beware' sign on the front gate.

Nothing more needs to be said ...

To the west of Walkamin is Granite Gorge. There is a caravan park and picnic area which is privately owned and access to the small rock strewn gorge is accessed by paying a fee. The gorge is home to a colony of rock wallabies and this little guy was hanging out near the caravan park office/kiosk.

Aren't I just the cutest thing ever ...

Of course the reason why he was hanging out here was to get a free handout – not just a pretty face!

Roo Food ... YUMMM

It is lovely and peaceful and we check out the caravan park thinking that we may come and spend a few days here for a change of pace after leaving Walkamin. Not far from Walkamin is Lakel Tinaroo. On a lovely sunny day we pack up the Jeep and head out for a day's fishing. We try our luck on the western side of the lake but get no bites so we head over to the eastern side. We get a few bites which keep us interested but the fish just won't play the game and we come away empty handed. We stop in at the dam wall on the way back and find a shooting plume of water coming from the large pipe at the base.

Tinaroo Dam

The dam was built across the Barron River many years ago and the water is shooting out into the river bed.

Wok is getting slightly drizzled on

Thousands of litres of water are gushing out of the pipe and the noise is deafening.

Pipe outlet at base of Tinaroo Dam

Back at the van that night we console ourselves with a frozen fish dinner. It would have been nice to have freshly caught barramundi but the fish didn't play the game.

We have decided to tackle the Bloomfield Track. This is a dirt/sand/creek crossings track which runs from Cape Tribulation (north of Cairns) for about 40 klms to Ayton (south of Cooktown). We head out early one morning and just south of Cooktown turn south towards Ayton. The road is tarred here and sometimes narrow but it is a very pretty drive through the rainforest. Along the way we spot a pumpkin stall with a very unique way of displaying its wares.

Large woven birds head sits beside pumpkins for sale in hanging basket

Just to the south of the aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal the tarred road ends and the Bloomfield Track begins. The track is mostly one lane wide and we wind up and down steep inclines with the rainforest pressing in on both sides. Occasionally we meet a vehicle coming the other way and it is a bit of a jiggling act to pass safely. We think we are doing rather well and enjoying the challenge when a ute coming towards us flags us down. The driver tells us that the track has been closed a few kilometres further on. Rain has fallen overnight (and there are still rain clouds overhead) and two trucks are bogged blocking the carriageway. The authorities have closed the road until the track dries out. With rain forecast for the next few days it may be quite a while before the road is open again. Oh well! One can't fight mother nature! Now all we had to do was find a place to turn around which was not an easy ask. However the next bend in the track allowed Wok to do some neat reversing manoeuvre’s and we retraced our steps. As it was now mid afternoon we decided to head into Cooktown to spend the night before heading back to Walkamin. We saw a signpost to Archer Point along the way and decided to have a look. It was a dirt road but in reasonable condition and after 15 klms we found ourselves at a lighthouse overlooking the ocean.

View to the south from lighthouse at Archer Point

It was very windy but had a wonderful view looking out towards the reef and if there had been any large fish, sharks, turtles etc. swimming past we could have easily seen them in the water below.

Wok is looking for marine life

We figured that just around the headland to the north lay the entrance to the Endeavour River where Captain Cook beached his ship (the Endeavour) after being damaged on the reef. Cooktown is of course named after him.

View to the north from lighthouse at Archer Point

We continued on our way and checked into the Sea View Motel at Cooktown. That evening we walked to the local bowls club to have dinner.

Looks good - doesn't it?

Wok was really looking forward to the 'freshly caught wild barramundi' he had ordered but after the first bite he was extremely disappointed. The fish had no flavour at all and with the batter seemed to have an odd taste. He managed to eat one of the fish pieces and then pushed the fish aside and ate the chips. I had ordered Lasagne which looked good but tasted weird. At least the veggies were edible. We thought about taking our meals back but couldn't be bothered. We would have been hesitant about trying any of their other options and everyone knows what happens when you send your meal back to the kitchen. We've all seen those videos!

So we quietly left the club and walked along the river to the motel – where we sat on our balcony and munched on some apples and bananas and had a nice cup of tea while we watched the sun go down. Not a bad end to a very unusual day … !

Sunset from our balcony at the Sea View Motel, Cooktown

BRAMSTON BEACH, THE BOULDERS and JOSEPHINE FALLS

27^th July, 2015

Travelling north once more and a stop overnight at a 'donation for use' freecamp south of Ayr. The camp spot was on the coast and called 'Funny Dunny Park'. We turned off the highway and bumped along a dirt road for fifteen kilometres to this remote camp area which was tucked in behind the sand dunes. The place was jam-packed with campers but we managed to find a spot near the entrance and after setting up took a stroll over the dunes to the beach. Apart from one lone beach walker we were the only ones there. The following morning we discovered that we had been the main course for a squadron of 'sand flies' aka 'midgies'. These rotten little insects are so small that they are virtually invisible to the naked eye. We rummaged through the van and found a variety of medicated creams which we vigorously applied in a vain attempt to stop the bites from itching. We quickly packed up and hightailed it out of there. There was no way that we were going to spend another night in 'sand fly haven'. At Ayr we stopped at a pharmacy and bought some antihistamine to go with the itch creams. We stopped overnight in a rest area north of Cardwell where we again rubbed cream on the itchy bites and took the recommended dose of antihistamine. The antihistamine eased the intense feeling of wanting to scratch oneself to death and we managed to get a reasonable night's rest. This was to be our daily and nightly routine over the following few days until finally the urge to scratch faded away. There's not one good thing that can be said about a sand fly …... NOPE …... not one!

We continue north and at Miriwinni stop for a sugar cane train crossing the highway.

Sugar cane train crossing the highway at Miriwinni

It's here that we turn east once again and head for the coast. At least the road is tarred and after sixteen kilometres the small village of Bramston Beach comes into view. We check into a council operated campground which fronts the beach and are assured that there are no sand flies. The park is booked out on powered sites but we take up the option of an unpowered site for a couple of nights until one of the powered sites becomes available. This will be our home base for a few weeks while we explore the tropical coast and surrounding area. After a couple of days of rest and relaxation we head to the nearest town – Babinda. Due west of Babinda is 'The Boulders' – a popular tourist spot. There is a designated area in the creek where one can swim in the crystal clear waters without having to keep an eye out for saltwater crocodiles. The salties find it a bit difficult to climb up the boulders and waterfalls from the lower reaches.

The Boulders

There is an unseen danger here though. A number of people have drowned while attempting to swim in the enticing rock pools below the bathing area that have been formed by the water cascading over and around the boulders. In the blink of an eye a refreshing dip can turn into a nightmare as an unwary swimmer is pushed by the force of the water over and under the boulders and becomes trapped beneath the rocks. We walk along the path beside the creek following the flow of water cascading down the boulders.

Dangerously enticing rock pools at The Boulders

It's a pretty walk and the only downside is that we are gradually going downhill – which means that our return walk is all uphill! At least there is an endless supply of fresh water should we get thirsty. Back at Babinda we stop at the IGA Supermarket for supplies before returning to Bramston Beach.

It's another day for exploring. This time we are checking out all the little side roads north. There are lots of creeks and waterways as well as unexpected wildlife. We were quite surprised to round a bend and see this flock of turkeys on the grass verge.

Free range turkeys .... !

We've seen free ranging chickens before but not free ranging turkeys! Wok was keen to check out spots that might be good for fishing and thought this section of creek looked promising.

Hmmm .... this looks like a good spot to fish

It may have been the best fishing spot ever but when the 'croc sign' was pointed out to him he seemed to lose all interest.

Hey Wok .... did you happen to notice this croc sign?

Can't say I blame him. Trying to catch fish and keep an eye open for hungry salties doesn't make for relaxing fishing. It was decided to just enjoy the drive and take in the scenery. The fishing can wait for when we are not on the menu.

A few days later we hopped in the Jeep again and took a drive to Josephine Falls. We stopped for a look at 'The Hole' on the way. A very large picnic area was adjacent to the creek and the water looked inviting but once again the 'saltwater crocs may be present' sign was a big deterrent.

Looks like a great place for a swim - but you never know if a saltie is around

A few kilometres away is Josephine Falls. We park the Jeep and set out on the track to the falls. At least this track is uphill from the start so it will be all downhill on the way back. After much huffing and puffing we arrive at the first viewing area where a stairway leads down to the water.

Wok heads down the stairs

Through the trees we can see the crystal clear water of the swimming hole

Swimming hole at Josephine Falls

where a brave soul is splashing around in the freezing cold water.

One brave (and freezing cold) swimmer at Josephine Falls

The temperature today is around 28 degrees centigrade but the water is icy. We walk down to the rocks below the swimming hole to get a look at the falls above.

Looking up at the falls from the swimming hole

We slowly work our way up to the last viewing area near the top of the falls stopping to take photos along the way.

Josephine Falls

We both agree that it has been worth the hike to see the falls – one of the better kept secrets in the area.

We spend the next few days enjoying the peace and quiet of Bramston Beach. We are in no hurry to leave this idyllic tropical paradise where more often than not we are the only ones taking a stroll along the water's edge. Ahhhh …. the serenity.

Bramston Beach

ST LAWRENCE, MACKAY and EUNGELLA

2^nd July, 2015

We are on the road again and headed back to the Sunshine Coast for a quick visit. Warwick's sister (Beryl) is turning 80 and her son Greg is hosting a birthday b-b-q at his home in Gympie. We will catch up with some family while we are there and then quickly head north again for the warmer weather. It is very dry out in the outback areas of Queensland and it is no surprise when we come across some drovers moving a large mob of cattle along the grass verge beside the highway.

Droving in outback Queensland

Many cattlemen are forced to travel 'the Long Paddock' during years of drought to keep their stock alive.

Many cows 'calve' as they travel the road

Outback Queensland is in desperate need of life giving rain – the paddocks are devoid of grass. It is not until we reach the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range that we start to see a change in the vegetation. It is as if someone has drawn a line across the land with one side receiving rain and the other side no rain. It's a tough life on the land.

We spend an enjoyable week on the Sunshine Coast and then scoot back north up the highway – stopping overnight at a rest area near Calliope and then free camping a few nights at a reserve in St Lawrence. The reserve is adjacent to a large wetlands area and many different types of waterbirds can be seen from the paths and viewing areas. The sunsets weren't too bad either.

Sunset at St Lawrence

St Lawrence is a small town about 5 kilometres off the highway – very quiet. The main railway line runs through here but there is very little movement along the tracks. The original railway bridge that spanned the estuary has been replaced and two of the old bridge stanchions stand in a park beside the water.

Wok checks out the old bridge stanchions in the park at St Lawrence

An information board has a display of photos and a history of the area and its bridges. It's a great place to spend a couple of days and we enjoyed exploring all the little tracks around the area.

It's a busy time on the road right now with caravans, camper trailers, fifth wheelers and motor homes making up the bulk of the traffic. With coastal caravan parks full to the brim we decide to go a little inland away from the hustle and bustle and find a lovely little council run caravan park at Mirani (about 30 klms west of Mackay). There are only about ten other caravans camped here and is a great place to base ourselves while we explore the area. We are right in the midst of the sugar cane harvesting season and there are sugar cane trains and sugar cane trucks plying up and down every road. We spend a couple of days relaxing and then take a drive into Mackay. We pass a couple of sugar cane mills along the way and that old familiar sickly sweet smell of molasses fills the air. It has been quite a long time since we last visited Mackay and nothing looks familiar. The main business centre has grown significantly and the small little seaside villages have now become upmarket urban sprawl. We check out the southern beaches and then cross the river to tour around the northern beaches.

Wok surveys a beach north of Mackay

There are some lovely spots along here and new subdivisions seem to be springing up everywhere. We continue north to Seaforth where we have a late 'hamburger and chips' lunch in the park on the beach before heading back to Mirani via an inland route. A couple of days later we pack a picnic lunch and head west along the valley and then climb the range into Eungella National Park. We stop to take a stroll along one of the rainforest walks.

Wok walks along a rainforest track at Eungella National Park

At the first viewing area we can see the winding road climbing up the range that we came up with the small village of Eungella perched at the top.

Road winding up the mountain to Eungella

Further along we come to the 'Sky Window' – a perfect name for the spectacular view down the valley to Mackay.

View down the valley towards Mackay from Eungella National Park

There is a lot of haze in the distance which is steam/smoke coming from the sugar cane mills and stops us from seeing the waters of the Pacific Ocean. We continue along the rainforest walk which loops back to the parking lot. Our next stop is at Eungella Creek which has two platypus viewing areas.

Wok is searching for the elusive platypus

The best time of day to see platypus (according to the rangers) is at dawn and dusk and as it was nearly noon the chance of us happening upon a time mis-managed platypus was pretty well zero. We did however see a couple of turtles and a snake that slithered across the path in front of us and plopped into the water. The walk beside the creek was quite picturesque and although this killer fig will eventually overwhelm its host tree the patterns it is creating on the trunk is strikingly beautiful.

Killer Fig in Eungella National Park

The road continues along the ridge and then turns west out of the national park. Thirty kilometres further on we come to Eungella Dam.

Eungella Dam

The lake was created by damming the Broken River and there is a large picnic area with numerous camp spots along the shore. A family of ducks happily paddle about and keep us entertained while we enjoy our picnic lunch beside the water. Soon it was time to hop in the Jeep and make our way back down the range. A great day was had by all!