Port Douglas Locals

CAPTAIN PAUL AND FIRST MATE LEX On Saturday we hired this little boat and went up the inlet into the estuaries for a bit of crocodile spotting. Within 10 minutes we saw our first one. All up we saw four of them which was great, one was just cruising along the bank and must of been about 2.5 metres long. After that we headed off to the beach for a swim feeling comfortable that they are territorial!
A NICE HANDBAG OR SHOES? Just kidding.

Back via the Bloomfield Track

BLOOMFIELD FALLS Yesterday we left Cooktown and came back via the Bloomfield track which is 4 wheel drive only, it was actually pretty good, we did have one delay as a vehicle with a camper trailer must of been going too fast on a bend and had hit a bank and had damaged the wheel and tyre. A travelling companion winched them back up the hill so that they could replace the tyre. There were a couple of creeks to cross but not a lot of water in them.
CAPE TRIBULATION This is where the rain forest meets the sea, really pretty. Last time we were here was 10 years ago with Bevan and Jenny, it was a damp day and not very busy, yesterday there were a lot of tourists around. From here on the road is sealed.

Forgot to mention that the other day when we were at Isabella falls, Paul went to walk down a track and saw a snake shimmer back into the undergrowth, all you could see was the leaves moving, he was about the size of a garden hose and very dark brown. As you can appreciate we did not wander down the track.
ISLAND off Thornton Beach.

Colourful Elim

ELIM Situated north of Cooktown, this was our first view of the coloured sands, as you can see we travelled on a four wheel drive track for 28 km's to reach this spot, the last 12 km's were sand. Prior to entering the area we had to get a permit at Hope Vale as this is all on Aboriginal land.
COLOURED SAND Weird driving on the beach with the ocean so close and not a lot of other traffic to assist should you get stuck.

THE BOYS ON THE BEACH

JAMES COOK MUSEUM After our adventurous morning, once back in town we checked out the museum which is housed in the old Convent school which was built in 1889.

Up at Cooktown

BLACK MOUNTAIN Today we left Port Douglas and headed up to Cooktown leaving the van on site. It was an interesting trip as you go behind the first set of ranges and up onto a tableland which has Savannah vegetation and cattle, so much like the mid west of Queensland. Black Mountain is granite which is over 250 million years old. FINCH BAY This is a lovely bay in Cooktown with really lush vegetation coming down to meet the Coral Sea. Cooktown is where Captain Cook landed in 1770 and in it's boom time was the second busiest port in Queensland and had a population of 30,000 with mining, now it is less than 1,500.

KOOKABURRAS A couple of locals at the Sunday Port Douglas markets.

Out and About in North Queensland

MOSSMAN GORGE Dad arrived Monday and on Tuesday we went for a drive to Mossman Gorge, it was lovely, would be very spectacular in the wet season. A lot of tourists visiting, alas the main walk was closed.
KURANDA Today Dad caught the train up to Kuranda - just north and inland of Cairns, a very interesting railway line as it was built in late 1800's by hand to bring the gold down from the Tablelands. We met him at the top which is part of the Atherton Tablelands.

BARRON GORGE View from the gorge at Kuranda looking down to the city of Cairns.

We have arrived in Heaven

FOUR MILE BEACH at Port Douglas. We just love this place, the town has a great atmosphere and not bad weather. Had a lovely swim in the sea today, no stingers at this time of the year and didn't sight any crocodiles - thank goodness. The funny thing is nobody swims in the sea at Cairns.

PORT DOUGLAS MARINA It looked so tranquil this morning on our walk, a great day to be going out to the reef snorkeling or diving, there are even whale watching tours these days. The interesting thing about the inlets with mangroves in the area is that this is where all the boats go during a cyclone and they stay safe.

Tropical Cairns

THE ESPLANADE at Cairns. It is very pretty with a walkway and swimming area which is well patronised as the beach is not safe because of the saltwater crocodiles and stingers. The hills are a lovely backdrop with the lush rainforest.
CAIRNS HARBOUR I really liked the contrasting colours of the rainforest with the water of the boats moored out from the marina.
SEAFARIS How is this for luxury? If you are wondering what to do for a different holiday you may want to get together with a few friends and charter this for a few days, there is even another boat on the back for running around - very impressive. Check out http://www.seafarisaustralia.com/

ORCHID Cairns botanical gardens

Waterfalls and more Waterfalls

MILLAA MILLAA FALLS Today we did a circuit drive of waterfalls, all up we visited nine of them, all lovely in their own way. The funny thing is there were only short walks to each of them, so different to Tasmania, yet the area and forest is similar to Tasmania.
MILLSTREAM FALLS The widest single drop waterfall in Australia. The rock at the back almost looked like organ pipes and the vegetation was very dry. The area was used during World War II for training troops who had returned from Kakoda and then going on to Papua New Guinea.
HALLORANS HILL View from the lookout in Atherton.

FLOWER at base of Millaa Millaa Falls.

Back to the bush

WINDFARM NEAR ATHERTON Today we left Undara and headed to Atherton which is the hinterland in behind Cairns. Must say that after the last few weeks of dry flat savannah land it was lovely to see green rolling hills, rainforest and ferns. There are even different cows here, in the outback they are brahmans. For the first time since the end of May there were gray clouds and moisture in the air.
LAVA TUBES at Undara National Park, they are 190,000 years old and were caused when a volcano erupted and lava ran for three months and caused a tube, it runs over 160kms and is one of the longest in the world. This particular one has water in it from the wet season, the first time water has been in there since 1991.
EASTERN GRAY KANGAROO Undara National Park

GUARD DOG Mt Surprise Hotel, he is a cattle dog/chihuahua cross, very scary!

Gulf Of Carpentaria

NORMANTON WETLANDS Normanton is a sleepy little town, some lovely old buildings and home of the Big Barra. In the wet season they are often cut off for weeks at a time, hence the abundance of wetlands. The Sunday Mail newspaper will be here on Wednesday, shame that we will be gone.
KARUMBA A little fishing village where the Norman River meets the Gulf Of Carpentaria, a great place if you are into fishing, we have never seen so many 4 wheel drives with boat trailers at a boat ramp, sure was a great advertisement for Toyota Land Cruisers. Didn't spot any crocodiles, but sure to be some lurking.

SEASHELLS ON THE SEASHORE AT KARUMBA

Vast areas of nothing

QANTAS Here is the first hanger of the airline at the Cloncurry airport. Yesterday we left Mt Isa and called into Cloncurry for a quick look around. The place is packed this weekend as they have an airshow, races and rodeo so expecting about 5000 people. We headed north and stopped overnight at the Burke and Wills Roadhouse.
ROAD TRAINS These size rigs are pretty common on the outback roads. Yesterday there was a bit of road kill, kangaroos, a cow and a boar. We did see some live kangaroos hopping across the road and a feral cat sauntered across the road.
We are now in Normanton and it is hard to believe that in the wet season the area is cut off. The area has a lot of cattle, so should be some good steak on offer. Up the road is Karumba which is famous for it's barramundi and prawns. Now that we are back above the Gulf of Carpentaria the temperature is lovely again sitting in the high 20's.