Sunday June 11 Cooktown
After yesterday's fishing
success, Rick went off eagerly early in the morning. Wendy meanwhile rode to
the start of the old railway trail. It certainly wasn't a bike trail. Leaving
the bike she enjoyed a stroll through the mangroves.
Next we headed off south to see a few nearby sights. As we were about to turn
off the main road, we noticed a car down in a culvert and a woman nearby.
We
assumed there'd been a recent accident and stopped to check. It was all a
bit confusing. The woman owned the car but had driven to the site in another as
she'd apparently left her car on the side of the road last night as it had
broken down. She was clearly in shock and kept repeating "Who would
do such a thing." She called the police who weren't interested, just
said to get a tow truck. Wendy interrupted the conversation and said
"Hang on, aren't you going to investigate this?" The policewoman got
really annoyed and told Wendy to stop interfering! The police
agreed to come so we stayed with her till they arrived. We'll probably
never know the full story.
After that excitement we enjoyed a delightful stroll beside a lagoon spotting
some great flowers and birds
Onward again we drove to Archer point for coastal views which were pretty
impressive though somewhat spoilt by coastal squalls rolling through.
The next spot was Trevathen Falls, which we eventually found after a navigation
challenge. Beautiful falls and a brilliant plunge pool that of course Wendy
immersed herself in.
Back at camp, Rick returned to the wharf for more fishing while Wendy rode a
few km to access the walking track up Mt Cook. Not quite the NZ sister, but a
challenge all the same. 430m vertical and half the trail rates 5 on the
National Park scale. She had the whole mountain to herself and a stunning
view from the top
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We dined on the fish Rick caught yesterday. They were delicious. When playing a
few tunes after dinner we attracted another muso, Ian travelling with a
mandolin. We had a brief but excellent jam.
No Sunday wasn't a day of rest!!
Monday June 12 Cooktown
A slower start for a change! This time we headed north to Elim Beach,
famed for cliffs of coloured sands. It was about a 70km drive on a
luxurious sealed road almost all the way.
A sandy bumpy track took us to a campground where we paid a fee for day
use. The campground was beautiful. Pity we'd left the tent in Cooktown!!!
We walked the beach to see the cliffs, but apparently didn't go quite far
enough where we could've walked up a gully with more. Oops.
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Our last stop was Isabella Falls where we had a picnic lunch and Wendy had the
obligatory plunge with waterfall massage.
Late afternoon we took a sunset cruise on the river.
Seated around tables for four, it was BYO drinks and a fabulous cheese platter from Gallos on the Atherton Tablelands. The captain/guide entertained
Back at camp we had a great jam session with two other musos.
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Tuesday June 13 Cooktown to Kewarra beach
We left early to ensure we had time to stop at all the sights en route!
That put us at the famed Lions Den Hotel at 8.30! It was open but the backpacker worker couldn't find the light switch in the shop!
We left early to ensure we had time to stop at all the sights en route!
That put us at the famed Lions Den Hotel at 8.30! It was open but the backpacker worker couldn't find the light switch in the shop!
Then
it was onto the Bloomfield Track. 32km of narrow winding "4x4"
track. It was a beautiful drive through the rainforest. The road surface
was mostly ok, though it was hard to spot the potholes in the dappled light.
The steepest parts were sealed and the wet creek crossings presented little
challenge.
We saw 4 oncoming vehicles and 3 going our way. All delightfully quiet. A surprise was coming across Bailey Seamer who is walking from the southern most tip of Australia to the northern most point, raising money for Black Dog Institute and raising awareness of bipolar disorder. A delightful young woman taking on a huge task. She’s been on the track since May 2022. Google “Wandering Minds Walk” and you can read all about her.
We saw 4 oncoming vehicles and 3 going our way. All delightfully quiet. A surprise was coming across Bailey Seamer who is walking from the southern most tip of Australia to the northern most point, raising money for Black Dog Institute and raising awareness of bipolar disorder. A delightful young woman taking on a huge task. She’s been on the track since May 2022. Google “Wandering Minds Walk” and you can read all about her.
What a shock it was to arrive at Cape Tribulation Beach
teeming with four wheel drives and tour groups. We had our sights set on
a coffee, but it was all too hectic for us, so we journeyed on to a very quiet
beach at Cow Bay and had a picnic instead!
Along the way there were dozens of serious speed bumps. We were pleased in the end as out wandered a cassowary with a chick.
Along the way there were dozens of serious speed bumps. We were pleased in the end as out wandered a cassowary with a chick.
Just before Mossman we called at Wendy’s cousin Lynne’s
place and had a cuppa and a catch up with her and her Uncle Dave. From there it was basically express to
Kewarra Beach, an outer suburb of Cairns where we stayed with a friend Ruth and
enjoyed another great catch up.
Wednesday June 14.
Cairns
Ruth is a great bushwalker so she and Wendy did the “Blue Arrow”
a walk to the top of Lumley Hill near the Botanical Gardens. A beautiful rainforest walk. Rick checked out the gardens and surrounds.
After a picnic lunch at the gardens we dropped the car off
to get 3 more new tyres, caught up with some communications, stocked up with a
few necessities then retired to Gen’s place.
We walked to a nearby pub for dinner where the service was dreadfully
long and there were uncontrolled children making a terrible racket. Yes we’re intolerant!! Gen won’t be going back there.
This bit is for the hippies of the ‘70s. Rick and his wife and girls were part of a
community in Murchison for a few years.
They were contributors to “Grass Roots” magazine. Gen recently found some magazines at a market
at Kuranda, so she and Rick had a grand time going through them and checking
out their articles!
Thursday June 15 Cairns
The BT was booked in for a service, so Wendy drove it to the
garage then went off on a tour on her bike, ending up at the Botanical Gardens
in time for a free walking tour. A
really interesting stroll.
We had a restful afternoon and a decadent seafood feast on a
boat in the harbour. We were so busy enjoying the feast of prawns, oysters, bugs and salmon we forgot to take a photo of the platter!!!
Terri
2023-06-15
Well !!! I still have a box full of Grassroots magazines, I'll have to dig them out 😁
Denise
2023-06-15
Well you two certainly Carpe the cr#$*#p outa the Diem. Wonderful adventures and making beautiful music too. Keep having fun. Xx
Lyn and Ken
2023-06-16
Great adventures, as always. Looks as though you've been enjoying some of the perfect weather we've experienced here on Hamo.
Maureen H
2023-06-16
Beautiful photos. how lucky to see a cassowary and chick!