Day 224 We left in the morning after a quick look at the 50 plus year old train station we were camped at. It still ran a scenic tourist route between Ravenshoe and the next town till it's derailment not long ago. Currently the old blue steam engine is sitting idly by waiting for repairs to the track. We've been eying the Undara lava tubes on maps and pamphlets for quite a while now and it was the next POI on our trip. Just outside Ravenshoe was Millstream Falls, OZ's widest waterfall, we were curious and had Niagara Falls to compare it to. Not even sure what to say here, lol, it wasn't very wide at all. Not even close to Niagara's American Falls.
Forty km's down the Savannah Way was Innot and it's hot springs. We pulled into the only "gas station" in town that was right beside the springs. We walked down the sandy banks to the water. The hot springs are formed when water gets right close to molted lava deep in the earth. As it heats it expands and gets pushed up to the top. It is boiling hot! Lasted about 10 seconds in the knee deep water. Tried a couple of times but it was uncomfortably hot.
While here we explored a couple of massive mounds. We seen them scattered by the hundreds during the last forty kilometers. They are all different shapes of lumps and mounds protruding from the ground peppering the landscape. We originally thought they were ant hills but were told they are actually termites mounds. Very interesting, as different kinds of termites build different shapes of mounds.
We had about an hour and half of driving left to Undara. As we are driving it is becoming clear that the outback is in our near future! We got to the Undara Experience just after noon. All the lava tube tours were booked for the day, so we got a campsite and secured a spot on the Active Explorer tour the next morning. We had lunch and went for a swim. The bar opened at five. We headed over to catch the Grand Final, the Superbowl of Rugby. The bar had one TV. In fact the resort had one TV. The bar is an old railway carriage just like some of their accommodations and restaurant seating. The carriage was cut in half on one side the bar and the other side the TV and I think there were six stools to go along with one four person bench. There were people sitting on the floor to watch the game. The railway carriages on site are authentic and about 100 years old. After the game we had dinner and relaxed.