The road to Cairns........

We left Townsville and headed north once more on our way to Cairns.  We didn't get very far as we decided to stop for lunch at Ingham.  TYTO Wetlands is here and it was one of the major bird spots we wanted to have a look at.  We had our lunch in the campgrounds and then decided that as we didn't really need to be rushing we would stay the night as well.  $10 saw us booked in and then we were ready to explore the wetlands.

We spent the afternoon wandering along the many tracks and were thrilled with the variety and numbers of birds we saw.  Forest Kingfishers, Crimson Finches, Masked Wood Swallows were in abundance along with Figbirds, Noisy Friarbirds and Spangled Drongos.  Lots of others flying in and out to quick to see.

Water birds were everywhere as well and the Comb Crested Jacanas walking across the water lilies are always amusing.  Magpie Geese were grazing on the oval while Egrets and Herons waded in the shallows.  All in all a lovely place to stop.

The next morning Bill got up with the sun and walked around the whole 4 km track while I stayed in bed and enjoyed a sleep in.  Once he was back we prepared to leave but first had a walk through the elevated boardwalk over to the 11m tower for a view across the town of Ingham.

We left soon after and made our way to the coast at Lucinda where we stopped to take a look at the  Bulk Sugar Terminal and the famous Jetty which at 5.76 kms is the longest jetty in The Southern Hemisphere.  While you can no longer walk on the jetty you can see it from the boardwalk along the beach.  

We drove back through the Sugar Cane plantations to the Bruce Hwy and continued on to Cardwell where we stopped beside the sea to eat our lunch.  Looking over to Hinchinbrook Island was a pretty nice view to dine by.

We set off again and not too long after had found our way to Murray Falls in the Upper Murray National Park.  We set up camp here before taking a walk to see the falls which were a pretty awesome sight and back at home we could here the roar all night.  

The next morning we walked down and had a look at the swimming hole before making our way out of the park and back towards the coast to have a look at Mission Beach.  We found a lovely little village with a real holiday feel to it.  We enjoyed a walk along the beach and were fascinated by the intricate patterns on the sand, made by the tiny Bubbler Crabs.  Returning to the car we drove back to Tully.  

One of the most famous inhabitants of Mission Beach is the Cassowary and we were hoping to find one or two.  On the drive in we did see one walking along the side of the road but with nowhere to stop Bill was not able to get a photo.  Fingers crossed we will see more as we travel.  

Back at Tully we stopped to get the obligatory picture of 'The Golden Gumboot'.  This boot stands at 7.9 metres high and represents the record annual rainfall recorded for Tully in 1950.  Climbing the spiral staircase to the top gives you a view of the town.

From Tully we followed 'The Cane Cutters Way' to Innisfail and enjoyed the lovely scenery along the way.  A much nicer run than straight up 'the Bruce'.  At approximately 45 km it takes you through miles and miles of sugar cane fields and towards the end we started to see banana plantations as well.  We can certainly see why the giant jetty is needed for the cane.

Our plan for that night was to find Ella Bay and camp there but on following the signs we soon came across a 'no caravans past this point' sign and so it was on to plan B.  We were in Flying Fish Point and decided to call into the little caravan park we had passed a few streets back and see if they had room.  They did so we parked and stayed for the night.  

We had a walk down the street to the one shop we could find, had a quick look at the beach and then walked back home to chill out under the awning.  On the way to the park Bill had seen Cassowary no 2 vanishing into the bush but once again no pictures and that is the last one we have glimpsed.  Maybe another year.

The next morning we were up and off for our final run into Cairns.  On the way we made one stop turning off at Babinda to see The Boulders.  Expecting to see just a few rocks we were blown away by the scenery and the size of 'The Boulders' in the National Park here.  

It is a popular swimming hole and picnic area and a place of spiritual significance for the aboriginal people.  We followed the walkway and stopped first at the swimming hole.  Next stop along the boardwalk was Devils Pool and then we walked further around to another lookout which is even more spectacular than the others.  A lovely place to stop and explore and if only a bit warmer I might have tried out the swimming hole.

Continuing on to Cairns we had found a home at Lake Placid Tourist Park and arrived mid afternoon.  We set ourselves up and were hoping for some fine weather as we had still only had one or two nice days over the past few weeks.  It was getting warmer but still very grey and some rainy days.  I guess it's not called The Wet Tropics for nothing!

Later that afternoon we walked the short way down the road to have a look at Lake Placid.  It was a lovely view and the man kayaking up to the gorge and back added to the beauty of the place.

Back at home we settled in for the evening and tried to work out what we would like to do for the next few days.  Other than the washing of course.  Time to explore Cairns.

until next time............