A little further north.........

A fun first day saw us enjoy morning tea with Linda, Jennifer and Mariea, another guest from the on site accommodation.  Linda spoilt Bill with a freshly made damper.

It seems we have finally left the rain behind us and we enjoyed a sunny warm day.  Bill enjoyed getting the camera out again and found a few birds to entertain him during the afternoon.  That night I cooked chicken minestrone which we shared with Linda.

We spent a leisurely morning at home before driving into Mareeba to check out the Information Centre. Armed with maps and bird lists we made our way to Hypipamee NP.  It was very busy with tourists so we had lunch and left.  Not before Bill got a few shots of this cute little Lewin's Honeyeater.

We then drove over to Lake Tinnaroo and had a look there.  Like Lake Eildon a little town has been submerged to make this water catchment.  As the water level drops in dry years relics of the town appear.  Not this year though.  At the park we found this rather clever Barramundi Sundial Sculpture.

An early morning coffee with Linda, Gracyn and Sam started our day.  Soon after we joined a tour group from Cairns and learnt all about Emmy Lou the resident emu and the Bower Birds on the property.  The coffee and damper was great and the American visitors loved it.

A little later we drove to Mount Molloy and had a look at a small park there.  This little White Cheeked Honeyeater was very friendly.

We had a look at the Anzac Park as well and The Battle of The Long Tan Cross Memorial is lovely.  An afternoon at home with a good book finished our day.

We decided to play tourist the next morning and drove to Yungaburra to see if we could find the Platypus.  We had been told where we might find it and today we did.  Peterson Creek has been cleaned up by a group of dedicated volunteers and now a walk track along the bank and a viewing platform gives you a good chance if you’re lucky.

 Said to be very shy this little fellow was quite happy to have an audience while he played for a while.  We enjoyed a walk along the track, a walk through the village, a nice lunch at The Whistle Stop Cafe and finished our day with a look at St Patrick's Church.

The next day we spent at home followed by dinner with Rod at the Mareeba Leagues Club.  It was great to catch up with him before he heads off to work away.

After a quiet morning we drove down to Cairns to meet Marg and Gary Prior for dinner.  So good to see them again after such a long time.  Dinner at Fetta, a fabulous Greek Restaurant, was great fun with a belly dancer and traditional plate smashing.

After dinner we all went on to the basketball to watch Jarrod play for the Cairns Marlins.  Meeting him and his partner Anika after the game was lovely.  It was a very late drive home but no traffic so any easy run up the Kuranda Range.

We were a little tired after our big day out yesterday so a slow start to the day.  After breakfast we decided to go into Malanda to have a look at the show.  We stopped for a coffee at the Mareeba Heritage Centre before leaving town.

We found all things country at the show. We watched the judging of the dairy cattle, the wood chopping events and saw lots of kids enjoying scary rides.  Later on we checked out all things CWA in the pavilion.  Back at home we had a quiet afternoon and a very early night.

After a quiet morning at home we drove to Kuranda to have a look at the markets.  Lunch at the French crêperie was yummy as always.  We enjoyed wandering around the markets and also the shops in town.  I still think it is just a big tourist trap but today in the sunshine it was a very enjoyable few hours.  I did love the artwork on the wall of one of the stalls in the market place.

Another trip down the Kuranda Range as we drove into Cairns to buy some bits and pieces for the sound system in the van.  After the shopping was done we returned to Mareeba, shopped for groceries and returned home to get ready for our departure tomorrow.  We are going to stay at Laura for a few days.  Later that night we donned the glad rags and joined Linda and Gracyn at the Gateway Hotel for dinner.  The steak was delicious and the company fabulous.

It was an early start as we hooked up ready for the trip to Laura.  Saying farewell to Birds on Barron we headed north stopping for lunch at Lakelands.  Another hour later we met Trevor at the gate and drove in to find a home for the next few days.  Once set up we spent the next few hours catching up with Trevor and having dinner together.

The next morning Trevor was heading off, going back to Mareeba for the weekend.  He showed Bill how to manage the generator for the shower, feed Reggie, the horse, and do the molasses for the cows.  The Forest Kingfishers came out to play on the fence posts each morning and evening.

We enjoyed the next few days of peace perfect peace.  The property is a few km out of Laura on the banks of the Laura River.  Right in front of the shed is the junction of the Little Laura River.  No paddling though as there is a resident crocodile.  Thankfully he has not made an appearance.
The only sounds are those of nature, birds, cows and the horse getting excited each time he saw Bill. By the end of the week he was quite demanding.  Bill did seem to enjoy his time running around the property on the old buggy.

We got a surprise one day when we found this handsome Sand Goanna under the car.  He continued to explore the yard and then returned from whence he came. Who knows if we’ll see him again.

Our days melded into each other while we relaxed in the warm weather, read, watched the birds and just enjoyed life in the sun.  One day as Bill explored a little further he found the Bower Birds had been busy.  With nobody to disturb them they had created the most well constructed Bower we have seen yet.

We have enjoyed our quiet days in this idyllic location but it’s time to leave.  While here we have enjoyed seeing many different birds.  This Red Wing Parrot seemed to be checking out a tree to nest in.  Trevor arrived back from Mareeba just on dark.  Bill had a catch up with him and we’ll see him in the morning.

In the morning we had breakfast with Trevor and spent our last couple of hours enjoying his company and the sounds of nature.  Not long after we were all packed up and ready to roll but not before the car decided that 8 days with no movement meant a flat battery.  Trevor helped Bill jump start us and we said our goodbyes and were on our way.  After the 10 km drive to the road we locked the gate and 10 mins later we were in Laura where we stopped and had lunch at the Laura Hotel. Great BLT!

Across the road the toilet block has been given a wonderful face lift by local artists.  Yes, the car started again and we were on our way once more. This time to Cooktown where we will stay overnight.  We camped at the Cooktown Peninsula CP and it was great to have our showers in a lovely new amenities block.  A little different from our open air job of the last few days.

We woke in Cooktown after a night punctuated with the eerie sounds of the Bush Stone Curlew. Don’t know how many there were but the symphony went on all night.  We left after breakfast and made our way to Julatten where we will stay at Feathers ‘n’ Friends for a few days before returning to Biboohra.

What a beautiful place this is.  Feathers ‘n’ Friends is a property owned by a lovely couple, Carol and Les.  There is one cottage on the property to rent and last year they opened up some of the grounds for camping.  Lush green lawns set among the rain forest and palm trees make this a great place to stay for a few days.

Last evening as we had a wander around we met Kathy and Russell who were camped with us.  They are from Kyabram and once we got talking they knew some of the folk from home.  Both are keen birders and photographers so I expect to lose Bill for a few days.

On waking this morning Bill had a problem with his eye so we decided that a trip to the Dr was needed.  We drove into Mossman 20 km away and he was seen and sorted with some eye drops and is coming good.

Driving down the range through the rain forest was lovely and at the bottom it opens up totally flat with fields of sugar cane as far as the eye can see.  Surrounded by the dramatic hills it really is a spectacular sight.  The cane harvest has begun as well and we saw lots of full cane trains and trucks on their way to the mill.

 Back at home I spent the afternoon on some chores while Bill took the camera for a walk looking for birds.

Today was an at home day and we joined Kathy, Russell, Carol and Les in the sunshine for coffee. The photographers among us loved the birds in the garden.  The Kookaburra was very accommodating but it was the beautiful Olive Backed Sunbird that had the cameras clicking.

That night we all went out to the Julatten Hotel for dinner.  Another camper, Peter, joined us and we had a wonderful night and a very tasty meal. Our barbecue ribs with whiskey sauce were an absolute winner.  We said farewell to Kathy and Russell the next morning as they left to start their journey south towards home.

We drove to Port Douglas and had a look at their weekly Sunday market.  It was big and very busy, similar to Violet Town but not much food and no coffee!  I guess the local cafes don’t want competition.

We had lunch and coffee in town then returned to the market for a closer look at a couple of stalls and the estuary beside it.

 After we had finished at the market we went for a walk through Port Douglas to the beach at the other end of town. A few people had braved the cooler day to swim but either the weather or the sign telling of a recent crocodile sighting was keeping the masses away. I think the hotel pool might be the best option here!  Back at home we enjoyed a couple of hours in the garden before retiring for a quiet night in.

While we were at Cooktown we had thought about driving back via the Bloomfield Track.  It is a 4WD road linking Cape Tribulation to Cooktown.  Bill read up on it and we decided to err on the side of caution, (most unlike us), and check it out another time.  Today we woke up and thought let’s do it! We drove up and stopped at the beautiful little Daintree Village for a coffee before heading off to cross the Daintree River on the ferry.

Just like the Jardine it is the only way across and you pay for the privilege.  A lot!  Across the River we made our way to Cape Tribulation where we had a comfort stop - the next loo was 30 km away!  It was a lovely drive through the rain forest though I had forgotten how narrow and hilly the road was.

From here we drove on to previous unexplored territory, for us that is.  The road is unsealed with a few river crossings along the way.  Only three had shallow water.  Unlike the rough corrugated roads we experienced last year this road is quite smooth but has large potholes some quite difficult to see in the dappled light from the trees.

One of the tracks ‘claims to fame’ is the huge hills you have to traverse and it wasn’t long before we had found the first one.  The Donovan Range showed a 22% gradient going up.  The car managed it with no real effort and since the upgrade has been wonderful on the hills.  This was no different.

 A little further on we came to the Cowie Range and the signs here said a 30% gradient going up and 27% coming down.  This part of the road was actually paved so it wasn’t so bad.  I can certainly understand why Bill said the Caravan would have made it but I wouldn’t have if we had it.

Not long after we were off the dirt and back on the tar and we made our way into Wujal Wujal for a quick look and then on to Ayton where we had lunch in the park.

Our next stop was not far up the road at the historic Lions Den Hotel.  This is another iconic Aussie Pub full of quirky memorabilia.

We still had a long way to drive home so no beer for us but we did have a coffee while we checked out all the walls, ceilings and other odd bit and bobs.

 Leaving here we headed home arriving just on dark.  It had been a big day out but a fun one. And another of Australia’s iconic roads has been travelled by us both.

After our big day out we had an easy day and drove the few km to Mount Molloy and back home.  I like the little mosaic Forest Kingfisher in the park.

The afternoon was spent chilling out inside as it had started to rain.  Bill did find a few dry patches to get out with the camera.  The two Bush Stone Curlews kept us amused for a while as they tried to convince us that we couldn't see them.  They really are funny birds.

There were patches of sun this morning when we woke so we drove up to Mount Lewis to see what we could find.  It is a really nice drive up through the rain forest and lovely sunshine at the parking area.  Inside the walk track it is much darker making it more difficult to capture the little birds if you can find them at all.

When we arrived there was a tour group already having morning tea before setting off on the walk track.  They were a bird group from Canberra and the guide was from Deniliquin.  We met a local group as we came back to the car.

Back at home we caught up with Phil and Cath who had moved here for a couple of days from Mareeba.

It was another lovely morning as we woke to sunshine and bird song.  This morning it was time to pack up and return to Birds on Barron.  Linda would be wondering where we had got to!
We said farewell to our wonderful hosts, Carol and Les, then stopped at Mt Molloy to have a coffee at what has become one of our favourite places.

Another hour down the road and we were back ‘home’ at Birds on Barron.  After setting up we enjoyed a quiet afternoon enjoying the sunshine and the birds.  Linda was out but we were given a warm welcome by one of the horses.

until next time.......

New roads to family and friends........

After 10 days at Pine River Showgrounds in Lawnton it was time for us to be on the move again.  We packed up, hooked up, had a quick look around the market and after a final cup of coffee we headed off once more.

We joined the traffic on the Bruce Hwy and made our way to Gympie where we stopped for lunch at Lake Alford park in Monkland.  Lots of water birds were enjoying the little lake.  We had a walk around before continuing for another few km to Gunalda Rest Area where we stayed overnight.

We woke this morning to a white world with a thick fog hiding the valley.  It soon burnt off  and we left for another few hours on the road.  Our first stop was at Kilkivan, a small town in the South Burnett region.  Known as the home of The Great Horse Ride we saw this life size statue  at the council offices.

The statue is of local identity Fabian Webb astride his horse Smoky.   As well as being the shire`s longest serving councillor, having spent 37 years in local government, Mr Webb was instrumental in starting the annual Kilkivan Great Horse Ride.

From here we drove on passing the tiny hamlets of Tansey and Ban Ban Springs before arriving in Gayndah where we found a home at the Heritage Railway Museum.  Gayndah lays claim to being the oldest town in Queensland and was first settled in 1849.  It still maintains its old fashioned charm today and many of its buildings are Heritage listed.

It is also well known for its orange and citrus orchards.  The information centre can be found inside the big orange.  I liked this little guy instead.

After lunch we took a drive into town and up to Archer’s Lookout.  A great view of the town and district is seen from here.  Back on the flat  we found the very unusual Town Clock.  Designed in the shape of a citrus tree, the stained glass and stainless steel timepiece depicts stories of the district.

A sunny morning greeted us at the railway yard and after a look around the station we said farewell to Gayndah and drove on to Mundubbera.  While here we had a walk along the busy Main Street and then made our way across to Bicentennial Park to see the Sculpture Walk, the steam train and the visitors centre which houses a lot of memorabilia from the area.

We then went in search of The Meeting Place of the Waters’.   This is a circular mural painted by Rain Hart in 1997.  It features the meeting of the Boyne, Auburn and Burnett Rivers and the native plants and animals found in the area.  It certainly is much nicer than the original concrete tank.  Here in the middle is a picture of the Ceratodus.  That is the name of the unique Lung Fish which can only be found in the Burnett and Mary Rivers and dates back to prehistoric times.

Back on the road we continued our drive and stopped for the day at Eidsvold where we stayed at the R M Williams Learning Centre.  One of the country’s true icons RM was born in SA but moved to ‘Rockybar’ a property west of Eidsvold in 1972.  Some  of his descendants still live in the district today.

The Learning Centre is a fabulous place to visit.  Movies, stories, sculptures and memorabilia all bring the RM Williams story to life.  Each night there is a short light show that tells the story through bush poetry, stories and songs.  Absolutely worth the time to stop in this little town.

It was a very chilly start to the morning, 4 degrees is not fun, especially when we thought we’d left the cold behind us.  As we left Eidsvold we stopped at the Apex park in town to see this lovely mosaic by the towns youth.

Our next stop was at Mulgildie to have a look at The Bunyip sculpture by Brett Benecke.  The Bunyip is carrying his traditional lunch (goat and fish) as relates to the legend of the area.  There are many legends of the Bunyip Hole which is just 10 mins away.  We’ll leave that for another visit.  From here we drove into Monto and stopped to explore for a couple of hours.

Monto is the most northern and the youngest town in the North Burnett region.  Coming into existence in 1924 as a consequence of the land development scheme construction of the first buildings commenced in 1926.  Walking along The Lister Street Artwalk we found metal and sandstone sculptures along the parkland.

The Art Deco Town Hall built in 1939-1940 is a must see as you walk around  town.  After a delicious lunch we moved on to the Historic complex.

There we found a working model (in the wind) of ‘Beautiful Betsy’.  This scale replica  commemorates the loss of the United States Liberator Bomber of the 528th Bomb Squadron of the 380th Bomber Group.

The plane which went missing in 1945 with the loss of eight lives. The wreckage was found in Kroombit Tops National Park in 1994.

Just up the road we found another beautiful mural painted on the water tank.  We left Monto after stopping for a photo and made our way on to Biloela where we stayed for two nights.

We stayed at the Queensland Heritage Park here in Biloela.  For just $10 per van each night you get a site, water, toilets and hot showers.  You also get entry into the wonderful Heritage Centre.  On arrival Bill found some birds to play with and I just loved these cute little Black Faced Wood Swallows.

While here we spent a couple of hours checking out the local town area.  Not much to see as there are many empty shops in the Main Street and shopping centre over the road.  I guess online shopping is hard for some of these rural areas to compete with.  From here we drove up to Callide Lookout to see what was touted as a ‘Magnificent View’.

Yes it was a view, though I guess everyone will have a different idea of its magnificence.  It is a 360 deg view looking at one side over the Callide Coal Mine and on the other side the Callide Power Station.  In the distance you can see the Callide Dam.  From here we drove out to see the dam which has lots of parkland and picnic areas beside the water.

On the way back home we stopped to see the beautiful artwork on the large water tank in town.  This mural is called Spirit of the Land and is shown in blocks of years beginning with the dinosaurs.

There is a story board in front of each section telling the story of the local people and places.

It is a truly remarkable piece of art and history and I hope that it is looked after and maintained for future generations to enjoy.

Back at home we enjoyed a walk around the Heritage Centre where again artwork plays a big part in telling the stories of the past.  All in all a great day in a nice little town.

Leaving Biloela this morning we headed to Rolleston stopping for fuel at Banana.  Yes, there are no bananas in Banana!  Why Banana you ask.  It was named after this yellow coloured wild bullock, which in the 1860’s, used to help local stockmen herd wild cattle into the holding yards - who knew!  When the old bullock died they named the area after him in honour of his feats.

Our next stop was just down the road at Moura where we found another new artwork being painted on a water tower.  Not sure if it’s finished yet but the cherry picker made it very difficult to get a good picture but here it is anyway.  It does look great in real life.  We also had a look at the Miners Memorial opposite.

We drove on stopping at Rolleston for lunch at the park then continued on for a short while before camping overnight in a gravel pit on route to Emerald.

We made our way into Emerald where we did some shopping and had a coffee.  Back in the car we drove straight out to Clermont to stay with Alex, Brenten and the kids.  Ben is here from WA too and it was great to catch up with him after so many years.

What a joy to meet the newest member of the family.  Josie Terese was just three days old and such a beautiful little girl.

I spent the afternoon being entertained by Macie, Chelsea and Weylan before some quiet time with the girls before bed.

We woke up to a very cold morning here on the farm.  4 Deg makes it a bit hard to get out of bed.  The heater was on in the van and in the house.

After breakfast Ben took the the girls into Emerald to see the AgGrow Field Day.  We had decided to go as well.  Once there we met a couple of times but otherwise just had a look around this very large event.  The day was sunny but cool and lots of people where enjoying the event.

When we left we stopped at Capella on the way home to have a look at the wonderful Memorial to the Australian Light Horse.  Ben and the girls arrived home after us and soon I was once again being shown how to colour in with them both.

Another day spent at home with the kids, lots of fun, interspersed with loads of washing as we got ready to roll again tomorrow.  That night we all watched various stages of the State of Origin Rugby match.  With a win to NSW the Qld contingent weren’t too happy.

An earlier morning as we had to say goodbye again to Alex, Brenten, Josie and Macie before they left for school.  They were attending a ‘Principals Assembly’ where Macie was awarded the Principals Award.  Well done Macie.  We packed up and after a final coffee and ‘smoko’ with Ben, Chelsea and Weylan we said our goodbyes and made our way into Clermont where we met Bob and Ollie for a cuppa.  

They were camping out at Theresa Creek Dam catching Red-claw with friends and had come into town to meet us.  We decided that we were not in a rush so we followed them back to the dam and stayed overnight. What a lovely spot this is especially if you are into fishing and catching Red-claw.  We spent the afternoon with Bob and Ollie, had a walk down to the water and finished the evening with some of their friends round a campfire.

A slightly warmer morning than it has been so it wasn’t so hard to get out of bed.  Once up we saw Bob taking the boat out to see how there Red-claw pots had done overnight.  Very well they told me. Back on land they cooked them up and we all had a feast for breakfast/morning tea.

How yummy they were straight from the pot.  Ollie gave us a bowl full to take with us so dinner tonight is sorted as well.  We all went over to the garden cafe and had a coffee, said more goodbyes and once again were on our way back into Clermont where we had to do a bit of shopping.

While there we found this wonderful mural on  decommissioned railway wagons.  They were painted by artist Glen Gaillard.  It depicts various aspects of life in the district.  It shows farming, mining and the beef industry.  All beautifully done and a real treat to see them.

We left town then and continued on stopping just after Belyando Crossing for a night in a roadside stop.

An early start the next morning and we were soon on our way.  We stopped at Charters Towers for a coffee, then lunch at a roadside stop and continued on to Townsville where we stayed the night with Sandy and Patrick.

It was great to see them again after 2 or 3 years and Sandy cooked us a superb beef curry for dinner.  Meeting little Grandson Oliver was lovely too.  And of course Mum and Dad, Vicky and Clancy.

Breakfast on the veranda was lovely this morning and I have to say Townsville has redeemed itself after our last visit when we froze.  This morning was warm and we dressed in shorts and T-shirts for the first time since leaving Brisbane.  And that was only one day there!

We loved seeing all the birds especially the beautiful Olive Backed Sunbird as it visited the garden.

After saying goodbye to Sandy and Patrick we had a quick stop for fuel and shopping then headed up the Bruce Hwy to Ingram where we are going to stay for a couple of nights at the Tyto Wetlands.

After we had settled in Bill took his camera for a walk around the wetlands and I took a walk around the lovely park beside the campground.    It seems this Blue Winged Kookaburra was ready for his closeup!

On the other side of the park I found this lovely mosaic of the Magpie Goose, Plumed Whistling Duck and Comb Crested Jacanas.

Well the sun didn’t last too long.  We woke to rain and dark grey skies.  The rain hung around most of the day and the sky remained dark grey all day.

We donned the raincoats and walked into town to have a look .   Crossing the cultural precinct I found this great sculpture of Tiddalik the frog.

A little bit further along the path is a beautiful painting of the Rainbow Serpent.  We enjoyed a coffee in a great little cafe and then we had a look at the fabulous mosaic artwork in Mercer Lane.  42 metres of mosaic art panels tell the history of the local sugar cane industry.

Mosaics were chosen because of its association with the artwork of ancient Italy and the Italians who made up a significant percentage of the local population.  This panel showing the Mynah Bird was very interesting.  They were first released in Melbourne in 1862 to get rid of pests in Market gardens.

They were released in North Queensland in 1883 to help control pests in the cane fields, mainly locusts and beetles.  Of course we know the rest of the story and they are now considered to be pests.  In 1915 here in NQ they were placed on a protected species list.  No idea if that is still the case.

During the afternoon the rain stopped long enough for another walk around the wetlands where Bill found enough birds to keep him happy.  This bright little Mistletoe Bird certainly stood out in the otherwise grey day.

As well as finding birds of a feathered variety this visit we also found some large birds of the armed forces variety.  It seems that there was a training camp in place and the streets, wetlands and skies were inundated with soldiers, tanks and helicopters.  A bit noisy but the birds didn't seem to mind.

We left the next morning and drove into Biboohra stopping for coffee along the way.  Of course we had to take a photo of the Big Crab at Cardwell.

We arrived at Birds on Barron early afternoon and once more were welcomed warmly by Linda.  We spent the afternoon setting up and setting in.

That night Linda invited us and some fellow campers for happy hour and dinner.  Leanne and Rod from next door joined us for drinks.  So lovely to see them again.