Looking around the Tablelands........

A lovely sunny morning to start our day.  Bill joined Linda and a tour group for Billy tea and Damper.  After the washing was done we drove into Mareeba to check out the information centre.  Bill wants to see if they would be interested in taking some of his cards.  They were and we took them back during the afternoon.  We’ll see how they go up here.  The rest of the day was spent quietly at home enjoying the birds.

Just like home Saturday is market day for many places across the country.  This morning  we drove to Yungaburra to check out their market.  Leanne, our friend from next door, has a stall there so we were interested to see her and what else was around.  Polka Dots and Paisley was busy when we got there and I even got to sell a baby headband while I watched the stall for her.

We enjoyed looking around and I bought a pretty Ulysses Butterfly print, some metal straws and some Beeswax wraps.  We met some lovely people and Bill has some new ideas for when we return home.

Once the market was finished we had some lunch at the Whistle Stop Cafe and then returned home to relax for the rest of the afternoon.  Sunday was spent in the same manner relaxing at home.

Waking on Monday morning we decided that today would be the day we found our Southern Cassowary.  We packed lunch and set off early for the drive down to Etty Bay.

We stopped in Malanda and had coffee at the Bakery.  Across the road I found this lovely mural in the supermarket car park.  From here we continued our long drive down the range enjoying the scenery as we went.  

As we drove around the last bend into the beach we passed the usual ‘Recent Cassowary Crossing’ sign and not far on Bill stopped the car and said ‘look’.  Right there in front of us was a Cassowary quietly feeding on the edge of the road.

There were a number of people on the other side of the road taking pictures.  Bill backed up a little, parked the car and took some pictures through the windscreen.  He got out then and crossed the road and for about 20 mins was able to get some great photos of this very unique bird.  

My pictures are from my phone through the window as I didn’t want to spook it though I think it was quite comfortable with it’s audience.  Needless to say mine are not here.  And so my mythical bird is a myth no longer.  Our long drive was well and truly worth the effort.

Driving on we parked at the beach and spent another couple of hours there.  We never saw the adult bird again but did see a couple of adolescents wandering around.  The second one was almost as unconcerned with an audience as the adult.  

After lunch at the beach we decided that we would return home via Cairns and so had a drive along the Bruce Hwy and then back up the Kuranda Range.  It was a long day but we are thrilled with the pictures we got and so glad that we have finally seen this beautiful bird.  

After our big day out yesterday we decided a quiet day at home was what we needed, we had coffee with Linda and then I helped her with all the washing from the accommodation.

We spent another quiet day at home and Bill took me down to have a look at the camp sites by the river.  The first time I have ever been down there. The Barron River looked lovely and Bill stayed down there for a while to see what birds he could find.  The Straw Necked Ibis was happy to oblige.

Later in the evening we met Marg, Gary, Jarrad and Anika for dinner at the Gateway Hotel in Mareeba.  It was great to see them all again.

On waking the next morning we decided we would try our luck at finding the Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo.  They are said to be found around Malanda Falls.  We drove down and had a walk around the falls but had no luck.  The people in the information centre had told us that the most reliable place to see them was at Nerada Tea Estate at the visitors centre.

What a lovely place it was.  Tea planted as far as the eye could see.  With the distant mountains it is usually a very picturesque scene.  Today though there there was a huge black storm cloud coming across the mountain so we headed inside the cafe before it rained.  

Inside one of the girls saw the camera and told Bill that a Mother and Baby were just outside in the tree tops and to get pics first before they moved.   We went back and found them and got some wonderful photos.  We got back inside just before the rain hit and enjoyed a tasty Devonshire Tea.  We learnt that the tea gardens have been on this sight since the 1950’s when Dr Allan Maruff, a migrant from India,  bought the land and planted seedlings found at an old failed tea plantation (near Mossman) dating back to the 1880’s.  His first harvest was from 32 hectares of tea.

Throughout the years there have been many changes of ownership and today Nerada Tea is the largest producer of Australian-grown tea in the world. In 15 years, the Nerada Tea range has grown from five products to 85, extending its range from black tea to green tea, white tea and a range of infusions.  The Nerada plantation is now home to more than 360 hectares of tea and delivers 6.6 million kilos of fresh tea leaves to the Nerada Tea processing factory every year. That’s more than 1.5 million kilos of black tea per year.  I’m guessing that’s an awful lot of cups of tea!

Before we left we had another look for the Tree Kangaroos and got some more pictures of them together.  They certainly are very cute and so agile in the tree tops.

We returned home and got ready to go out for dinner with Linda, Gracyn, Sam and Leanne.  We had a great night out at the Mareeba Leagues Club, a delicious meal and I won not one of the raffle prizes but two.  A meat tray and a breakfast tray so it’s breakfast for us all on Sunday morning.

After our visit to the tea plantation yesterday we decided that today we would check out a coffee plantation.  We drove the 15 km or so out to Skybury Coffee and enjoyed a good coffee and another lovely, though cloudy, view from the veranda.  

We learnt that coffee was first grown in Tropical North Queensland from 1880 to 1926.  The early plantations, situated from Mission Beach in the south to Cooktown in the north, supplied nearly 40% of Australia’s coffee and won awards in Europe for excellent quality of the coffee.  The first of the modern commercial coffee plantations was planted in 1981 and now Mareeba continues to be Australia’s coffee growing capital with over a dozen plantations in the region, growing more than 70% of the total Australian Crop.  Guess we are going to have to try some of the others too.

Back in town we dodged the rain, yes it’s been raining on and off for a couple of days, and picked up some shopping before returning home to while away the afternoon under the awning.

The first Saturday of each month is market day in Atherton so we drove over to have a look.  Following the directions from the website we arrived to find an empty park.

We checked at the information centre and was told a different place.  We stopped at Gallery 5, a lovely cafe, for a coffee before going on.  I loved the Historic artwork on the walls. Outside was cool, wet and thoroughly miserable but we were here so off we went in search of the market.  We found it but didn’t stop.  Just three stalls selling veggies and no one there.  Hopefully they went home soon too.

Back at home the grey morning had developed into a grey drizzling day so an afternoon inside was the only option.  Hopefully the weather will improve soon.

It continued to rain throughout the night and into Sunday morning but it wasn’t going to stop us enjoying breakfast on the deck at Leanne’s place.  The cute little White Lipped Green Tree Frog joined us at the table.  It was time to get into the great breakfast tray I had won the other night.  Leanne and Bill cooked up a storm while Linda and I took care of table service and dishes and we all enjoyed a delicious breakfast.  Back at home we didn’t need to eat for the rest of the day and spent the day out of the wind and drizzle.  Where oh where has the nice weather gone?

The rain seemed to have stopped the next morning and so we decided to head over to Yungaburra and Lake Eacham.  Unfortunately no one had told the weather gods not to rain and it continued to drizzle on that side of the tablelands.  We drove out to the lake but decided it was too damp and dark for photos.  

On the way out however Bill found a patch of grass in the sun and so we pulled up there and enjoyed an hour or so with the many birds that came and went.  The Yellow Boatbill and the Pied Monarch were two of the birds we saw while there.

Finally we turned for home stopping for a late lunch at the Malanda Bakery on the way.  We found this interesting mosaic Totem Poles in the park as we walked back to the car.  Back at home the sun had shone most of the day though a few clouds had come over later.  

Tuesday was a day of girl talk as I visited Yahni and had my hair cut.  It was so nice to feel human again.  Bill picked me up and we had lunch in town and then he delivered me to Leanne’s place where I was going to learn how to make little bags for our market stall.  

Bill drove to Mt Molloy and spent a couple of hours with the camera and found some lovely birds during the afternoon.  The Spangled Drongos played happily among the flowers.

Of course he got to visit our favorite cafe without me but he did bring home two of their tasty Feta and Sweet Potato muffins which we enjoyed with salad for dinner.

We woke to a little more sun this morning and after checking the Cairns forecast we decided to drive down and have a look at the Esplanade and see what birds we could find.

As we drove down the range we disappeared into the cloud and it started to rain.  Absolutely not what we were expecting.  We continued on hoping that it would be clear at the bottom.  Dark grey skies met us and continued all day with a few patches of drizzle.  

We decided that we would walk along the beautiful Esplanade anyway and I found a couple of new sculpture pieces I hadn’t seen before.  The Dancer and The Diver look pretty good with the mudflats in the background though until I saw the pictures I couldn’t quite make out what they were.

As we walked along the boardwalk we could see that the tide was on its way in so the birds would be a bit closer soon.

Not far along Bill found a Beach Stone Curlew and was able to get some great pictures of it.  Always said to be here this was the first time we had seen one.

A bit further on he stopped and the curlew was right up close so a few more photos were taken.  We continued walking along and as we came into the edge of the shopping area we stopped for lunch.

Here we found a shop full of all sorts of art, bags, t shirts, pictures and cards made by Sobrane, the street artist who has painted the Tungamah Silos.  Her work was fabulous but as I’ve spent more than I should have this year I left it there.

After lunch we began our walk back to the car and now the tide was well in.  Lots of birds were very close and made great subjects for Bill to capture.  

The Eastern Curlew catching and eating a rather large crab was a highlight and I can’t imagine how it could swallow the large wriggly thing.

Just as we were approaching the car the sun came out for the first time today and at last the cloud had lifted off the mountains.  Back in the car we made our way back up the range and arrived home to find the sun had shone for most of the day.  A winner for the solar panels but a shame it hadn’t been quite so accommodating where we were.

Bill spent the rest of the afternoon and evening culling and editing the hundreds of photos he had taken as well as playing with the Juvenile Pied Butcher Bird which comes to visit us each day.

At last we woke to a clear blue sky here in Mareeba.  The forecast is for mostly sunny so we’ll wait and see what happens.  It is getting a little warmer at last.

We decided we would drive out to see Dimbulah the next day.  We had been going to go are far as Chillagoe but decided as we had left a bit late in the morning that Dimbulah would do.

Once there we had a quick look around and other than the quirky Camp 64, a cafe/ museum, there wasn’t much else to see.  We enjoyed a coffee in the garden and were quite amused when it was time to go to the loo.  The sign on the door stating Thomas Crapper and Company said it all.

Inside we found more posters and mentions of this famous man including a photo of his Great Grand Nephew David Crapper from when he visited here in 2015.  I can still remember the night we were playing Trivial Pursuit with friends, sometime in the ‘80’s, and the question came up - Who invented the first flush toilet!  Of course we all thought the answer - Thomas Crapper - was a huge joke.  It wasn’t!

After leaving Dimbulah we drove back into Mareeba and went out to Jaques Coffee Plantation.   I wonder if this is Jaque greeting us at the door.  The Jaques family have a long history growing coffee in Australia, they developed the worlds first mechanical coffee harvester and after many trials and tribulations the 3rd generation growers now grow the perfect coffee in a Plantation consisting of 85,000 Arabica Coffee trees on rich soils.  We certainly enjoyed our lunch and delicious coffee here.

Back at home we had a quiet afternoon before heading out with Leanne for dinner at the Leagues Club.  No prizes tonight but the Jack Daniel Pork Ribs were delicious.

A great night and so sorry that Rod is working away and missing out on all the fun.

Friday morning was almost a repeat of yesterday and so we decided to go and do the Waterfall Circuit starting at Millaa Millaa.  These most picturesque falls are Queensland Heritage Listed and have been attracting visitors for over a century so I thought it was high time we visited them.  

A quick stop in Malanda for coffee and then our next stop was at Millaa Millaa Falls.  It is said that these falls are the most photographed falls in Queensland and you can certainly see why once there.There was a bus load of young tourists enjoying a swim but we managed to get some photos without to many people in them.  Our next stop was to Zillie Falls and we found them very different from the others.  It was hard to get a great shot from the viewing platform.  There was an unformed bush track down to the bottom but it looked very steep and slippery so we didn’t go down.

The third and final waterfall was Elinjaa Falls and we did walk down the long steep steps to the bottom.  Very different from Millaa Millaa but still beautiful and worth the walk.  Bill got a little closer than I did as you can see.  After we climbed back up the stairs we continued on to Mungali Creek Dairy, NQ’s only Biodynamic Dairy, where we shared a delicious Ploughman’s platter for lunch.  Another very colourfully painted cow greeted us at the entrance.  

Leaving the rest of the falls for another day we drove home via Mt Hypipamee National Park where Bill enjoyed a couple of hours with the many birds that came in to visit us.

We had thoroughly enjoyed our day and we hope the beautiful weather continues for the next few days before it is time for us to leave this lovely part of the world.  Driving around over the last few weeks the views have been simply stunning.

This Saturday was Mareeba Market Day so we left early and went to have a look.  It was a medium sized market with much more fresh fruit and vegetables than the others.  We had a walk around and left with a few goodies to have with coffee later.  A quiet afternoon and evening at home finished the day.  It was good to see the little Double Barred Finches as they came to drink at the leaking sprinkler head.

On Sunday morning we drove back to Cairns to have a look at The Monster Market.  This Art and Craft Market joins forces with a Succulent Market and a Swap Meet at the Show Grounds.

We found some lovely work that we hadn’t seen at some of the other places and enjoyed talking to Leanne and some of the other stall holders.  

After we left we had a walk around Cairns and wandered through Rusty’s Market in the city centre.   A little like Queen Vic or South Melbourne it was almost closing as we walked through.  Lots of people still buying last minute bargains though.

Back at home we caught up with Linda before she headed off to Laura for a couple of days.  

A very early start saw us up and out at 7.45 am.  The arctic blast down south was affecting the weather here and it was a very chilly 8 deg.  We were off to get a new windscreen fitted. 

On our way back from Innisfail a couple of weeks ago we were hit by a rock from a passing car.  The tiny chip started to travel the next day before we could get it fixed.  Let’s hope it’s the only one this year.

While it got fitted we had breakfast at a local cafe.  Once we picked it up we went to Coles and shopped in readiness to leave tomorrow.  

Back at home we both did what we could before heading next door to say farewell to Leanne.  She had invited us over and we enjoyed a final afternoon on the deck and a delicious lunch.  Thanks so much for your wonderful hospitality.  It’s been lovely to catch up again.

So after a fabulous five weeks or so exploring this lovely part of Far North Queensland it is time to say goodbye again and begin our journey south.   Which way we go is still a bit of a mystery so you will have to stay tuned to see.

until next time........