Yeppoon (for the second time), QUEENSLAND

Our Saturday night at Bundoora Dam was noisy thanks to a selfish bogan who decided to run his generator 24/7. He started it on his arrival and we expected, as is the norm in free camps, that it would stop by 9pm at the very latest. But no. There were also coal trains running intermittently through the night on the track beside the dam, then the nearby mine either cranked up, or the wind changed so we could hear it, at 4am. All in all a restless night! That saw us up early and on the road before eight, heading to Yeppoon.

After passing through Middlemount we turned South on the Fitzroy Development Road, a major route that would take us to the Capricorn Highway, then East to Rockhampton. Sunday must be the day large equipment is trucked around Queensland. We passed four lots of escorted convoys heading North, the lead vehicle in each case calling us on channel 40 to give the width and number of loads following. The last of these convoys was big. The lead pilot vehicle was followed by a police car that stopped us and directed we park as far off the bitumen as possible, then a second police car, second pilot vehicle, third police car then a prime mover with an eight meter wide load, pilot vehicle, second prime mover with the same load and finally a trailing pilot vehicle. How much would it cost to move equipment like that.....massive eh? One of the truckies commented on radio chat that not only was the load wide but it was over 200 tonne. The logistics of the move with respect to navigating bridges etc must have been amazing.

We stopped at Dingo to refuel, then had a good run on the Capricorn through to Rocky and on to Yeppoon, 40 km North-east. We were set up at Cool Waters by 1pm, having driven 371 km for the day. While neither of us like caravan park life, particularly when it's 'sardine can school holidays', it was good to be settled in with plenty of time for Brian to prepare to fly to Melbourne the next morning to attend his father's funeral on Wednesday. The remainder of our day was consumed by blog-posting, work for Brian, then a fairly brief catch up with Brian's daughter Nat and his grandkids. It was also lovely to meet the new addition to their family - Jasper, a 13 week-old black Cavoodle. Very cuddly and cute!

Brian's flight to Melbourne left at 10.30am Monday. Unfortunately there's no direct flight Rocky-Melbourne, which meant a stopover at Brisbane. He would arrive around 3.30. The drive from Yeppoon to the airport was 50 km or thereabouts, but given our experience departing Melbourne the previous Wednesday where we queued for almost an hour to check in (Tiger, mind you), he wanted to allow plenty of time. We left just before eight, dropping in for cappuccinos on the esplanade at Yeppoon before heading to Rocky. James decided he would come too.

We dropped Brian off feeling a bit sad that he would be gone until Saturday, before doing a spot of shopping. James stayed in the car, which (I believe) is illegal in Qld. In the northern heat dogs can kark it pretty quickly when shut in a hot car. I parked in shade, put the windows down a bit and shopped quickly. It would have been better to go in an underground carpark, but with the boat on the Beast there's always a risk of getting stuck. The last place we called into was a large pet department store, so James came in. He must have thought it was a kennel (probably the smells) and he was going to be left again. He wanted to be picked up the whole time we were there and couldn't get out of the place quickly enough once he had been fitted with a new collar.

By midday we were back at the van and I spent the entire afternoon Spring Cleaning. Aside from that James got a couple of walks, I pulled the TV out from under the bed (only the third or fourth time it's been out in 6 months), we had an early dinner and went to bed. Boring eh! It could be a long six days.....

James and I hit the beach for a lovely long walk a bit before 10am Tuesday. We drove to Farnborough Beach which is the northern extension of the Yeppoon Esplanade waterfront. With the tide out the firm sand goes for miles and is a great track to do some power walking while soaking up the sun. James, as usual, had a ball bounding through the waves.

I really like Yeppoon. From Zilzie in the south to Banglee, the northern-most 'suburb' of Yeppoon, a beach front stretch of around 30 km, there are maybe a dozen residential pockets called 'localities'. They are all individually named,  though really the only two townships are Yeppoon and Emu Park. which is adjacent to Zilzie. Most of the homes have been built on the hills along the coastline to take advantage of the gorgeous Capricorn Coast views across to the Keppel Island group. There are multiple bays separated by headlands between Yeppoon and Emu Park, so there are heaps of different options as far a beach walk or a swim goes.

Yeppoon itself is a town of around 14,000 residents and retains a small town sort of feel, albeit a bit touristy. There are some great little boutiques and good restaurants in the main drag and on the Esplanade, as well as a couple of shopping complexes built in more recent times back behind the town centre. There is quite a bit of holiday accommodation as well as 6 or 7 caravan parks dotted along the Scenic Highway that runs (with lovely views) between Yeppoon and Emu Park. There are three golf courses, the biggest being the Mercure Capricorn Resort complex which has two stunning, very upmarket 18 holers. Yeppoon also has climate in its favour. It's average day temp is 25.8, the coolest month being August at 21.1 average, and the warmest January at 29.3 degrees. The night monthly temperatures  range from 23.0 to 11.7 with an annual average of 18.5 degrees. It does get a bit of rain - an average of 1042 mm/pa spread over 115 days, mostly as you would expect in December, January and February. but it is south of the cyclone areas so not likely to get hit by a big one.

In the afternoon I left James in the van and browsed the clothing boutiques in Yeppoon. I found a pretty, bright tangerine summer frock that I though would be perfect for my niece, Elise's wedding, in November. It is in Victoria.....I'd better make sure I have a cold weather back up outfit or a big coat!

Wednesday, September 25th - the day of Fred's funeral. Brian was down with his family at Mirboo North in Victoria. Even though Fred was 95 years old and had been in care for some years, the loss of a parent is a huge event in a person's life. My dad was younger than Fred, but passed away in almost the exact same circumstances on September 30th. 2010. It was a happy/sad time for me and now, I suspect, for Brian. I spent a lot of the day pondering life and hoping Brian and his mum and sisters were doing ok.

When it's just James and me we like to do a lot of walking on the beach, in bathers (me...not him), in the sun. I know the sun bit is bad, but I love it. Always have - and no skin cancers to date in my (almost) 62 years - touch wood! We went back to Farnborough Beach and walked further then Tuesday. The weather was just perfect and I sooo love the Capricorn Coast scenery.

The rest of the day was more Spring Cleaning. When I knew Brian would be heading to Melbourne I made a list of all the bits and pieces I wanted to fix, change, tidy up, chuck out etc. It's amazing how, after six months on the road, the van is still a work in progress in terms of what we do and don't need and where it best fits. And the inside of the van - the flyscreens, windows, vents, cupboards, drawers and under the bed - get full of dust and crap from being on the road. I also did three loads of washing so when Brian gets back late Saturday we can hit the road again quickly - maybe Monday - after spending time with Nat (who also flew down for the funeral), Scott, Isla and Halle. A happy family day Sunday is probably just what Grumpy will need!

I decided to play a few holes of golf by myself Thursday morning. After taking James for a stroll down to the Causeway Lake onto which Coolwaters backs, I left him in the van with instructions; 'be a good boy, I'll be back soon". He settled onto the bed, a bit put out that we were not heading to the beach for our usual walk. I promised him we would do that later. By 7.30 I was teeing off at the Yeppoon golf course.

My first few holes were pretty average, which was to be expected given my lack of practise since taking on the role of Grey Nomad. Not to worry, there was hardly anyone around (just lots of kangaroos), the course was in lovely condition and I was sure to improve. But no! Sadly, my game went from ordinary to tragic. On the 7th I put my second drive into the dam. I dropped another ball and 'plop' that went in too. Then, to rub salt into my wounds, I discovered there were no more balls in my bag. Bugger! I spent ages trying to find a ball - any ball - in the dam, but without luck. Disgruntled and dripping with sweat from the humidity (and frustration) I trudged up the 9th and back to the car. I hate golf!

The days were warming up and by the time I got back to the van the temperature was pushing up into the high twenties. Time to hit the beach. Kemp Beach was only a couple of kilometers from the caravan park and long enough for us to get in a good walk, so much to James' delight we headed off. We walked, played ball and swam for ages. The water was just beautiful. It was almost warm. Kemp Beach is another really pretty spot in the Yeppoon area. It is situated between two headlands, Bluff Point and Double Head. Not far off shore is a small, craggy island called Bluff Rock. There are bush walks on both headlands.

Once I'd exhausted James I dropped him back to the van and returned to explore Double Head, the other side of which sits Rosslyn Bay Harbour. A 400 meter track zigzags up the hill through vine thickets and overhanging trees. At the top the vegetation changes totally to open tussock grassland dotted with grass trees. There are two fantastic lookouts - one that provides spectacular views over Rosslyn Bay Harbour and north to Yeppoon while the other looks over an ancient geographical feature known as Fan Rock. The fracturing of rock into hexagonal columns occurred during lava cooling and does resemble a fan. At the bottom sits a blow hole. I had timed my walk to coincide with high tide hoping the blow hole would be blowing, but the sea level was way below what would be required to make it work. I reckon it would need a king tide.

On Friday James and I went to Emu Park for our walk . There are several different beaches to choose from heading south along the coast, but we elected to drive past them and walk from the Singing Ship sculpture that stands on the point at the end of Emu Park's main street. It's a lovely monument to Captain Cook that has wires which vibrate to make music in the wind.

The stretch of beach was a couple of kilometers long and there was hardly anyone there. As we got toward the bluff at the far end two big dogs and a little one decided to charge James. I hate that. They were probably ok as they were with a young mum and dad and two little kids, but you just never know. I scooped him up only to find myself being jumped on as they tried to get to James. The owners were a hundred meters or so away so I yelled at them (a bit angrily). The guy called the dogs but one of the big ones was really intent on getting to James. He scratched my legs as he jumped up. It was a kinda scary. Eventually it retreated, but it did upset our walk.

Back at camp I decided on a new Spring Cleaning project - the inside of the Beast. It hadn't had a real clean since we started our travels in March and was unbelievably messy, with all sorts of junk thrown in the back and a ton of dirt and dust. I pulled everything out, then got sick of cleaning, so decided while Brian was away to go to the Capricorn Caves. Brian suffers claustrophobia, so there was no way he was interested in climbing into holes underground. It was about 50 km away and I got there in time for the last tour at 4pm. It was great.

                                                 Entrance to The Caves

The Caves were first discovered in 1882 by Norwegian migrant John Olsen. He went on to claim the land under a lease hold title and open the attraction publicly in 1884. Today it is one of the largest privately owned cave system in Australia. The attraction is still open to the public and is one of the longest-running tourist attractions in Queensland. Our tour took us through the passageways of ten cave chambers, including one that weddings and small concerts are held in. The guide played Amazing Grace on the sound system and the acoustics were brilliant. There were spear-like stalactites draped from the ceiling, ancient flowstones, limestone 'corals' and a maze of very old, narrow stairways, boardwalks and tunnels. To exit the caves we had to go through a really tight, zigzagging passageway that would have caused Brian to have a major panic attack. To top it off, there were two long, high and very swaying suspension bridges to be crossed just before the end. He would have freaked!

                                              The exit tunnel - it got MUCH narrower

It was after six by the time I got back to the van, so Spring Cleaning the Beast was postponed until Saturday. James needed a cuddle after being left alone and I needed a glass of wine!

Saturday was the first day in Yeppoon that there had been any sign of weather. The sky was overcast at dawn and remained so all day with the odd shower. I was up well before six and had the Beast at the car-wash to use the coin-operated vacuum cleaner by seven. I sucked out an unbelievable amount of dog hair, dust, dirt and gravel, ending up in a lather of sweat. The humidity according to the gauge in the van when I got back was 83 percent. It took me close to four hours to finish cleaning the inside of the Beast by the time I had done the windows and scrubbed the mats.

The second job on my list for the day was James. He was treated to a hair cut, followed by a bath. That was another task that took ages. The electric clippers decided not to clip. I read the instruction manual and came to the conclusion that the blades were out of alignment. I pulled it apart and re-positioned the blades three times before I got it right. The end result was a lovely, even hair cut. By the time James had had a bath he looked and smelt delightful. Hopefully Brian would be impressed with my efforts for the day.

Brian was due back in Rocky around 3. He called to say his flight out of Melbourne was delayed, which was a problem as he only had 30 minutes between interconnecting flights at Brisbane. He arrived at the departure gate in Brisbane just in time to watch his aircraft push back. Bugger! Virgin gave him a seat on the next flight. That would have him landing, so he informed me, around 4.45. I left Coolwaters a bit late having become a bit pre-occupied with the footy grand final between Fremantle and Hawthorn. I was hoping Freo would win, but by the time I headed off to pick up Brian the scores were favouring the Hawks.

I hadn't long been in the car when Brian called to say his flight had landed early and he was dripping wet. A thunderstorm had hit Rocky just as the passengers were getting off. He had to walk across the tarmac in pouring rain and I was still a good half hour away. Bugger - I just wasn't Brian's day! And to make matters worse Hawthorn won the Grand Final.

Cairns - Ravenshoe - Balyando Crossing - Bundoora Dam, NORTH QUEENSLAND

After a week in Melbourne we flew out in the rain on Wednesday afternoon . We'd spent fantastic time with family and friends - me meeting the new addition to the family as well as Emma, Pete, Fiona and Sophie, while Brian caught up with some flying, his kids and parents. His 95 year old dad took quite ill the day he visited, so he was glad of the chance to spend time with him.

We were happy to arrive back in Cairns and to step off the plane into a warm, tropical evening. I couldn't wait to pick up James next morning. We were both really keen to get back on the road and continue our travels.

                                                          Cairns Esplanade

Next morning started with breaky on The Esplanade,  just a couple of blocks from the apartment we'd stayed in overnight. By 8am we were on Mandy's doorstep to collect James. He was pretty happy to see us and vice verca! She did a great job of providing the TLC our precious little 'princess' demanded. "He's such a sensitive little fellow" she commented. He was a bit frosty with us as we drove to the Cairns Airport for Brian to check out an aircraft for a client - no wagging tail, just big "I hate you for what you've put me through" eyes.

We were at Jayco to pick up the van by 9.30, then on to do a big shop to stock up supplies before heading out toward Atherton, South-west of Cairns. We were planning a slow trek South so as to be back in Northern Victoria for a wedding on November 30th. The drive through the valley and up onto the Tablelands was spectacular. The winding road climbed from sea level to 1000 meters, with lovely views. We had would do a short day of travel so we could pack all the supplies away and let James settle back into his old life, but around midday, as we approached Lake Eacham where we planned to overnight, Brian's sister called to say his father had just passed away. While it was a shock, it was not unexpected. Brian was so pleased that he had seen his dad a few days earlier.

The news changed our travel plans - at least in the immediate short term. We decided the best course of action was to get to Yeppoon as quickly as possible so Brian and his oldest daughter Natalie (who lives there) could fly back to Melbourne together for the funeral. James and I would stay at Cool Waters, the caravan park we'd stayed at when in Yeppoon a couple of months earlier. Brian wanted to get a flight on Monday, which would give us three days to travel the 1300 odd kilometers. Given we had already departed the main route to Atherton to go to Lake Eacham, we decided to by-pass Atherton completely and continue on to Ravenshoe via back roads. That proved to be interesting! We ended up on a narrow, one vehicle road that wound its way through the lush farmland of the Tablelands. It was lucky no-one came in the opposite direction - in many spots we wouldn't have been able to pass. After a very slow drive we arrived at Ravenshoe in time for a very late lunch.

We had a look at our maps and came to the conclusion that while it would be a couple of hundred km shorter to go to Yeppoon via the Bruce Highway on the coast, we might find it quicker traveling to stay inland, away from traffic and roadworks. Also, we could follow our original plan to a degree and see Charters Towers. We had a brief drive around the sleepy little village of Ravenshoe which is, by the way, Queensland's highest town, before going to Archer Creek Rest Area 16 kilometers West. The next potential spot to overnight was a couple of hours further on. That would have us setting up too late and put us out of phone range. Brian had calls to make to family etc and we needed to book flights for Brian and accommodation for James and me in Yeppoon. With school holidays starting Friday that could prove tricky.

Archer Creek looked like a reasonable spot. There were half a dozen or so campers there when we arrived, but it was spacious and we were able to park away from others, in some shade, and leave the van connected. The temperature was in the 30's, so the three of us went for a walk down to the creek at the back of the camp area. The lovely crystal-clear stream babbled over rocky outcrops and James couldn't get in quickly enough. We threw the ball out and he burnt up masses of energy swimming against the current to retrieve it multiple times.

Just before dusk I got a fire going. The high Tablelands air was cooling rapidly. Suddenly a bloke walked up behind Brian as he was sitting reading and grabbed him around the neck. Brian got a heck of a surprise, even more so when he saw it was a dear friend, John Williams, who was traveling in the opposite direction and had stopped to overnight at Archer Creek as well. What a coincidence! It couldn't have been better timing. John and his wife Joy joined us by the fire for dinner and gave Brian a real lift on a day that would no doubt be etched in his mind forever.

We bid farewell to John and Joy at 8am Friday morning, planning to cover at least 500 kilometers for the day. I opened the back door of the Beast for James to climb in but he had other ideas. He insisted on a walk down toward the creek. Strange, I thought, he must need to go to the toilet. I followed him down the track and he started sniffing around in the grass. Then it became clear what his urgency was. The ball! He'd left it in the grass the afternoon before. He grabbed it and when we got back to the car he happily got in.

The Kennedy Highway heading South-west was a good stretch of road for 95 km before branching just short of the Undarra Lava Tubes. The Gulf Development Road (Savannah Way) continued West for 500 km to Normanton, Karumba and the Gulf of Carpentaria. We took the Kennedy Development Road travelling 98 km South-west to The Lynd Junction. The road alternated between a single lane and dual lane carriage-way, but the surface was good and it was relatively flat and straight, so we could sit on our usual 97kph indicated. We only had to get on the gravel shoulder for on-coming traffic a couple of times. We re-fueled at the Oasis Roadhouse just past the junction. The fuel price was good at $1.61/ltr but man, the lady behind the counter was a grumpy old bag.

At the Junction we turned South-east onto the Gregory Development Road which was pretty much the same as the Kennedy Dev Rd. I drove that leg for the 250 km into Charters Towers. About 40 km out of CT we passed the Fletcher Creek Rest Area. It looked fantastic. It was a huge open bushland space that allowed for free camping all along the banks of a quite substantial waterway. If we hadn't been in a hurry we would have probably spent a couple of days there.

At Charters Towers we stopped for a short wander around the historic town. The town centre and surrounding area has heaps of Heritage Listed sites. According to Wikipedia it was founded in 1870 when gold was first discovered. Its gold production became uneconomic in the 20th Century, so it died down a bit. Recent mining exploration however has resulted in a bit of a re-birth. It has been estimated that there now exists more gold underground in the area than the total removed during the Gold Rush in Australia. Citigold Corporation Limited is the key player in CT's mining game with gold being mined from two major deposits. It plans to open three more mines directly under the city and expects to extract gold at the rate of 250,000 ounces per year. If we'd had more time we would have spent a couple of days in the area - not to worry there's always next time!

                                                     Main Street at Charters Towers

We were back on the road by 2.30, continuing on the Gregory Dev Rd which turned into a lovely wide, smooth highway South of CT. Our aim was the Cape River Rest Area, 112 km further on. When we arrived there it was right on the highway which had become much busier with a fair bit of road train activity. Balyando Crossing was only another 85 km South, so we continued on, hoping to find a spot further off the road. We arrived at Balyando Roadhouse with 22 litres of fuel left in the Beast, filled him up (at $2.05/litre would you believe!), and paid $15 for an unpowered site right down the back near the dry creek bed. It was quite a pretty place - very basic with a lovely bushy 'outback' feel. By 6pm we were sitting out in the 30 degree dusk awaiting the full moon to rise. We had knocked off over  650 km for the day - one of our biggest yet in over 6 months of travel!

                                                 Camp at Balyando

Saturday we planned for around 300 km, unsure of whether we would overnight at Emerald, where we had been several months ago, or Bundoora Dam. The latter would add fifty or so kilometers to our overall trip and meant we would bypass Emerald on a road we weren't sure of. We decided we would have a chat with the locals at Capella to get the low-down on the dam before making a decision.

Clermont was the first town on-route - 166 kilometers south of Balyando. We hit the road at 8.15 in beautiful weather and cruised along comfortably until some fifty or so kilometers out of Clermont. Without warning the road turned into an invisible roller-coaster that just about saw us airborne. The Beast stabilized itself with no drama and Brian backed off on the speed. The dips in the road, however, worsened and we got lurched around a few more times before eventually slowing down to 80kph and accepting a safe, but still rolling ride. As we came around a bend in the road approaching Clermont a huge mullock heap loomed ahead of us out of the flat landscape. Coal mining is apparently the town's economic mainstay and Clermont serves as a hub for the mines in the area. This was one of the big ones! We stopped in the small main street for a walk around to explore and take photos of some colorful murals. We also had really nice coffee and cake.

                                The mullock heap went for miles - conveyor on the left

Capella was sixty kilometers further South. The Gregory's road surface  became smooth and even again, thank goodness. We called into the local newsagency to ask about Bundoora Dam and were advised the road out to it and then on to meet the Capricorn Highway just past Blackwater was good. Also the dam was a great spot to camp. Decision made - we would bypass Emerald. The dam is owned by Capricorn Mines and is largely known of and used by locals rather than tourists. We initially drove straight past the access track and had to double back. There was no signage at all and if it hadn't been for the explicit detail in 'Camps 7' we would never have found it. When we did it was a hive of activity.

Queensland school holidays had started the day before and there were tents and caravans set up all along the foreshore. The dam was alive with power boats, skiers, jet skis and kids playing in the shallows. We found ourselves a spot back from the water with lovely views, left the caravan hitched to the Beast and kicked back for a relaxing afternoon. It was quite hot so James spent most of his time in the water. Doggy heaven! It cooled toward evening so at dusk we lit a fire and immersed ourselves in the environment. Tomorrow we would be back on the coast dealing with traffic lights, caravan parks and suburbia. Monday Brian would be flying out of Rockhampton to attend his father's funeral in Leongatha (Victoria) on Wednesday.

Cairns - Port Douglas, QUEENSLAND & Seaford, VICTORIA

We came to the conclusion that the location of our van park in Cairns was the reason we were receiving so many showers. Cool Waters Holiday Park sits right at the base of the tablelands, which caused the prevailing wind, a strong, moist flow coming off the sea, to rise. As soon as we went any distance from Cool Waters it was dry. Cloudy and windy, but dry.

Sunday we decided to take a drive to Port Douglas. We went down to The Esplanade in Cairns first to get our morning coffees. It was a balmy 25 degrees and there was plenty of activity on the waterfront. We parked in the vicinity of the harbour and walked through the lovely lagoon area. It is a large endless pool situated in green, landscaped parkland with fine white sand along one edge so as to resemble a beach. Cairns city doesn't have a beach - only mudflats at low tide, so the lagoon provides a swimming and sunbaking haven. Plus it allows for stinger-free swimming all year round.

                                                 Cairns Waterfront

Port Douglas is an upmarket resort town 60 odd kilometers North of Cairns. It is a very picturesque drive, for the most part with rainforest-covered ranges on one side of the windy, rather narrow road and ocean on the other. It was close to midday when we arrived and the Sunday Markets on the harbour-side waterfront were in full swing. We wandered through with James on a short lead, as usual getting lots of attention from by-passers, browsing the huge array of merchandise. PD is a bit of an arty place, so it was no surprise that many of the stalls were full of hand-made local art, craft and food. With masses of people strolling along James tucked in tightly beside me, constantly checking that Brian was close by. Any time he lost sight of 'his dad' he stopped dead, refusing to budge until he spotted him.

After the market we crossed the road to walk up the main street which was full of people enjoying lunch in the dozens of al-fresco cafes, bars and restaurants. The long street runs from the parkland beside the harbour to the open ocean and surf beach on the opposite side of a hilly headland. Aside from a huge variety of places to eat, drink and be entertained, there are heaps of boutiques selling everything from massages, beautiful dresses and shoes to fine art, jewelry and Port Douglas mementos.

By the time we got back to the Beast, James was in need of some lead-free time. We let him loose in the park adjacent to the market to do the things dogs need to do. It was another pretty spot in PD, overlooking the water at the entrance to the harbour, to mist-covered mountain ranges. We drove a few hundred meters back to the marina and parked in the shade leaving James to rest up in the Beast while we had a delicious lunch on the deck looking out over the beautiful yachts and boats owned, no doubt, by the rich and famous. Port Douglas is a bit like that!

James got rewarded for his stint in the Beast by a run along the surf beach. He bounded in and out of the waves as we walked along with a smile as big as a crocodile.

                                                    Woohoo!

Monday we had a couple of jobs to do. First, of course, our morning cappuccino on The Esplanade. The airport is not far out of the city and with a semi-circle of mountain ranges on the inland side, aircraft do a max rate climb after take-off, then a steep turn out to sea. We were getting a great view of this from the coffee shop and most mornings were there when all the commercial airliners had a busy period. As Aviation Tragics, that entertained us immensely.

Our first job was to exchange one of our gas bottles. We always try to do it at Bunnings where it costs $21. At some places on our travels we have paid $45 for either a re-fill or exchange. That really hurts. After Bunnings we headed South to check out a couple of kennels and pop into Jayco. Our flight to Melbourne on Thursday was due to leave at 10.35am. Before that we needed to drop the van off for a service and drop James off at a boarding kennel, hopefully nearby. The airport is North of the city, Jayco quite a long way South, there were massive roadworks going on and we would be in peak hour traffic.

We passed Jayco continuing South to investigate a couple of options for James. They were both miles further out of town which was a problem. There was not much to choose from by way of private boarding in Cairns and we were left with only choice, and one that I was not really happy with, the RSPCA near the airport. My investigations had confirmed that while he would be cared for it was more of a two star resort than a five star. Poor baby!  I gave them a call and booked him in for a week, commencing Thursday. It was their very last spot....lucky eh!

Given we were so far South of Cairns at this point, we continued in that direction for another 30 km through Babinda to The Boulders, a fast-flowing creek lined with huge rounded rocks. The area around Babinda is one of the wettest places in Australia with an average of over 4000 mm of rain per annum. The Boulders are just 5 minutes drive from Babinda, through incredibly dense, lush rainforest. The Babinda Creek originates at Mount Bartle Frere, Queensland's highest mountain, and flows down through The Boulders where there are fantastic walking tracks, viewing platforms, picnic areas and swimming holes. It is a stunning spot. The crystal clear water was flowing very fast over and around the smooth boulders even though we viewed it in The Dry. There are warnings about walking on the rocks - apparently 'The Devil's Pool' has claimed 15 lives since 1959. The currents can get incredibly strong.

On the way back to Cairns we called into Jayco. We wanted to make sure that they could complete the service and all the repair items on our list so as to have the van ready for us to pick up Thursday 19th. They reckoned they could. The only problem we had was they didn't open till 8.30. With our flight at 10.35, it would be cutting it too fine to get through roadworks and peak hour as well as drop James off, park the Beast in long term etc. Not a problem, we could leave the van out front of their yard as early as we liked. We gave them a set of keys, including the one to the tow-bar lock and decided we'd aim to get it there before 8.

It was mid-afternoon when we arrived back at the van. We had a cuppa, a bit of a read, took James for a walk, got a little dressed up and headed into the Cairns Reef Casino. It is considered one of Australia's finest boutique casinos. We loved it. Not only that but we won $60 and had a good couple of hours of entertainment. We took our winnings and wandered along The Esplanade, deciding to dine Turkish, outdoors in the beautiful balmy tropical evening. What a lovely life we have!

Tuesday we drove up to Copperlode Dam. Set in the midst of the Lamb Ranges 20 km West of the CBD, it is Cairns primary water supply. The narrow access road which winds its way through dense rainforest provides spectacular views over the city and suburbs. There are elevated picnic areas and viewing platforms adjacent to the spillway which lookout over the tranquil water and surrounding ranges. James was very relieved to jump out of the Beast when we arrived at the end of the 430 meter ascent. So was I. The trip up was pretty hairy.

                                                         Just checkin' out the dam

In the afternoon we pulled the bikes off their rack on the back of the van to clean them up and give them a run. The last time we had ridden them was along the beach at Balgal where they had been blasted with the salty spray carried on the gales that blew. They were also covered in red dirt that had turned to mud in the rain we'd had over the previous few days. We wondered whether the electronic controls would still work given what they'd been through. We really should have had the cover on them. Brian got to with some lubricant and a cleaning cloth, then we slid the freshly charged batteries into place and tested them. They both worked on each of their 3 speeds and in both pedal-assist and auto mode. Excellent! We went for a ride around the neighbouring streets and park. Brian has decided he will put protective bags over the electronics on the handlebars. The black dog poo bags are just the right size! He'll also put the cover back on before the van goes in for service on Thursday.

With the weather warming and James sporting a bit of a winter coat I got to with the clippers and gave him a haircut. He didn't mind at all. I left the long hair around his face, ears and legs, just shaving his body. I thought he looked pretty good. To get the residual bits of cut hair off he had a lovely long swim in the creek beside the van. Twenty minutes of swimming out to retrieve a ball in the fast-flowing crystal clear water, followed by a good roll on his supa-dupa soak-it-up dog mat had him looking fantastic.

By the time we had done all that it was after five. Time to sit out by the stream with drink and a book. How the days just disappear!

Most of our time Wednesday was spent preparing for Thursday. The van needed to be readied for delivery to Jayco, we needed to pack for our flight to Melbourne and I wanted to take James for a visit to the kennel so he would be a bit familiar with it when we dropped him off.

After doing three loads of washing and getting them on the line early, we headed off for coffee on The Esplanade. Then we popped in, unannounced, to the RSPCA. James was quite happy to go in with me, but as we waited to be shown around his enthusiasm dwindled. By the time we were lead into the small dog enclosure and walked past the 8 or so frantically barking dogs he was desperate to be picked up. My initial rating of two star boarding was rapidly revised......to zero stars. There was no way I could leave him there. It was shabby, grubby and the enclosures were tiny. He could not get out the gate quickly enough. Time to re-plan. I phoned Mandy from 'Paws Outdoors'. Her business looks after dogs in a home environment and I had made enquiries with her a few weeks prior. I had at that time discounted it as an option as it was expensive and I figured there was a risk of James escaping a back yard or being hurt by one of the other dogs. But I was out of options. She said she could take him and would call in and visit us at the van in the afternoon. 

On the way back to Cool Waters we detoured to visit Lake Placid and the lower reaches of Barron Gorge. The rugged gorge was pretty dry, but there was a small waterfall that looked lovely. I have no doubt it would be pretty spekky after rains.

At the van we got busy. We had to pack light for our week in Melbourne as we were taking carry-on baggage only. The forecast for our visit was showers, rain and temperatures ranging from 7 - 16 degrees. Yuk! That meant warm clothes. I squeezed as much as I could fit into my bag - and would no doubt have to borrow a warm coat while down there. 

After packing we gave the van a bit of a Spring Clean; the flywire screens brushed down, bathroom & toilet scrubbed, linen changed, fridge completely emptied, turned off and wiped out, storage tubs re-packed etc. Brian raised the stabilisers, attached the Beast, lifted and stowed the mats and all the other outside stuff. We were just about done by the time Mandy arrived. She was lovely and James took to her immediately. We sorted out all the details and agreed to drop him off at her place around 8am Thursday morning. I felt much happier with the new plan.

                                                    The city of Cairns

 

We were up before first light Thursday, leaving Cool Waters on the dot of seven. Cairns southbound traffic was light, so we had the van parked and locked up outside Jayco by 7.30. The trip back into town to drop James off only took half an hour and we walked him into Mandy's house a bit earlier than planned. He had no idea what was going on, so was his normal happy self. But not for long. He twigged pretty quickly.

He greeted Mandy enthusiastically, presumably thinking the three of us were just visiting. Then I said "James, you're going to stay here and be a good boy. We'll be back soon". He looked devastated. Brian and I felt really bad. Poor James...he's had us with him 24/7 for six months and we were leaving him with a strange person in a strange place. Mandy was lovely and picked him up, but he struggled to get away. We left.

Shortly before our flight departed I received an SMS from Mandy. She said that after we left he just sat at the front door crying, but he settled down with lots of attention and cuddles. Thank goodness! Later in the day she sent a photo of him getting walked along The Esplanade. He was much happier. It's only for a week anyway!

Melbourne was quite warm and sunny when we arrived in the afternoon and it was lovely to catch up with family and meet our new arrival, tiny Thomas Darcy. It was also great to go to our regular coffee shop at Seaford Pier Friday morning and share our traveling tales with staff and patrons that we knew.

                                               Back home for a week......Seaford Pier

Townsville - Balgal Beach - Paronella Park - Cairns, NORTH QUEENSLAND

Sunday September 1. Father's Day and the first day of Spring. Good for all those down South to be over winter!

Our last day in Townsville we spent sightseeing. We clocked up over 100 km just driving around - The Strand to start, the CBD to wander through the markets (which were very ordinary), the golf course, the Botanical gardens and the airport. We also tried to find a way up to the top of Mount Stuart. It's another stunning dominating feature of the landscape. Creating a natural Southern boundary to the suburban sprawl, its craggy, rocky peak rises sharply to a height of 584 meters. Despite programming in the location on the GPS and driving around the bottom edge of it for an hour we couldn't find a way up. Bugger! The views are supposedly spectacular.

                                                 Mt Stuart viewed from our van

The upside of our wanderings was that we got to see a large area of greater Townsville. There are a lot of new subdivisions on the outer fringes and the road network is terrific. Heaps of the more major roads throughout the suburbs are dual carriageway with lovely tropical plantations along the medium strips. The contrast between the old Queenslander style of home interspersed with some of the more upmarket designer houses makes for an interesting combination. There are areas of all new or all old, but either way the general order and cleanliness of the place, along with the wide roads and tropical vegetation make it really attractive. We hardly saw any graffiti or litter. So different to suburban Melbourne!

Sunset was at 6.04. We decided the best spot to view it would be at the top of Castle Hill. We were amazed at how many people were walking the road to the top. It must be a Sunday evening thing to do in Townsville. Without exaggeration there were hundreds of walkers heading in both directions all along the 3 or 4 kilometers of narrow, steep road to the top. It was quite difficult to get around them in some parts where the bends in the road were sharp or they were walking two abreast. The view of the sunset was gorgeous, complemented by fires burning in the distance which glowed as it got dark. An aircraft circled upward overhead to maybe 10,000 ft and dropped some skydivers out over The Strand. It was a beautiful evening and a lovely way to remember Townsville.

After a morning walk for James to a nearby shopping centre complex to get bread and post off a baby present, we managed to hit the road by 10am Monday. We were heading North with a few free camp options not far up the highway. Our aim was to get out of the burbs rather than cover distance. We had booked in at Paronella Park for Thursday night. It was only a couple of hundred kilometers away and we had four days to get there.

The first option was Saunders Beach, just half an hour's drive from Townsville. It was a tiny beach-side park and despite arriving early in the day, there was no room. Next we had a look at a large rest area beside a river a bit further on, but even though it was quite a way off the road with plenty of space, we gave it a miss. The Bruce Highway road noise travels far at night. Brian drove right past the turnoff to our third option, another beach-front park. It came up quickly with little advance signage and we had a dirty great semi right on our tail. Not to worry, we would check out Balgal Beach. It was only another 10 km on. This time we were ready for the poorly sign-posted intersection, turned right and drove into the little beachside holiday haven just ten minutes off the highway.

Balgal Beach is a really pretty place. The small camping area overlooks a lovely green park to a long, broad, sandy beach and the ocean. There is an adjacent boat ramp and quaint licensed kiosk/general store with an open-air eating area that hangs out over a river. It's truly idyllic. A shady beachfront spot had just been vacated, so we grabbed it. There were maybe a dozen vans and campers already in and room for only a handful more, so we were lucky. Our parking, however, did not go too smoothly.

                                             The park in front of Balgal free camp

It was a tight fit for the van with a menacing overhead branch that we needed to squeeze up fairly close to. I directed Brian from the rear as he backed in. I kept the van as close as possible to the branch and we missed it by....mmm....a few inches. The van was not quite level so I put the ramps under the passenger-side wheels and signaled Brian to reverse up them. In the soft sand they moved a bit. Not good, but ok. There was still air between the top front corner of the van and the branch. I chocked the wheels. At that point Brian's phone rang and he sat in the Beast on speakerphone. I decided to put the jockey wheel in place and disconnect. Bad idea! As I wound the knob the wheel slid a bit sideways and all of a sudden there was no space between the branch and the van. They were connected. Bugger!

By now I had a bit of an audience. Brian was still on the phone. It was embarrassing. The van was quite unstable and pressing harder up against the thick branch right on the corner join. Brian kept talking. Very frustrating! When he eventually finished his conversation and got out of the Beast to look, he was not happy. To cut a long story short, with a half hour of tense maneuvering the van got re-positioned with - thank God - no damage.

The rest of the day was great. James was in doggy heaven, running along the beach in the warm water, no lead - woohoo! We had a nice long walk, chatted to our neighbours, read and generally relaxed. At 5 o'clock a circle began forming on the grass out front, so James and I joined with a chair and glass of wine. We had a lovely time. Brian read his book.

                                                     I'm free.......

A gale blew through in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. Brian launched out of bed and put the awning down, fearful that it would be destroyed. The wind was so strong he got wet from the spray of the waves, 100 meters or so away. By the time we stirred again it was daylight and quite calm outside, although the waves were still crashing on the beach with a loud roar.

Paluma Range National Park, the southern gateway for the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area was a short drive from our camp at Balgal, so breaky and chores done, we headed there. We turned onto the Mount Spec Rd which would take us to Little Crystal Creek then on to Paluma Village, just on 1000 meters ASL. The scenic 18 km of narrow, winding mountain road was scary, but just beautiful. It was built mostly by hand during the 1930's Great Depression, as was a stone bridge that crossed over Little Crystal Creek on the way. The bridge is a photographer's delight, spanning a gorge of deep pools and huge granite boulders bordered by tropical vegetation. The icy-cold, crystal clear water tumbles from a beautiful waterfall, cascading over and around the rocks and under the mossy stone archway of the bridge. It's apparently a popular swimming spot, though at 26 degrees I was not tempted to take a plunge.

Paluma Village sits atop the Mt Spec Range nestled in tropical rainforest. Once called 'Cloudy Clearing', Paluma is famous for the mountain mist that rolls in over the rainforest canopy most afternoons. When it's clear there are stunning coastal views. We walked a few kilometers through the lush forest to a couple of lookouts and despite a sea mist obscuring the islands, the panorama was still spectacular. We were hoping to get a coffee at the village, but nothing was open. Not that there is much at the village - picnic areas, a pottery, a couple of old tea rooms, a hall, some accommodation places and a few private houses for the 30 odd permanent residents. If you're into walking trails it would be a great spot. For us it lacked a cosy cafe or quaint pub.

At the bottom of Mount Spec Rd a five minute drive took us to (Big) Crystal Creek. Once again there were a couple of beautiful areas, one called The Water Slides with smooth boulders surrounded by deep pools. We could imagine in The Wet the water would flow over the rocks creating natural water slides. The Rock Pools was not far away with large deep swimming holes. There was a nice camping area beside the creek, but being a National Park dogs were banned. James had to sit in the car while we explored. Not happy!

On the way back we detoured through Rollingstone, a small town just off the Bruce about five kilometers from Balgal. It had a large, open free camp called Bushy Camp. There were heaps of vans in there, but they didn't have water views like ours. We toured around Balgal as well. It was surprisingly large with lots of houses, many of them new, throughout a couple of separate residential pockets. There was also a golf course. I made inquiries. We could play anytime Wednesday. Sounded like an idea! Late in the afternoon we pulled the bikes off the van and rode for miles along the beach on the hard sand of low tide. On the outbound leg we had a huge headwind which, even with a fair bit of input from us, depleted the batteries significantly. On the way back the wind assistance had us screaming along. I reckon we would have been well up in speed - maybe 30kmph or more. Fun!

It was too windy to sit out for drinks, so we wandered over to 'Fisherman's Launch', the nearby bar/cafe and bought a stubby of VB and a glass of wine for $6.50. They had 10 or so open casks of different varieties of wine in the fridge and it was a case of self serve. Great idea and good value. We sat overlooking the inlet and pontoon as the sun set.

The wind continued to blow through Wednesday. Willy Weather said wind strength would increase during the day from 10 knots to 19 knots by 5pm, with gusts to 32 knots. That was probably understating it. We wanted to get our golf game in, so planned for a morning round.

Mystic Sands is a pretty basic nine hole course in average condition due, no doubt, to the lack of water available. The long, wide fairways were dry and the greens rough, but it was an easy course to play with no hazards to speak of. We both parred a couple and blew out on a couple, but weren't too unhappy with our individual forms, especially given the gale blowing and how little we'd played in six months.

After lunch the sky clouded over and the wind intensified to the point where it was uncomfortable to go outside. James and I braved a walk along the beach at low tide only to get totally sandblasted. Yuk. We all confined ourselves to the van and spent most of the remainder of the day mooching and reading.

We had booked a powered site at Paronella Park, Mena Creek, for Thursday night. It was less then 200 km North. We left Balgal Thursday morning and drove through Ingham, Cardwell and Tully before taking an easterly detour to the coast to check out Mission Beach. It's actually made up of four beaches covering a 14 kilometer stretch where rainforest meets ocean. South Mission Beach, Wongaling Beach, North Mission Beach and Bingil Bay look out over Dunk Island, Bedarra and Hinchinbrook Island. There are quaint cafes and arty boutiques, and while it's touristy it retains a small holiday village atmosphere. No big high-rise buildings - just lovely places tucked into the lush vegetation .

It's an area hit by cyclones fairly regularly, the most recent being Cyclone Yasi which made landfall just near Mission beach in January 2011. We were surprised at how little damage was apparent. The most tell-tale sign was that most buildings had new roofing. Mena Creek was 16 kilometers northwest of the Bruce, heading toward tropical tablelands. There were new roofs all the way in! The wind had continued to blow a gale since our departure from Balgal and as we approached Paronella Park the rain started.

As soon as we pulled up in front of Paronella a friendly bloke by the name of Mark walked up to Brian's window and greeted us. They'd been expecting us. He handed us a map of where we were to set up the van gave directions on coming inside to register when we were ready. Great PR. He's the owner and does that for all campers. It's a fantastic way to build a positive impression, especially when the first night on a powered site is free with the $40 per person entry fee ($37 for Seniors) which, by the way, is a valid pass for two years. Not bad!

Paronella Park is one of those place you just have to see. Set on 5 hectares beside Mena Creek Falls, it was built in the 1930's by Jose Paronella, who had a dream to build a castle. A Spaniard, Jose was inspired by childhood memories of Catalonian castles. It took five years to complete and included a ballroom, theatre, a pavilion with turret-topped balconies, fountains, lakeside picnic areas, change rooms for guests, tennis courts, tunnels and bridges. He planted and landscaped the area with more than 7000 trees including an avenue of Kauris. It was opened to the public in 1935 and became an exclusive venue for the social set of the time, with parties and balls every Saturday night.

Over the years it suffered through floods, cyclones and fire. It stayed in the family after Jose's death in 1948 until 1977 when it was sold. It was in bad shape and continued to deteriorate before being bought by the current owners, Mark and Judy Evans in 1993. They re-opened it as a ruin to the public and they have an ongoing program of restoration and preservation. It's now Heritage listed.

It really is a beautiful, beautiful place. We spent a couple of hours going through it in the afternoon by ourselves, opting out of the half-hourly tours. The pathways that wind through the gardens are magical, as are the waterfall, fountain and moss covered ruins. The stream is abundant with fish, eels and turtles that come to the water's edge to be fed. At 6.15 we did a guided night tour that was stunning. The ruins and falls are lit up and look spectacular. We walked with torches through the network of pathways to hidden, moss-covered stairways and bridges, watching the Flying Foxes come alive with the night and learning about all manner of things relating to the history and environment.

After the tour finished we wandered across the road to the pub and had a scrumptious dinner. We loved the entire experience and didn't have to weather through too much rain until we were snugly tucked up in bed....then it poured all night!








We left Paronella Park in the mist and rain Friday to travel a  little under 100 km North to Cairns, passing through Innisfail then on to the Bruce Highway. We drove through lush cane country with rainforest-covered mountains rising steeply to the West. Queensland's highest peaks, Bartle Frere at 1600 metres and Bellenden Ker at 1557 metres formed part of the range, making for some stunning scenery.

There was no free camping (that we were aware of) within 20 km or so of Cairns CBD so we'd booked at Cool Waters Caravan Park, about 7km West of the city. As it turned out we had chosen well. It was tropical and spacious and backed onto a creek at the base of the ranges fringing Cairns. We were allocated a site at the rear of the park facing right onto the crystal clear stream and rainforest, which was just perfect. James bounced out of the Beast and immediately assumed his 'Murray River' position, sitting on the bank overlooking the water. He was very happy, especially given the privacy of our spot meant he could go without a lead, as no-one could see him.

                                             
                                               There's a river down there...

Our site was beside a 'permanent' dwelling occupied by a young man who filled us in on some local knowledge as we were setting up. The creek is home to lots of fish, turtles, water snakes and some very large eels - up to two meters in length. He sees the odd Brown Tree Snake, but while they are venomous they can't bite. Occasionally a large python will slither out of the rainforest, but the park owner removes them so they don't eat people's small dogs (shudder!). A Bandicoot named George comes to visit at night. He likes peanut butter sandwiches. Beside the creek there is a track that goes to a lovely park where dogs can have lead free time. There is also a great spot for them to swim in the river. Excellent info!

James and I went walking up to the park in the afternoon while Brian did some work. Around 4pm we all hopped in the Beast to have a look around. We drove into the city and along the Esplanade, where we parked. The Esplanade is no-where near as pretty as Townsville's Strand. There's a boardwalk, trees and a strip of lawn with a wall to hold back the sea. The tide was out, exposing huge mud flats. A temporary enclosure and stage had been erected around the water pools that are a feature of the esplanade. It was a hive of activity with people everywhere putting the final touches to a huge, beautifully set up, open-air dinner function. We found out it was Cairns Amateur Racing Carnival and the function was the Gala Dinner. The band practicing on the stage sounded great. You wouldn't believe it, but as we walked past the skies opened up and it began to pour. What a nightmare for the organizers!

We crossed the road to the restaurant side of the Esplanade. At 5pm on a Friday night it was alive. We walked along through the dozens of bars and eateries of all types that extended out onto the well-covered footpath. They were interspersed with tour operators displaying racks of colorful brochures for reef dives, sky jumps....heaps and heaps of touristy things to do. We grabbed an outdoor table at one of the big bars, had drinks and people-watched. There were tourists from all parts of the globe, old grey nomads (older than us!), young people, families, workers, race-goers, all wandering along or sitting at dining tables - just keeping out of the rain, which was bucketing down. It was still raining when we got back to the van after dark, and it was quite cool. We donned longs. With the Federal Election Saturday we got the TV out from under the bed and set it up so we could track results. Our first night in Cairns we spent in the van, watching TV. Too wet and cold for anything else. Can you believe that!

Saturday, September 7th. 2013 - Federal Election Day. From the get go it looked like Abbott would win...and he did! We had cast our absentee votes a few days before, whilst in Townsville, so we'd both had our say.

The showers of the previous few days continued to persist - sometimes heavily. Brian leapt out of bed at daylight realizing he had left the awning level when we set up, which meant no way for the water to run off. Sure enough we had a big sag in the middle of the vinyl. He dropped one corner and it sounded like a fire hydrant had burst. Gallons of water gushed onto the garden. It could have been a painful and costly mistake, but there was no damage -  thank goodness!.

We both have to laugh at our geriatric moments - you know - brain fades, when things that you would normally do automatically, don't happen. We both have daily occurrences; the gas not turned off for travel, the bathroom door not snibbed, the fridge not turned over, the car not locked, the specs lost - it goes on and on. We give each other heaps about it and laugh. The joys of getting old! One thing we both love about this time in our lives is that it has presented us both with the opportunity to do what we are doing. We really couldn't have been Grey Nomads at any earlier stage. When I was younger I feared getting old and retiring. Now I love it.

Despite the showers, Cairns wasn't humid. The temperature was dropping to around 18 at night and up to 25 by day. It was quite comfortable. We had until Wednesday to explore the region. Thursday we'd be flying down to Melbourne for a week. There was a lot we wanted to see before then so we started the day by driving up to check out the northern beaches, just 10 minutes away. We had a look at Machan's (basically a residential pocket), Yorkey's Knob (a bit more upmarket residential) and Trinity Beach, which was full of attractive, low-rise, beachfront tourist apartments. Unlike Cairns city which fronts onto mudflats, the northern beaches are sandy. Trinity's waterfront was pretty with Palm trees and colorful tropical plants landscaped into the pathway along the beach. There were a few quaint, shabby-chic cafes opposite, so we had morning coffee.

From the coast we headed inland, driving up through the ranges behind Cairns to Kuranda, 25 km from the CBD and nestled into dense tropical rainforest. At a couple of spots on the way the road went under the Skyrail Cableway. It carries 114 suspended gondolas over 7.5 kilometers of rainforest and gorges to Kuranda. Apparently the scenery is spectacular. Kuranda is famous for its extensive markets, local arts and crafts, cafes and sanctuaries. It has a sort of 'hippy, alternative' feel. We wandered around, James receiving lots of attention, browsing the colorful array of merchandise. Brian had a Chinese massage to relieve lower back pain before we sat down for a gourmet pizza lunch and glass of chardy at shabby cafe. The three of us were intrigued by some large lizards that inhabited the restaurant and its surrounds.

                                                 Beside our table

                                               Above our table

Just up the road from Kuranda is Barron Falls. It's a spectacular gorge cut by the Barron River as it makes its descent from the Atherton Tablelands to the coast. It only has big water flows in the Wet. Access to the viewing platform is via a walkway that runs, in places, several meters above the forest floor. It's a beautiful walk. The falls are stunning, with water cascading over the rugged rock face to deep pools and on to the gorge floor.

                                               Barron Gorge with its 'Dry' flow

                                         View from the tablelands - vis was not great

We stopped at a couple of lookouts while up on the tablelands to enjoy the views over Cairns and the northern beaches. Unfortunately visibility wasn't all that good, so my photos were a bit disappointing. James was a bit on the green side by the time we arrived back at the van. The very windy descent from Kuranda got to him. Poor bugger!