15th OCtober to 24th October 2011

15^th October 2011

This was treated as a rest day after the gruelling hike yesterday, and we were keeping an eye on Karli for Val and Barry whilst they had a trip out. In the afternoon a storm drifted in and we experienced some very heavy rain for a while and then almost continuous light rain for several hours into the evening, along with some lightning. Not as bad as the south east of Queensland was getting but it was our first storm in a long time.

16^th October 2011

The rain has cleared but it has remained overcast and cool so we headed out without Foxy again towards Ravenshoe to visit Hypipamee Crater and Dinner Falls which are fairly close together in the same National Park. 

We took the path to the lookout over the Crater first and then onto the circuit track to the falls. We arrived at the falls and had to wait a while for someone else to finish their photos as the narrow track ended at a barrier, although this was in a poor state of disrepair, and only one person could view the falls at a time.  After the guy had gone we took our photos from the barrier and then went round it to get closer with a more front-on view.

After this we started along the uphill track and found a second waterfall for more photos and then further up the track found a third, so Dinner Falls is a three course dinner, each course with a very different personality. With the rain that the area has experienced in the last few days the amount of water has probably made all of the falls look a lot better but we don’t have time to do them all again. 

As we were in the Ravenshoe area we drove south of the town to Millstream Falls which is the big brother of the Little Millstream Falls that we visited a short while ago. They are reputed to be the widest single drop falls in Australia, although Barry is prepared to dispute it. 

From the lookout across the fall you can’t see the far part of it as it curves back on itself, but what we could see was enjoyable. We treated ourselves to a bought lunch for a change in Ravenshoe and then originally intended heading home in the expectation of more afternoon rain, but as this now didn’t look likely we took the long way round via Millaa Millaa and checked out Pepina Falls and Souita Falls.

The first of which falls down columns of Basalt rock is right beside the road with a short track down almost to the bottom. The second one required a 4km trip off a side road and then a walk along to 2 lookouts as this was a 2 stage fall with about 100 metres between them. The lookouts were positioned on the side of the falls, which didn’t offer a particularly good view but you have to take what is on offer. There was no safe way to attempt to improve on the views. Unfortunately at the first lookout area Merry managed to brush her leg against a leave of a Stinging Tree, just like Jack and Ric did in Finch Hatton Gorge, and is now suffering like they did, although not as badly as Jack. We then returned home the long way round via Malanda where we did the Tulip Oak Walk looking for tree kangaroos, unsuccessfully yet again, and then on to Atherton in order to pick up some shopping.

20^th October 2011

Since our return home on the 16^th it has rained almost permanently with both heavy falls and light showers and has created a new wettest October on record for Cairns including a record rainfall for a 24 hour period in October. Fortunately this has been at its worst in the coastal areas where some places have received over 450mm in the last four days. It hasn’t been that bad here, but has slowed us down with our activities. We had planned on leaving here tomorrow but as we intended driving to the coast and heading south, back towards Brisbane, we have decided to stay put for a bit longer until the weather on the coast improves.

21^st October 2011

We have stayed for a few more days but as it was only drizzling this morning we drove back out to Karanda, about 80kms each way to have a look at Barron Falls after 4 days of very significant rain and were well rewarded for our effort.

The lake behind the dam wall has risen enough to flow over the wall and the fall into the gorge, and is now a grand spectacle. The vastness of the gorge is great in its own right even when there is very little water in the falls, but when it is in full flight it is awesome. We left home before 7.30pm and on arrival at the Barron Falls carpark there were only a few couples ahead of us that were on their way out, so by the time we got to the lookout we had it to ourselves. We also went down and along the railway station platform to get other views of the falls and the gorge, and then had to wait in the only bit of cover for a while for a shower to pass over. We then climbed the stairs to the lookout again for a final view before heading home. On the walk back to the carpark there was a huge increase in the number of people arriving for the view so we were glad we decided to get in early.

23^rd October 2011

Having returned to Karanda for a look Barron Falls with more water passing over it we decided to use a load more fuel and look at some of the other falls plus make the effort to walk out Nandroya Falls. This turned out to be harder than expected as there is a fork half a km along the track that states 1.7km to the falls or a 3.2 circuit track which we interpreted to mean the complete circuit to be 3.2kms, so it didn’t really matter which way we went so we went left on the 1.7 track. 

This took us firstly to Silver Falls which was a bonus to but we did have to cross the creek on wet stepping stones and then continued to Nandroya falls which are the best in the area with one long narrow drop to a pool that empties via a wide short drop to the river below. 

We elected to return by the other track which follows the river with more views of small falls and cascades but the foliage prevented clear photos of them. The track then turned to join the other creek from Silver Falls which we had to cross again at the base of another fall with no name but very similar to Silver Falls in appearance (another bonus). 

It turned out that the 3.2kms circuit track meant 3.2kms in addition to the 1.7km track and should have read ‘alternate route 3.2kms’ so all together we actually hiked for 5.4kms, but it was well worth it in the final analysis.   On the way back to Millaa Millaa we stopped at an un-named roadside waterfall (another bonus).

We then turned off on the Millaa Millaa waterfall circuit to revisit 3 falls, which all have relatively short walks to them, that we visited prior to the rain, and now after the rain with impressive results. The rain hasn’t actually ended yet but is only showers rather than continuous, but the cloud cover is causing a rise in humidity.

 24^th October 2011

Today has been a continuation of yesterdays waterfalls revisited story with a trip to Little Millstream and Millstream falls, and like the other falls yesterday, both have improved with more water.  

We had packed the makings of sandwiches for lunch but as we went through Ravenshoe we picked up some bread rolls from the bakery as we had been told by the publican in Einasleigh that they produce great rolls and pies.  We only bought the rolls as we knew from a previous visit that the pies are made with mince rather than chunks of meat.  The rolls did live up to expectations and were twice the size of a regular roll.  Lunch was followed by 20kms trip further south of Ravenshoe to Innot Hot Springs which in all honesty was a total waste of fuel and time but we can now say we have been there and done it, and we did find an area of really hot water near the source and gradually cooling water as you move away.  As you walk past the hot area you can feel the heat creating a sauna effect around it.

4th October to 14th October 2011

4^th October 2011

We left Foxy at home today with Val and Barry (2) calling in on her and taking her for walks whilst we had a long day out.  We left at 7.00am and headed for the Skyrail terminal at Smithfield which again meant descending from the tablelands down to almost sea level via another twisty cliff side road, although not as bad as the previous one a few days ago.  After initial difficulty finding the terminus due to a lack of signage we arrived just in time for our booked departure time, although that wasn’t critical as it turned out. 

The ride up in the cable car over the top of the forest canopy was great, although the distant views still suffered from the smoke from numerous fires. 

We did the short nature walk at the first intermediate station and then continued to the next intermediate station overlooking the Barron Falls Gorge. 

As expected, there wasn’t a lot of water going over the falls because of it being late in the dry season and the fact that there is a dam at the top to hold the water back for the hydroelectric power station.  The water that we did see on the falls was from a small spillway; however, it was clear to see that when it did rain enough to cause water to come over the dam wall it would be spectacular, which can be seen via the internet.  We had not expected there to be much water as the Barron River runs into Lake Tinaroo where we are currently camped and the level is fairly low due to the irrigation system, and therefore not flowing on across the tablelands to the falls.  We continued to the summit at Karanda and treated ourselves to a cake and cuppa at an extortionate price, and then walked through the town to the Butterfly garden. 

Here was an amazing display of free flight butterfly, but like small birds, they don’t sit and pose for photographs, at least not with their wings open to display the colours.  Photography is very much hit and miss, but we did have some luck by using the burst feature of the camera. 

From here we went by pre-booked bus to a nature park to view a few of the local animals and then to an amphitheatre to watch some aboriginal dances. 

We then went to the boomerang and spear throwing demonstrations with the spectators being involved in the boomerang throwing with very mixed results. 

The bus then returned us to the railway station in Karanda in time for the train ride down the mountain with a short stop at the Gorge station for more photos of the falls from the other side of the gorge. The train then continued on its way to Cairns with slow passages to show off the views and passing through numerous tunnels and stopping again at the bottom of the mountain at the Freshwater Station in the suburb of Redlynch.  In the days when they started to build the railway, applicants for the jobs were told to go to Red Lynch, a redheaded man named Lynch who did the hiring and firing.  This resulted in his name becoming the name of the suburb, and interestingly, those applicants also had to provide their own picks, shovels and any other tools they required for the job.  It was here that we transferred to the pre-booked bus that returned us to our car at the Skyrail terminus.  We then headed off on the 1.5 hour journey home arriving just after 7.00pm.  It was a long enjoyable day, although we found it a bit rushed once we got to Karanda with the pre-booked entertainment.  There is a lot more see so we may be driving back for another leisurely look at a later date.

5^th October 2011

We stayed at home to look after Karli (Val & Barry’s dog) whilst they do the Skyrail thing, so we took both dogs for two walks, and in Karli’s case, swims during the day.

6^th October 2011

Nothing of interest during the day but finished with a group sundowner in the late afternoon after the threat of rain had moved over.  We did drive through some light rain on the way back from Atherton that only gave Yungaburra half a dozen drops, and is the first rain we have experienced in many months.

7^th October 2011

We drove to Lake Barrine and took the 5kms walk around the lake and saw a few more Mushy Rat- Kangaroos, a few birds that wouldn’t sit still for us, and an Emerald Python swimming in the lake. 

There is a boat trip available that cruises around the edge of the lake which started out quite some time after us but unfortunately arrived back at the cafe just before us.  As it carried a bus load of tourists that all desperately needed refreshments after the cruise we had a long wait to get a cuppa after our walk. 

The afternoon clouded over and became extremely humid but didn’t rain, leaving the atmosphere heavy and unpleasant but fortunately cleared before dusk.  Because of the fires in the general area the atmosphere is quite smoky and is not good for daytime landscape type photos but has offered some good sunset opportunities across the lake.

9^th October 2011

This was the second day of a 2 day rowing event on Tinaroo Lake so we took our chairs and cameras down to that stretch of the lake to watch for an hour or so.  They had already had 2 races by the time we arrived and were already half an hour behind schedule with four crews ready at the start line waiting for the fifth crew to row the length of the course to join them, putting them further behind.  The next race of females had been told to make their way to the start, which 3 crews had done but the fourth crew were still by the finish line where the boats were docked, and making very slow progress to get on the water.  The other crews had to sit for nearly 10 minutes in 30°C plus, and despite the officials giving warnings that they might start without them they wouldn’t give in to Barry urging them to start the race and use them as an example.  We left after 4 races as it was all taking so long between races that it was hard to maintain interest.

10^th October 2011

We packed a picnic lunch and made for the Heritage Village in Herberton which actually allows dog to enjoy the experience, and is the best of its kind that we have come across.   However, we had to go via Atherton so checked out Halloran’s Hill which offers great panoramas over Atherton, which is good as Atherton doesn’t offer much itself, and is an ideal spot for a family picnic with plenty to entertain the kids.  We also called in at the old Chinese Temple but it is not open on Mondays and Tuesdays so they miss out on us. 



At Herberton there are 51 buildings to explore and they are all full of appropriate items of the era, with some of the collections (such as in the Toy Shop) being worth a small fortune.  Some of the comics, Dinky toys and dolls are from way before our time as kids.  This theme was apparent at the majority of the shops and workshops, such as the photographic and gramophonic shops (wish we still had our old 78s, but we do still have about 100 LPs in absolute mint condition, played once for recording purposes and more recently digitised to CD format).  The village has a great sheltered picnic area where you can enjoy your own lunch, or you can use their Hotel/Cafe if you wish, plus your ticket is valid all day so you can leave and return up to 5.00pm.  There is every imaginary type of shop, school, dentist, hospital, hairdresser, jail, blacksmith, mining equipment and much more. 

One building houses an immaculate fully operational model T Ford which they drove out of the building while we were there,  so that they could put 2 new arrivals into the building and then replace the Ford in front of them. 

The first new arrival was an old Morris Van which apparently was used in the TV show ‘The Sullivans’, which we never watched, and is in reasonable condition but some work would be good.  The other was a Chrysler in beautiful exterior condition but we didn’t get to see if either of them is operational as they were pushed into the building, but they look.  After the Heritage Village we had intended to walk around the Herberton township buildings but the high temperature determined that we would come again one morning before it gets too hot.

11^th October 2011

We had intended having a rest day but after lunch we drove out to the Cathedral Fig Tree area again and took a dirt road through a National Park up to Gillie’s Lookout which was a great view but again very hazy. 

We then drove part way around Lake Tinaroo in the opposite direction to the previous trip until we reached Lake Euramoo which we managed to miss last time. 

 It is a crater lake that had two eruptions side by side creating twin circle rather than a single circle, almost like a figure eight.   On the way back Merry visited the Cathedral Fig Tree again whilst Barry and Foxy waited in the comfort of the air conditioning in the car as our afternoon temperatures are now getting up toward 35°C.

12^th October 2011

We did our return trip to Karanda to check out the Barron Falls again and the other attractions offered by the town that our schedule didn’t allow time for on our Skyrail/train trip. 

The falls lookout is accessed via a zigzag boardwalk through the rainforest and which eventually crosses the railway via a bridge to the lookout which is also accessible from the station.  When we stopped there on the train ride we were advised not to go there as it is at the far end of the railway station and there wasn’t time for a relatively full train load to use it and return to the train before it left for Freshwater. 



 It provides a view that looks straight at the falls rather than slightly from the side which the station platform provides, but it didn’t provide any more water.  We then drive round to another lookout that gave a hazy view of the distant scenery which was partially obscured by trees and shrubbery.  Like many lookouts, they are great when first built but some years later when the trees and shrubs have continued to grow, they block the view.  We always seem to visit them at the some-years-later stage.  

We drove back into town and had our picnic lunch and then Merry checked out the Venomous House with snakes and spiders but came out complaining that it was the worst $17 dollars spent.  Barry saved his $17 by not go in there as he believes the only good snake is a dead one.  We moved the car and parked near the Market which was only 50% operational but what was open had a good array of gear of all sorts relevant to a market, and followed this up with a visit to the Bird house, which was good and worth the money, even though the Macaw bit the button off Merry’s hat and then tried to rip her earrings out.  We moved the car again to be closer to the railway station and crossed over the station overpass to walk along the river bank, through the Jungle walk and back into town.  We then headed home with the intention of deviating into Davies Creek Falls, however, as we crossed the creek bridge on the road home we noticed that there was no water to be seen and decided that the water fall would also be dry and gave the idea away.

13^th October 2011

We spent some of the afternoon walking around Yungaburra to look at the heritage listed buildings which also gave Foxy some exercise along with us.  Most of the shops are now used for something other than original planned but they all have a brass plaque telling what the original use was. The late afternoon produced some very threatening storm clouds that  went round us, but we heard some thunder and everywhere south of us had ran and storms , especially Logan near Brisbane.   In the evening we had a small celebration with Val and Barry (2) and Trish and Barry (3) who were due to leave in the morning.

14^th October 2011-10

We drove out towards Innisfail to the Mamu Canopy walk which was a pleasant stroll but the walkway didn’t come up to the standard of the WA treetop walk the Tasmanian Tahuna air walk but was better than  the Victorian one in Otway as it was designed with wheelchairs and strollers in mind.  However, we didn’t really think it was worth the money as there was no wild life and virtually no birdlife and it only had a few places to look out over the distant views.  The best of these being from the top of the 30 foot tower at the end of the walk which looks out over the North Johnstone River. 

After lunch we moved back up the road to Crawford’s Lookout, which we stopped at last time we came this way, and the view was a bit clearer than last time.  We bit the bullet despite the high temperature and took the 1.7km walk to the river lookout which wasn’t without its difficulties as it zigzagged down the side of the mountain, however, the lower level view over the river was worth it. 

We then backtracked 250 metres and went off down the 750 metre track to the river, which turned out to be steeper with a lot of steps.  Arriving at the river didn’t allow much of a view of it as it was mainly rapids through the Basalt rock base and also had a plague of March Flies that we hungry for human flesh. 

After getting our quota of photos we headed back up the track, which took a lot longer than it did going down and included several stops.  On our eventual arrival back at the car we drove to a picnic area for a cuppa and a long rest before heading home with the intention of stopping at Malanda to look for the elusive Tree Kangaroos but the storm clouds had drifted in and we drove through rain (first real rain we have experienced in more than six months) from Millaa Millaa through to Malanda.  We stopped to look for the roos but the rain persisted so we only had an unsuccessful look from the car before driving back to Yungaburra which once again didn’t get any rain.

26th September to 2nd October 2011

26^th September 2011

Once again we drove into Atherton to the Post Office and this time we were lucky and able to collect the long awaited parcel, which as it turns out had been available since 5 days earlier but because merry had enquired after a parcel in the name of Line she was told there was nothing.  It had been sent to the post office without our name on it and it was only because Merry said it was a parcel and then able to state the name and address of the sender that was written on it that they agreed to give it to us.   We then went on to Mareeba to check out the various museums and on arrival Merry elected not to do the heritage museum as we will be doing the Herberton Village soon so we moved on to the military museum.  This supposedly is the largest privately own collection in Queensland, which it very well could be, but it is also the worst laid out museum we have come across.  It is a huge collection but most of it is in very shabby condition and crammed together so that it is impossible to look inside anything or to take a photograph of any one item.  Because of the huge open ended hangar that the display is in, the photos are always backlit which doesn’t help.  The display also included aircraft such a Canberra bomber and a twin tailed Vampire which Barry used to watch at his local airfield in West Malling when he was a kid.  Again, photos without other clutter under the wings were impossible, and it was also impossible to get far enough away to get all of the individual aircraft in the frame because of the limited room to move, even on wide angle.  We didn’t stay too long as it was a case of walking along the pathways and out again.  We moved on down the road to the Aviation museum which had been closed on our last trip to Mareeba, and was still closed, so we headed home after a disappointing museum exercise but pleased with the collection of our parcel.   We probably will not bother visiting anymore aviation museums as we have seen the Perth and Darwin Aviation Museums which are both excellent, and therefore can stop being disappointed with other inferior ones. 

27^th September 2011

Generally a lazy day but we did drive out to Hastie’s swamp, about a 15 minute drive, to watch the birdlife at sun set.  In particular, we were hoping to watch Sarus Cranes come in to land for the night, and were rewarded at about 6.00pm when quite a few groups came in with an overhead fly past and then circle round on a landing run. 

Unfortunately they prefer to land on the far side of the swamp so all photograph is long distance and not real good for full zoom with a moving object.  The overhead shots tend to be silhouettes against the sky and the landing shots have a dark tree background, however we did achieve a few acceptable shots considering the lack of light.

28^th September 2011

We had to go into Atherton once again to return our outside TV as its power pack has died, but unfortunately it meant returning the whole lot to the agents in Cairns, meaning it would take about six weeks at best.  As we were not planning on being at our current location for that long we elected to take it to Cairns ourselves and try to simply get them to order a new power pack, and then post it to us. 

The good news is that on the way into Atherton we spied some Sarus Cranes in one of the local fields and were able to get some slightly closer shots.

In the afternoon we drove out to Tinaroo Falls Dam and found more cranes on the way and then found that there are no falls as such, and that it is just the name of the small village on the edge of the lake and fairly close to the Dam wall. 


There is a section of the wall that would resemble a waterfall if the lake level was a lot higher to pour over the weir but this is near the end of the dry season and rain still some way away.  Also there is an outlet from the dam which is feeding irrigation channels to the cane fields which is permanently lowering the level.  We continued on to over the dry river because of the lack of water over the weir and past the dam wall on the other side and continued until the road became a dirt road to several camp grounds for boat fanatics and fishermen.  We stopped at one point that claimed a 20 minute Lake walk which only took us 10 minutes and only had glimpses of a lake and then expected to eventually meet a dead end and have to return the way we came. 

That didn’t happen as it joined a bitumen road that took us to a carpark to the Cathedral Fig Tree which is in opposition to the Curtain Fig Tree, but we preferred the Cathedral Fig as the winner although both are quite amazing.  The road eventually joined the Main road into Yungaburra and back to our base.

29^th September 2011

We took the TV into Cairns via the Gillies Highway which passes through the Gillies Range and down off the Tablelands back to sea level, about 1200ft, which is a very tightly winding road for about 20kms with great views if you dare to look out over the severe drop off the side.  Going down meant we were on the inside of the road which creates the slightly saver feeling but still hair raising, especially knowing that you will be on the outside coming back up.  Cairns is bigger and busier than we expected and the traffic became more frantic with little regard for red lights.  After sorting out the TV problem, ordering a new power pack for posting to us, we found a Jaycar agent and bought some cable, an appropriate plug, a soldering and solder.  This is to allow Barry to make up a cable to join the 12v outlet on the outside of the caravan to power the TV from the vans battery, which means the new power pack will be put into storage when we get it.  After also shopping in Cairns Central we drove to the beachfront, and along it for some considerable distance, looking for a parking spot with eventual luck and stopped for lunch.  This was followed by a trip to the Botanic Gardens to find it a ‘No dog” area so gave Cairns the flick and drove up to the Tablelands with a couple of stops to admire the view, although this was rather hazy, which according to the TV news was the result of smoke from fires near Mareeba.  On arrival back at the van Barry made up the cable for the TV which allows us to use the TV without the power pack.

1^st October 2011

We started out early to Millaa Millaa to do the waterfall circuit taking in Millaa Millaa Falls, Zillia Falls and Ellinjaa Falls and then continued along the Palmerston Highway to Mungalli Falls. 

Some used a viewing platform but others allowed access to the base of the falls which involved winding our way down 80 metres and obviously back up so we gained a good workout on several occasions.  We continued on to Henrietta Creek which offered several ‘No Dog’ walks but we used the park benches for our picnic lunch anyway before continuing to another group of falls. 



The first being Nandroya Falls but this was a ‘no Dog’ deal with a long walk involved and the time required for the walk was way too long to leave Foxy in the car with a 30°C plus temperature. 




We continued on to look for Crawford’s Lookout but didn’t find initially but we did on the way back and then stopped off at the entrance to Wallacha Falls and Tchupala Falls which used a common start point but splits two ways, and we chose the longer way to go first to Wallicha Falls. 

On the way back we turned off to Tchupala falls and found the final section of the path closed off due to cyclone damage (2 years ago) that hasn’t been repaired yet and stopped us going down to the base of the falls, but allowed a no-so-good view of the Falls part way down.  Our run on waterfalls was over for today but detoured to Millaa Millaa Lookout which was good, but slightly spoilt by the smoke in the air from the fires that has been in the Tableland area for several days. After arriving home we had a short rest and then walk across to the side of the local Lake Tinaroo and photographed the sunset.  There are several more waterfalls to explore but due to the ‘No dog’ regulations anywhere close to something of interest, we will leave Foxy at home for the next trip.

2^nd October 2011

This was to be a rest day but Val and Barry (2) asked us along to the Ravenshoe heritage train trip and as we also wanted to visit the Millstream Falls in that area we agreed. 

The train trip in its own right was somewhat disappointing for us as it had no photographic opportunities of views along the way or at the destination, where we had a Lamington and cuppa.  The were occasional patches of trees that had clusters of Teddy Bears and other fluffy toys tied into them to entertain the little rug rats, but nothing else of note.  The return trip obviously was the same but as it was only 4.00pm we still had time to check out Millstream Falls, however, Merry’s navigational skills took us towards Little Millstream Falls along Tully Falls road.  Somehow we missed the sign to Little Millstream Falls and continued for 20kms and arrived at Tully Gorge Lookout, which is also the lookout for Tully Falls.  Unfortunately we are at the tail end of the dry season and because the water that would normally fall into the Gorge has been diverted to a Dam servicing a power station, the falls requires a serious rainfall to become a waterfall again.. 

The 293 metre deep Gorge view was great with the obvious signs of where the waterfall would be when sufficient rain happens.  On the return to Ravenshoe we spotted the turn off to the Little Millstream falls and as it was only a short distance away we gave it a go.  The falls are viewable from the pathway down giving a good overall view from top to bottom. 

It turned out to be the best of the falls that we have visited in the Tablelands so far, with multiple water entries, and because of the diversion to the gorge we had arrived at a time when the sun was setting right behind the falls, creating a great photo shot opportunity. 

The Millstream Falls (the widest falls in Australia) which were the original destination will have to wait for another trip.