Yungaburra - Bonadio's RV Park

 28 - 30 April 2025

After our short stay in the Daintree we returned to the Atherton Tablelands. This time we decided to stay at a campground we had not been to before, but one which we had heard good things about. Bonadio's in on a working maize farm near Yungaburra, and has been continuously improved over the years. Initially it was for self-contained campers only, but they have added toilets, showers and laundry, a dump point and also now have powered sites. The campground in situated a short walk from the Barron River where playtpus may be seen. The campground itself is well maintained and each night there is possum feeding down at the camp shed. 

We stopped for lunch at our favourite Platypus Park and arrived in the early afternoon. We had called ahead to check that an early arrival would be ok so found our check-in form, and drove down to the campground where we were able to select our own site. We headed in to Atherton where Mick had an appointment then returned to camp to explore the walking paths by the river.

No platypus but still a lovely walk

Mick was keen to go to the Curtain Fig after dark to look for an owl that lives there so we set off after dinner. It was a very dark night and we were the only ones there for most of the time. Unfortunately we didn't get any photos of the owl, but we did hear it, and we saw it fly overhead. As we were leaving a small tour group arrived - maybe they were more successful.

On Tuesday we went shopping and re-organised things again ready for the next leg of our adventure. That evening we joined other guests at the shed to see the possums being fed. They were the cause of great delight - especially for a few international visitors who video called family "back home" to share the experience.

Possum feeding is always fun

We certainly enjoyed our brief stay at Bonadio's before heading on to Ravenshoe for our next house sit.

Daintree

 25 - 28 April 2025

We had been wanting to get down to the Daintree since we came north after leaving Townsville in July 2024 - but each time we looked, the weather forecast was for lots of rain. Finally there was a window of a few days with fine weather so we booked a site at the caravan park, and also a boat cruise.

We left Granite Gorge and drove north through Mount Molloy where we stopped briefly then continued on to Abattoir Swamp for morning tea and some birding. From there we drove down the Rex Range Road and on through Mossman, before stopping for lunch at Wonga Beach. We went for a walk on the beach then continued on to Daintree village.

A number of boat tours leave from the village boat ramp

We were able to select a good spot at the caravan park as they weren't busy, and set up for three days. Mick had booked a private boat charter for the following morning so we spent some time making sure we had everything ready for an early start. We considered dinner at the pub which is just across the road from the caravan park but decided against it when we found out it was a fundraising night - not because we didn't want to support the cause, but because we didn't want to be amongst a crowd. That's just us - we prefer quiet nights.

On Saturday morning we rose early and walked down to the boat ramp to meet our guide Alex. We hadn't been out with him  before so hoped he would be able to meet Mick's birding needs. He asked about target species and discussed his plan of attack. There are numerous boat tours on the Daintree River, with most focussed on crocodile spotting. Some also cater to birders, but going out on a private charter meant that we could spend as much time as needed to get the great shots. Alex was knowledgable and accommodating, and Mick managed to get some new species for his year list. 

It was a perfect morning on the river

We were back in time for morning tea, and then I headed into Mossman for lunch with my friend Liz who lives there. While I was away, Mick had a rest as he was to go out with Alex again in the afternoon on a scheduled tour. Most of the boats on the Daintree cater to an extra trip for free, if they have room so Mick enjoyed a second session, which was good but not as productive as the morning one.

On Sunday morning we decided to cross the river and head up into the national park. The Daintree Ferry now costs $49 per vehicle, return, so it can be an expensive exercise, but it's the best way to get to see  the ancient rainforest where it meets the reef. The alternative route is via the inland route and down the Bloomfield Track - not really viable as a day trip.

We left the caravan park fairly early and drove to the Daintree Ferry for the short trip across the river. The Daintree River area suffered significant damage incuding flooding following Cyclone Jasper in December 2024 and the after-effects are still visible, including major roadworks. We weren't in a hurry so it didn't bother us. We turned off to go to the Jindalba Boardwalk and Trail, but it was closed for repairs so we continued on to the ice cream factory. Famous for its tropical flavours we were a little underwhelmed by the offerings available that day. There were some tropical flavours, but only in a prepared cup with four varieties all together. Everything was already in cups with no opportunity to "mix and match". Despite this we did enjoy our chosen flavours - coconut and choc chip for me and chocolate for Mick.

From there we drove further north to the Marrdja Boardwalk. This one was open and meanders through lowland rainforest to a mangrove-lined creek. Of course we spent a fair bit of time there looking to photograph birds. We timed our departure well as a large tour group were just starting down the path as we were leaving. We then headed to Dubuji Boardwalk, which was also closed for repairs. We had hoped to have lunch there but the picnic area was also closed. We returned to Thornton Beach and had  lunch in one of the picnic areas there, before finishing with a short walk on the beach.

Thornton Beach - nice to walk on but definitely no swimming

We returned to the caravan park and had a quiet afternoon before heading out again to drive some of the back roads looking for birds. There were plenty of Rainbow bee eaters, but not much else. We decided that we would have dinner at the pub, and fortunately for us, it was pizza night and fairly quiet.

We were up early to set off back to the Atherton Tablelands so that Mick could keep an appointment he had in the afternoon. We left in plenty of time to include a short stop at Abattoir Swamp for morning tea.

Granite Gorge

 23 - 25 April 2025

Back on the road after three weeks house sitting we were keen to head to the coast, but the weather was against us once more, with lots of rain forecast for the next day, so we made up our minds to have a night at Granite Gorge. West of Mareeba, it's in dry country so doesn't get the sort of rainfall seen on the coast or other parts of the Tablelands. 

Driving towards the nature park we noticed that the area was condiserably greener than usual. We checked in and selected a spot before settling in for an afternoon of reorganising things in the camper trailer. We went for a walk in the late afternoon to see the Mareeba Rock Wallabies that make the gorge their home. The population looked a little healthier than the last time we visited, and there were a number of young ones hopping about.

Bags of wallaby food
are available to purchase,
making them quite friendly

The following morning we checked the weather forecast and saw that there was more rain on the coast so decided to delay our departure by one day. The caravan park wasn't busy so there was no problem to extend. Later in the day we drove in to Mareeba to pick up a few things and also to cast our Interstate Absentee votes in the Federal election. Back at camp and we finished our reorganising and again went for a walk in the gorge. 

We needed to set off the following morning as we had a booking at Daintree Village, so we were glad to see the forecast for the next few days was for clear skies. We left Granite Gorge and headed towards Mount Molloy, and then down to the coast.

Lake Eacham - House Sit

 3 - 23 April 2025

When we first started out on this latest journey we considered the possibility of doing some house sitting while we waited for our house to be built. We registered with a well-known company and received a number of responses. Unfortunately none were suitable in terms of location and/or dates, until we found a homeowner ad for a three week sit at Lake Eacham at about the time we figured we would be back in the north.

We made contact and were eventually accepted, met with Frank and Pauline to go over logistics and receive all the information we would need. We moved over from Atherton and set about establishing a routine which included looking after a small flock of chickens, as well as a geriatric cow. Most house sits include a dog, so we were more than happy to have a cow instead. Circe didn't take much looking after - just some hay in the afternoon and check she had access to water.

Early morning fog 

Being at Lake Eacham we were central to most places we like to visit so were able to get out and about in the mornings, and be home to let the chooks out to free-range after lunch. We went for a couple of walks around Lake Eacham itself as well as Lake Barrine. We also took another drive out to Mount Hypipamee crater as well as numerous visits to Hasties Swamp.

One morning we set off early for a birding and shopping trip to Cairns. We drove down the Gillies Highway and visited a number of special spots including the turf farm near Gordonvale and the boat ramp on the eastern side of Trinity Inlet. Mick was chasing some new birds and he scored 2 out of the 3 he was after. From Gordonvale we headed into Cairns to pick up some new camping gear and then went down to the Espanade for lunch and a walk. By then it was time to return "home" to tend to the animals.

We had three weeks at the house sit and enjoyed the luxury of a proper home for that time. It gave us the chance to get some life admin done, and to be out of the rain for a while. On our last day, we packed up ready to go once the homeowners returned from their early morning flight into Cairns. We had a bit of a plan for the next week, but still had some decisions to make. We made Atherton our first stop, to pick up supplies and some odds and ends, then headed towards Mareeba.

Atherton

 23 March - 2 April 2025

Before we left Cairns to return "home" to the Atherton Tablelands, we made one last visit to the Esplanade in search of birds, then packed up and were on our way. We made the usual stop in Kuranda for a walk around and a coffee, before continuing on to Atherton.

We checked in to the caravan park close to town, where we have stayed a few times. It is one of the best kept caravan parks we have visited and the bonus is that there is lots of birdlife around. The down side was that the rain we had been experiencing for more than two weeks, was forecast to continue. With that in mind we chose a site with a slab, close to the amenities.

We had originally planned to stay for three nights but decided we might as well stay for the ten days we had left before our house sitting commitment in Lake Eacham. We were glad we did as the rain continued on and off for the whole time, including a couple of nasty thunderstorms. There was significant rain across most of the state so we couldn't have escaped it anyway.

Lake Eacham has long been a favourite spot

We did all the usual things while we were in Atherton - Hasties Swamp, Petersen Creek, Mount Hypipamee Crater, a walk around Lake Eacham, and this time we went on the cruise around Lake Barrine. The Lake Barrine Tea House had a special on the cruise - free for over 65s in April so we took advantage and were very pleased we did. We've been on this tour a number of times and each time the guide had told us about the resident python that is "usually over there", but not when we've been there. This time there were four pythons spotted! Success at last!

Dinner Falls in Mt Hypipamee NP

Lake Barrine Teahouse seen from the cruise

We were lucky that on our final morning in Atherton the sun was shining after a very loud and heavy thunderstorm overnight. We were able to get the canvas mostly dry before packing up, knowing that we would be able to open the camper trailer once we were settled in at the house sit.