Townsville

5 October 2023

We reluctantly packed up and left Kurrimine Beach early so that we would have some time to linger a little longer on the way back to Townsville. We had to meet the real estate agent at 1:00pm so kept an eye on the time as we travelled.

Our first stop was a detour into Mission Beach – another long-time favourite place. We walked on the beach and found a coffee shop for morning tea. From there we continued back to the highway and south through Cardwell, stopping at the Hinchinbrook Channel Lookout. We made it to Frances Creek Rest Area, just south of Ingham in time for a quick lunch and then it was back to Townsville – and home for the time being. We’ll be “house bound” for a while, but can’t wait to get out and start filling in some of the gaps on the map.

So..some stats –

• We travelled over 40 00 kilometres
• We were away from Townsville for almost 2 years
• We drove on 6 iconic roads - Strzelecki Track, Oodnadatta Track, Mereenie Loop, Gibb River Road, Kalumburu Road / Mitchell Plateau Track, Birdsville Track, Nullarbor
• We camped in caravan parks, national parks, conservation parks and reserves, free camps, pubs, community campgrounds, roadhouses, rest areas, showgrounds and on a friend’s property
• We spent 6 nights at sea – crossing from Victoria to Tasmania and back 6 times
• We stayed a total of 60 nights in 22 different National Park Campgrounds
• We camped by rivers, lakes, beaches and gorges; in forests, mallee, mulga, desert, savanna; in towns, cities and in the bush
• We stayed in cabins, cottages, houses and units in 14 different locations
• We spent time is all states –
• Qld – 31 nights
• NSW – 5 nights        
• Victoria – 73 nights 
• Tasmania – 295 nights
• South Australia – 97 nights
• Northern Territory – 90 nights
• Western Australia – 120 nights
• Mick went on 4 pelagic boat trips and 5 other bird tours
• Together we went on 5 tours – Murray River Sunset Cruise (Waikerie), Lake Argyle Sunset Cruise, Dinosaur Adventures (Broome), Yellow Water Cruise (Kakadu), Danggu Geikie Gorge Boat Tour (Fitzroy Crossing) 

This map shows all the
major trips we have done since 2014

Kurrimine Beach

4 – 5 October 2023

We left Cairns and headed south towards Kurrimine Beach. Because it’s a relatively short drive we decided to detour via Etty Bay, just south of Innisfail. Cassowaries are often seen near the beach at Etty Bay and we were hoping to add to our bird list for the trip. We drove down to the beach and made morning tea – all the while hoping for one of these magnificent, huge birds to come wandering along. Unfortunately there were none around that day.

We jumped back in the car to return to the highway and were very surprised and pleased to see a cassowary wandering along the edge of the road a few kilometres away from the beach, adjacent to some rainforest. We did get a good look but by the time we were able to turn the car (and camper trailer) around, it had disappeared into the bush. At least we were able to add it to the list.

We moved on to Kurrimine Beach and arrived at lunch time. The caravan park was fairly full even though it was late in the tourist season and we ended up in a spot near the road with little shade. It wouldn’t matter for one night but we were glad we weren’t staying longer. During the afternoon we went for a walk along the beach – always a favourite activity – and observed heaps of coral spawn washed up. Coral spawning occurs once a year after a full moon, generally in October or November and when sea temperatures are right. It appears there may be some healthy reef in this part of the Great Barrier Reef.

It has become our habit to go out for dinner on the final night of our long trips so we had chosen to stay at King Reef Resort and Caravan Park, which just happens to have a very nice on-site pub bistro. We sat outside to enjoy the view and were entertained by some of the local curlews who wandered around the tables.

We left early the next morning for the final leg of our almost two year journey – returning to Townsville to make a new home (for now at least).

Cairns

30 September – 4 October 2023

It’s a relatively short drive from Yungaburra to Cairns so we stopped in Kuranda for a look around and a coffee. Towing the trailer makes parking a challenge but there are a number of long vehicle parking bays one street back from the main street. We were early so found one easily. Disappointingly, when we returned later, every other spot was taken by a single vehicle.

We drove down the Kuranda Range and arrived at the caravan park in time to set up and have lunch. This park allows check-ins for powered sites from 11:00 am – very convenient and helpful. We had stayed at this one before and chose it again as it is on a creek, has lots of shady trees and a lovely pool.

Mick had a number of things on his Cairns wish list so we had a fairly full schedule planned, most of it involving photographs of birds. We started with a drive to the mouth of the Barron River at Machan’s Beach. The tide was out quite a long way so Mick had a bit of a walk to get close to the birds there.

On Sunday morning we headed into The Esplanade – always a favourite spot and usually a great place to photograph birds, if the tide is right. It wasn’t, but we had a good morning visiting Rusty’s Market, walking along The Esplanade and having an ice cream. We also did some grocery shopping while we were in town. Later in the afternoon we walked along the creek out of the caravan park and into Goomboora Park. This lovely, “rainforesty” park was being well used by locals to fish, walk, exercise dogs, cycle and play.

On Monday morning we set off early to Catanna Wetlands. Once part of a cane farm, and sand quarry, this environmental park has been rehabilitated into a fabulous network of walking tracks and wetlands, with a number of viewing platforms, bird hides, seats and BBQ areas. We spent a few hours spotting birds and enjoying the surroundings. Later in the day we visited the Cairns Botanical Gardens but the sandflies were biting so we didn’t stay long. After the Botanic Gardens we returned to the Esplanade where Mick met up with some fellow birders – including one he had met on a Pelagic out of Eaglehawk Neck. As always the locals were very generous with their information and shared photos of a rare sighting – a laughing gull. Despite everyone’s best efforts it wasn’t seen again – but they did have lots of photos to prove it had been there.

On Tuesday morning we made another early start – this time to the Mangrove Boardwalk near the airport. We knew from past experience to expect sandflies there so we were well prepared with long pants and shirts, as well as heavy duty insect repellent. Even so they managed to find those exposed parts of the body that hadn’t been smothered in spray. It was still a great walk along the boardwalks above the mangroves. Late in the day, we went back to the Esplanade – again – just in case the Laughing Gull returned. It hadn’t, but it was a nice afternoon there anyway.

We had one more night before returning to Townsville so decided Kurrimine Beach would do us nicely, so that’s where we headed when we left Cairns.

Yungaburra - Lake Tinaroo

27 – 30 September 2023

We had never stayed at the caravan park on the lake at Yungaburra and were pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome, even though it was well before usual check-in time. We were also allocated a site just as requested – not too far from the amenities. To top it off the site had a view of the lake in two directions.

We went for a couple of walks down by the lake and enjoyed some lovely weather while we were there. It was busy with families but we had a site on the end of a row, the amenities and camp kitchen, so didn’t feel hemmed in. There was a long weekend coming up and the park started to fill up on Friday afternoon.

While we were on the Tablelands we took the opportunity to catch up with friends who live in Mareeba. Bill and Kerry drove over to have lunch with us at a very nice restaurant in Yungaburra. We hadn’t seen them since we left North Queensland two years ago, so had lots of stories to share. Bill took Mick out for a paddle on the lake early one morning – a new experience for Mick. We also visited our favourite Lakes – Eacham and Barrine and went for a short walk at each. It was late in the day when we went to Lake Barrine this time and there was plenty of parking.

We still had at least a week before we had to be back in Townsville so we decided on a few days in Cairns before heading south again.

Granite Gorge

25 – 27 September 2023

We stopped for lunch in Mareeba, at the park near the Visitor Information Centre then set off for Granite Gorge. I set the GPS for our destination even though we were fairly confident we knew which way to go, and hadn’t travelled far when we realised that, once again, the “crazy woman” was leading us astray. We backtracked and found the correct turn-off.

We checked in and chose our powered site and then the real trouble began. We had packed up in between showers and the canvas was still very wet – and that had led to quite a bit of water getting inside the camper. The mattress and bedding was quite wet around the edges. In the past we have been able to dry things off easily by lifting the mattress slightly and directing the fan onto it but this was much worse than anything we had experienced before. I drove back into Mareeba to buy a larger fan, and also a hair dryer.

Back at the camp we pulled the mattress out of the trailer, set it on the table in the sun and used the new (small and very cheap) hairdryer to dry it out. It took a while, but it worked. We didn’t use the fan so we returned it on our way out of Mareeba a couple of days later.

We had a quiet evening after quite an energetic afternoon. Granite Gorge is home to a unique marsupial – the Mareeba Rock Wallaby so in the morning we walked down to the part of the gorge where they can be seen easily and fed – if you buy the feed at the reception. Mick spent a bit of time wandering the grounds photographing birds, and we also went for a walk along the creek that runs beside the unpowered camping area. It was school holidays and there were lots of families visiting.

We thought we might stay for three nights but decided that two would be enough so we booked a site at Yungaburra for the next few nights and moved on.

Malanda

22 – 25 September 2023

We stopped for a late lunch at the rest area at Forty Mile Scrub and then continued on to Mount Garnet. We pulled into the caravan park, but despite the glowing reviews, we found it underwhelming, so continued on to Ravenshoe.

The community run caravan Park in Ravenshoe looked really nice, but it was full and there were only spots in an unshaded paddock. Because it was still quite early we decided to go to Malanda. We’d stayed there a number of times before and knew it would be a good spot. Being a Friday, and school holidays, we called ahead and were told there was a spot available.

When we arrived we were actually given a choice of several spots and we chose the one in the corner of the park near the falls, backing on to the rainforest. As we sat having a Friday drink we caught sight of something moving at the back of our camp. To our delight we realised it was a couple of Lumholtz Tree Kangaroos! Mother and baby skirted the edge of the trees, then climbed one where we could watch them for a few minutes. This was a truly special experience.

On Saturday morning we drove over to Yungaburra – as luck would have it we had arrived on markets weekend. First we went for a walk along Petersen’s Creek and down to Frawley’s Pool. This tranquil spot is named for a local school teacher who taught children to swim there in the 1950’s. We then walked back along the creek and across the suspension bridge – looking for birds the whole time.

From there we went to the famous Yungaburra Markets. Always busy, and with lots of local produce, food and handicrafts, we enjoyed wandering around. We bought a few things then went back to Malanda for lunch. There was some rain in the afternoon and more forecast for the coming days, but nothing too drastic – so we thought.

On Sunday we drove over to one of Mick’s favourite spots – Hastie’s Swamp, near Atherton. The two level bird hide allows good views of the swamp where there were many different varieties including heaps of Magpie Geese. Once again we headed home for lunch and then a drive to Lake Eacham in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day so we also had a walk to the Malanda Falls – adjacent to the caravan park.

Unfortunately the rain started in earnest during the night and by morning we had a significant amount of muddy puddles to contend with. The original forecast that had indicated “0 – 6mm” of rain, had been revised twice and was now showing “0 – 15mm” so we had to decide whether to stay and wait it out, or move to a drier location. More rain was forecast for the next 5 days so we chose to move on. Packing up in the wet is never fun, and we had the added complication of the sticky red mud. Thankfully the rain had stopped briefly so at least we weren’t wet. We managed to get everything done and reluctantly left Malanda bound for Mareeba, on the dry end of the Tablelands.

We visited Platypus Park near Atherton looking for birds, and hoping for a coffee, but the café was closed. Devonshire Tea at Lake Barrine was our next choice, but with no designated long vehicle parking, and the parking area full we drove back in to Yungaburra where we enjoyed a very late morning tea at one of the cafes there.

Back on the road and we stopped at “The Humpy” at Tolga for some fresh fruit and veggies, as well as some treats, then continued on to Mareeba.

Hughenden

21 – 22 September 2023

Leaving Boulia early we discussed our plans and both agreed to scrap the next part of the trip due to the weather. We would forego Opalton and birding near Lark Quarry, in exchange for some time on the Atherton Tablelands and along the Tropical North Queensland Coast. We both felt this was a fair and sensible swap, and that we could come “out west” during Autumn.

We made a number of birding stops, including at the old Hamilton Hotel historic site and had morning tea at Middleton before continuing on to Winton. We met up with friends Wendy and Jay who had a rare couple of hours off, so we joined them for lunch at the café in the Waltzing Matilda Visitor Centre.

After a quick round of the grocery store, we hit the road again with the plan being to stay the night in Hughenden, before moving on the Atherton Tablelands. It was still in the high 30’s when we arrived in Hughenden so we sat in the very well-appointed camp kitchen before setting up our overnight camp.

We had no need to be up so early, but we still managed to get packed up, buy groceries, meat and fuel and be on the road before 9:00am. We planned to drive to Mount Garnet, along the Kennedy Development Road, just because we’d never been that way before.  We called in to the Porcupine Gorge Lookout along the way. We had thought about camping at the gorge but with the heat it wouldn’t have been pleasant, and way too hot to walk down into the gorge.