Opalton

 24 - 25 June 2025

We picked up a few supplies, fuelled up and set off for Opalton - in search of the Opalton grasswren. The road is mostly unsealed, but was in reasonable condition. We stopped a couple of times to look for birds and then also to collect firewood. We knew the nights would be cold so wanted to be prepared.

We headed to the community campground - Opalton Bush Camp - and selected a site adjacent to a carport shelter. This would give us some shade and meant we wouldn't have to use the awning. The shelters look like they have been erected to collect water as each has a water tank attached. There are toilets and showers heated by a donkey boiler, but no power. It would suit us nicely for the night. 

Great set-up at Opalton

Mick set off in the afternoon to do some birding, unfortunately without much success. He returned in time to have a shower and get the fire going. Most campers come to Opalton for the fossicking, and they are a friendly bunch.

Mick headed back out in the morning, before we packed up and set off for Lark Quarry. We had booked to do the tour at 2:00pm so were on a bit of a deadline, but figured we would make it in good time.

Winton

 22 - 24 June 2025

We had arranged to meet my sister and her partner in Winton so set off after restocking and fuelling up again. The drive from Hughenden was uneventful, and we arrived just on lunch time so went and had a picnic in the park before checking in to the caravan park.

We went for a walk in town and then later in the afternoon set off to do some birding at the sewerage treatment works. Unfortunately, we couldn't get close enough to see the water so we continued on and drove down to Pelican Waterhole. After a lot of recent rain there was a fair bit of water, and lots of birds around so Mick was happy.

Late afternoon at Pelican Waterhole

One of the main attractions in the area is Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, which we had visited 10 years ago. There has been some further development so I was keen to go again. We had booked our visit to also include a trip to Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways in a couple of days time. Bronwyn and John had also booked to visit both places.

We were all booked to start our tour at 9:45am with the March of the Titanosaurs, followed by time at Dinosaur Canyon. This exhibit has been added since our last visit and, as with the others, was fantastic. The dinosaur tracks have been painstakingly moved from their original location in a nearby creek bed. It's fascinating to discover how they were found, and what the tracks tell paleontologists. Dinosaur Canyon contains many models of dinosaurs with information about the habitat in which they would have lived. We could have spent a lot more time exploring this part of the complex.

One of many life-sized replicas in Dinosaur Canyon

Our next tour was to the fossil preparation room - probably my favourite. This is where volunteers process the fossils found in the local area. There are so many fossils waiting on shelves to be revealed, our guide said that it would take ten years to get through them all, without bringing in any new ones. 

The final tour was the collection room where the story of how Age of Dinosaurs came about. Graziers David and Judy Elliott had the foresight to contact the Australian Museum when they found what they thought might be dinosaur fossils on their property. Further exploration revealed some unique finds. From humble beginnings the Age of Dinosaurs was born, and continues to grow. In my opinion this is one of the best tourist attractions in Australia, which continues to grow and support research of global significance. 

On Monday night we went for dinner at Tattersall's Hotel for a celebration dinner with Bronwyn and John, and John's sister. In the morning we would head to Opalton and perhaps meet up with them again but nothing was definite.

Hughenden

 20 - 22 June 2025

After a restful night at Porcupine Gorge, followed by the rather strenuous walk out of the gorge, we headed off to Hughenden. Before checking into the caravan park, we drove down to the recreational lake for lunch. Last time we were there it was very windy and it was exactly the same this time.

We moved on to the caravan park and settled in for an afternoon of phone calls and chores. We submitted an insurance claim for the accident with the kangaroo even though we weren't sure what damage may be hiding behind the "smart bar".

The following morning we went for a drive to Mount Walker, about 10km south of the town. There are a number of lookouts, all fairly close together, that give fabulous views of Hughenden and the surrounding countryside. This was our first visit to this location and we were quite impressed with the way it had been set up with lots of information explaining aspects of the landscape.

A short drive for some great views

We did some shopping which included visits to the op-shop, butcher, baker and supermarket. Hughenden is a reasonable sized town where most needs can be met. We also fuelled up at the unmanned, and cheapest, servo before we left in the morning.

Porcupine Gorge National Park - Pyramid Campground

 19 - 20 June 2025

We started the day with a flurry of phone calls, discussions with fellow travellers and internet searches to establish that the route we needed to take was indeed open. We set off along the Kennedy Developmental Road and had only travelled about 15km when a kangaroo bounded out of the long grass and onto the road right in front of us. Mick yelled "watch out" just as I spotted it. I slammed on the brakes but it was too close and I hit it. I can't have been going too fast as the air bags didn't deploy and the roo hopped away - no doubt seriously injured.

We stopped and looked for damage but could really see any. The "smart bar" we had fitted a few years ago seemed to have done its job. Back on the road, a little slower this time,  checking to see there were no warning lights and everything seemed ok. The car was driving normally but as we increased speed a rattle appeared. We stopped to try to find out what it was and discovered that the smart bar had moved slightly, making it difficult, but not impossible, to open the bonnet. We stopped twice more before Mick found the source of the rattle - a plastic piece near the mudguard. He did a "bush fix" and we were back on our way. 

At first we had thought we might need to go straight to Hughenden to get someone to look at the car, but we figured it would be ok so we continued on to Porcupine Gorge where we has a campsite booked for the night. We'd stayed at Pyramid Campground a couple of times in our tent camping days, but this would be the first time in the camper trailer. It looked like the site we had booked had a fire pit so we stopped off along the way to gather some fire wood.

We found our site and it was just perfect - some shade and a fire pit, not too far from the toilets and  a short walk from the gorge itself. We were a bit stressed after our accident so just relaxed through the afternoon and decided to tackle the gorge walk in the morning.

We enjoyed a campfire while we warmed up some soup for dinner, then had an early night. In the morning we set off on the gorge walk at about 8:30am and, as expected we found the walk into the gorge to be relatively easy. There was quite a lot of water in Porcupine Creek so we spent a short time relaxing by the creek before tackling the return journey. The walk back is certainly a challenge and we needed to make a few stops along the way. 

The Pyramid looms large over the gorge

Once back at camp, we had morning tea, then finished the packig up and headed off towards Hughenden.

The Lynd Junction - Oasis Roadhouse

 18 - 19 June 2025

We drove from Cairns to Mareeba where we stopped to fill the water tanks and empty the toilet, then continued on towards Atherton. We stopped for lunch at Rocky Creek War Memorial Park, a very popular free camp, with a good day use area. From there we drove on through Herberton to a birding spot in Wondecla. We had let our friends in Ravenshoe know we were on our way, but we seriously miscalculated our timings.

We arrived at Rob and Cheryl's and stopped for a chat and to pick up some things we had left there. It was then we realised that if we didn't leave by 3:30pm we would be driving in the dark. There aren't many options the way we were headed and we had decided on the Oasis Roadhouse which we had heard served cold beer and excellent burgers.

We jumped in the car and headed off for the 2 1/4 hour drive to the Lynd Junction, arriving just as the sun was starting to set. We managed to get the camper set up as the light faded. We had high hopes, but found the campground to be very disappointing. We camped in the unpowered section which was at the opposite end of the grounds from the amenities, meaning a very long walk to go to the loo. 

We ordered burgers and drinks and found a table on the deck to have our dinner. It was Rugby League State of Origin night so there were lots of people and the pre-game show was on the huge TV screen. My burger was OK but Mick's was overcooked - maybe even cooked and then reheated.

Celebrating a birthday with a cold beer

The following morning we agonised over whether we would be able to get to our next camp at Porcupine Gorge National Park. The Queensland Transport app showed the road open, GoogleMaps showed it as closed, our neighbours saw the closed signs the day before, the Queensland Transport website didn't show anything in the list view, but hazards were shown in the map view. So much for relying on a government department!

In the end I rang Etheridge Shire Council who confirmed that road was open, but had been closed for while the day before due to some flash flooding. With that information we were able to head off down the Kennedy Developmental Road, otherwise known as The Lynd. 

Cairns

14 - 18 June 2025

We left Etty Bay and decided to make our first stop Eubenangee Swamp just north of Innisfail. There is a walking track that meanders along the river before climbing to the top of a grassy hill for a view of the swamp - one of the most important wetlands in the Wet Tropics of Queensland. 

Fabulous views of the swamp after a bit of a climb

After our walk we decided that Bramston Beach would be a good spot for lunch as we were already half way there. We found a nice park where we had a picnic and then went for a short walk on the beach. 

We arrived in Cairns and set up at a caravan park that we have stayed at several times before. Although it is about 20 minutes from the Esplanade the grounds and adjacent creek have lured us back a number of times. Unfortunately the weather forecast had changed to include a day of very heavy rain.

On Sunday we drove to Catanna Wetlands and walked along many of the tracks. This is always a good spot for birding, and a lovely place to go for a stroll. There are a number of bird hides, as well as tracks around the lakes and through the grasslands. 

You know you're in Far North Queensland

We had chosen Cairns as our destination so I could attend a medical appointment which took up all of Monday morning, then it rained in the afternoon. On Tuesday, when some very heavy rainfall was forecast we decided to take a chance and go into town to visit the spot where an owl was likely to be seen, as well as to go to the Esplanade. We met up with a couple of local birders who were more than happy to share their knowledge of the owl's habits, including exactly where it would most likely be seen. It wasn't in residence that morning, but Mick was hopeful he might be able to spot it on a future visit.

As it was morning tea time, we drove down to the Esplanade for ice-creams at our favourity gellateria. From there we went for a bit of a walk and spotted a couple of Nankeen night-herons. Mick didn't have his camera so we had to walk back to the car to get it. Fortunately one of the birds was still there and happily obliged by posing to have it's photo taken.

The rain had held out and we were able to get out again in the afternoon to pick up some more supplies for our journey into western Queensland. We set off on Wednesday morning, which was Mick's birthday, with a plan to stay somewhere with a pub where we could have dinner and a couple of drinks to celebrate. 

We left the caravan park and before heading "up the hill" towards Kuranda, drove down to have a look for the owl again - and there it was, just waiting to have it's photo taken. Mick figured that was a good birthday present. From there we finally left Cairns, on our way to stop off in Ravenshoe.

Etty Bay

 12 - 14 June 2025

We chose to go to Etty Bay because we had the car booked in for a major repair at Toyota in Innisfail, and because of cassowaries. Mick has lots of photos of this magnificent bird, but he is always chasing the perfect shot. We left Atherton after lunch in the park and drove down the Palmerston Highway, arriving in Etty Bay mid-afternoon.

We pulled up at the caravan park reception and as I stepped out of the car, there was a cassowary only a couple of metres away from me. Naturally Mick grabbed the camera while I checked in. Eventually he was able to drag himself away long enough to set up camp.

The welcome cassowary

We realised there were two cassowaries active in and around the caravan park and beach and spent a lot of time trying to photograph them. One was more than happy to come right into our camp - looking for food. Feeding cassowaries is strictly forbidden, but that doesn't stop them helping themselves to whatever they can find.

On Friday morning we drove in to Innifail to drop the car off and pick up a hire car. On the way we saw a young cassowary on the side of the road  but didn't stop for photos. On the way home from Innisfail we drove down to Mourilyan Harbour for a look. There's not much to see, but we did see yet another cassowary on the side of the road on our way back. That made four for the trip - most times we have only seen one.

A spectacular moonrise was an added bonus

We were only going as far as Cairns then next day so took our time packing up, in between photograpy sessions. We left around 10:00 and headed north.