We cross the Daintree river by a cable ferry. The river is renowned
for its population of man-eating salt water crocodiles (known as
'salties'), but there are none to be seen today. Beyond the river, the
roads have a very low speed limit of 40km/hr in order to protect the
dwindling population of cassowaries, a large rainforest bird with a big
hard growth out of the top of the head; we do not see any :-(
Tea harvester in action near Daintree River.
In the evening, Denise and I go on a guided 'nocturnal nature walk'
which is a less than thrilling experience. The bright moon keeps many
creatures in hide, our guide yaps incessantly thus scaring off any
animal for miles around. All we see are a few frogs, spiders and yabbies
(fresh water crayfish) in the creek. While driving the bus, the guide
completely ignores the speed limits; we later hear that the next night's
trip begins with the bus running over a snake which is hardly in the
spirit of a National Park. Still, at least we got some exercise for our
30 dollars.
Graffiti can be fun ! Is it a camel or a speed bump at Cape Tribulation ?.
All of the Queensland coast has featured verdant sugar cane fields,
with many of the towns having sugar mills. Back in Bundaberg I got to see the rum
distillery attached to a sugar mill, but today in Mossman I got to see a
sugar mill itself. This was fascinating to me and was like a step
back into a previous age, such was the vintage of many of the machines
being used. It even features a steam engine driving one of the mills,
with the whole place being powered by the combustion of dried cane waste
known as bagasse.
Mossman Central Sugar Mill still uses a steam engine to drive its crushers.
With our newly chilled vehicle, we hit the highway south from
Cairns to Paronella Park. This is a strange and fascinating manmade
creation amidst the endless sugar cane fields. It was created by an
imaginative Spanish immigrant back in the 1930s, and featured an early
hydroelectric generator, ballroom/cinema, castles, tree lined walks and
pedestrian suspension bridge. For many travelers this is an oasis of
calm admidst the tedium of the long drive from Cairns to Townsville.
Spanish castle in Queensland ?? Paronella Park is full of surprises!
Fancy a refreshing dip ? Waterfall and swimming hole at Paronella Park.
From here we have a long drive inland through the Atherton Tablelands to Undara, which is marketed as 'The Accessible Outback'. Due to my dawdling and interest in every machine that we pass on the road, we arrive at Undara well after dark. The last hour is especially hazardous with mobs of kangaroos and cattle wandering onto the dark road in from of us. The last 20 kilometres of the trip is on a bone shaking dirt road which tests the car and occupants to the limit; we are relieved to arrive safely.
We have driven all the way out here to see the awesome 'Undara Lava Tubes'. These are huge underground tubes created by the cooling lava flow from an ancient volcano. They are up to 30 metres in diameter in places and are accessed through holes where the roof has fallen in. The tubes snakes across the outback for 110 km and are clearly visible from space, as lust rainforest thrives wherever the roof has collapsed and the plants can enjoy the water which rests here after the occasional rains.
As well as the Lava Tubes themselves, the area abounds with wildlife. There are more wild grey kangaroos than you could shake a stick at and we also get to see a snake, something which has been eluding me for months.
After our outback experience there is a 420 km drive back to the
relative civilization of Townsville. About 100 km of this is on a
seriously corrugated dirt road and some experimentation shows that this
is best tackled at 80 km/hr at which speed the car glides smoothly along
the crests.
Undara Lava Tube with thriving rainforest.
My one and only snake sighting at Undara.