Undara Lava tubes...history vs. pride.

The Undara caves are certainly something to see.  Created 190 billion years ago.  We have the LONGEST lava tube in the world.  That's what unique about this one.  And the only reason they even found it,  is because of the collapsing of the tube along the way and someone realized what it was from an aerial shot.

Some of these caves are about the size of Carlsbad Caverns, in Texas.  It's history and geology was explained by a very keen guide who's  love for this area showed,  as he carefully explained to his American tourists. (6 of us)

If you look very carefully to the left of the tree, you can see where the lava tube veered off into a different direction.  The fig tree roots have extended themselves about half way into the cavern.  And yes there were bats, but only those small insect eating kind.

There's kangaroos and wallabies galore around here.  Below are 3 grey kangaroos.  Can't  spot the third one?..He's off to the right of the picture.  He kind of blends in.  And we were supposed to be having an evening tour, but a fierce electrical thunderstorm came through, so we stayed in the van waiting for the rains to stop.  It must be video night.

And while we had an interesting time in the "tubes", I do need to let you know that I ''bit the dust'' as they say.  I'm not sure what happened, but I fell flat on my face in the dirt and landed directly on my camera.  Scratched the camera, bruised my sternum, a few scrapes here and there, but mostly my pride and dignity took a beating.  I looked like I crawled through the cave before I was even IN the caves.  And I'm okay, it's a little hard to breathe at times and if I raise my hand up to a certain level, the pain is sharp.  But other than that, I'm okay.

With these rains tonight, it should clear the air a bit in the morning. And while there's no reception, I'll write the blogs. But for right now, I'm off to watch a Steve McQueen movie with my sweety.

Unwinding at Undara......

Well, here we are,  at Undara Lava Tubes in  far north Queensland.  We're sitting in the caravan, WITH the air conditioner on.  It's nearly 10am and it's already 35 deg. C.  That's little over a 100 deg F for the Americans.  It's going to be a HOT one today.  And we're both sitting here listening to music and writing up all of our Christmas cards.  We're due to go on the tour to see the Lava tubes at 1pm.  It should REALLY be blistering by that time.  But I've been told that the caves should be cool.  So what better way to spend the afternoon? ( and what better way to spend the morning!)

We left Ravenshoe after I did the laundry and Chris worked his new phone out.  I don't know, we've had a few problems with electrical equipment on this trip.  First I blew the fuse when I plugged the 12V connector on the TV.  Thankfully, Robert found it and helped us out that way.  Then the car phone charger blew it's fuse.   Blew?....well, MELTED it, is more like.  It was hotter than I could handle and it melted the fuse.  And not only did it melt the fuse, but it must have melted the connector that's in the phone, because the phone couldn't charge after that.  So we headed BACK into Atherton to buy a new phone.  And then for some reason, it wasn't showing that we had reception at Ravenshoe, while both of our computers WERE showing almost full reception.  So Chris went BACK into Atherton again to fix that while I stayed at the van and washed clothes.   But we left yesterday right after lunch and got here late in the afternoon.

This is an interesting place, but it seems a bit too hot to enjoy it.  We finally got the van settled into our spot and booked our tours in.  As I walked up to the Amenties block I noticed that there were these holes in the ground.  Not little ant holes,( yes, there was LOTS of those as well) but LARGE holes.  Round....like snakes.  I was a bit dubious looking at these.  I came back to the van and asked Chris.  And in his usual style, replied,...'they're not snake holes, but spider holes!  and you should SEE the SIZE of THOSE spiders!"..uh boy, here we go.  For those of you who don't know Chris well, he's a bit of a larrikin.  In English, that's fibber, storyteller, jokester, prankster, etc.  So needless to say, I didn't believe him and I also understood that he didn't know either.  Either way, I wasn't going to stand around waiting for whatever lived in them to come out.

And on Chris's way to the amenties block he came across a rather LARGE grey male kangaroo.  He was over 6ft tall.  Both startled each other.  And then late last night, there were wallabies galore, hopping around the whole caravan park.  Not as many as the golf course at Mareebra, but still enough to entertain you.  And this morning they're still hanging around.

I do have some more pictures to put on as well.  For those of you who are new to my blog, on the right hand side it says ''more photos''?  click that and it will give you a slideshow to view all the photos I take and that way you don't have to listen to my ''waffling''.

The elusive Cassowary...I GOT IT!

Before I forget, here is the elusive Cassowary.  There's heaps of conservation areas for them, but we had been up here for days and never saw one.  That is,..until we were leaving the Daintree.  This one is a mum as she had the baby behind her on the ridge.

 

On the previous trip a couple of years ago, the only cassowary we saw, disappeared into the forest before I could even get my camera out.  So I was quite pleased that I got a fairly decent picture of her.

From Cairns to the cooler Tablelands..

I really like Cairns, but I REALLY like Atherton Tablelands.  It's the mountain range behind Cairns.  The air isn't quite as humid as the coastal region.  I have deduced that I'm a 'mountain' gal.  I like the green trees, the cooler climate, and less population.

 

We ended up staying at a spot called Lake Tinaroo just outside of Atherton.  It is THE spot to be.   We started off in the caravan park.  So that first day we looked at alternative sites around the lake itself and then we headed back into Mareebra to tour a coffee plantation.  Very interesting that.  As we drove through Mareebra on our way to the plantation, Chris spotted these on the local Golf course....

 

Kangaroos.  And LOTS of them.  They were all huddled around 3 or 4 trees in the shade and keeping cool.  ''Only in Australia'', I said to myself.

 

 

 

 

 

Skybury, the coffee plantation, supplies 60 % of the 80 % of coffee to Australia.  We toured the plantation and had a coffee taste testing at the end of the tour.  Very nice.  The most impressive thing about the plantation, was not ONLY the coffee, but the bathroom.

  There was a pond that interconnected the Men's room and the Lady's room.  No roof over head, so it was exposed to the elements and yes,....there WAS fish in the pond.  It was cool.  I loved it and told Chris I want one of these in our bathroom.  Somehow, I don't think it's going to be practical though. (sigh)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did eventually find a spot on the lake and we spent 3 days there and loved it.  I've decided a house right on the lake would be wonderful.  That first day we got there, the water was like glass. We only had two other couples each side of us and they left the following day.  So we were eventually by ourselves for a little while. 

As you can see, the water IS like glass, but that soon changed.

 

 

 

A storm started brewing up and we waited and watched it form for most of the day.  By around 4 or 5 o'clock, it hit.  Fierce winds whipped the awning around.  I had already put some of the gear away as I watched it coming across the lake.  But WE were a little late getting the awning down.(....note:...I didn't point any fingers?) Rain pelted down and lightening flashed across the sky.  Awesome in it's power as it headed towards the coast.  So we hunkered down for the night.  The following morning, the water again was like glass.  Woohoo!!  we get to go SWIMMING!!!!  So we filled up the floaties and headed for the water.  It was great!!!   I really like the lake to swim in.  It reminded me of Shasta Lake and Oregon.  Although, THAT water was too cold to swim in, this, however, was not.  It was a PERFECT temperature.  We spent most of the day in the water and my sunburn tells me that we must have had fun.  By Friday, the park started filling up with people.  And by Saturday morning the foreshore was filled with people and lots of kids and boats.  The end of school had come and families were on holidays.  That was the day we went fishing with our Barramundi expert guide, Jason.  He took us around to the other side of the lake where it was a bit quieter.  But unfortunately there wasn't even a bite....oh!...let me take that back. We DID get ONE bite.  Chris NEARLY got a good sized barramundi, but it cut the line before he could reel it in.  This was the one that really DID get away.  And we didn't get a bite for the rest of the day.  Oh well,....it turned out to be one of those days where the fish weren't biting.

So we ventured back to the caravan and decided to get some groceries and have dinner.  So off we into town we went.  Chris's biggest comment was "the girls are SO friendly here".  Very impressed with their intensity and focus on customers,  being an 'ex' sales manager.  We even went to the local Chinese food place recommended by the cashier.  ''No reservations?...no problems...we'll put you here!''  RIGHT AT THE FRONT DOOR.   I told Chris that we were at the 'MEET N GREET' table. I was beginning to think I should have dressed better, but it was too late.   However, the food WAS GOOD and it wasn't too bad sitting there as the guests (those WITH reservations) came in.  They had a full house that night and I can understand why.  Very nice food and nice ambience too as you watch the sun go down through all the windows and the sky turns a midnight blue. 

And now we're off to Casey's (Rob's girlfriend) hometown of Ravenshoe.  That's pronounced Raven's hoe,..not Raven shoe.  Eh~..50/50 chance and I got it wrong. We came into town here and the Sunday markets were on.  Along with a steam train ride.  The steam train museum is where the ''caravan  park'' is.  It's ALSO where the Sunday market was held.  So we drove THROUGH the Sunday Markets, caravan in tow, and waited for the markets to break up so we could unhook our caravan.  And then we headed up the tracks on the Steam train!  It was a nice trip.  A bit of cool air and a bit of history as well, from one of the locals, and we ended the day up at the local pub and had a 'counter' dinner while we watched the thunder storm pass over.

Tomorrow, we're off to Herberton to see the historic mining town and back into Atherton to fix the mobile phone car charger and possibly get a new phone.  We've had a few problems with electrical goods on this trip, but they will get sorted out.  At least the fridge is working again.  We've discovered that the battery for the fridge can run for a couple of days, but after that, we need to recharge batteries again.  ah well,...it's all a learning trip.. right?

Cape Tribulation and the Daintree,...the Garden of Eden

We're here at Cape Tribulation within the Daintree National Forest.  This is one of God's chosen places.  If you were ever going to picture the Garden of Eden, this place would be it.  It's where the lush tropical rainforest meets the ocean.  The warm humid breezes carry the soft noise of the crickets and cicadas.  It's where you can hear the gecko's ( little lizards that like the night lights) calling out to each other at night.

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, we got in around midday.  So we travelled down to the ice creamery where we had homemade ice cream with the two mini buses,  loaded with tourists.  We each had a scoop of  blueberry, banana, and a tropical fruit one called soursop, which tasted a bit lemony.  Ice Cream always goes down well.   And then we walked through one of the many boardwalks along the mangroves, wondering if we were going to see a crocodile or two.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning we got up and headed up to Cooktown.  The 100 klm drive to Cooktown  was predominantly a dirt road and 4WD access only.  And Chris was informed by the local businessman, that it had only just been graded, so all was good.  The drive was spectacular as we drove through some of the nicest creeks and along the crest of the ranges.  We had morning tea near the Bloomfield river where we watched a man get ready to set sail for the open sea.  The cloud cover turned the ocean grey, but I knew that it would eventually break and the colour would change.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                           Then on to Cooktown, we stopped in to have a cup of coffee and share a Lamington while we watched some of the locals feed the mullet (fish) and the sea gulls some bread. 

 

 

 

 

We watched some local fishermen bring their catch in to clean and get ready for  the day's delivery.   We also threw a line in to see if we could catch a fish or two.  Chris caught the only fish today.

He had several bites on his line, while I caught at LEAST four ''rock'' fish. Hrrmph!  And as the day warmed up, the water was calling out to me.  Unfortunately, if the crocs don't get you, the stingers will.  So showers will be the call for the end of the day.

We ate our sandwiches under a big shady tree away from the green ants which are said to have a very nasty bite.  And then we headed back.  There were a few more people on the road this time, which kicked up a bit of dust here and there. 

 

 

 

 

 

And I was right, the clouds cleared up and the ocean had turned an azure blue. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A good day was had by all.  Now, we're preparing to get ready for our trip to Lake Tinaroo on the Atherton Tablelands.  Hopefully, we can catch some fish there.  Otherwise, it might be hot dogs for tea.  And I still haven't found the elusive Cassowary yet.  There's signs everywhere to be on the look out for them, but we haven't seen one yet, but my camera is at the ready.

As we prepare to leave Cairns

I like Cairns.  It reminds me so much of Hawaii.  The green mountains that back up to the city itself.  The houses that dot the mountain side trying to capture the breeze.  The swaying palm trees, and lush tropical flowers.

We've had a lot fun here.  We went snorkelling on Wednesday at Green Island.  The island itself is literally a dot on the map.  It's a one hour trip across the bay to a little spot on the Great Barrier Reef.  We collected our flippers and goggles, along with a 'stinger' suit.  Similar to a wetsuit, but much, much lighter.  It still makes you look like a penguin, but it's very comfortable.  We saw lots of coral.  There was Brain coral, Table coral, blue coral, purple coral, and lots of fish.  I kept thinking, "man, I'd like to go fishing HERE!"  but of course, it's a marine park,..so NO FISHING.

We were in the snorkelling area for about 1 and half hours.  When we got back to the island, we headed for the beach to snorkel there as well.  Both Chris and I got bit by the same brazen fish.  Obviously I was in it's territory and it was letting me know quick smart, that I wasn't welcome as it bit my pinky finger.  As I came up and was telling Chris about it, he just looked at me like...."  huh, what?"  and then HE got bit by the same fish.  He was shocked that the little fish went after him.

We had come ashore to wash down and have a cool drink before heading back to the mainland.  Chris ordered potato wedges and a Coke to snack on.  The local bird life was helping themselves to the table next to us.  And as I picked up a chip to take a bite, one of those birds flew up at me and grabbed the wedge chip in my hand.  Startled the heck out of me and Chris.

So like the many other tourists on board heading back to the mainland, we had a little kip. 

And yesterday,  we took a trip up to the Morris dam.  The view of the city of Cairns was spectacular.  And we stocked up with water and food, along with re-organizing the cupboards.  This morning we're off to Cape Tribulation and the Daintree.  HOPEFULLY, I will finally get my photo of a Cassowary.  The last time I tried to take a shot, he ducked into the bushes before I could get my camera out.  And maybe we'll even see a croc or two.

A day looking around Cairns...

We had some opportunity today to look around Cairns.  So we headed to places we hadn't seen yet.  There was a town just outside of Gordonvale called Yarrabah.  The signage was hard to find on the highway, so we had to use Moneypenny, the Navman. (er...Navlady?...no,..maybe G.P.S.)  She led us straight there.

The last time we were in Cairns, we sat on the boardwalk at the marina and looked across the water and thought about the road that would lead there.   So,...this time, we decided to have a look.

The drive into Yarrabah was very nice.   There's cane crops tucked up against the base of the hills and the sea breezes blow in from the south.  Some of the houses backed onto their own private beaches.  Unfortunately, you can't SWIM on these beaches as there's crocodiles that inhabit the area.

 

 

 

 

 

Yarrabah is an aboriginal community that's tucked right around the penisula and then some.  Very well laid out, all beach frontage with forest behind it.   The view from the top of the mountain facing out across the town is just how I pictured Fiji to be.  Very tropical with only a few streets.

Later in the day we headed back into Cairns and started looking at houses.  Houses?...well, you know...how the 'other half' lives.  Well, we  were actually looking at their gardens for ideas on what to do with our yard once we get back to Hervey Bay.  I've  figured it out.  Hire a landscaper and then a gardener.  Easy!  ....okay.  Maybe not.  And out of all the ritzy houses we saw,...this is the one that caught Chris's eye.

Please notice that that is a shipping container with MILLION DOLLAR  views.  It sits on the edge of the escarpment and overlooks  the WHOLE of Cairns.  It tickled Chris's funny bone.

And then.....as we headed further north to the Northern beaches area, we started looking at houses to BUY?!!.....What?!...we just BOUGHT a house and now you want to move to CAIRNS?!!  a little shanty on the beach?  Hmmm...sounds enticing, but I don't know.

                                                                                                

    

Nice spot,...but I don't think so.  Not just yet.  Let's think about this first. 

 

So as we relax into what's left of the afternoon, he's busy checking  out house prices online  and I'm playing with ideas for gardens and landscaping.

The magical and mysterious North Queensland....

One place that was a MUST for revisiting was a place called Tully. It's one of my favourite places in Australia. As you pass the banana plantations and fields of cane, the green mountains reach out to pull you into their magical arms, calling to your soul. There's a real special feeling about this gorge.

When we visited this place two years ago, it was a must for us to see again. The moss covered boulders and rainforests, along with sound of the river running brings you to a place of serenity. It was about 5 deg. (C) cooler than Townsville and VERY humid. Threat of rain was imminent, but then it's also known to be the WETTEST place in Australia too, receiving nearly 4 metres of rain per year. And once we set up camp, we headed straight for the river to cool our bodies down. Our first thoughts on cooling ourselves became intermingled with fear. Fear of crocodiles, fear of the river rising at any sudden moment, fear of bugs, snakes, and any other creepy crawlies that might be in the vacinity. But once my feet hit the water, all fears subsided as my body relaxed. This is the coolest I've felt since we left Springbrook. And I slept like a baby. That was, until about 3am when the rains came and I was scrambling to close window vents. But apart from that, it was extremely peaceful there.

The following day we headed out to Mission beach, which was sadly lacking due to the weather conditions. For some reason, without blue sky, you lose the whole effect of the blue sea and the islands offshore don't have that appeal. And as we found out, the Mission beach area is a conservation are for Cassowaries which abound, even though we didn't see any on this trip. Only in signposts and business signs. So we headed back inland and ended up at a place called Paronella Park.

This place was built by a spaniard named Jose Paronella in 1931 to 1935. He loved castles and wanted to build one for himself and his family. He built it all by hand, piece by piece. And while it's not on the grand scale that the Hearst castle was built, it has it's own charm and magical quality.

This once was the patio where those in the ballroom could come and relax in the cool night air.

And this is the waterfall that caught the eye of Jose so that he could build his dream. It's a natural causeway that not only has helped him to create his dream, but also nearly destroyed his dream. In 1946, this place was devastated by a torrential flood nearly wiping out everything he had created. The turret you seen on the right side was completely covered with water gushing over the top. But today, this place still stands in loving memory for those who had the courage to build their dream and those who are still inspired by that dream.

And as we head further north into Cairns, we now need to sort out all those things we missed on our last trip and to explore uncharted territory. So a trip to Green Island is on the cards for a bit of snorkelling and walking.

Interesting times in Townsville....

Well, it certainly has been interesting here in Townsville.  We've been kept busy with so many things.  You wouldn't think for two retired people we could be kept so busy.

We got into town last week.

 

This is the view from the caravan park we're staying at.  Just opposite Magnetic Island.  Nice tropical spot.

 

 

 

Even the local sparrows found a nice little cubby hole to settle their family into.

But that didn't last too long as the demolition team got in and pulled it apart and filled it with an empty Burger King Bag.  So Mr. & Mrs Sparrow were forced to find other accommodation.

 

 

The warm days and nights isn't something we were used to, so we've tried to acclimate as much as possible....... by spending the day in air conditioning,.... as much as we could.  So we've been to the malls, watched a movie, gone to the river to do fishing......in the shade.  We've had ice cream on The Strand. (boardwalk)  But all in all we are having a great time.  It's been extremely relaxing.

The famous Melbourne Cup has come and gone.  I placed my annual bet and won.  To date I still haven't gone in to cash in my winnings.  And right after that happy and exciting news, we discovered that someone backed into my car and damaged the headlight.  Hrrmph!  I put this down to the Yin and Yang of life.  It comes in and goes out,  like the tide.  Ah well.

And while we've been here, Tillie has put on a very special performance for Jenny's neighbours and has now been evicted from Jenny's backyard.    So with a quick phone call to friends Jeanette and Merv, they've rescued Tille who desparately needed constant companionship to ease her stressed out nerves.  And with guilty relief,  Jen and Scott delivered Tillie to Jeanette and Merv.  But it's all good.  I just hope Tillie will WANT to come home with me after all the loving that Jeanette and Merv will give her.

And while we've been here catching up with Robert and his new gal Casey, we got to meet her mum and new step dad.  Robert is in heaven.  Very domesticated already and there's talk of babies on the horizon.  Both seem to be very dedicated in their chosen careers.  Rob needs to finish his apprenticeship out and Casey has one more year of University left.  And there's talk of moving to Darwin after that.  I had hoped they would move closer, not further away, but I don't see that happening soon.  Maybe when the grandkids come.

And in the meantime, during all this,  we've dropped the Scout off to get it's paintwork done.  Chris FINALLY picked a colour and that's DONE!!  I've never seen anyone stress so much over a colour before.  If he asked me once, he asked me a thousand times,.."what colour do you think I should paint the scout?"  AAARRGH!!!  I TOLD YOU!  "Why do you keep asking?!"   SO!...The colour is called Neo Blue.  The roof is going to be blue as well, not white.  We originally started off with red body and white roof, and it's all changed now.  But with agony .. and reluctance, Chris finally made his choice.  And while he frets over the Scout, he's now frustrated cause he has a BROKEN Landcruiser.  You just can't win.  Both will be fixed in time and BOTH will be pretty again.  And both will be parked at the OUTSIDE of the carparks from now on, so they don't get damaged.

Well, we had a fish today in the river, but no bites on the lines.  So we settled for Cold Rock Ice Cream on the boardwalk and a nanna nap this afternoon.  

Oh!  and we bought a little LCD TV for the caravan.  And after Chris attached the base of the TV to the stainless pull-out tray, I put all the plugs into the TV and promptly zapped an electric line that runs the water pump, two lights, and basically one side of the caravan.  So with a call to our second year apprentice son, who sounded reluctant to help, we now wait to see if we have to have an Auto Electrician have a look or if Rob CAN help out.  We THINK it's going to be easy, but not sure.

We have four more days here in Townsville.  Tomorrow, the Landcruiser is having racks put on the roof while we spend two hours waiting ....AT THE  MALL ...in the air conditioning.  And being female, I certainly don't mind that one bit.  I might send Chris off to the OTHER side of the mall while I 'girl' shop, otherwise he'll be over my shoulder, harping..."what do you need that for?" " we don't need that, you already have one.""don't buy that, you can get it cheaper elsewhere" blah, blah, blah blah,...I think Woolies has earplugs.........