Queensland continued

Rockhampton to Cooktown

Rockhampton ~ June 29 - July 4

It’s a long way from Dalby to Rockhampton.  We try not to drive more than 300 kms a day so this trip of six and a quarter hours meant a stop at Theodore in a camp at the showgrounds for a small fee collected by a lady who came around with her QR code and a purse.  Theodore was established in the 1920s as part of Queensland Premier Ted Theodore's ambitious Dawson River Irrigation Scheme which failed to eventuate. It was originally known as Castle Creek, but that name is now used by another locality in the area.

The shifting black soil of this part of the country causes a thing apparently known as porpoising.  The undulations in the highway were incredible. We were on the Leichhardt Highway and it went on for miles and miles, up and down.  Not very comfortable driving with a caravan tagging along behind - also going up and down.  There was carnage in the caravan after we stopped, with the keys normally held in three racks hanging in holders on the wall, scattered around the floor.

Five and a half weeks in and we are not half way there yet.  It’s such a big country!!

Pinch out for the detail!

We’d been really lucky with the standard and space at the caravan parks we’d chosen.  However it was a different story at Rockhampton.  Called the Riverside Holiday Park the sites were incredibly tight. It was totally booked out so no flexibility about where to park.  Laurie’s very good at parking the caravan but this site was challenging.  To get in he had to manoeuvre the van wheels over some garden edging.  It had been done before by the state of the edging.  And above, the trees were not trimmed back as they should be in a  caravan park.  We were concerned for the solar panel on the roof.  In saying all this, the facilities were adequate and clean so that’s always a plus.  

Mt Archer at 604 metre above sea level rises above Rockhampton. Our drive for a look over the city was rewarded with a lovely bush walk and really lovely views.

The bush from the boardwalk on Mt Archer and the woodland on Mt Archer

This handsome chap was content to rest on the log for ages

The hills in the distance from Mt Archer lookout reminded us of The Paps near Mansfield

Yeppoon

Whilst staying in Rockhampton we headed off to have a look at Yeppoon which was about a 40 minute drive away but quite pleasant.  The waterfront has been well designed to get to the beach which is lovely for visitors.

Easy to see it’s winter!

Our circular drive from Rockhampton Yeppoon Rockhampton (about an hour and a half) took us through Emu Park. There’s a beautifully created memorial nearby called Bell Park.  A singing ship reaches quite majestically to the sky and commemorates the area’s legacy of the historical explorations of Captain James Cook, who discovered and named Keppel Bay in May 1770.  There are concealed organ pipes in the structure which use the wind to play.  Unfortunately the wind wasn’t in the right direction for us to hear any singing.  

The plaque commemorating two hundred years since Captain Cook discovered Keppel Bay

In the same area is a stunning war memorial. 

This artwork depicting the second wave of the landing at Gallipoli in 1915, is designed and mounted in such a 

way as to line up with the horizon behind, with the islands depicting ships off shore.  It’s quite brilliant. 

Local artist Noel Brady collaborated with British military painter David Rowlands to produce the work. 

Artist Bill Gannon created this interpretation of Australian WW1 photographer, Frank Hurley’s iconic photo of troops trudging 

along duck boards to relieve their comrades. The figures are in galvanised steel set against red/brown rusting cortex steel 

screen. At night the light shed from the base creates an eerie early morning image as the figures become apparitions.

This is the iconic photograph which inspired Bill Gannon to create the work depicted at Emu Park

At Rockhampton Zoo - below is pictured the ‘Colonel’, - this 4.3 metre long saltwater crocodile was born in northern Queensland. After taking livestock from farms and being a threat to humans he was relocated to a crocodile farm in central Queensland as a breeding male.  He proved to be too aggressive towards the other crocodiles so was transferred to Rockhampton. Zoo.  He is about 500 kgs and estimated to be between 40 and 60 years old.  Large saltwater crocodiles can slow their heart rate to two to three beats per minute which allows them to stay underwater for up to an hour waiting for prey!

A beautiful blue face honey eater has adapted to frequent the little cafe at the zoo.

These fruit bats roosting in, I think it was a jacaranda tree, were supposed to be sleeping 

but they were surprisingly noisy

The patterns in the trunk of this palm or tree fern, I’m not sure exactly which, were stunning.

Next to the Zoo is the botanic gardens.  What was so interesting about this space was it was so different to what we are used to in Victoria.  

The stand of ferns and Kauri Pine provide a lovely shady space in the summer

Part of the bamboo walk

A bountiful date palm in the gardens

The striking memorial at the Botanic Gardens

The war memorial is beautifully done on a raised mound in the gardens. The obelisk is 20 metres high and 

made from Gracemere Grey granite. At each of the four sides is a small hedged planting 

commemorating each branch of the services.

Mackay ~ July 4 - 5

For many kilometres we drove past sugar cane crops in various stages of maturity.  Most were flowering, like this one.  The cane is harvested between June and November-December and it’s big business.  The cane can be between two and four metres tall when ready for harvest.

The cane trains run on a very narrow gauge line next to the road. They are very long and pulled by 

large yellow engines.  More about sugar cane later.

We’d booked into the Discovery Park at Mackay and as usual it was of a very high standard.  It was lovely not to be crammed in like we were at Rockhampton. The park itself was located near the Pioneer River.  It was so relaxing to sit on the water’s edge watching the sun go down after a big day’s driving.  

Strolling along the waterfront in the caravan park was this banana tree and in flower too. 

                                                              

And this beautiful red flower.  No idea what it is but it looks magnificent

And there was also this date palm in fruit which was tempting

And that's not all....

This tiny spider was oblivious to walkers along the path on the harbour walk. Ms Google says it’s a Spiny Orb Weaver - Richmond supporter on the top and Collingwood supporter underneath!  He looked like a stealth fighter.

          This Purple Swamphen has huge feet and above right, thanks to my Pizzey and Knight, Birds of Australia, 

this is an Australasian Figbird

Upgrading of the waterside walk along Mackay Harbour is terrific. We walked for several kilometres

We always keep an eye on the news for the changing COVID19 situation in view of where we want to go.  We had booked into Townsville but with an outbreak announced we decided to cancel, and like Sydney, skirt around the city.  

Giru - one sleepless night!

Giru (pron. hard G-roo) seemed like a good compromise travel-wise, being 45 minutes south east of Townsville.  It was a free camp in the showgrounds.  What we didn’t know was that there was a sugar mill about 200 metres from the campsite!  So what, you ask?  The thing is we were travelling in the middle of the harvest and the mill works 24 hours a day.  And it is noisy.  It was so noisy I took some sound readings.

This reading was taken from the step of the van, the noise seemed to get louder as the night progressed.  I think they ramped up production because power is cheaper at night!! That’s my thought anyway.  I can only imagine how loud it would be right at the building. In a work situation noise above 85 dB for longer than 20 minutes requires 

ear protection to be worn.  If only we'd known!!

The Wilmar Invicta Sugar Mill celebrated 100 years of operating at Giru in August.  A third of the workforce lives in and around the town.  They must be used to it!  We didn’t sleep at all well that night and were so pleased we weren’t staying any longer.

The Invicta Sugar Mill pumps out steam produced during the processing of raw sugar.  

We found the Australian Sugar Heritage Museum at Mourilyan.  It was well worth going through as it answered all our questions about the production of sugar including the history of the industry in the early days and a display of early equipment used.This narrow gauge loco was built in Leeds in 1883.  It was used to construct the mill's first tramway and to haul cane to the Mourilyan Harbour.  It is the last surviving patent drive in the world. One of three specially designed to handle inclines.  It was designed to pull 35 tons up a radiant of one in 55.

For the technically minded:

At right a 500 horsepower steam driven engine.One of the largest steam engines on display in the southern hemisphere it was built in Scotland in 1950 and operated until 1986.  The piston has a diameter of 2' 6" with a 4' stroke.  It is huge.

Bananas

A roadside banana stall selling bananas for $1.90 per kg by the honour system. Weigh them yourselves and pay in the tin.  Awesome. There was a little camera in the shelter but I don't image Pinkerton Security would be monitoring it! 

In Cooktown bananas were $4.99 per kg at Cornett’s IGA supermarket.

Banana trivia - A single plant can produce bunches of bananas, but not the "bunch" you see at the grocers.  A single banana is called a ‘finger’. A grouping of attached "fingers" make up a "hand" of bananas. Multiple hands that grow in a cluster are called a bunch or stalk—a bunch of bananas may contain three to 20 hands!

We wondered why bags are used to cover the bunches on banana trees?

Bagging consists of placing a cover over the bunch to protect the fruit against damage caused by insects and other animals, by rubbing against the leaves or by the application of chemical products.  This innovation is attributed to Carlos Gonzales Fajardo in 1956 in Guatemala.  

In checking this out there was another clue: keep your green bananas in a sealed plastic bag if you want to eat them in a week. Sealed plastic bags act as a barrier to keep out oxygen and delay ripening. Without the oxygen, the chemical process of ripening cannot occur.

Innisfail July 7 - 8 

On the way to Innisfail from Giru through Ingham of course it started raining.  Our first rain fall was during the night in Rockhampton.  But Ingham, Tully and Innisfail have a reputation for rainfall.  In  bucketed down from Tully.

By the time we got to August Moon Caravan Park at Innisfail the rain had stopped which was great.  I’d imagine there’s nothing worse than setting up in the rain.  On July 7, (our 48th wedding anniversary), the bureau recorded 109 mm of rain at Tully.  And then it stopped, which we were quite happy about.

We wanted to go to Etty Beach as we’d heard Cassowaries had been sighted there.  We weren’t disappointed.  On the way into the bay this southern cassowary wandered in front of our car, completely oblivious to us.  We couldn’t believe it as the last time we’d been in Queensland in 2016, in the Daintree, we only heard a rustle in the rainforest where we were walking.  Didn’t even catch a glimpse although others in front of us did.  Seeing this bird so clearly and so close was awesome.

Etty Beach was worth the drive in through the rainforest.  

Wandering along the beach we were ever mindful to watch out for crocodiles

On the way back we were treated again to a sighting of a cassowary.  It was several kilometres away from the first one so we were thinking it was a different bird.  And looking more closely at the photos just now, the cones (or casques as they are called) on each bird are totally different.

We were glad to be in the car as they can be quite dangerous, attacking if they feel threatened.  They are important for the rainforest as they eat large seeds whole.  As they are quite nomadic the seeds are distributed widely.  It’s very sad that they do sometimes get hit and killed on the roads.  

Cassowary trivia - They are an incredible bird.  The adult southern cassowaries, which we saw, are 1.5 to 1.8 m tall, although some females may reach 2 m and weigh 58.5 kg.  They run at up to 50 kph and can jump 1.5 metres.  They are good swimmers including in the sea.  They can live to between 40 and 50 years of age.  Cassowaries have three-toed feet with sharp claws.  The second toe, the inner one, has a dagger-like claw that can be 125 mm long.  This claw is particularly fearsome, since cassowaries sometimes kick humans and other animals with their powerful legs.  The male incubates the eggs and raises the chicks and can be very protective of their young.  

Near Innisfail, Paronella Park has an amazing history.

Because we'd had such a heavy downpour of rain we went searching for a waterfall.  We found Mena Creek Falls which plummet down a rock wall at Paronella Park - which is an interesting place with a chequered history and a lot of hardship.

On 5ha beside Mena Creek Falls Jose Paronella built his castle, picnic area by the falls, tennis courts, bridges, a tunnel, and wrapped it up in an amazing range of 7,500 tropical plants and trees (now a lush rainforest!).

A potted history of hard work and tragedy:

Jose’s death in 1948 left his wife, Margarita, daughter Teresa, and son Joe, to carry on.  Renovations and maintenance meant there was always plenty of work, and the floods of 1967, '72 and '74 further added to the load.  In 1967 Margarita died, and in 1972, Joe died, leaving Val and her two boys to continue the hard working tradition and keep the dreams alive.

The Park was sold out of the family in 1977 and sadly, in 1979, a fire swept through the Castle. For a time, the Park was closed to the public.  Cyclone Winifred in 1986, a flood in January 1994, Cyclone Larry in March 2006, and Cyclone Yasi in January 2011 were all further setbacks and challenges for Paronella Park.  It’s a wonder it is still in existence after all of that.

Mena Creek Falls were at their best the day we visited.

There's a swing bridge across the creek. I'm not good with swing bridges so I gave Laurie my camera and 

I watched from the bank!

The Sarah Johnstone River running a banker. Mena Creek feeds into it. The river then runs through 

Innisfail from the south.  It joins with the North Johnstone River coming from the north at the Innisfail CBD.

There's an elaborate flood warning system in Innisfail!

On the way to Cooktown

Not far from Innisfail the landscape changes completely

We decided on the inland route via Atherton, Mareeba  and Lakeland to get to Cooktown.  It was the biggest drive of the trip so far, being well over five hours.  

Cooktown here we come

Cooktown ~ July 9 -13 

The goal of our trip was to reach Cooktown.  We ticked that off our bucket list.  Now to explore!

Welcome to Cooktown - beware of the crocs!

This huge termite mound is right in the middle of town

ANZAC Memorial Park in Cooktown

Grassy Hill is an elevated lookout to the north of Cooktown. 

To the left is the Endeavour River which runs out to 

meet the Coral Sea. 

The Leopard Tank entered service in 1977 for the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. There were 103 purchased.

A quirky design for the public toilets at the memorial park.

In 1770 Captain Cook and his ship the Bark Endeavour ran aground near what is now known as Cooktown.  He and Botanist Joseph Banks climbed Grassy Hill to discover the location of the reefs they would have to navigate through once the ship was repaired.  They anchored in the Endeavour River for repairs and about six weeks later continued their journey.

The lighthouse (built in 1895) was purchased by the people of Cooktown, when the government of the day threatened to decommission it in 1985.  After an Australia-wide campaign the government relented and sold it to the townspeople for $100.

A wireless station (1913) and later radar station (1942) were also located on Grassy Hill.

Our ‘home’ in Cooktown

We were able to book into the Peninsula Caravan Park which wasn’t our first choice but turned out to be fine.  Hand written receipts and low-tech equipment but everything was clean so that’s the main thing.  We were tucked away at the rear of the park which suited us just fine as we had heaps of washing to do and it’s always best to keep a tidy site when camping.  We extended our stay by a night as there’s so much to see and do around Cooktown.

Roast lamb from Dalby nearly done.  It was soo good.

We became quite good at unhitching the van and getting set up.  And we're in a good routine to pack up and hitch up for departure.  There were a few little hiccups though. I left the step down one time and a little vent window slightly open another time.   No harm done but I did revert to going through the check list.

Then there's the inside.....

Compact but very functional - fridge on the right - TV  beyond the micro wave, skylight over the bed to
watch the stars!!

Below left the dining 'room', the table unfolds and at right the 'en-suite', including a mini washing machine which was fantastic to have on board. The shower is to the left of the hand basin.

Under the bed there's a lot of space: on the left the diesel heater which keeps us warm when we free camp. Then at right under the spare solar panel are six IKEA 'boxes' for storage of jackets, wine etc anything not required daily. Then the two tubs are for footwear. The bed lowers over them.  Thanks to our friend Maz Dowling for her many space saving hints.

Outside there's also two lockable 'bins', one holds the two gas bottles, the other the ramps and chocks, the screens, the matting and water hoses.  The tunnel boot, accessible from either side of the van holds the Weber, its stand, fishing chairs, hose broom, camping table, and a tub with water filter, clothes line, blocks for the legs to stand on and an extra step for easy access to the van.  In the back of the Isuzu Laurie made a housing for the car fridge, his drill kit  and a drawer which is full of stuff used every time we set up camp.  The best thing Laurie uses is his drill to screw in long screws which hold the guy ropes in position.  Saves on hammering and also saves a lot of time.  

A free camp during our trip

James Cook Museum

If you only do one thing in Cooktown make it a visit to the National Trust James Cook Museum.  The building itself, a former convent, is fascinating to see, apart from the really well told tale of Captain James Cook’s impact on the area.

There’s a wonderful interpretation from an indigenous perspective too.

The James Cook Museum located in a former convent and below part of the 

display of Endeavour relics

The Cemetery

A wander around a cemetery is always very revealing giving a clue to the early lives of the townspeople.  The headstone below left is particularly poignant, with five infants included but none named.  And at right a 42 year old accidentally killed on the ship the Spey and six months earlier the accidentally drowning of his 7th son, aged two years and eight months.

  

 The buildings

    Cooktown has an abundance of historic buildings which have been preserved really well.  These are all in the main street.

Cooktown History Centre - is a treasure trove of information presented really well

And the quirky Driftwood Cafe

Elim Beach

Elim Beach leads to the coloured sands but you need to drive along the beach.  

The tall coloured sand cliffs line the beach 

This hill on the way to the beach looked like it was covered with patches of snow but it is 

actually very white sand.

The Milbi Wall (Story Wall)

To acknowledge the significance of the first known European contact with the Aboriginal people of the area, Cook Shire Council decided to have a Memorial to tell from an Aboriginal point of view.

Council invited local Aboriginal people to tell their story in ceramic tiles and build a Story Wall right at the spot where, in 1770, Captain James Cook and his crew first set foot.

The Milbi Wall was developed by a group of local Aboriginal artists and storytellers, with assistance from a well-known potter and the Gungarde Aboriginal Corporation.

The 12 metre long Milbi Wall was built in three sections.

Part one explains the Creation Stories and shows how the Endeavour River and Cooktown were made.

Part two commemorates the first historic meeting between Aboriginal people and Captain Cook and his crew. It traces the history of Aboriginal people from the early settlement times and the gold-rush days, until the Second World War.

Part three depicts the important 1967 referendum when the Australian people overwhelmingly recognised the right of Aboriginal people to equality with all other Australians and it shows the advances Aboriginal people have made as well as recognising the problems they have faced.

On the foreshore where Cook first stepped foot is the 12 metre Milbi Wall.

Below two panels from the wall.

Sunset cruise

We were grateful for the suggestion we go on a sunset cruise.  We would have been even more grateful if we’d been told it was BYO 😄.  It was a fabulous tour which included cheese and biscuit platters with Riverbend Tours.

The Endeavour River at sunset

No crocs here either!

The cruise was a lovely way to finish our week at Cooktown.

Our trip so far

One day we may return to Cooktown. It was wonderful.