Final day around Atherton

No photos again today.

Up and about at a reasonable hour then some breakfast. After breakfast, I thought I had better just do a check around the Bravo and the Karavan to ensure I had not missed any problems. All seems fine.

Later in the morning, after chatting to some fellow travellers, I went to Gallery 5 cafe for my usual muggacino and, for a change, some banana bread. I had a read of the Courier Mail newspaper and caught up on newspaper news.

After the coffee, I went to Woolworths to get some items for Kevin and Liz who I am going spend a couple of nights with. While there I bought a few packs of meat which should just about get me home.

The next stop was Big W where I located an appliance to enable me to make toast on the gas stove. While there I surprised a former Alstonville friend, Marie. I had not seen her since she moved up here to start a new life. She was really surprised to see me and we had a great chat and catch up.

Next I went hunting for filters for the Bravo as it is getting very close to needing a change of filters and oil. I first went to Auto Pro where I only managed to get an oil filter. My next stop was at Repco I was able to get anew air cleaner filter there but the fuel filters are either elusive or obtained from a Mazda parts source. On return to the Caravan Park, I replaced the air filter which was fairly dirty after its trip to and from Cape York.

After lunch, I did some reading until a fellow traveller, Ken, came over for a chat for a while. He is an ex Ansett employee and has been fully paid out after its demise.

Later in the afternoon, I went into town to Remedial Complete for a massage by Emma. She was quite a slight young lady but she is a very good massage therapist. She has helped loosen up a lot of muscles and hopefully this will help me along for a while longer.

After the massage, I then went and refuelled the Bravo and purchased oil for an oil change. I returned to the Caravan Park and commenced to pack up some of the unneeded items. 

All the day it has been drizzling and I heard on the radio that for most of the day Atherton received about 14 mm of rain. This is how it has been for the last couple of days and is not uncommon up here.

So that has completed my stay in Atherton and it is a lovely area with so many interesting destinations within a short distance of the town. Another place to return to some time.

Sunday on the Tablelands

No photos today.

After getting up at 0100 to watch the Wallabies play the Springboks and lose, I tried to go back to sleep which I did until about 0600. Then I rushed over to the laundry to do my washing that seemed to have accumulated rather quickly. I have found that unless you get in early there is a wait for washing machines.  Anyway, while this was occurring I had my breakfast and tidied in the Karavan. When the washing was done, I had to use the drier as there was rain today. So by about 0900 this was all completed and put away.

As it was raining, I thought I would do a little back tracking to fill in part of the day. I left with the intention of returning to Kuranda and revisited their markets which run every day unlike most other markets. I may have mentioned before that there is the usual run of items found at most other markets such as jewellery and clothing.

I had lunch at a German cafe within the market complex. It was probably quite healthy as there was a lot of vegetables along with a nice cheese/beef sausage and was adequate.

After lunch, I slowly made my way back to Atherton in the drizzle. As I drove back I was thinking how many diverse crops are grown in the area. Possibly growing beside each other are crops such as sugar cane, mangoes, wheat and barley, peanuts  and other legumes, corn, bananas, dairy and beef cattle as well as a large array of tropical fruits. Most of the crops are able to be irrigated. Not many districts could claim the diversity.

It is without doubt a beautiful area. The climate is so mild even if it does become misty/drizzly for a time. There is plentiful water in storage and it appears the area has a reliable rainfall to replenish it. The surrounding scenery is forever interesting with the mountains and colours along with the extensive WW II military history.

The rest of the afternoon was catching up on a little sleep and receiving several phone calls from family and friends. Sunday evening dinner was some left over pasta I cooked up last night.

A visit to Yungaburra and its surrounds.

A drizzly morning arrived so there was no urgency to go bike riding, in fact no ride at all.

I said farewell to the, former and current, Gunnedah contingent who were going to Cardwell for a few days. I most likely will catch Paul and Robyn again next weekend.

My first stop was for a muggacino at the Gallery 5 in Atherton. It felt a little cool but it was mainly due to drizzle and a breeze so I did not stay long outside for coffee. Then I did the short drive to Yungaburra.  The markets are quite large and obviously attract a lot of people. An amazinig array of items. There was nothing that took my fancy.

Next, I drove on to Lake Barrine which is very pretty. On the way there, I passed John and Jo from Cairns with their Karavan. I had a short chat on the UHF radio with them. Lake Barrine has attracted many visitors especially to the historic tea house. There were a lot of people around waiting to go on the cruise in one of two boats.

Lake Eacham is another of the lakes that have been formed by volcanic action a long time ago. It is well set up but without the teahouse. A walking trail around it is well defined. It was not hard to see fish and turtles in the very clear water.

After visiting the Lakes I went to Malanda and visited the Dairy Centre for a quick look. Quite a good historic display and general information centre.

The next destination was Gallo Dairyland. I had a nice lunch there and enjoyed the atmosphere. I purchased some nice cheeses after I had sampled them. Chocolate was not for me today. As it is close to town I may return to check the chocolate, too. They have excellent meals and very good cappacinos.

As I returned to Atherton, I went to the lookout as the low cloud had lifted and as I expected, the scenery was stunning. Lake Tinaroo, the irrigation dam on the Barron River, showed up in the distance with the mountains further back. The colours of the crops along with the cultivated land created a lovely patch work.

As I drove back to the caravan park, I explored some roads around the town to ensure that I had not missed too much. There is quite a bit of residential development about, some against the hills and the remainder a bit further away. Atherton is a town of around 12,500 people and appears to have most of the infrastructure needed.

The rest of the afternoon was taken up with some reading and relaxing.

Another day around Atherton

Up and about fairly early although it was overcast. Breakfast over and away I went for a bike ride. I kept around the town as I had attempted to do a couple of mornings ago until I lost gears on the bike. A fair amount of hill riding especially up to the lookout. It was all fogged in around the area so there was o scenic views around today.

After the ride, a shower and a few jobs to do around the Karavan. Then off to Herberton.

Herberton has a history of tin mining but there is a really good  Historic Village which was the centre of my attention this day. I spend some hour perusing the village. There are so many itmes there it is impossible to describe them all. The area that really intrigued me was the old school. Inside there were blackboards with a lot of items that took me back to my primary school days. Questions relating to our old currency. Memories came flooding back.

There are a lot of good historic buildings that have been relocated by enthusiastic volunteers to the current site. Inside many of the buildings are items from the past. Some exhibits include clothing, saddlery, blacksmithing, photography, sewing, stationary engines, old homes and cottages and many other items. One special exhibit, to me, was the competitive wood chopping display. It has always been an onterest to me.

Eventually, it was time to leave and I chatted with the lady who manages the village. She had many interesting items of interest to discuss.

I returned back to the Caravan Park for lunch which was late. Following lunch, I went to another intersting display, Tablelands Heritage Centre. It has many varied items that relate to farming on the Atherton Tablelands. There are various machinery items. Many of them brought back memories of my farming past. However, the vast majority of exhibits are more related to different indiustries to what I was involved with but nonetheless very interesting. Some ot the familiar items included a TD 40 International crawler tractor, Bedford truck and a Case 600 harvester. There were many other familiar items like hay equipment, cultivators and pumps. It is certainly worthy of a visit. 

On the way back I marvelled at the colour of the volcanic soil along with the crops that ere grown in the area. Some of the crops include corn, wheat, barley, sugar cane, potatoes and  dairying as well as beef cattle. It appears to be easily worked soil and with the misty rain around, almost anything could grow in the area.

Early evening saw me join with the Gunnedah contingent for happy hour again. It is so nice to chat with people I know and share our experiences both current and past.

Around Atherton

Today I started the day, after breakfast, with a bike ride up the Herberton Range which I am told rises from where I am staying to the top of over 400 metres in about 7 kms. That managed to get my heart rate up. On descent, I took a road that went to the east and eventually that brought me back into Atherton and finally back to the Caravan Park.

After writing the blog last night, I had a text from my former agronomist, Paul, advising me he and Robyn were in Atherton. I called to discover that we were only 50 metres apart and had not realised we were all here. Along with them is Graham and Glynis. I have known Graham since 1964. Last night I sat and chatted with Paul and Robyn for about an hour then off to bed. This morning I caught up with the other couple.

After a muggacino I went to visit a friend on a farm near Yungaburra. I had not seen Geoff for a few years let alone visit his farm before. What a lovely location with views of mountains almost from every window. I have a great time with him. One thing I did was stand on his scales and realised I have not put on any weight, yet! He assures me the scales are very accurate as his wife is a Doctor. 

After leaving Geoff and his farm, I returned to the Rocky Creek Memorial Park especially to take some photos for an old friend, Hod, from Coonabarabran. He told me he , like my father had been in the area during the Second World War. I located, I think, the correct memorial stones relating to his Unit. I also located some other remnants of the time such as a hospital ward concrete floor and the entertainment hut. There are a lot of relics still about although development is creeping over the areas.

Next I visited the Tolga Railway Museum. It is only small but it has a lot of items from the long and more recent past. While there the volunteer looking after the museum was full of interesting information.

My next stop was the IGA supermarket to get a few minor items. It is not as big as the one in Ballina but more than adequate. I had another coffee at Coffee Club before returning to the Caravan Park. 

Soon it was happy hour, or two, with the two couples, Paul and Robyn, Graham and Glynis. How nice it was to chat about people and families I know. So interesting hearing the local new after having left the Gunnedah area more than 14 years ago. They are all here for a few more days. 

Then it was time for a light dinner following a good nibble during happy hour.

Around Ravenshoe

This morning I was up bright and early not only to get a washing machine but also because the night had been cool. After some weeks in the warm weather, 24/7, suddenly cooler weather feels cold.

I set the washing machine away at 0600 and it was finished by 0630. In between I had a chat on Skype with newly married Margo. Unfortunately she was married while I was up at  Cape York. Soon after the washing was on the line.

Next I was feeling warm enough to go for a bike ride. I did well until a cable broke leaving the rear cassette in the highest gear but I still had use of the chain ring at the front. So I peddled around town until 0830 when the bike shop opened. I left it with them and caught a taxi back to the caravan park.

After a shower, I was ready to have my first muggacino just down the road. After that I set off for Ravenshoe. This was where my Father spent some time during World War II. He returned from the Middle East to this area where they all underwent tropical training. During this time there were more than 100,000 troops stationed across the Tablelands.

There is very little left to show where they had been. However, there are lots of signs beside the road alerting of the location of past unit locations. Some of the area is developed into small acreage blocks. In one area I found the remnants of ablution blocks, an area where the flagpoles where located, a tank trap and a few other items that resembled fireplaces made from local rocks. I found one of the swimming holes on the Millstream that was documented as to where the troops relaxed. The countryside is quite poor and covered in light timber. I imagine that the area had been cleared for the troops and it has now recovered with this timber.

After looking around the camp area, I had lunch in Ravenshoe. Then I set out for more sight seeing. Not far from the town is the Ravenshoe wind farm. There are quite a number of turbines set up and apparently working. They are easily seen in the area and are congregated close together.

Not too far along I visited the Milla Milla falls. There are very popular with us tourists. There were a large number of French girls there and one took my photo. I had a nice chat with them and they are out here for about 3 months just touring. The falls are presented very nicely and are very tidy.

After the falls, I drove along through Malanda then eventually into Atherton. I checked on my bike to find it was ready to go again. So I paid the bill. I left the bike as I can not carry it on the Bravo. I returned to the caravan park and then brought the washing in. A quick drink and I walked back into town which was only about 2 kms. The I rode the bike back.

So that has been my day. The highlight was locating where my Father had been.

To Atherton

Up at a reasonable hour this morning and commenced to pack up the Karavan. My destination has been Atherton.

Before I started to pack up, I heard this noise outside and discovered 2 hot air balloons drifting overhead. What a wonderful sight over the campground!

As I packed up, I invited a German family to have a look at the Karavan. They and their 2 children are in a campervan. They were amazed with the room and facilities. They watched me pack up. While packing up I managed to inflict an injury to my left eye. It happened when I was rolling the shower curtain. I have no idea how I did it but I know it is sore and uncomfortable. Later in the morning I visited a pharmacy and the pharmacist had a look and advised me to use some drops and if it is not better in the next day to see a doctor.

On the way from the campground, I heard this explosive sound. Thinking I had blown a tyre I slowly rolled to a stop. Luckily, there were no blown tyres. I searched for a short time and found the pressure hose from the turbocharger to the intercooler had blown off. Luckily I was in almost dust free conditions and quickly put it back on and tightened it tight. No apparent harm done.

My next stop was the Coffee Works to have a nice muggacino. It is a busy place and even at just after 0900 there were a lot of people there.

After there it was off to the Pharmacy, I mentioned earlier, then to the Mobil fuel station to refuel. The price is more the same as around Ballina and is much better than up north.

The next location I stopped at was the Mareeba Heritage Museum  and Tourist Centre. It has only one paid employee and about 60 volunteers. So many of these places are run by the volunteers otherwise there would be a lot of historic items and stories lost.

This museum covers all the various ages of the community from when the aborigines roamed the area to current times. I had quite a long chat with a retired Italian born boiler maker/welder who became a farmer about 30 years ago. He spends a lot of time there and is dedicated and has the knowledge.

There are many historic items that I remember such as various farm implements, black smith tools and phones, just to name a few. The now ended tobacco industry is about to be unveilled. It was the biggest growing area in the country. However, there have been numerous rural industries running in the area along with various types of mining.

The next museum, only a few kilometres away, is Becks Military Museum. Beck's Museum is the biggest privately owned collection of war machines, planes and equipment in Queensland. Aircraft such as a Canberra bomber, Airacobra and Dakota are some there. The vehicles include a Matilda tank, blitz trucks and some motor bikes. A wide range of engines, radial and in line cyclinders as well as some turbines. It is a labour of love for for the owner and his families.

Next I arrived at the Rocky Creek War Memorial. The Memorial Park is situated on the site of the 2/2 Australian General Hospital laundry and medical stores site at Rocky Creek adjoining the Kennedy Highway near Tolga on the Atherton Tableland. The park has been chosen as the appropriate location due to the cultural, spiritual, historical and sentimental value to the local community. Several Army Divisions camped on the Atherton Tablelands during 1942-45. Approximately 60,000 Australian soldiers were treated for war related conditions at these hospitals, by a caring and efficient staff of approximately 2,000. Many were rehabilitated at the adjoining 2/1 Convalescence Depot. The complex was recognised as the largest military hospital in the Southern Hemisphere.

After spending some time at the Rocky Creek Memorial Park, I drove a little further to the Peanut Place. There is a wonderful display of the various combinations of flavours attached to the peanuts. These peanuts are all locally grown. It was another very yummy place to visit.

Finally, I drove through Atherton CBD to the Big 4 Woodlands Caravan Park. Very nice park and everything appears to be clean and tidy. I will use this as a base for the next 7 days. I have already met another couple from Lismore and they know the couple I met at the tip of Cape York.

Around Mareeba

Up and about after a very restful and somewhat cooler night. After my breakfast, I went for a walk around the Granite Gorge. I was not alone but shared the early part of the day with a father and daughter from Japan. We chatted while the little daughter fed the rock wallabies some pellets. They are very quiet and not concerned by people around.

On return from the walk I had a shower and prepared to leave for some exploration around the area. My first stop was Coffee Works. I spent several hours there not only sampling the vast range of coffees but also checking out the decadent chocolates. As another sampler said to me, "How good would it be if we could have this range of coffees to choose from at home!"

I had a nice muggacino of their coffee before I joned the "Coffee Experience". There is a magnificent display of items relating to the production of coffee, from roasting equipment to the vast number of espresso items. These have been collected by an engineer in Sydney and he apparently has many more items to display. He has collected items form all over the world. It was rally fascinating to see them all.

I spoke for some time with the fellow responsible for the roasting of the beans and he explained to me the various procedures they have to follow to ensure consistency of the blend they are working on at the time.

The Coffee Works creates a divine selection of luxury Chocolate.I really had a chocolate fix along with a coffee fix here. 

After being at Coffee Works for so long I went for a drive to Skybury Coffee Plantation which is about 10 kms west of Mareeba. I had a really nice lunch there on recommendation from Ian and Kay. The view to the north is really stunning and watching the clouds form and change is wonderful. I did not participate in the tour as it was not due for a while and  I thought I had a pretty good idea as to how coffee is grown and handled.

Then back into Mareeba and I went to Leading Edge to get another UHF antenna for the Bravo as the existing one was not functioning correctly. I fitted the new one back in the campground late in the afternoon.

My final visit for the day was to the Mt. Uncle Distillery. I sampled their liquers and a spirit. The liquers very very pleasant but Iwas not very fussed about the Vodka. From there it was only a short drive back to the campground through farm land seemingly producing a variety of crops and livestock. A lot of the farm land was capable of being irrigated mostly by linear move booms.

The late afternoon became quite sociable. Five of us Australians sat in the shade and chatted. The we encouraged a German family from Bavaria to join us. We ended in having a wonderful evening with many of returning to the group to eat our dinner.

So ends a day where I have learned a lot more about coffee and chocolate!

To Mareeba

This morning I was up and about early preparing for my early departure from Port Douglas. By about 0710 I had everything packed. My priority for this time was a cappucino. So I returned to the cafe near the beach and was among the first there. A chat with the owner who was interested in the Kimberley Karavan. I departed there for Mareeba at 0745.


It took me about 2 hours or just under to arrive in Mareeba. The first part was along the coastal plain then I turned onto the road to Mount Molloy. This is a slow part of the trip due to a great climb up to the tablelands and onto Mareeba.


I arrived at the Granite Gorge campground about 9.50 and within half an hour I had the Karavan set up. I then returned into Mareeba then proceeded to the Mareeba Air Show.

After parking the Bravo, I walked to the viewing area and took in the wonderful scene of warbirds and past and present RAAF aircraft. The biggest standout was the sight of the RAAF Roulettes seven Pilatus PC9 aircraft.


Other aircraft there included T-28 US Navy Trojan, Winjeel, Kittyhawk, Nan Chang, Yak, Harvard, Giles G202, along with a range of private aircraft and several helicopters including the RAAF Rescue helicopter.

I made myself known to the Roulette team as my youngest son, Malcolm, has flown a lot of hours on the PC9 either as an instructor or test pilot. The pilots all remarked that he should be flying with them as he has the ability.

I then met up with great friends, Ian and Kay, from Geelong and fellow Karavan owners. My day was made even better having them share the day. We had lunch together and a cappucino earlier. Ian was taking video footage while Kay and I took photos. We enjoyed the well planned display that included a display of cars and motorbikes.

Mid afternoon saw the end of the air show. Time to say farewll to Ian and Kay as they are heading to Adele's Grove for the Kimberley Karavan national get together while I will look around the Mareeba area for a couple of days.

For me it was back to the campground and settle for the night. 

Final Day in Port Douglas

Well it has dawned slightly overcast for my birthday.

I had my normal breakfast of muesli and then off for a ride around Port Douglas to reinforce my vision of the town. There are some older homes around but there are also some beautiful newer homes and apartments.

The golf course are wonderful and well looked after. I believe there are three. There appears to be developments alongside most of the courses. Some lovely homes are lining the greens.

As my ride drew to a close, I returned to the cafe near the beach for a muggacino and toast. It is a busy place and located really close to the beach. The owner remembered what I had ordered previously.

Then back to the Caravan Park where I started to put items away that I did not need in preparation for departure in the morning. I had a couple of phone calls so just relaxed and chatted.

It was soon lunch so I went into town for a light meal and a muggacino. I had myfinal stroll around the area and returned to the Karavan. When I returned, I continued to read a book and had several chats with other people around me.

It was quite warm, about 30 degrees, so I had a nice swim and further chats to people in and near the pool. It was very refreshing. So some more rading and chatting and a bit more packing away and filling water tanks up.

Then it was almost time to go to Marina Mirage for dinner. It was nice sitting loking out over all the luxury vessels tied up in the Marina. I lashed out for dinner having three courses washed down by several Coronas and finally muggacino. I have not had such a lovely meal for at least 4 weeks. It was much better than I could put together.

So that has been my final day in Port Douglas a place I would like to return to in the future.