Well, the headline should say it all. We jettisoned the Reef today as there were 10 foot seas and 20-30 knot winds. While I told Ed I’d brave it out, we decided it would not be a fun trip for either of us if I was either green or sleeping the entire time. So – Plan B. To the Atherton Tablelands to explore the rainforest and the outback.
After walking on the beach for a while (very pretty, very “Lost”-like) we headed out early to the Tablelands. Went first through the mountains on a switch back road that took us past Kuranda (the tourist spot for aborigine and rainforest visiting), and on to Mareeba. The little town is very cute and old school (think Mayberry) with diagonal parking on each side of the road and little cafes and hardware stores and the like. We stopped at the info center where a very nice girl gave us all the information we would ever need to find our way around the tablelands.
After a coffee and cappuccino at the local lunch spot, Natashi’s, we decided to head out to the outback. Although it was a 2 hour drive, we thought it might be the only chance we’d have to see it this trip since we are sticking pretty close to the coast. Headed out to Chillagoe on the “Wheelbarrow Way”. Signage here is EXCELLENT btw! We are so happy to be able to follow all the route signs, etc. Haven’t made a wrong turn yet – watch – that will jinx us for the Gold Coast!!
Anyhow – the Wheelbarrow Way gets it’s name from the Gold Rush when all the miners looking for a stake would walk down this route pushing all their belongings in a wheelbarrow. It’s about a 2 hour drive from Mareeba which is a 30 minute drive from Yorkey’s Knob. So a long way to go – but so worthy it.
Once out of Mareeba, the scenery turns to farmland. A 2 lane road through sugar cane and coffee tree fields. As you approach Dimbulah, a small outpost on the road that reminds you of the old west (blink and you miss it, a bar, a general store, a hotel and a board walk just like in John Wayne’s heyday!!). the scenery becomes more scrub like and desolate. There are thousands of sandstone looking towers – like anthills or termite hills – all over the fields. We couldn’t figure out what they were – and there sure wasn’t anyone to ask! We wouldn’t see a car from kilometers. Maybe saw 5 cars the entire time we drove out to Chillagoe.
The road turns narrow at a little town called Petford – and there are cows all around, sometimes in the middle of road just looking at you as you come barreling down lonely stretches at 100 K, Brakes are a very important thing to have in the Outback! Then once past the cows, the road turns to gravel – yep – that’s right – on and off for 30 kilometers – it is gravel and rocks and red clay. And us American city slickers are being passed by the 5 cars we’ve seen at astonishing rates. These guys just barrel though these roads! When they say 100K, they aren’t kidding!! So – we just ate their dust and kept on driving.
We crossed one lane bridges that had no railings just a concrete track across the water. You could see where the floods hit all around. We drove through scrub and termite hills, around limestone outcroppings. Just amazing. And marveled at the fact that every truck had a snorkel on it! Obviously the engines are sealed and the snorkel is attached to the air filter so the truck can go through 3, 4, 5 feet of water and still operate! I want one!!! Just think what that would have done for the old truck during Isabel!
We finally arrived in Chillagoe – and it was all an outback town should be. A general grocery with you name it, and a very friendly owner who told us all about her trip to Minneapolis in the February and how she wants to go back in the summer. The inevitable tourist information center where you could book any tour you wanted – and of course the one cross road in town. So isolated, but such a community.
Stopped for pictures, apples and a soda, then headed back to the coast. Drive back was a little quicker as we were more familiar with the roads so we could drive a little faster. Had wanted to detour and see some old historic towns along another “Wheelbarrow Way” route, but the turn off was all dirt and we decided our Hyundai was better suited for paved roadways. Did decide to go back to Cairns by way of Atherton and Yungaburra which was a good detour. Yungaburra is a cute little community with a ton of restaurants and trendy shops, but for us, the best part was the Curtain Fig Tree. This tree was amazing (yes, we’ll figure out how to post pictures soon!). It started out as one Fig tree, then scavenger trees attacked it and started growing on the original tree, which of course killed it. Over time, the scavenger trees keep multiplying and finally the whole tree system fell over, so now the roots of all the trees are in the air searching for the ground so it’s like thousands of roots forming a huge curtain. Well, you’ll just have to wait for the pictures, because it’s too hard to explain!
The Curtain Fig Tree rounded out our sightseeing adventure. We then headed into Cairns proper. The city is an adorable beach town, right on the water with a huge esplanade that runs the length of the bay. A wonderful “lagoon” is at the center of the esplanade where you can swim during the day. It’s basically a pool at the edge of the bay, but It’s very artfully designed to appear as a lagoon or infinity pool. Along the town streets there are travel/tour agents galore as well as trinkets and souvenir shops and restaurants.
We walked the esplanade and then chose a restaurant that had a 25% discount if we were seated by 6 and “vacated” by 7. Worked for us!! Called Mangostino’s, the menu was perfect for us. More seafood than Italian, outdoor seating so we could look over the Esplanade and the bay. We ordered the Seafood platter for one, and the Mangostino’s basket. Both came with Prawns, barrimundi, scallops, calamari and Moreton Bay Bugs! I finally had my bay bug!! The bay bug looks like a lobster but tastes like a cross between lobster and a large crayfish. Excellent! Between the 2 of us we had 4 to share, we were in heaven! Finished dinner and headed back to the hotel in the nightly down pour. It’s definitely the rainy season here – don’t go out with out your brelly after 5pm!!
Tomorrow we head for the rainforest. More from there…..
After walking on the beach for a while (very pretty, very “Lost”-like) we headed out early to the Tablelands. Went first through the mountains on a switch back road that took us past Kuranda (the tourist spot for aborigine and rainforest visiting), and on to Mareeba. The little town is very cute and old school (think Mayberry) with diagonal parking on each side of the road and little cafes and hardware stores and the like. We stopped at the info center where a very nice girl gave us all the information we would ever need to find our way around the tablelands.
After a coffee and cappuccino at the local lunch spot, Natashi’s, we decided to head out to the outback. Although it was a 2 hour drive, we thought it might be the only chance we’d have to see it this trip since we are sticking pretty close to the coast. Headed out to Chillagoe on the “Wheelbarrow Way”. Signage here is EXCELLENT btw! We are so happy to be able to follow all the route signs, etc. Haven’t made a wrong turn yet – watch – that will jinx us for the Gold Coast!!
Anyhow – the Wheelbarrow Way gets it’s name from the Gold Rush when all the miners looking for a stake would walk down this route pushing all their belongings in a wheelbarrow. It’s about a 2 hour drive from Mareeba which is a 30 minute drive from Yorkey’s Knob. So a long way to go – but so worthy it.
Once out of Mareeba, the scenery turns to farmland. A 2 lane road through sugar cane and coffee tree fields. As you approach Dimbulah, a small outpost on the road that reminds you of the old west (blink and you miss it, a bar, a general store, a hotel and a board walk just like in John Wayne’s heyday!!). the scenery becomes more scrub like and desolate. There are thousands of sandstone looking towers – like anthills or termite hills – all over the fields. We couldn’t figure out what they were – and there sure wasn’t anyone to ask! We wouldn’t see a car from kilometers. Maybe saw 5 cars the entire time we drove out to Chillagoe.
The road turns narrow at a little town called Petford – and there are cows all around, sometimes in the middle of road just looking at you as you come barreling down lonely stretches at 100 K, Brakes are a very important thing to have in the Outback! Then once past the cows, the road turns to gravel – yep – that’s right – on and off for 30 kilometers – it is gravel and rocks and red clay. And us American city slickers are being passed by the 5 cars we’ve seen at astonishing rates. These guys just barrel though these roads! When they say 100K, they aren’t kidding!! So – we just ate their dust and kept on driving.
We crossed one lane bridges that had no railings just a concrete track across the water. You could see where the floods hit all around. We drove through scrub and termite hills, around limestone outcroppings. Just amazing. And marveled at the fact that every truck had a snorkel on it! Obviously the engines are sealed and the snorkel is attached to the air filter so the truck can go through 3, 4, 5 feet of water and still operate! I want one!!! Just think what that would have done for the old truck during Isabel!
We finally arrived in Chillagoe – and it was all an outback town should be. A general grocery with you name it, and a very friendly owner who told us all about her trip to Minneapolis in the February and how she wants to go back in the summer. The inevitable tourist information center where you could book any tour you wanted – and of course the one cross road in town. So isolated, but such a community.
Stopped for pictures, apples and a soda, then headed back to the coast. Drive back was a little quicker as we were more familiar with the roads so we could drive a little faster. Had wanted to detour and see some old historic towns along another “Wheelbarrow Way” route, but the turn off was all dirt and we decided our Hyundai was better suited for paved roadways. Did decide to go back to Cairns by way of Atherton and Yungaburra which was a good detour. Yungaburra is a cute little community with a ton of restaurants and trendy shops, but for us, the best part was the Curtain Fig Tree. This tree was amazing (yes, we’ll figure out how to post pictures soon!). It started out as one Fig tree, then scavenger trees attacked it and started growing on the original tree, which of course killed it. Over time, the scavenger trees keep multiplying and finally the whole tree system fell over, so now the roots of all the trees are in the air searching for the ground so it’s like thousands of roots forming a huge curtain. Well, you’ll just have to wait for the pictures, because it’s too hard to explain!
The Curtain Fig Tree rounded out our sightseeing adventure. We then headed into Cairns proper. The city is an adorable beach town, right on the water with a huge esplanade that runs the length of the bay. A wonderful “lagoon” is at the center of the esplanade where you can swim during the day. It’s basically a pool at the edge of the bay, but It’s very artfully designed to appear as a lagoon or infinity pool. Along the town streets there are travel/tour agents galore as well as trinkets and souvenir shops and restaurants.
We walked the esplanade and then chose a restaurant that had a 25% discount if we were seated by 6 and “vacated” by 7. Worked for us!! Called Mangostino’s, the menu was perfect for us. More seafood than Italian, outdoor seating so we could look over the Esplanade and the bay. We ordered the Seafood platter for one, and the Mangostino’s basket. Both came with Prawns, barrimundi, scallops, calamari and Moreton Bay Bugs! I finally had my bay bug!! The bay bug looks like a lobster but tastes like a cross between lobster and a large crayfish. Excellent! Between the 2 of us we had 4 to share, we were in heaven! Finished dinner and headed back to the hotel in the nightly down pour. It’s definitely the rainy season here – don’t go out with out your brelly after 5pm!!
Tomorrow we head for the rainforest. More from there…..
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