Thursday 15th July, 2021
Happy 85th birthday to Dad, we miss you heaps.
We had a lovely night at Summit Rainforest Retreat which was really only a large home converted to single room accommodation. I learnt a lesson last night not to cook sausages in a shared house and close the windows. The whole house smelt like a sausage when we woke in the morning. Oops!
We got on our way at our usual 9ish and headed to Herberton, it was way too busy and information suggested minimum of 1/2 day was required, s we decided to leave that until another time.
We then went to Hypipamee National Park, this park is centred around a diatreme or volcanic pipe, thought to have been created by a massive gas explosion. We walked down to the crater which is almost 70m across with sheer granite walls. Fifty-eight metres below the rim is a lake over 70m deep, covered with a green layer of native waterweed. We then walked to Dinner Falls. DB was wearing shoes today.
We then took the long way to Ravenshoe via Tumoulin on the highest road in QLD with an elevation of 1162m. It was a lovely scenic drive. We then drove back to Windy Hill Wind Farm to Millaa Millaa Lookout which had an amazing view across the Atherton Tablelands.
Then a drive to Innisfail BCF for some water shoes for the hike, I was successful but unfortunately there were none for David. Then onward and upwards to Paronella Park which also required too much time, so we will save that for next time as well, as we had a deadline we had to meet tonight. We were running out of daylight so we stopped at Cardwell and cooked dinner in a park beside the water which I was uncomfortable with as there are WARNING Crocodiles in the area signs everywhere. We drove through many many many sugar cane farms all the way to Lucinda We arrived at Lucinda Point Hotel accommodation at 7.30pm with a lot of stuff to organise before we head to the boat tomorrow for our 4 day hike on Hinchinbrook Island.
Sorry for the delay in posts, I will try to update over the next couple of days our hike to Hinchinbrook Island.
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- Time to wash off the red desert dust..
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- ..it looks brand new again.
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- This is hw busy it is everywhere we go, cars, trailers and caravans.
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- Dinner Falls Mt Hypipamee National Park Atherton Tablelands
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- Cauliflory growing on the trees in Mt Hypipamee National Park Atherton Tablelands
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- David has been looking intently everywhere we go in the Atherton Tablelands for a cassowary, to no avail at this stage.
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- The highest road in QLD at Tomoulin Atherton Tablelands
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- The highest road in QLD at Tomoulin Atherton Tablelands
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- Millaa Milla Lookout Atherton Tablelands
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- Millaa Milla Lookout Atherton Tablelands
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- North Johnstone River Lookout Wooroonooran National Park
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- North Johnstone River Lookout Walk Wooroonooran National Park
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- North Johnstone River Lookout Walk Wooroonooran National Park
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- North Johnstone River Lookout Walk Wooroonooran National Park
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- Sugar Train near Innisfail
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- Sugar Mill near Innisfail
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- Paronella Park, Mena Creek – José Paronella’s dream was to build a castle. He chose a special part of Australia and created Paronella Park. On 5ha beside Mena Creek Falls he 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!). He opened to the public in 1935.
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- David saw this sign and then..
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- ..had to go in search of the crocodile. To no avail again.
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- Atherton to Lucinda 336km