Sunday 30th July 2023
Well after an amazing sleep in our little 6 bed hostel room at “On the Wallaby”, we enjoyed an amazing day.

First stop was a walk to the Platypus Viewing Platform in Yungaburra. David went early and saw an Azure Kingfisher and a platypus showing himself. The girls and I joined him and saw the platypus but unfortunately it was a little bit smaller than the first one and more shy. But luckily we did see one. Back to the hostel for a leisurely breakfast, pack up and then we were on our way.

We the headed to The Curtain Fig – a heritage-listed tree,  it is one of the largest trees in Tropical North Queensland and is over 500 years old.

Then after a quick coffee we headed to The Afghanistan Avenue of Honour which is a living memorial dedicated to the memory of all who served in the fight against terror in Afghanistan and to those brave and selfless Australians who made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of freedom and liberty. Once again, it was a very moving, thought provoking visit and contributed to some interesting conversations.

Next stop was the Crater Lakes National Park where we enjoyed a walk in the rainforest around Lake Eacham with many birds and beautiful plants. It is a former volcanic crater. Surrounded by dense rainforest, it has an average depth of 65 metres. It’s an enclosed catchment, isolated from any other waterways. The lake only fills with rain, making the lake crystal clear and water quality good enough to snorkel and dive in. It’s also popular with kayakers. Alice and Ange had a swim here even though there was a crocodile warning sign within the last 7 days.

Then on to another Crater Lake – Lake Barrine was formed over 17,000 years ago when a large volcano erupted, leaving a crater that over time filled up with water to create a lake. The largest of the natural volcanic lakes in the area, Lake Barrine is 730m above sea level. It is about 1km in diameter, with a shoreline of almost 4.5 km, an average depth of 35m and a maximum depth of 65m. Once again, it is only fed by rainwater.

The Cathedral Fig came next. With a crown as big as 2 Olympic swimming pools towering nearly 50m over you, this mighty 500-year-old tree is amazing.

We then drove the narrow winding road for over 30mins to Gordonvale and then continued on the Babinda Boulders, which are a magnificent. There is a swimming hole surrounded by lush vibrant rainforest. The four girls had a swim and enjoyed the cool, refreshing waters, floating with the current and swimming back to shore a couple of times.

The day was getting away from us as we continued on our way in search of a cassowary at Etty Bay. David caught a glimpse of one as we drove passed some houses on the way in to Etty Bay. Unfortunately four the rest of us there were none at the beach this year. We then headed back to where we had seen a man chasing the one through someone’s yard with his camera on the way in. Once again, we saw one in the same yard and another two in the next persons yard walking near the owner sitting out on a garden chair. So we saw three in all. Very lucky.

We still had over 2 hours to drive to our home for the next 2 nights at Lucinda Cove Resort arriving at 8pm. It was a very big day. We enjoyed a home cooked meal, a chat and headed off to bed.

Broady Tours excelled himself today and the girls were very happy.