Cape York Trip - Day 42

Sarina was our stop for morning tea, where I was totally shocked to find that the lovely shady rest area at Caltex had been completely ruined by all the massive trees, (except for a couple beside the creek) had been cut down. There was a single-vehicle rollover at Kunnawarra which meant a 20 minute delay in getting home to Rocky, but we got back around 4:30pm.

Overall we were very impressed with the Indigenous Communities up north, they are really neat and tidy, and don’t appear to have damage like some we have seen. It’s a long dusty bumpy drive, and nice to see, but I wouldn’t go again. Definitely better not to have taken our camper on the road. Darryl preferred the Palmer River Goldfield and Goldsborough to going to 'The Tip'.

Cape York Trip - Day 41

Morning tea was at Liverpool Creek. Darryl loved the stop as he was able to pick mandarins from a tree there. We pulled in for lunch at Rollingstone Park. After a fuitless run-around trying to get an air-filter for the car we visited Darryl's cousin Kelvin and his wife Tracey briefly on our way through Townsville.

 Our overnight stop was at Home Hill Caravan Park, which was very clean & tidy.

A cane-fire in the distance

Cape York Trip - Day 40

Darryl took off at 6:30am on his bike to check out the mining trail to see perhaps where his Trembath ancestors mined gold. The rangers came around, and it turns out one of them is Paul Bufi!!!! Darryl’s second cousin twice removed. He was very surprised by the coincidence of it. Darryl enjoyed his 8km or so, trip along the mining trail and to the Mulgrave River Causeway. From where he turned back it was 11 more kilometers to the Babinda Boulders.

Evidence of Cassowaries

Fresher evidence of Cassowaries

Spectacled Monarch (in the middle of the photo)

On return he was walking in the scrub when he came across a big black snake (but he was pretty sure it wasn’t a red-bellied black). I saw 3 goannas while he had a nap, one was being chased by 4 scrub-turkeys. Once again we enjoyed a cold soak in the Mulgrave River.

Mulgrave River

Here we could see the Waterfall (on the right) that we walked to the previous day

Stone Curlew nest and egg

The Stone Curlews

White-faced pigeon

White-faced Pigeons were eating some sort of berry in a tree. Ulysses Blue butterflies flitted by and Darryl helped my identify a bird called the Spectacled Monarch. We were the only ones camped there as we watched the sky as the clouds cleared to show us over 5 satellites, 5 meteorites, 1 firefly, & 4 bandicoots.

Bandicoot searching for grubs

Scorpio in the sky

Cape York Trip - Day 39

Before leaving town we returned to Innisfail Cemetery to get more photos, and found the staff volunteering their assistance, but due to the great set-out it was relatively easy to find the ones we were looking for.

Frederick Wright headstone at Innisfail Cemetery

Innisfail Cemetery with Mt Bartle Frere

We returned to Goldsborough, and found the rainforest walk to a waterfall, before having a very cold swim in the Mulgrave River.

Interesting fungi

The boardwalk overlooking the waterfall

The waterfall

A lichen

Cape York Trip - Day 38

Once again I worked at Innisfail Hospital. Darryl went fishing and caught a small mangrove Jack, which he threw back, and two bream which we enjoyed for dinner.

Bream with a freshly picked bush lemon and complimentary banana

At dusk we were having happy hour by the river, a canefire lit up the sky and we saw little  bats catching insects on water.

Cape York Trip - Day 37

I worked at Innisfail Hospital and the staff there were very welcoming.

In the afternoon we walked across the road to Innisfail cemetery to take photos of family headstones. Darryl spent the day walking around town checking out the buildings he remembered from his past.

Chinese Joss House

Main street of Innisfail

Innisfail Court House

The Canecutter Monument

4KZ (Radio Station)

Catholic Church

Town Hall (the yellow building)

Bluebird Cafe - a favourite memory for Darryl is having Banana Sundae there

White Horse Hotel (Pat & Ginty had the licence)

Goondi Hill Hotel a favourite drinking place for railway workers

Jubilee Bridge

Main street

This park area is the site of the original school

View across the South Johnstone River from the Caravan Park