CAIRNS TO MISSION BEACH
Day 9 - Wednesday 23rd September
CAIRNS TO BABINDA
Started today with probably the most fancy breakfast this free camp spot has ever seen - scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toast. Our trial loop in North Queensland had run pretty smoothly giving us the confidence to start our main trip south, however we had a few more odd jobs before starting the road trip proper. On route back into town on the Captain Cook highway we saw another of Australia's big things, this time it was a giant Captain Cook saluting passers by.
Even though we only stayed in Cairns for two weeks it felt a bit like coming home. Two weeks is the longest we have been anywhere since leaving London. Our first stop, the Esplanade for a shit, shower and... no still got the beard. We bumped into the two French girls in the car park who's van we originally wanted to buy (unfortunately they weren't selling it till the end of the month) it turned out that today was their last day in the van as they were handing it over to its new owners that very afternoon. We chatted and learnt a few more camping tips and about express vans having an appetite for engine oil.
As if we had never left we soon found ourselves ping ponging between Bunnings and K-Mart but most importantly, we got our Hills & Waves logo applied to Vanny. It was the finishing touch, and instantly pressured us to get the blog up-to-date! It now looked like a trade van and less like a traveler van which would make the odd free nights camping a tad easier. We also got 250 H&W stickers printed off for fun, we are not too sure why we wanted them so bad, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Amongst other bits and pieces we managed to drop into Tropic Days to pick up our post and dashed around Bunnings in search of strong magnets to stick up our curtains, a second 15L water container, camp table, bungee cord, pegs, rope, charging lead. (Keeping stuff charged in the van is really tricky, don't be offended if we don't email or Facebook back for ages, it's because our phones have run out of charge, we have no wifi or we just don't like you).
To reward ourselves for a successful day of chore we went to The Cheesecake Shop, which we had clock on our last time in the city. There were too many to choose from and every one looked amazing. The baked New York chocolate cheesecake was our choice after a long debate about the pros and cons of simple baked vs flavours and toppings. We devoured our quarter cake slice in seconds and both were feeling a tad I'll as we climbed back into Vanny.
On our way out of town we discovered the joys of Cairns DFO (Direct Factory Outlet) where stuff is UBER cheap! (Another golden tip from our friendly handy man at Bunnings) We got a few basics like a hoodie for £4, shorts for £2.50 and some cheap t-shirts before heading off to the delightful village of Babinda.
We threw together some fajitas for dinner in the fading light and chatted to a delightful lady called June who appeared from the trailer next to us in a flurry of hellos and smiles. She was originally from the UK near Tottenham. She moved to Aus in 1956 however she didn't seem her age at all, and we were amazed when she said she had a great grandchild! She shared with us a few good travel tips and told us about this little village. Apparently the village was in decline after its sugar mill closed causing high levels of unemployment so the council put in two free campsites to attract travellers and caravaners to the village to make money through tourism instead. It seemed to be working as this place was full of a great mix of travellers of all ages and family's.
Day 10 - Thursday 24th September
BABINDA TO THE TABLELANDS
After a bowl of cereal and a morning of sorting out the van, we crossed the highway into the village of Babinda. We wasn't much to this tiny place, however there were a couple of brilliant second hand shops that we nosed around and a few weird shops like a scrap booking shop.
We went off to the boulders (what the area is known for) a lovely natural swimming spot with huge boulders. A short walk away is the devils pool. You are no longer allowed to swim here as it has claimed 13 lives. An eerie plaque says 'to Pat McGann who came here for a swim and never left'. It was a beautiful spot but unfortunately there were rather too many massive flies for our liking so after a quick dip in the crystal clear waters we took refuge in the van.
After consulting the map we realised there was a massive lake we had nearly missed that many folk had recommended to us a couple of hours inland. We decided to head up there for a few nights and camp by the lakeside. The lake is called Lake Tinaroo in an area known as The Tablelands. Lake Tinaroo apparently got its name when a miner found Tin in the area and shouted "tin, haruu" in his excitement. But we have another theory, that it's a popular area for tiny roos to hang out. The lake is situated up in the hills where the climate becomes a lot wetter and cooler, however after the scorching sun we have had on the coast, a touch of British weather seemed quite appealing. The road climbed and climbed revealing all kinds of stunning views over the surrounding farmland.
Eventually we arrived at a lovely camping spot by the waters edge called Genazzano. We were welcomed in by a lovely bloke called John the caretaker who told us about the place and gave the all to familiar wildlife warnings, apparently a massive snake every now and then likes to hang out in the short grass in the middle of the site! It's okay though as his venom is not "Too" toxic. We sat in the evening sun reading, eating and drinking. As the sun slipped away a couple of fury little Bandicoots came over to visit us. They are harmless and blind and fun to what he bumbling about, however if you leave your rubbish out you will know about it the next morning.
Day 11 - Friday 25th September
LAKE TINAROO
The plan was to get up at 7am and go canoeing in Lake Tinaroo for a few hours, but when we awoke it was raining. We stayed warm in bed for a while then got up when the rain had eased off and made a brilliant toast breakfast with a variety of spreads we have somehow accumulated. We paddled out onto the lake round nine and were so pleased we had made the effort. The still water was like glass as we glided out silently through the submerged dead forest that poked up through the lake. It looked quite eerie in the grey morning light, like someone had flooded the set of the Nightmare Before Christmas.Thick lines in varying colours circled the silvering tree trunks where the different water levels over the years had reached, they started to look like pieces of trendy shabby chic furniture from Habitat. John told us that the lake was created in the 50's because the surrounding farm lands needed water. They built a dam which flooded the valley and now all that is left is the decaying tips of the old forest. Several birds had nested in these half dead trees and squawked at us if we got to close. We saw some incredible wildlife including turtles (flopping into the lake off a branch whenever they saw us), a small water snake, 3 lizards, and a pelican with a ginormous wingspan. It was so peaceful as there was no one on the lake except us.
After returning all the kit, we headed to Lake Barrine, an old volcanic crater lake. After driving to little cafe at the waters edge we wondered why we nearly killed ourselves hiking up the last volcano, where there was zero chance of a cream tea or a cup of coffee at the top. It is an old family run cafe which is actually famous for its cream teas. We had lunch and then of course had to try the tea and scones (clearly the owners were descendent from Cornish folk as they served the scones with the cream on top of the jam). I decided to go for a swim and had the entire lake to myself, or so I hoped. Helen opted to read on the cafe balcony and guzzle tea.
In the early afternoon we made are way on the rough slightly corrugated road around the lake. On route we stopped off at two famous sites. The first was the incredible 'Cathedral Fig Tree'. It really was magnificent, giant routes or vines had grown down from above making a massive woodland curtain hanging almost out of sight from the canopy. It was too big to take in all at once. We walked round it and were filed with childhood delight when we found a small opening where you could walk into the middle and were surrounded by it. It was impossible not to have a little climb, as an avid tree climber as a kid I owed it to the child in me.
Filled with the wonders of nature brought on by the cathedral we headed back to Vanwell in deep conversation about what the "two chimneys" could be, the next stop on our route. Two massive rock formations? The remains of a beautiful crumbly old mine? Two old hollow trees reaching up into the heavens?... The two chimneys is literately two old bog-standard chimneys left over from a farmers house... Not quite so impressive as a 500 years old tree that you can walk inside. To give it some credit, there was a toilet block near by and we were bursting.
Arriving at Kauri Creek Campsite was incredible as it was right by the lake and there was a perfect spot with our name on it. We manoeuvred down a steep grassy slope and miraculously didn't end up in the water, but in the best spot on the edge of the lake. From here we had a beautiful uninterrupted view of the lake. The amount of kit that some family's had was very impressive. Trailers with full on homes on the back with every sort of gadget you could ever imagine you might need for a camping holiday. It was almost like a mini village had sprung up. People even had their own boats with waterskiing equipment and large inflatables that could be dragged round at speed by the boats with happy screaming kids in the back! It was a brilliant place and we had a lovely evening on the edge of the lake with some tinnies and a halloumi based dinner.
Day 12 - Saturday 26th September
LAKE TINAROO TO INNISFAIL VIA YUNGABURRA
After a lie in with the door open followed by brekkie we packed away, took a run up and managed to get Vanny back up the steep grassy slope and hit the road. As it was pretty corrugated so we cruised at a whopping 10kmph. Towards the end of our route round the lake we came to the dam. It was a massive concrete wall slicing the countryside in two. From the bottom it loomed high over the trees looking like some alien fortress.
It happened to be the last Saturday of the month which as we all know means only one thing... It's market day in the tiny village of Yungaburra. It was surprisingly massive, I think it was actually bigger than the village, with all type of fruit and veg, crafts and antique stalls. H bought two necklaces, and I bought an old wooden handheld fishing line. We stocked up the coolbox with lots of fresh veg and tried a black sapote which is known as the chocolate pudding fruit. (Don't believe everything you hear kids) After the market we wandered around the town however a lot of places seemed to be closed. Now I'm not a retail guru, but I would assume it to be not the best business move to close early afternoon on a Saturday especially the one Saturday a month when the village is heaving. This laid back or even lazy approach to opening hours seems to not just be apparent in Yungaburra but across most our our journey through Queensland. Even in the city of Cairns on a sunny Saturday during in the school holidays, shops and cafes would knock of really early if they had bothered to open at all. Some of the places we have stopped at would resemble a deserted Wild West town. If this is what working hours are like in Aus then life could be pretty good. Just need to remember stock up on the essentials (bog roll and beer) at every opportunity.
Luckily some places had decided to stay open, one interesting place being the Red Barn, a collection of artists studios on top of the hill. If I'm honest it was all a bit twee and middle of the road however someone had created a really nice set of ceramic pots. Not really the best purchase when your home winds up mountain lanes and shakes it's booty better than Beyoncé ever could when negotiating corrugated roads.
After our luck at seeing a wild cassowary in Cape Trib we unsuccessfully did a spot of platypus spotting. After staring at a grassy mound next to the creek for far too long we left. As always happens in these situations a local wondered over and said we should have been here yesterday.
We passed through the sleepy town of Atherton to stock up on food, stock up on battery and do some life admin on some wifi. However nowhere in town had wifi and we got told off for charging our iPads at a cafe. I think the whole working coffee shop culture thing hasn't really made it out here yet. This place was supposed to be the main town in this area however again almost everything was closed, no one was about and it was only about half two on a Saturday.
We swung by Milla Milla Falls on our way down from The Tablelands. It was pretty impressive however the highlight was watching an excited bikini clad English lass traverse the slippery rocks under the falls in a very undignified manner. We waited until she slipped off and fell in then left.
We rocked up to a little roadside camping spot just outside the town of Innisfail just before nightfall. With the back of the van looking out over lush farmland and the front looking out onto a palm fringed banana plantation we had found a nice little spot. We got talking to a lovely elderly Australian couple who lent us their wifi box to watch the England vs Wales in the Rugby World Cup the following morning. Again I must say how welcoming and friendly the Australian folk have been to us on our trip so far.
Day 13 - Sunday 27th September
INNISFAIL TO MISSION BEACH
We awoke at quarter to five in time to stream the England vs Wales Rugby World Cup match live on our laptop in the van. The wifi box we borrowed the night before worked like a dream and enabled us to watch the whole match! I don't think we woke anyone else up in the campsite when England went ahead, but when Wales equalised and then went ahead in the last 5 minutes it was too much to bear and anyone walking past the van must have wondered what the hell was going on in there! Not the best start to the day, but hey, we were headed to the beach so not all doom and gloom!
We had a brekkie of scrambled eggs on toast, and were in the middle of doing the washing up when our friendly neighbour popped by and said he'd got a present for us. He handed us a cold package in a plastic bag, we opened it up and inside were 4 sausages! They were homemade by him and his wife. It was a lovely gesture, and the only way we could thank them was by giving them a Hills & Waves sticker.
We stopped off at Etty Bay on route to break up the journey. Again it was a picturesque beach with tropical forest meeting the ocean however still being in crocville we decided against a dip. We wondered the short coastline for half hour then carried on south.
We headed off to our next stop: Mission Beach. Arriving around midday we were greeted with a lovely long stretch of white sand and palm fringed beach. There was a local market happening in town so we used this to pick up a cheap hook and sinker for our hand fishing reel. We were now technically ready to fish however neither of us had a clue about the correct technique or where to fish.
We parked up right by the edge of the sand and whipped out the gas stove to cook up the homemade sausages, best sausage sandwich ever. Due to the early start we were both pretty sleepy. We threw out our towels and were snoozing before our heads touched the sand. I went for a slightly nervy afternoon swim as we were still in croc and jelly fish territory then we walked into town.
Mission Beach has a laid back holiday vibe with a handful of shops, bars and cafes lining the beach. A little bar called The Garage was having an acoustic night so we popped in for a beer at 4ish. We luckily found a sofa by a plug so did a fair amount of charging and life admin on the laptop then had dinner. We didn't leave till gone 10 avoiding a couple of Roos plotting their suicide by the side of the road.