PART 1 - BrisVegas to Cairns

EKKA Wednesday at Bowen

Bowen was the first permanent settlement in northern Qld in 1861 as a service centre for farmers. Agriculture continues to lead the way but tourism has recently boomed. Bowen boasts 8 sandy beaches and nearby coral reefs. Bowen has on average, 8 hours of sunshine per day. Nothing like EKKA Wednesday in Brissie!

We celebrated the Public Holiday with a kilo of fresh prawns overlooking the incoming tide on the Esplanade.

The old jetty is basically a fire hazard but a great walk out to the deeper water.

The foreshore was used as the set for 4 weeks for the movie "Australia" starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. (showing our age?)

The colours are so bright and deep. Very impressed Bowen.

Little Crystal Creek

A few k's north of our free camp site is Paluma Range NP. We ventured up the range to the site of Little Crystal Creek. (Big Crystal Creek is at the bottom of the range. Not as impressive as this place).

The history of this gorgeous bridge is that it took 2 years to complete. The stone is from surrounding landscapes. Evidence of drill holes using hand drills and sledges can be seen in the rock. A hole was made to plant dynamite and the rock was blasted away.

This bridge is the only concrete, arch road bridge in Qld that remains in service.

So who built the bridge (and 18 km's of road) using hand tools?

It was a venture to provide work for the unemployed during the Great Depression in the 1930's. 

The pay was 2 bob a day with 2 men sharing a tent. Employment for a single man lasted 6 weeks; for a married man 10 weeks.

Beautiful pools on the upper side of the falls. Very popular for swimming .... but not us little ducks! Too cold for us Princesses!

Babinda Boulders

We have been lucky enough to find another hidden gem with a free camp directly opposite Mt. Bartle Frere. (We climbed that thing 19 years ago. Wouldn't make it up there today)

Babinda Boulders in Wooroonooran NP has changed for the day visitor significantly since we last visited 30 years ago. This is due to the high number of fatalities here. There are reminders everywhere of the dangers, and it may appear to be a negative promotion but considering there have been 21 recorded deaths since 1965 (and 5 prior to 1965), the Council have been left with little choice to protect the visiting public.

There is a swimming area at the top of the "falls" (where we spotted a platypus) but the rest of the water flowing over the boulders can be viewed only from Lookouts and Viewing Platforms.

When we last visited (1995), we allowed Alice to play amongst the rocks and water. (obviously not in this spot!) How things have changed. 

Still incredible to visit though and understand the power of the water, especially in the wet season.

This is how we recover with our feet in the creek at our Camp Site. Kids were swimming and enjoying the rapids by floating down past us and then racing back up under the bridge to do it again. A pure delight to watch.

The local Newsletter had this advertisement. They're my kind of people!

Skyrail - Kuranda

Queensland!... perfect one day; raining the next?

The day we arrived in Cairns, we were greeted to a stinking hot 28 degree day. Do they even have Winter up here?

We made plans to visit Kuranda via the Skyrail from Smithfield (just 9 k's from us).

We had experienced the Kuranda Train from a previous visit. The Skyrail was under construction, so this was to be a new experience for us.

The day dawned .... under a blanket of cloud and rain!

Despite the disappointment of the weather conditions, our 10am departure to Red Peak (Rain Forest) and Barron Falls was still a great day out.... once you had a 10 second clearing of cloud to see the view.

Barron Falls are still impressive even though they were filtered below cloud cover.

Kuranda Railway Station would have to be one of the most beautiful stations in Australia.

This place holds many memories for us from previous visits.

Dan up in the clouds at Kuranda Railway Station.

Travelling in the Gondola above the Rainforest - RAIN being the word of the day!

Recently cut timber (managed by Parks).

The richness of colours was spectacular.