Part 3 - Cooktown, The Gulf to Chinchilla
(from 15 Sept 2024)

Map & Progress

The map below shows our path travelled in red and the path yet to be completed in green.

Blog

Cooktown

A wonderful town with so many things to see. Thank you Cooktown.

Cooktown really surprised us and we're very grateful to have visited and see what it has to offer. 

Cooktown was the town where 'chelle's Dad had his 21st birthday in 1963. Also, was where he found himself in the lockup for the night on a separate matter .... That's another Blog!

Grassy Hill (more like Windy Hill!)

Cooktown has the most beautiful vantage point to explore and view 360 degrees of the Endeavour River and the township below. Grassy Hill is where you will find the towns lighthouse (you can't miss it!).  In 1987 residents of Cooktown were threatened with the Government decommissioning the lighthouse. Determined to save the historical facility and amid great media attention, a successful petition and public outcry led to the lighthouse and the area around it being ‘sold’ to the Cooktown people for $100 in 1988.

Suspension Bridge

Not far from the farm where we were camped, was the town's Suspension Bridge. When we found it, we realised that the Bridge didn't seem to serve any purpose. It wasn't going to, or from, anywhere specific eg: a school. When we asked our Camp Host what the story was with the building of the bridge, he advised that it was a Thesis project for a local Member of Parliament. Not a popular decision it seems. It's a good bridge though, despite it being over water that is home to crocs!

Old Laura visit

We packed the Thermos and picnic lunch (you know how 'chelle loves packing a Thermos for a day trip) and headed North out of Cooktown onto Battlecamp Road. (This Road is often used as an alternative access to the PDR up to Cape York.) Our destination was Old Laura Homestead which was about 80k's from our Camp on the Farm.

Enroute we passed over Isabella Falls and stopped in to view Lake Emma. Lake Emma was created by a meteorite and houses the most beautiful water lilies and a few fresh crocodiles. The Lake was huge and a hidden oasis amongst all the red dust. Not far from Lake Emma is a number of water holes. Campers are invited to stay here on their travels. The waterholes are filled with many varieties of bird life. If you wanted a quiet place to camp, this may be the place for you. We only visited one of the waterholes (Horseshoe). On our GPS, the map of the waterhole resembled the shape of a shark.

After many k's of dust and dirt, mixed with crossing the Normanby River a couple of times, dodging the odd herd of cows, we finally crossed the beautiful Laura River to find Old Laura Homestead perched safely high up on the opposite bank of the River. We had the place to ourselves.

Black Mountain, Lions Den Hotel and Bloomfield Falls

Another great day trip from Cooktown is to head south towards the Bloomfield Track (this was the old access road between Cairns and Cooktown before the current Mulligan Highway was built).

Black Mountain is a mountain range of massive granite boulders and marks the northern end of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

The sparsely vegetated, boulder-jumbled mountain supports a surprising range of animals, including some that are rare or threatened and a few that are found nowhere else.

The view from the car park is only a portion of the actual Mountain. You are asked to not venture past the carpark or viewing point as people in the past have been injured or have died trying to climb Black Mountain. Has a Picnic at Hanging Rock feel!

A few k's down the road, we hung a left off Mulligan Highway and had a stop at the Lions Den Hotel. 'chelle was last here in 1973 as a 7 year old. .... seems just like yesterday! 

The Lions Den Hotel was inundated with flood water in December last year, with no thanks to Cyclone Jasper. Considering the Hotel lost all their furniture; kitchen equipment etc, they have re-established the place very quickly. They have flood level indicators inside and outside of the buildings showing the depth of the inundation of water. Thankfully most of the collection of signatures (in permanent ink at least) over the years remain on the walls and door ways but, their unique collection of hats; bras and other memorabilia from customers were lost in the flood waters. 

Mitch, we tried go find your signature in the doorway near the bar but from the photo, you will see it was no easy feat. So we bought a beer and hung around the doorway hoping this was the general area?

We still had exploring to do, so further south we travelled following the Bloomfield River. There were obvious signs of further destruction from Cyclone Jasper. Huge boulders had rolled down from the Mountains into the valley below. You could see the scars on the sides of the mountains where the boulders had dislodged. These boulders apparently acted like dam walls as they lodged into areas on the mountain sides. With the pressure of water and debris building up behind them, they released down into the waterways with enormous force and caused so much destruction. The boulders are normally black from lichen and algae but they are now white from being "sand blasted" from the sand and water washing over the top of them. The view of trees being uprooted gives you some indication of the force and fury of the water. Mother Nature was angry on the 18th December 2023.

After a brief stop at a small Art Gallery (Black Cockatoo), we eventually arrived to an Indigenous Community, Wajul Wajul (so nice, they say it twice!) which is close to Bloomfield Falls. During Cyclone Jasper, this Community had to be airlifted by helicopter to safety. Considering the flood damage that would have been caused, the towns buildings and infrastructure has also recovered very quickly. This is a dry community, and it was lovely to see the kids out riding their bikes and scooters (no helmets to be seen!). The speed limit through town is only 20 kph. This allows the kids to roam around in safety.

Just beyond town and before crossing the bridge to continue down the Bloomfield and CREB tracks, is a carpark with a 100 metre walk to the falls. They were spectacular in the sense that you cannot see them until you turn a corner and there they are in all their glory before you. Amazing sight! So pleased we made the effort to drive down for the day to see them.

We headed back towards Weary Bay to have our picnic lunch and long overdue cuppa. Weary Bay is where the mouth of the Bloomfield River meets the sea. The wind was blowing a gale and there was no way we could make the short walk to the mouth of the river without being blown into the mangroves. It was such a shame, as we could see it easily from our picnic spot. Well, when I say picnic spot, I mean the back of the car to provide protection from the winds!

Ringers Rest RV Stop at Mareeba. 2024-09-15

The absolute joy of travelling is the characters who you meet along the way. Dave from Ringers Rest RV stop at Mareeba is a classic. He is a perfect host and has a return joke for anything and everything you can mention. We arrived on a Sunday which is "Damper Night"! Dave shows us how it is done along with his few witty one liners in the process eg: When kneading the damper, he wants a flat bottom, not one with a crack. Ridiculous, but he means well and putting his Dad jokes aside, he can  make a damn great damper. 

The property has a few horses and cows wandering around. The horses are very tame and as the photos attest, they are very comfortable with the campers who visit their home. The price is right too - $10 per night.

Rocky Creek War Memorial Park and Undara Lava Tubes. 2024-09-16

Leaving Mareeba, we travelled up and over the Atherton Tablelands. In true Tropical Queensland style, it was rainy and foggy on the mountainous roads. This made for a very hard day of driving for towing a van.

Enroute we stopped at Rocky Creek War Memorial Park. It was in this area that Dan's Dad, Clyde was based for Jungle Warfare training when his Unit returned from the Middle East. The Park depicts where the hospital site was and where various Units set up Camp. Respectfully, there are stones for each of these Units in the Park to commemorate their existence in the area during WWII. Clyde often spoke of his days at Rocky Creek and to see it first hand, was a privilege.

The hard morning of driving was met with relief once we passed through the gates of Undara which can be found 20 k's heading west along Savannah Way. We had a 1pm tour of the Lava Tubes booked and we arrived with enough time to park the van (thank goodness for drive through sites!) grab our hats and water bottle to join the bus.

What an experience! Sir David Attenborough believes these Lava Tubes should be marked as the 8th Natural Wonder of the World. He officially launched the Undara Wilderness Management for the "Resort" back in October 1991. We only saw a small segment of the Tubes (it is believed there are 69 known Lava tubes; we saw two) but it was impressive. The geology is fascinating! The landscape above the Tubes looks "normal" but when we were guided down to the Lava Tubes, the obligatory WOW factor kicks in. 

The scarring on the walls of the tubes, shows the different flows that would have occurred over many years to form the tubes we see today. The colours of the minerals on the tube walls are intense. Colours ranging from Reds, whites and the softest of pinks and purples. It is thought that the lava flowed at a temperature of around 1200°C about 190 000 years ago. The lava tubes and caves were formed when rivers of lava confined to a valley, crusted over and formed a roof. Insulated in its casing of solidified lava, the lava flow carried on for tens of kilometres before draining out, leaving an empty tube of lava. 

The family who grazed the property for five generations didn't realise the significance of the Lava tubes. In fact, they didn't even know they were there. They were too busy trying to develop the land for grazing of cattle.

Once the Lava Tubes were discovered and the significance of them realised, it was a wise decision to protect the area from "General Admission". The property was sold in the 1990's to a Commercial Entity (Discovery Parks) who are obliged to instil management plans for the tunnel's protection.

Cobbold Gorge. 2024-09-17

How fortunate we are to move on from one geological wonder with the Lava Tubes to visit the recently discovered Cobbold Gorge. Access to this Gorge is 70 k's south of Georgetown on Savannah Way, with 43 k's of this road being corrugated, red dust, gravel road. That's a journey in itself! In hindsight, we should have set up camp at the end of the bitumen road in the small township of Forsayth. We could have then left the van safely there and just driven the car over the 43 k's of gravel to the Gorge. 

From the Camp Base, we were bussed to the start of the Gorge and given a debrief on the history of the property and how (by chance) the Gorge was found. We were then split into three small groups and rotated through the walking and boating elements of the tour. Our Tour Guide, Glen walked us around the edge of the gorge explaining the plant life and geology of the Gorge. There is plenty of evidence showing that it was an inland sea for many years. We ended up on the top of the Gorge where they have installed a glass bridge which allows you to look directly down into the Gorge. To our advantage, a small tour group was having their trip in the Gorge on a small boat. This was great to gauge perspective of the size of the walls and the narrowness of the Gorge.

Our turn on the boat came around and it was wonderful. We slowly (and quietly with a small electric motor) weaved our way through the gorge and back again to the pontoon. We were very grateful to the Guides for making the Tour so informative and enjoyable.

Day Trip to Einasleigh and Copperfield Gorge

About 70 k's East of Forsayth, is the little township of Einasleigh and Copperfield Gorge. We decided to leave our van for a few hours in Forsayth while we completed this trip just in the car.

On arrival we headed straight to the Gorge which was just around the corner from the main building in town ie: The Pub!! You can safely swim and fish in the water of this Gorge.

The gorge was formed by the Copperfield River eroding a (very big) channel through the basalt. The basalt is from an ancient lava flow. The geology of the Gulf Country is just fascinating. We are visiting here near the end of the dry season (and it's stinking hot!) but if you can imagine during the wet season, this gorge is filled with raging water flow. The rugged edges of the basalt would make it very dangerous to swim in but exciting courses for the water to run over. The noise must be incredible.

The Railway Bridge has been built on a number of occasions but was continually being washed away when the River flooded. The Railway Bridge is now closer to town but remnants of previous bridges and flying fox equipment (for transporting mine equipment) are still evident at the top of the gorge.

Einasleigh was the location of Australia's copper industry when it was in its infancy. Copper deposits were discovered near the basalt wall at the head of the Copperfield River in 1867. 

Just a short stroll from the Gorge is The Pub. (it is For Sale at a bargain $450K! .... needs a LOT of work!) The current Publican is 66 years old and wants to retire. We stopped by to support the town by having lunch along with many other day trippers to the area.

Inside the Pub, is a collection of miniature furniture built by a fellow from Geelong in the late 70's. How it ended up in Einasleigh is still a mystery. The wood work is so perfect, even down to dovetail joints. For a scale of 1:20, that is pure art!

Free Camp - Cumberland Chimney

Completing our day trip to Einasleigh, we returned to Forsayth to collect our van from the side street. We both breathed a sigh of relief that it was still there. We grabbed some fuel at Georgetown and headed 20 k's west to a free camp Cumberland Chimney. We try to free camp where we can but the heat up here is playing a bit of havoc with those plans.

We found a great little spot at Cumberland Chimney. It was an old venting chimney that was used for the exhaust from the machinery used in underground mines. Also on the property is a man made lagoon that has so much bird life. Ranging from a lone (and assumed lost) Pelican to Black Neck Storks. As the sun set, many family groups of ducks and ducklings were making themselves visible on the lagoon before the night sky set in.

This area was known for Gold Mining in the 1870's. At its peak, Cumberland was very wealthy and a settlement was quickly established that included services like the Police Station; Telegraph office and two Banks. By 1889, the settlement grew to a population of 400 residents. By 1891, a school was built to cater for the families with children moving to the area. But, by 1899, the gold was running out and the settlement population decreased to only 189 residents. By 1915 the school closed due to a "drought of pupils"!!

Croydon

What a surprise packet this town was. We dropped into the 'True Blue' Visitor Centre and were very impressed with their displays and collection of machinery and buildings from their history. The machinery included two steam trains; one was mostly restored, the second one was salvaged and needs restoration. They even have spare train wheels in the shed!

In the gardens of the Visitor Centre, we stumbled across a Bower Bird nest tucked under a Bottlebrush tree in the back corner of the property. He wasn't too pleased in showing it off to us!

This town was also built on Gold Mining and was Queensland's fourth largest town in the Colony of Queensland.

Gold was discovered in 1885 and by 1887 the town's population was around 7000 residents. There was so much gold found here that it was mined for just over 40 years. Today, there are only 300 residents in the area. (312 last census)

To attract tourists to the town, they have established a Heritage Street of sorts. The streets are lined with "Gas Light Lanterns" that are electric, and they have restored many of the Heritage buildings to be interactive with anyone who visits. In the Court House, we sat through a trial of a woman who was being charged with being a public nuisance and drunkenness. We listened to a poor old prisoner in the lock up house. Every building was brought back to life from days gone by. Well done Croydon!

Karumba

If you get the chance to visit this part of the Gulf, make sure you stay a few days here. There is something about this place that just grabs your heart.... and the Barramundi for your belly!!! Warning though, this place is HOT. We were walking back from dinner at the local, and at 7:30pm it was 31 degrees! (This is the kind of place you book into a powered site and crank up the air-con.)

There are two areas to this part of the Gulf. Karumba township and Karumba Point. The township is small with a Grocer; Bakery; Pharmacy and Butcher and a touch of Industry along the Norman River front including the Barra Centre. The rest of the business' in town are either boat related or run a Fishing Charter. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Karumba Point is located at the mouth of the Norman River and is perfectly set up to watch the Sunsets each evening while enjoying a cool 'lemonade'. This is NOT to be missed if you are in Karumba.

We visited the Barra Centre and the Science that is involved in keeping Barra stocks pure and plentiful for future years, is incredible. So very interesting. The tour took us through the process from conception to release of fingerlings into the waterways. This is not just a set and forget process as they don't want any interbreeding with their barramundi stock. They have processes and tests to ensure that this doesn't happen. We had the chance to feed some of their senior Barramundi and the video below will show what 'gentle' creatures they are when it comes to food.

We joined a Fishing Charter with the hope to catch some King Salmon. Of course, everyone wants to catch a Barra but the timing is not right. We are at the end of the season and you really need to be in fast flowing rivers. We tried our luck with some beach fishing too, ensuring we stayed 5 meters away from the edge, due to crocs. We are in the Gulf after all.

Barra Centre Tour

Cloncurry (to come)

Mount Isa (to come)

Mary Kathleen

What used to be the town and mine 'Mary Kathleen' is about halfway between Cloncurry and Mount Isa. Back in the day, uranium was discovered here so Rio Tinto said "Hey, let's design and build a town, especially for the mine workers." So they architected and built a complete township, including:-

• ~200 houses for ~175 mine workers and town 1,000 people

• town square with fountain, shops, banks, medical centre, chemist, general store, servo etc

• churches - multiple denoms

• footy field, basketball & tennis courts with club house

• Olympic swimming pool, post office, police station, fire station, library

• cinema

• curb and channelling on bitumen streets with line markings

• pre & primary schools

• citrus orchid

The houses were built at a rate of 1 per day and the whole town built in around 12mths. 

What's left now?

It's remarkable that the entire town was eventually dismantled and removed, except for the cement slabs for houses, shops, churches, pool etc. The bitumen roads are all still in place and you can freely drive around (what was) the township - street by street. Nowadays it makes for ideal free camping for passing vans, albeit no water or facilities. 

The Mine

Aka The Pit. Pics below.  It's about a 6klm drive from (what was) "the town" down a deeply-potholed bitumen road to the mine site aka pit. The only bridge has been washed away on one end, requiring a quick detour via the (currently) dry creek bed to cross. It's all passible by 2WD (very slowly), but the 4WD handles the poor road far better. As you near the mine site, there's more evidence of cement curbing and buildings since removed. The mind races to reconstruct the mine site and township, as you drive by the remnants of times past. What used to be there? What was it like to work here? What was it like to live here - with a family?

All up, it's a fascinating step back in time to what was, what was done and the scaring left behind on our beautiful earth - all to make a buck!  Not being naive, this still goes on everywhere today, especially in the outback where there are many mines in every town. 

Croc Dundee's Walk-about Creek Pub

The actual pub used in Crocodile Dundee - namely Walkabout Creek. The old truck also outside. The pub is for sale too. Get in quick!

Waltzing Matilda - The billabong and The Coolabah trees

Yes - the very billabong on which Waltzing Matilda was penned by Banjo Patterson. 

We visited THE most famous of all Australian water holes - the billabong and coolabah trees, the spot on which Banjo Patterson based Waltzing Matilda. It was a 8klm drive off the main drag near McKinlay (South East of Cloncurry towards Winton) then a 1.2klm walk along a very dry track, with dozens of buzzards circling us as we walked. No-one else around for miles! I figured there must have been a dead animal there - to draw so many scavengers. But alas, with no animals found, I now suspect we could have been main course, if unable to continue. Eeek. See birds in pic and water reflections. But a few of the dozens.  We're at the end of the dry season here, so there's bugger all water anywhere. But debris evidence high in the trees is testimony to major recent flooding. Was worth the effort to visit.