On that frenetic 'photography Sunday' I was determined to get as much done as possible. The forecast for the following week was not encouraging. This suited in that I have a theory that it is always much easier to photograph a town on a Sunday than any other purely because of reduced traffic. Not so in Atherton...the main street was a constant stream. I later discovered that it is commonplace for those on the coast to visit the hinterland during the weekend.
Mind you, in comparison to the main streets of other towns we have visited, Atherton's does not have a great deal to invite attention architecturally. This is not to say that the CBD is not entirely functional, but it is just that. The most impressive building on the main drag is undoubtedly the Court House.
This is an imposing edifice, to the extent I could not get the wing of the building to the right of the shot in the photo. I dare not venture as to what this says about Atherton! (sorry Hens...I know you have never seen the inside)
The lower end of the street is the venue for the local war memorial, and the roundabout leading to the road north out of the town to Mareeba.
This is a pretty spot from which the main street extends for something less than a kilometre in a generally westerly direction.
Apart from the Court House I found three of the four pubs located amongst the commercial buildings of this street to be of some interest. They were certainly the largest of the varied buildings. The Grand Hotel (of previous mural interest) was in the classic outback style.
The Atherton Hotel was decidedly, and oddly, art deco,
whilst the designer of the Barron Valley Hotel seemed to have a style bet each way.
The 'Kitsch Award' for Atherton's main street definitely goes to the piece of kit which advertises the Crystal Caves, an exhibition of some quite extraordinary geodes and crystals, which I did visit later. To my relief, the exhibits were of significantly higher standard than the advertisement.
Leaving Atherton, one of the two roads which took us back to our park at Lake Tinaroo passes through the tiny township of Tolga. I particularly liked Tolga which straddles the main road from Atherton to Mareeba and is virtually a satellite town of Atherton.
On its short, tree lined 'main street' can be found an array of shops which provide for just about all one could want by way of foodstuffs, including, would you believe, a take-away which stocked Vilis pies! What a find.
We strive to maintain a reasonably normal and healthy diet whilst on the road, one which sees pastry on the generally banned substances list, but when confronted with Vilis pies, how could I resist? Six of these treats now lie in the Waco for those occasions when nothing but a pie will do!
Just beyond the line of trees sits the Tolga Hotel, at which we indulged in a delightful birthday lunch, but more of that later.
And just before we leave the Tolga area, we must mention The Humpy, this incredible little store which offers an array of flours, nuts, fruits, vegetables, spices, jams, relishes, sweets and ice creams which has to be seen to be believed. But wait, there's more.....bamboo socks no less. Ever since buying my first pairs in Winton (of all places) last year, I have become a devotee of their comfort. They are not easy to come by, and lo and behold here they were, just as I had realised I needed a few new pairs. Mind you, this was all we bought....the prices were through the roof!
And so, back to Lake Tinaroo, where the caravan park lies at one end of the small village of Tinaroo itself.
Here, the Tinaroo Lake Resort dominates the scene.
A mix of privately owned apartments and those available for holiday rental, this large complex affords all who live here, either permanently or for the short term,
some wonderful views over the lake and its surrounds.
Those fortunate enough to live in the cluster of private homes which makes up the rest of the village, either along the quaintly narrow streets,
or here overlooking the local park area,
are also privileged with marvellous views over the many nooks and crannies which make up the lake's edge.
Indeed it is all these small bays and inlets, the result of flooded valleys of the river catchment, which account for the fact that the edge of the lake covers a distance of over 200 kms.
As we continued our walk to the side of the village which overlooked the dam wall, we were disappointed to find that the restaurant which had previously operated here was now defunct. If their sign was anything to go by, we would have hoped the quality of the food on offer would have matched the proprietor's sense of humour.
Now I know I have banged on about the rotten weather cards we were dealt during our stay at Lake Tinaroo, but I did manage to take advantage of one of the two sunny days on offer, to not only get some shots of the lake's edge immediately in front of the caravan park,
but finally launch the kayak. The moment of truth.....had I bought a lemon..would it track as I had hoped...would it provide the stability needed for fishing....would it be as quick as I had been promised?
Could I still remember how to paddle properly?
Of course I could!
And is this the grin of one happy chappie? Sure is. I had just under an hour on the water, including a bash into some pretty nasty chop, and found that this little boat handles as well as I had been assured it would. To my intense frustration, this was the only day I was able to get out. From this point on the wind strength increased to the degree that the benign surface you see here became a constant white-capped and decidedly uninviting mess. But at least it is christened!
To come, some Lake Tinaroo social activities and my visit to the Crystal Caves.
The 'Kitsch Award' for Atherton's main street definitely goes to the piece of kit which advertises the Crystal Caves, an exhibition of some quite extraordinary geodes and crystals, which I did visit later. To my relief, the exhibits were of significantly higher standard than the advertisement.
Leaving Atherton, one of the two roads which took us back to our park at Lake Tinaroo passes through the tiny township of Tolga. I particularly liked Tolga which straddles the main road from Atherton to Mareeba and is virtually a satellite town of Atherton.
On its short, tree lined 'main street' can be found an array of shops which provide for just about all one could want by way of foodstuffs, including, would you believe, a take-away which stocked Vilis pies! What a find.
We strive to maintain a reasonably normal and healthy diet whilst on the road, one which sees pastry on the generally banned substances list, but when confronted with Vilis pies, how could I resist? Six of these treats now lie in the Waco for those occasions when nothing but a pie will do!
Just beyond the line of trees sits the Tolga Hotel, at which we indulged in a delightful birthday lunch, but more of that later.
And so, back to Lake Tinaroo, where the caravan park lies at one end of the small village of Tinaroo itself.
Here, the Tinaroo Lake Resort dominates the scene.
A mix of privately owned apartments and those available for holiday rental, this large complex affords all who live here, either permanently or for the short term,
some wonderful views over the lake and its surrounds.
Those fortunate enough to live in the cluster of private homes which makes up the rest of the village, either along the quaintly narrow streets,
or here overlooking the local park area,
are also privileged with marvellous views over the many nooks and crannies which make up the lake's edge.
Indeed it is all these small bays and inlets, the result of flooded valleys of the river catchment, which account for the fact that the edge of the lake covers a distance of over 200 kms.
As we continued our walk to the side of the village which overlooked the dam wall, we were disappointed to find that the restaurant which had previously operated here was now defunct. If their sign was anything to go by, we would have hoped the quality of the food on offer would have matched the proprietor's sense of humour.
Now I know I have banged on about the rotten weather cards we were dealt during our stay at Lake Tinaroo, but I did manage to take advantage of one of the two sunny days on offer, to not only get some shots of the lake's edge immediately in front of the caravan park,
but finally launch the kayak. The moment of truth.....had I bought a lemon..would it track as I had hoped...would it provide the stability needed for fishing....would it be as quick as I had been promised?
Could I still remember how to paddle properly?
Of course I could!
To come, some Lake Tinaroo social activities and my visit to the Crystal Caves.
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