We had a great three weeks in KB, but it was good to be on the road again, heading off to places unknown. We were both a little sad to be finally parting company with the Vogts with whom we had shared such an enjoyable seven weeks or so beginning with our meeting in Boomi. May 10th now seems such a long time ago! Our 'last supper' was actually a fine lunch at the wonderful El Arish pub, where we occupied the back bar area (to accommodate Bobby the dog), reminisced and vowed to do it all again sometime, probably on Eyre Peninsula early next year.
(I was actually having a very good time....got caught with a mouthful as Liz took the shot..a grin would not have been a good look!)
A number of those who formed the core of our very social group at KB turned out for the obligatory farewell photo
before we edged our way out of the park and made our way to the Bruce Highway where once again we turned our noses to the north west on what was now a very familiar stretch of road.
Our overnight destination was Mareeba, some 30 kms to the north of Atherton, which we intended to reach via the Palmerston Highway (again). This time, however, we took a short cut along the B-Double route which by-passes Innisfail. Here we travelled past the ubiquitous cane fields and banana plantations of this part of the world towards the small town of South Johnston.
The cane harvest had just begun and the South Johnston sugar mill, like all others in the area, was in full swing.
As well as the sugar cane and bananas, mango orchards are a feature of the countryside around Innisfail. What a strange looking tree they are with their scruffy foliage and all the fruit hanging down the long bare trunks. At the risk of sounding somewhat crude, a fruiting mango tree always reminds me of a well hung bull!
Moving right along.......we had a real surprise on this section of our journey.....a view of the peak of Mount Bartle Frere, Queensland's highest mountain. During the many weeks we have spent in this part of FNQ, both this year and last, the mountain top has always been enshrouded in cloud. This time it had only made it half way up! It really was quite a sight looking out across the banana plantation notwithstanding the haze.
Local knowledge again came to the fore as we made our way onto the Tableland. Just as we had skirted Innisfail, we were able to do the same around Atherton, again following the by now familiar (after our two weeks at Lake Tinaroo) B-Double route.
And so on to Mareeba, where our hitherto relaxed day turned pear shaped. As is our habit, we had booked ahead (into the Riverside Caravan Park), and as is also our habit, we had made it quite clear how long we are. As we pulled into the entrance I had a very sinking feeling. Not only was the park 'agricultural' to say the least, my first glance around did not engender any confidence in terms of the sites on offer. My concerns were verified after we had inspected the four choices presented....only one provided any chance of fitting us but it was so sloping I knew we would not be able to level the van. Thanks, but no thanks. Plan B.
Into our trusty caravan parks book and on the phone to the other park in Mareeba. No answer. Let's go and find out what is going on. Nothing! The office was closed, the emergency arrival number went to a message bank and my enquiries with a park resident revealed that the owner was away. What a way to run a business!
So it was off to the information centre to find out where the local showground was located. We had heard from many fellow travellers that this offered a good spot to overnight. Our main concern was our need for power...the Waco was chockers with meat from our favourite butcher at El Arish. Yes, they have powered sites. "Are there many vans there?", I enquired. "Quite a few, but there are plenty of sites", was the response.
And our man at the information centre was not joking, as this shot of about half of those in residence shows. The 'showground' is actually the famous Mareeba Rodeo ground
We suspect that many in the park were here in preparation for the rodeo which is scheduled to begin on July 12th. But things were already under way. What's an annual rodeo without a rodeo queen,
or for that matter a country music concert, albeit one with a difference. Local aspirants were encouraged to front the stage and render their favourite tune. I have to say that the first few were significantly challenged in the vocal talent department. One can only wonder how our ears would have been assailed if not for the excellent musical skills of the backing band. Fortunately genuinely gifted singers took to the stage later, including a local music teacher who had a voice like and angel. Her version of 'Mississipi' was stunning.
But there was a job to be done, so off we went, this time into a part of Australia we had never previously visited. The open highway in the Mareeba area
soon gave way to real savannah country, complete with termite mounds, before we got a real surprise.
For some unknown reason Liz and I had both envisaged that the country through which we would be travelling further north up the Cape would comprise relatively flat and open savannah grazing land. Not so. I suppose the fact that we were to pass through Mount Molloy and Mount Carbine should have provided something of a clue, but no, Mr and Mrs ignorant were quite taken aback when we hit the mountains.
A few quite spectacular cuttings and gorges gave way to odd stretches of relatively open countryside, but in the main the ranges were with us for the rest of our drive to Lakeland.
The patrolling Black Panther did not quite know what to make of these strange creatures and reverted to pure 'Max' when confronted....he hissed, puffed up, and made a strategic withdrawal. And decided the day had just been all too hard!
The cane harvest had just begun and the South Johnston sugar mill, like all others in the area, was in full swing.
As well as the sugar cane and bananas, mango orchards are a feature of the countryside around Innisfail. What a strange looking tree they are with their scruffy foliage and all the fruit hanging down the long bare trunks. At the risk of sounding somewhat crude, a fruiting mango tree always reminds me of a well hung bull!
Moving right along.......we had a real surprise on this section of our journey.....a view of the peak of Mount Bartle Frere, Queensland's highest mountain. During the many weeks we have spent in this part of FNQ, both this year and last, the mountain top has always been enshrouded in cloud. This time it had only made it half way up! It really was quite a sight looking out across the banana plantation notwithstanding the haze.
Local knowledge again came to the fore as we made our way onto the Tableland. Just as we had skirted Innisfail, we were able to do the same around Atherton, again following the by now familiar (after our two weeks at Lake Tinaroo) B-Double route.
And so on to Mareeba, where our hitherto relaxed day turned pear shaped. As is our habit, we had booked ahead (into the Riverside Caravan Park), and as is also our habit, we had made it quite clear how long we are. As we pulled into the entrance I had a very sinking feeling. Not only was the park 'agricultural' to say the least, my first glance around did not engender any confidence in terms of the sites on offer. My concerns were verified after we had inspected the four choices presented....only one provided any chance of fitting us but it was so sloping I knew we would not be able to level the van. Thanks, but no thanks. Plan B.
Into our trusty caravan parks book and on the phone to the other park in Mareeba. No answer. Let's go and find out what is going on. Nothing! The office was closed, the emergency arrival number went to a message bank and my enquiries with a park resident revealed that the owner was away. What a way to run a business!
So it was off to the information centre to find out where the local showground was located. We had heard from many fellow travellers that this offered a good spot to overnight. Our main concern was our need for power...the Waco was chockers with meat from our favourite butcher at El Arish. Yes, they have powered sites. "Are there many vans there?", I enquired. "Quite a few, but there are plenty of sites", was the response.
And our man at the information centre was not joking, as this shot of about half of those in residence shows. The 'showground' is actually the famous Mareeba Rodeo ground
where the stadium itself sits in the centre of a vast open paddock on which rows of power posts and water taps have been installed.
The highly organized staff were managing over 170 visiting caravans on the day of our arrival. After parting with the princely sum of $16.00, we waited until 'Merv' arrived on his quad bike and led us to our site where, as rarely happens, we were dwarfed by a few of the 'big boys'. I had been somewhat daunted by our prospects in such a crowded patch, but as it turned out we had oodles of room.
Looking at the veggie garden flourishing outside the van to our right in this shot, it is apparent that some make this a real home away from home. Tomatoes, capsicums and assorted herbs were all doing very well in the white garden boxes lined up along the front of this somewhat dilapidated converted bus.
It was impossible to capture the spread of vans in any one photo, but another section can be seen here, together with one of the more interesting mobile homes we have seen. 'The Mog' was nothing if not distinctive.
We suspect that many in the park were here in preparation for the rodeo which is scheduled to begin on July 12th. But things were already under way. What's an annual rodeo without a rodeo queen,
or for that matter a country music concert, albeit one with a difference. Local aspirants were encouraged to front the stage and render their favourite tune. I have to say that the first few were significantly challenged in the vocal talent department. One can only wonder how our ears would have been assailed if not for the excellent musical skills of the backing band. Fortunately genuinely gifted singers took to the stage later, including a local music teacher who had a voice like and angel. Her version of 'Mississipi' was stunning.
Liz and I had wandered down to the 'Bull Bar' on our own to join in the festivities. To our surprise, as we were waiting for things to get under way, we were approached by a chap who introduced himself as our neighbour in the park with the invitation to join him and his friends. That was the beginning of what turned out to be a very long night which began at
the concert and ended some four hours later under Steve's awning. What a delightfully unexpected end to a day which had previously been somewhat fraught.
Mind you, for every hour of fun and games there is a price to pay, and, in another of my rare concessions, I have to admit that the thought of a three hour drive further north to Lakeland did not fill my waking thoughts with sweetness and light.
But there was a job to be done, so off we went, this time into a part of Australia we had never previously visited. The open highway in the Mareeba area
soon gave way to real savannah country, complete with termite mounds, before we got a real surprise.
For some unknown reason Liz and I had both envisaged that the country through which we would be travelling further north up the Cape would comprise relatively flat and open savannah grazing land. Not so. I suppose the fact that we were to pass through Mount Molloy and Mount Carbine should have provided something of a clue, but no, Mr and Mrs ignorant were quite taken aback when we hit the mountains.
A few quite spectacular cuttings and gorges gave way to odd stretches of relatively open countryside, but in the main the ranges were with us for the rest of our drive to Lakeland.
Some of this quite spectacular scenery reminded us a great deal of the country between Cloncurry and Mount Isa, as the dirt and rocks took on a predominately reddish hue.
Liz was able to snatch a few photos of the vista across the Sussex Range which forms part of the Great Dividing Range
and the odd shot of some of the challenges this highway presented to your correspondent. The road included one very long, steep climb halfway up which is a lookout which we are sure provides stunning views across the adjacent valley. It was on the wrong side for us to stop, even if we could have squeezed ourselves in with the gazing masses already there. A job for the return journey.
After what seemed an interminable continuous ascent, we finally began to drop down to the seaward side of the range
where the rocky, tree studded country gave way to open grazing lands covered with a red grass, the like of which we had never seen before. What a contrast to the previous two hours or so.
And so it was, after travelling through Palmer River, the area where the discovery of gold brought thousands of hopefuls (predominately Chinese) to this part of the country in the late 1800's (more of this later), we finally made our approach into Lakeland, where, oddly enough, we thought there might be a water hole at least. No such luck...Lakeland bears the name of the chap who first settled here.....Mr Lakeland!
One thing was very clear to us as we made our approach to this tiny hamlet on the Cape. We were a bloody long way from home!
Lakeland sits at the junction of the road to Cooktown and that which takes those more intrepid and better equipped than us on up to 'The Tip', or north-west to Weipa. In fact, throughout our entire trip this day there had been a constant stream of 4WD's, some towing seriously off-road trailers, passing us in the opposite direction. And they all had something in common......they were filthy with red dust.
Another feature of the significantly (and, again, unexpectedly) heavy traffic on this road was the number of horse floats streaming south. We opined that there must have been a rodeo held locally somewhere, and felt very smug when we discovered later that evening that the small town of Laura, some 60 kms to the north-west of Lakeland on the Weipa road, had been hosting just such an event over the weekend just finished. Laura is the last town on this road which can be accessed on the blacktop. From there on it is all dirt. It is also the home to Aboriginal rock art of world significance. We intend to visit on our return trip.
Bur for the present, it was time to settle into our camp for the night. We had been told that the caravan park was more than acceptable, and so it was.
We were just a touch taken aback by the appearance of our tattooed host, 'Dave', who greeted us in the office barefooted and attired in less than his Sunday best, but this turned out to be very much another case of 'books and covers'. Dave and his goodly spouse were charming and obliging hosts. The park office was one of the best kept and stocked we have come across and the rest of the facilities were immaculate.
The location of Lakeland makes it an ideal place to offer van storage for those who wish to make the dash to the Tip unencumbered, a service which we saw was very well patronised. In fact, when we booked the park Dave was somewhat relieved to find that we were passing through...he had no room left to store a van of our size. This storage service includes maintaining power to fridges and freezers if needed, all for the exorbitant fee of $6.00 per day...what a good deal this is.
Apart from the stored vans, we shared our patch with some other quite different guests.
The patrolling Black Panther did not quite know what to make of these strange creatures and reverted to pure 'Max' when confronted....he hissed, puffed up, and made a strategic withdrawal. And decided the day had just been all too hard!
We intend to spend a couple of nights in Lakeland on our way back south from Cooktown when I'll provide more on this and the surrounding area. Our late afternoon ambience was somewhat shattered with the arrival of two families in camper trailers who initially tried to set up side by side in the site next to us. Nothing wrong with that I hear you say...indeed normally not, but when the chap nearest to us ran his trailer wheel up onto our slab to fit in next to his mate, we had quiet a word! He moved.
Liz reckons they only paid for one site between them which I suspect is right. As it transpired, goodwill returned to the Lakeland park once they had all set up. They were a touch weary having driven that day from Weipa, a mere 650 kms on the dirt! In fact, in the course of our chat, I had the odd experience of actually giving a Queenslander road directions in his own state (on the best way to get to Paronella Park from Atherton.....been there, done that...several times!)
80 kms to go. Cooktown. As far north as we have yet been in the van. Bucket list stuff. A great night's sleep following an AFD (Liz rather harshly suggested that in my case it was less than voluntary abstinence) found us raring to go. Will we be disappointed after our mental build-up?
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