Eungella - "Home in the clouds" and the platypuses

After visiting Airlie Beach we decided that we would head to the Platypus Bush Camp (close to Finch Hatton) -about 45mins out of Mackay, a large town on the coast. We find we need quiet, inland places after being surrounded by lots of people like ourselves!!!
Luckily we unhitched our van in the showgrounds of the charming place,Finch Hatton, a tiny, sugar-cane town at the foothills of the Eungella Range before heading to the Platypus Bush Camp. The showgrounds have place for caravans, cost $20.00 per night, have an abundance of manicured green lawns, loads of uncluttered space, very few caravans and magnificent mountain views. They are managed by a lovely man who acts as caretaker together with his dog, Maggie. It was also very interesting watching and hearing the loaded sugar-cane trains pass by.
Once unhitched we took a drive down to Platypus Bush Camp. We decided it was not for us, and besides we wouldn't have been able to negotiate the dips, stones and bends in the road with our caravan. It was on the way to the Finch Hatton Gorge in the rain forest. It also seemed to be occupied by some rather odd forest folk that inhabit the area - not that we mind odd forest folk!!
I had a chuckle at one of the folk climbing a ladder over her fence into her house as her gate was broken. I just missed getting a photo but got the ladder! We also couldn't believe seeing the house with a log through the middle. Chris chatted with the local historian of the town in the small museum and he explained that the whole community had offered to help the man remove the log but he had declined the offer. The town had been struck by a severe cyclone in March and a lot of property and trees were damaged. We loved the blue and purple house next door!
We drove up into the ranges twice as the first time we went we were too early for the platypuses. Instead we walked through the rain forest and had morning tea in a little cafe run by a weird woman who made some beautiful beaded animals in her gorgeous mountain style log house/cafe.
The small township of Eungella is right at the top of the mountain range and has the most magnificent views. The "home in the clouds" is exactly what it is. Close by is the Broken River where we saw the platypuses that I was determined to see. There are not many places left in Australia to see platypuses in the wild. The second time we went was closer to dusk and after waiting quietly by the side of Broken River we saw them! They are so delicate and sweet - far smaller than I ever imagined! It was a treat to see them swimming up and down the river with their beak shaped fronts. We absolutely loved the sight.
We stayed 4 days in a small piece of paradise!

Airlie Beach - the Whitsundays!

We have just put in an offer on a gorgeous little rain forest house, and have planned to buy a small motor boat to cruise the Whitsundays!! Just kidding - but highly tempting!

We have had a lovely time in this part of the world. We booked 4 nights but will have been here 7 by the time we leave. Besides spending time relaxing, reading, knitting!!, and chatting with lovely neighbours and others, we have ridden our bikes, gone for lovely walks around the place and spent a day out on a boat snorkelling and visiting some of the islands in the Whitsundays.

For the first few days it was grey and rainy. It was lovely having the rain as we were forced to relax and stay home. We only went out to do our shopping at the Whitsundays mall - everything you need! The following days have been clear, perfect sunshine. The sunny days colour the sea and make it an invitingly greenish, turquoise blue. In the summer it is very dangerous to swim because of stingers and box jellyfish.

While we were on The Voyager - the boat that took us out for the day - we could not get over the beauty that surrounded us everywhere we looked. We stopped at 3 islands - Hook, where we snorkelled in a beautiful bay (no stingers at this time! - hopefully), Daydream, where we walked around a piece of paradise, and Whitehaven which has pure, white silica sand and is a protected Marine Park where we saw goannas walking around our feet. Snorkelling amongst multicoloured fish was, once again, like swimming in a real, live aquarium. We absolutely loved it. We also went in a glass bottomed boat that sailed over a coral garden. We were both a bit disappointed with the dullness of the coral. We have heard that the coral in the outer reefs of the Great Barrier Reef is far more colourful but it takes much longer to sail out to the outer reefs.

We also spent an amazing day riding our bikes on the cycle path that runs on the edge of the beach at Airlie Beach. We stopped for a coffee in a funky little shop after visiting the market!! and sat in their comfy, leather lounge chairs reading the Saturday papers. Chris came to the market this time. He managed to keep interested by chatting up the camel owner and the Greens candidate! In Port Douglas he refused to come to the market as it is HUGE. He sat reading the paper waiting for me to continue my quest of finding something different - or "delicate" for Eva!

The small town of Airlie Beach, home of the magic car, is absolutely beautiful. Our caravan park is called "Airlie Cove" and is situated in a cove of rain forest. The only uncomfortable thing about it are the sand flies which have devoured me. Very uncomfortable. They don't touch Chris. I have been surviving on Polaramine - but that's minor as everything else is so beautiful.

When we leave here we are heading up to Platypus Bush Camp where I am hoping to see a real, live platypus. It's supposed to be a beautiful place in the Eungella National Park up in the Ranges! No power, so no contact for a while.

http://www.bushcamp.net/

I couldn't resist the photo of the couple who parked their camper trailer in the local car-park and half set up the tent part. She took out her camp chair and book, and he sat in the front of the car. It looked completely bizarre but maybe that was their way of dealing with arguments!!! Him at the front and she, out of his way, at the back. "Oh well, if he's pissed off by something, I'll just kick back and read my book. Stuff it that we're in the car park!!!"

Port Douglas again, and others!

The whole area from Port Douglas and on, south of Cairns is sugar-cane country interspersed with rain forests, mountains and beaches - the wet tropics. The sugar-cane fields are all perfectly manicured and the rest of the scenery decidedly beautiful. Since leaving Port Douglas which we loved, we have mostly been having grey, rainy days. After months and months of perfect, sunny days a bit of rain is quite a change. The scenery created by the mist and rain clouds makes our travelling times quite magical and Lord of the Rings like.

We spent 3 amazing days at an out of the way place called Bramston Beach. On the way we passed over Alice River where we had to take a picture as it reminded us of our precious little Alice. (We haven't found Eva or Eloise Rivers yet!) The caravan park at Bramston Beach was a huge park between the beach and the rain forest. We could not believe its beauty... and only a few caravanners - some whom come and stay for months at a time. The only dangerous thing was the falling coconuts! We also keep looking out for a cassowary but as yet have not seen one.

After our gorgeous few days we spent a night and day at the amazing Paronella Park which was constructed by a Spanish man, Jose Paronella, in the 1930's. He had a dream to build a Spanish castle for the people he loved. He built his castle and other buildings in the park so that wherever you stood you could see the waterfall. He even used hydro- electric power from the waterfall to supply electricity to the whole park. It is still powered by the same generator that he originally used. It was a most moving experience seeing the castle all lit up at night. His dream lives on today as it is now open for the public to enjoy. It really is a special place to visit. When we were all hitched up ready to go we found our car battery had gone flat! Luckily the park had a battery pack and with Chris's ingenious ways we managed to start the car and continue on our journey - needed more than just the battery pack!

We also had fun driving up to Wallaman Falls (the highest drop in Aus - 320m) through another amazing rain forest. Unfortunately, when we eventually got up the steep, windy road to see the waterfall, mist, clouds and rain had built up to such an extent that we couldn't lay eyes on the falls. We had a few chuckles with some fellow tourists about using our imaginations and being in very mystical surroundings. It was the first time we had to use our special rain jackets, and my umbrella - that I couldn't find as it was hidden deep in the bowels of the caravan! I had to take a picture of Chris as I thought he looked oh, so camp, in his blue rain jacket and (my) matching umbrella!

After descending from the clouds we visited the cemetery where we were told we had to see the mausoleums built by the Italian families in the area for their departed loved ones. Amazing when you've never seen something like this before.

All this in Ingham - again, sugar-cane country.

Sorry the pics are a little jumbled. Google blog does its own thing. The church is an old one in Port Douglas with an open square behind the altar that looks out to the ocean. Magnificent.

Visiting the Daintree and Cape Tribulation

This is a place we could have stayed for ages. We happened to choose a beautiful day as there is a fair bit of rain around - the place is a rain forest after all! It is absolutely beautiful - everything you've ever read or seen on TV or in magazines is true. We crossed the Daintree River on the ferry early in the morning and travelled slowly up the road to Cape Tribulation almost touching the rain forest on either side of the car. Whatever looked inviting - which was everything - we stopped to look at and explore. The views, the magnificent beaches, the trees, the ferns, the butterflies, the birds, the coffee, the ice-cream!!! were all incredible. The ice-cream was made from the tropical fruit grown in the area and where we had our coffee was like sitting in a butterfly sanctuary. I tried so hard to catch the blue Ulysess on my camera but it was impossible. They are the brightest blue I have ever seen. When they land their wings are closed and the blue can't be seen.

It was like being on a movie set though it was real life, and again, a complete privilege to have been there. We will definitely go there again.