After breakfast, drove into Charleville. John bought oil to top up the diff. He had phoned the bad mechanic from home, for advice – though that might be of dubious value. The supposed expert reckoned that Defender wheels don’t break. Well….we were carrying evidence to the contrary on the spare wheel holder……
John decided not to try getting the tyre fixed here, because the split wheel would only cause the same problem again. We had the caravan spare that could be used, if needed – which was why we’d originally had the van built with Defender wheels. Surely we couldn’t be that unlucky? There was certainly no point in trying to get a new wheel for Truck here.
Just lazed around at camp for the rest of the day. I took back everything I’d previously said about John in “go home” mode – this time was a pleasant exception.
Hooked Truck back up to van. We also seemed to have an oil drip from the steering box area. Poor old Truck was now over thirteen years old, and had done over quarter of a million kms. Getting old…..
Had happy hour with the interesting neighbours.
As often happens in these parts, the sunset was brilliant.
We were up early and away just after 7am, wanting to finish driving, if we could, before the worst heat of the afternoon.
Drove back south, leaving the Tropics, through Sapphire, to meet the Capricorn Highway at Anakie, where we turned west. Before long, we were passing through ranges where the road was quite hilly. It was rather dramatic. I’d forgotten all about this, although we must have driven this route at least once before.
Refuelled at Alpha, then took the Tambo road to the south. This would save us some 170kms compared to the alternative of going via Barcaldine.
The sealed road soon turned to gravel. Some sections were quite stony, and some parts were corrugated. There were occasional sealed sections again, especially on the floodways.
As was our usual practice, as soon as we left the sealed road, we stopped and removed the weight distribution bars. We’d been told to do that, right back when we started caravanning, by the people at Hayman Reece.
We came upon one floodway very suddenly, with a big dip in the middle of a raised area, and bottomed out a bit. Then John heard a tyre going down rapidly. It was the driver’s side rear one on Truck. John spent some time fiddling around with the ordinary jack, trying to get it to fit under the lowered side. He wasn’t happy that this would hold, so we ended up using the awkward, slow, wind up one that belonged to Truck, as well.
The floodway ambush in the background
When the wheel had been taken off, I was inspecting the tyre to try to find the cause of the flat – and found a nine inch split in the steel wheel rim, in the centre of the wheel. I thought it must have spread when we bottomed in the floodway, and then pinched the tube inside, because I couldn’t find any tyre damage. Later on, a close inspection revealed what looked like an old split, about four inches long and a bit rusted inside, and new splits on each end of that – presumably from the floodway. We had no idea when we made the older split. My guess would be possibly on the really rough and rocky crossing of the flooded river on the way into the Bungles in 2007.
When changing the wheel, John also found an oil seal leak in the rear left side. Again!
The Alpha to Tambo road
After that, we were relieved to reach sealed road again, at the corner with the Dawson Development Road, with no further mishaps. Â The last part of this road, through to Tambo, was really scenic – the western tail off of the Carnarvon Ranges. But we were both a bit too tense to really enjoy it. Along the way, a topic of conversation had been about whether we should buy a new Defender, after this trip!
Had our packed lunch at the lovely rest area at Tambo. Then continued, through a hot afternoon, to Charleville, where we got fuel. Then back tracked a bit, to drive out to the Evening Star Caravan Park, to the NW of the town.
This caravan park, on a cattle property, was fairly new. It was 9kms from Charleville, on the Adavale road. Our powered site cost $24.
We thought this was going to be a really nice caravan park ,when the new tree plantings grew a bit higher. All the sites were drive through style, with a good separation between them. The bathrooms were unisex style. They had a very pleasant communal compfire area.
Site at Evening Star
We got talking to the people on the next site, travelling in a converted bus. Very interesting. She was a writer. Both had done a lot of living on boats, and travelling around. They lived in Tasmania, near Stanley, and knew our friends S and M, who had the Post Office there. We swapped details, and invited them to stay at our place, if they wished, when they next passed through Melbourne.
Decided we would have two nights here. It was very pleasant to be in the bush. It was the sort of place we’d stay at for a week or more. if we were not on a deadline.
Yes, a rookie error, but embarrassment overcome in order to show the nature of sites at Evening Star, in the early days….
I made tandoori chicken for tea.
The night was very pleasantly warm – not always the case, inland.
It was another hot day. Qld was having a heat wave, abnormal for August. Bushfire season had started really early – it was still, technically, winter.
Site at Rubyvale
After the usual morning happenings, went with our neighbours, out to a fossicking place on the Goanna Flats Road, which bordered one side of the caravan park, then continued out to the west. We bought three buckets of gravel, for $40, and proceeded to wash and sort those, showing the neighbours what we were doing. Found a few chippy bits of sapphire, nothing special.
Left the neighbours there – now they knew the procedure – and drove on a bit further out the road, to look at the scenery. We hadn’t been out this road, this far before. In the distance was a little volcanic hill, like a little sibling to Mt Keilembete, further to the west. Then drove back into town, and explored around some of the roads, looking at the claims and the many, varied, and quirky structures on same.
Stopped to take photos of a street sign that had always intrigued us, from our first visit. It seemed to typify the gem fields attitude.
Says it all……
Stopped at Willy’s Wash – with a name like that, who could resist? Washed another couple of buckets of gravel. Nothing to get excited about in those.
It was very hot by now, so it was back to the van for a late lunch and an afternoon in the cool.
The gold man turned up about 4pm and I bought two nice little nuggets.
The caravan park had really emptied out today. I guess travellers had been waiting for yesterday’s markets.
Late in the afternoon, we took down the awning.
Had a text from friend M informing us that her ex-husband now lived on our favourite Tellem Buggerem Close. So we must have driven past his place. We were not inclined to look him up again – last time we called on the much married ex, got the impression that his latest wife was not thrilled to be meeting good friends of wife number three!
I was up much earlier than John and sat outside with my coffee. I set the laptop up out there and messed about with the Share Market Game.
Yesterday, we’d gotten chatting with the neighbours in the caravan on one side. They hadn’t been here before, had only arrived that day, so John offered to show them around a bit. Just after John got up, the lady appeared, and asked when we would be ready? Oops! So we hurried.
With them tagging behind, we drove to the Sunday Markets at Sapphire, a few kms away. That took us across the Tropic of Capricorn, just north of Sapphire.
There was a respectable number of stalls at the Markets, even though the major Gemfest event had been a couple of weeks ago, and one might have expected the gemfields to empty out after that.
We browsed the stalls, pretty thoroughly. I always find it impossible to avoid making purchases at such places, even though any more gemstone jewellery is amongst the last things I need. Like, when do I ever have occasion to wear jewellery at all, these days? It was just a twist of life that I had accumulated such things after my professional working life – with its attendant need to dress up – finished. I thought I would probably soon start distributing it to the younger females of the family, who would have more use for it.
We bought a blue sapphire, suitable for a ring. Bargained for, and bought, a very nice Mintabie opal. I had been looking, for a while now, for two matching small gold nuggets, for earrings to go with a pendant gold nugget, bought in Marble Bar in 2004. A stall holder had some nuggets on display, said he might be able to help with what I was after, and would bring potential earring nuggets to the van tomorrow.
Found out that the place at Sapphire that sold buckets of wash, that I wanted to investigate, was closed today. On past visits, we’d always bought some fossicking buckets at Rubyvale and I’d wanted to try something different.
We left the other couple to do their own thing, now they were more oriented and had some ideas about the area. Had a little driving explore around Sapphire, then went back to the van for lunch.
After that, went walking up the main street, looking at the shops and houses. We went in and browsed at the main, best, gallery – it still had wonderful sapphires and jewellery. Their orange sapphires were superb – and priced accordingly. If I ever won a lottery……mightn’t wear them much, but could look at them!
There had been some new houses and shops built, since last time we were here. There was some interesting – and very appropriate – use of corrugated iron and timber.
Going to be a shop?
The afternoon was hot – mid 30’s. Bought icy poles at the General Store and ate them as we meandered.
Spent the rest of the afternoon in the van, with the air-con on, reading.
The hippy pair next door had left early in the morning. We later saw them set up at the markets, with beaded stuff and some fairly mediocre second hand stuff on offer.
SATURDAY 22 AUGUST CHARTERS TOWERS TO RUBYVALE 500kms
We were up before 7am, but didn’t rush to get away. because I wanted to get the Weekend Australian from the office, and it wouldn’t be in till at least 7.30. We were away at 7.45.
Charters Towers was quiet at that time of the morning, so it was easy to wind our way through the centre of town.
It was good that the road south was now a decent width, all the way. But quite a bit of the older surface was very “lumpy”. It made for much rocking of the rig, especially where they had widened the old road by simply adding a strip on the side. There was now a groove along that. I didn’t remember it as quite that bad when we’d gone north, but it certainly was not great, going south.
Stopped at Belyando Roadhouse for smoko. There was a large, wide load stopped there, going north. What a good place to meet it!
Pleased we met this here and not on the road
The day grew hot – up into the 30’s.
Stopped again at Clermont to get fuel, and have lunch. We ate this walking around the surrounds of the servo, mostly looking across a big dam, where there were a couple of hundred plumed whistling ducks, plus shags, egrets, herons and the like. I love the sounds the whistling ducks make. They are a pretty duck, too.
The drive from Charters Towers to Clermont had been pretty dull, country wise. Dry, but still a bit of water in most creeks.
While we were parked at Clermont, another wide load went passed, travelling north. Again, we’d been fortunate in our timing. Increased mining activity further north had meant encounters like this were much more common than when we first started travelling. I guess transport technology had changed too, and now trucks were bigger and could take such loads.
From Clermont to Capella, there was more interest, because we could see the Peaks in the distance.
As we drove south from Clermont, made the decision to go to Rubyvale for a couple of nights. It was a place we’d enjoyed on previous visits, and we had a couple of “spare” days. We hadn’t been there since 2000, so it would be interesting to see if much had changed.
From Capella, took the “back” way to Rubyvale. This was quite a good, sealed road, with a few twists and turns and low culverts over creeks. It mightn’t be quite so good after prolonged rains! It was interesting, being new to us, and much shorter than going via Emerald.
The Rubyvale Caravan Park was packed! As we came round the corner and saw it, I had a sinking feeling that we wouldn’t get in. Didn’t have a Plan B. We got the second last site, so there was not much choice. But it was alright – we were backed against a rock wall, so no neighbours behind us. Just on both sides – and very close. We did have a slab, not that this was vital in such dry weather.
The cost was $20 per night. As we were going through the booking in formalities, John told the man we’d stay three nights – news to me! But I was sure we would find things to do.
We were told that the previous owner, who we’d gotten to know a bit, previously, had sold the park and attached post office, six years before, and retired out to his “Castle” (Folly!), which still did not have any general public road access. Although the land where the Castle stood was a perpetual lease, someone had stuffed up when that was originally issued, and no right of way access had been part of it. Although E had been able to use an easement for his own access, the general public couldn’t and the owners of the surrounding station land refused to allow access across their land. So his plans for motel/backpacker units, out there, that he’d told us about in 2000, still had not come to fruition. Pity, because the place was unusual and interesting.
The Castle (taken in 2000)The interior court yard and (leaking) pool of the Castle
The new park owner had certainly improved things. The park was cleaner, neater, more landscaped. The pool still worked, but was a bit too small to tempt me in, when so many others had used it. He said they had been packed out like this since Easter – that was a definite change from our previous visits. It had become a very good little business then. They had sold off the Post Office part of it, to concentrate on the caravan park.
As before, there were lots of rainbow lorikeets and apostle birds around the park.
We set up, then spent time inside, with the air-con on.
Texted our location to daughter, who replied that it was raining in Bendigo.
A hippie type Coaster bus came in on the last site, next to us. An older woman and a teenage girl, who proceeded to set up a tent, right under our side windows. The older woman smoked, too, so we had to keep the windows on that side closed, which meant we were not inclined to turn off the air-con, which we might otherwise have done, out of consideration for them. I wondered if we would ever get to the point of having no-smoking caravan parks?
Tea was teriyaki marinated steak, mushrooms, beans. The meat was really delicious.
Watched a bit of TV, but were in bed by 10pm, after two tiring days.
FRIDAY 21 AUGUST FORREST BEACH TO CHARTERS TOWERS 270kms
We were up at 6am, courtesy of a very loud kookaburra, right by the van. It was a more pleasant way to wake up than via the alarm clock.
Did a steady pack up. John checked the tyres, all round. He took his photo album of all the furniture he’d made, to show N. We were invited by N and her family to go round and visit them if we were back this way, next year.
At this stage, our thinking was that next year’s trip would bring us back to North Queensland. We still wanted to go back to Cooktown and Cairns, and there were some lovely coastal places to stay between Townsville and the Daintree.
Had a brief stop in Ingham, for me to return library books, and left there just after 9am.
Proceeded mostly uneventfully southwards – the familiar route! For the last 30kms or so before the highway became multi-lane, north of Townsville, we were caught in a tail back behind a SA registered Supreme van. He was another of those whose speed varied greatly, according to whether there was any chance that someone might be able to pass him. He ended up with about thirty vehicles behind him, including some trucks. Moron!
We would miss the sugar country, with all its interesting harvest activity, and the green-ness of it.
Goodbye to green cane fields and the backdrop of the mountains
The new Ring Road around Townsville made that section easy.
The climb up the Dividing Range from Townsville is the easy way to reach the inland. For much of the way the gradient is so gentle that the railway runs close to the highway.( Railways can only manage gentle gradients.)
We stopped at Macrossan, by the bridges over the Burdekin River, for lunch – which I’d packed this morning – and a bit of a walk around.
Burdekin River bridges at Macrossan
The old and new railway bridges were close to each other and high above the river. The impressive old structure was built in 1899 and designed to be above the highest flood level recorded to that time. The fact that it is so high above the river bed level, showed what huge floods this river has.
The advent of new, heavier diesel engines created the need for a new bridge, which was built right next to the old one in the 1960’s.
Old bridge in front, piers of new bridge evident behind it
On the western side of the road bridge across the Burdekin was the flood marker – unique in the levels it showed.
The railway bridge in the background
Standing by the marker made us feel awed enough, by the water levels that reached well above where we were. But the marker itself stands some 13.4 metres above the bed of the Burdekin River – now that makes those floods truly awesome. I couldn’t begin to imagine how much water goes down that river in flood times.
The floods earlier this year reached 20.75 metres on this marker, a metre below the record flood level of 1946.
……and they left room at the top for a new record!
Refuelled on the way in to Charters Towers, then went on to the Dalrymple Tourist Park, where our powered site, after Seniors discount, cost $25.65. The site was partly shaded, and we were able to stay hitched up.
We were setting up by 1.30pm, after which John had a nap.
I defrosted the fridge again. The heat and humidity we’d had at Forrest Beach seemed to make it ice up faster than usual. At least, I hoped that was the reason.
The amenities block here was spotless, sparkling clean and modern – much appreciated after what we’d had for the last month!
It was hot – around 30 degrees in Charters Towers today. It was forecast to be warmer over the next two or three days. There was news of bushfires in the Brisbane area.
We had apostle birds around our camp – now we knew we were inland again……
Tea was threadfin salmon from the freezebox, in beer batter, with fries.
THURSDAY 13 AUGUST TO THURSDAY 20 AUGUST FORREST BEACH
THURSDAY: Sunny and hot again today.
I went for my longest walk yet, along the beach, to well beyond the Cassady Beach settlement.
Cassady Beach settlement
Spent some time on the computer too. The Share Market Game was interesting and I was pleased with my “earnings” to date, but suspected it would go into abeyance once we were moving on each day.
John went early to bowls, taking our new acquaintance with him. Irish N had been living in a tent, a few sites away from us, for over a week now. Her daughter and son in law were on a site opposite her, in a van, and with three dogs. They were building a house in the village – had moved up here from Brisbane, for work. The house finishing was running late, hence the move into the park. N would have a flat as part of the house, when it was finished. We’d spent quite a bit of time chatting with her, over recent days – good company.
N’s tent a couple of sites away from us
N had expressed an interest in learning bowls, to John, and that was all the encouragement he needed.
On return, she said she had a good time at Macknade and would be keen to go again.
Chow mein for tea.
FRIDAY: had a long walk on the beach. Reading, sewing, some computer time.
I cooked the mackerel in beer batter, for tea, while John went and got chips from the take away.
The weather was definitely getting hotter – almost 30 degrees each day. The skies were now clear, so it was a bit cooler and easier to sleep, at night. We even occasionally needed the doona for a couple of hours.
With no wind at all, this week, the mozzies had gotten bad in the late afternoons.
SATURDAY: as usual, walked to the shop for the paper.
We left for Macknade bowls at 11.45. It was a Memorial Day match. I played lead, which I always tried to avoid, as my delivery of the little white jack was erratic, to be kind about it. Forget accurate length and line, it was lucky to stay on the designated rink!
John played second, about which he was not happy, preferring more of the action as third or skip. We both played average games. My team won one game, drew one game – and that was against John’s team!
Macknade Bowls Club with cane train in background
John suggested we go back via Ingham and buy pizza for tea, which we did – at Dominos. It was not particularly nice.
SUNDAY: usual sort of day for me.
John went to bowls for the afternoon, and took N too.
I made ratatouille for tea. John was not impressed – vegetables!
MONDAY: much the same as yesterday, except John joined me on the beach walk, and didn’t go bowling!
Sausages for tea – much more approval…..
TUESDAY: we drove to Ingham to do a final stock up of things we’d need for the run south. John bought some car cleaning materials.
Victoria Mill
We went for a good long walk along the beach, as far as the creek mouth to the south. As the creek nears the beach, it turns and runs behind it for a way, before eventually emptying across the beach. So there was a stretch of low dunes between beach and creek, for maybe a couple of hundred metres. I reckoned it was a certainty that there would be a croc in the creek inlet.
I had an email from our Griffith friends, who we’d been planning on stopping to visit. They would be away when we were passing through. That would give us an extra day or two to play with.
The ladies’ amenities were closed all day, due to a carpenter fixing a big hole in the ceiling lining, that had been there ever since we’d been here. We had to wander up to the hotel toilets, when necessary – quite a distance. But at least the facility was open for use again, once the workman had departed for the night.
Closed ladies amenities
Rissoles for tea.
WEDNESDAY: the amenities were closed again, all morning. That carpenter must be a slow worker – it was only one panel, not the whole bloody ceiling! There was also an electrician working in there. I supposed it was an encouraging sign that some repair work was being done.
Now – if they wanted a list of suggestions for further works, I reckoned I could fill a good sized page!
We cleaned the van, the Truck, the underside of the awning roof, and under the overhanging edges of the poptop roof. That cleaning orgy took hours, but the rig looked good. Once we got home again, a thorough clean would be needed to get rid of salt residue from the time by the sea.
Tea was a prawn Caesar salad. The prawns were very tough.
THURSDAY: I did two loads of washing.
John went to a final bowls session, in the afternoon, at Macknade.
I went for a final walk along the beach. I would really miss this daily outing along the sand.
We had actually managed four whole weeks here, without having to dash back to Townsville for repairs to something! I wondered how we would get on, going home?
When John got back, we took down the awning and packed it away.
We drove into Ingham – getting to know that road really well. It was always interesting checking out what was going on at the Victoria Mill, as we passed – or sat waiting for a cane train to trundle over the crossings.
Empty cane train heading out to a harvest location. Cane trains are long – and slow!
Our cards had finally arrived at the bank.
At Retra Vision, I bought a sandwich press toaster. I hadn’t forgotten! Didn’t know where I was going to store it in the van. Maybe in the little-used oven? We were going to have some experimental – hopefully great – toasted wraps for lunches, now.
John got his watch battery replaced at a jeweller. Ingham is quite well endowed with shops. There was even a Country Target, where I found some cheap, lightweight, loose T shirts – ideal for this weather.
I bought some frozen mackerel at the quite good fish shop, to be Friday’s tea. Did a brief supermarket foray as I had to buy the makings for toasted wraps!
Back in Allingham, collected our forwarded mail from the PO. Friend M’s epistle on her Canning trip was in the bag of mail, so I spent ages reading that – wonderful.
I got out the Road Atlas and worked out that we could stay here until Friday week and still have time for a fairly comfortable trip home – bearing in mind that, once we set off that way, John would go into “hurry home” mode, probably leading to ultra-long travel days. But, I could plan for sanity, and hope it might prevail.
So, off up to the bottle shop again, to extend our stay yet once more. We came here, originally, for three days, which now would turn into a month.
Tea was pork stir fry and udon noodles.
Today was the 70th birthday of one of my closest friends, in Melbourne. We would be missing his very lavish celebration at one of the city’s top establishments, this coming weekend. Sometimes, can’t do it all.
I had an email from daughter, requesting grandma duty for some of the September school holidays.
FRIDAY 7 AUGUST TO TUESDAY 11 AUGUST FORREST BEACH
FRIDAY: another day spent doing not very much at camp.
It was rather cloudy.
We walked. John tried to catch some fish again, without success.
I did some playing around with the Sharemarket Game.
We walked around the park, assessing the various sites, for a return visit. Decided that Site 26 was the best, followed by Sites 27 to 29.
Our Forrest Beach site
Bought fish and chips for tea, from the local take away. They were too greasy.
SATURDAY: I walked to the shop for the paper.
As John was about to depart for bowls, after an early lunch, we took a call from someone from Macknade Bowls Club to say we had places in the special event day tomorrow. First I’d even heard of it! John had taken the liberty….. That meant I had to get makings from the Spar so that I could take the five rounds of sandwiches that – it had been explained – were mandatory. That meant another walk to the shops. The Spar was able to provide what would be needed for some rounds of curried egg and lettuce, and one each of ham and chutney, and cheese and celery. I’d been thinking smoked salmon and cream cheese, but nup….nothing fancy stocked there.
I defrosted the fridge. Walked along the beach. An active day!
Roasted a chook for tea, with roast vegies too. In the electric frypan, on the little outside table, of course.
SUNDAY: off to bowls at Macknade, after an early sandwich making session.
In shades of the match we’d played in Townsville, it was the annual Queenslanders Vs Southerners match up. John had put us down as emergencies, without telling me, and a couple had pulled out yesterday.
Waiting in the background while the green was readied at Macknade
We played in separate teams, me as second, John as third in his. We both ended up happy with the way we played – not embarrassed, for once. My team won the best second game; I collected $20 for that. John’s team was over all runners-up and he received $35. So the kitty got a boost today.
The sandwiches had been for lunch. A BBQ tea was put on at the end of the day – bread, onions, sausages, patties.
John put our names down for the Memorial Day bowls next weekend. So I found out that way, that we would be extending our stay, again.
We drove back in the dark. The Victoria Mill was all lit up – very pretty and dramatic.
MONDAY: I did the washing. The laundry here was very run down, but the one washing machine did work. There were old-fashioned clothes lines in a couple of random seeming locations – possibly a legacy from the time of the permanent dwellers.
Walked on the beach. Read. Had some computer time.
Just a very pleasant day in an almost idyllic place.
Today was our 18th wedding anniversary. Big special celebrations are not really “us”. We just toasted ourselves with a glass of wine over our cold chook and salad dinner.
TUESDAY: a similar day to yesterday – walking, reading, computer time.
I extended our booking to next Monday.
There was enough of the roast chook left for John’s tea, with salads; I had a little tin of tuna with mine.
Time again to stir ourselves into some tourist activity in the area. It was just too easy to veg out at camp all day.
We drove back through Ingham and out to the west again. It was a most attractive and interesting drive, firstly through the sugar cane farmland of the Herbert Valley, to just beyond Trebonne, where we turned off, heading for Girringun National Park and the Wallaman Falls, some 50 kms from Ingham.
The road became gravel but was fine to drive on. It was quite a climb up the range, on a twisting and turning road, but the heavy vegetation meant I didn’t notice the roadside drops all that much. The gradient flattened out once we were up the range. It was nowhere near as nasty as the Paluma road had been, and I’d happily travel it again.
A sign at the entry to the Falls area, told us the drop of the Falls was 268 metres, the depth of the plunge pool at the base of the Falls was 20 metres and it was all 540 metres above sea level. Since our camp was at sea level, that was how far we’d climbed, in a relatively short distance.
Stony Creek, that the Falls are on, has a permanent flow. We wondered if there were springs further upstream; it extends some distance to the south, along the top of the range, from the Falls.
Wallaman Falls are notable because they are the highest, permanent, single drop falls in Australia.
We went along the road to the Lookouts parking area.
Despite the season, there was still a lot of water coming over the Falls. They were making quite a loud roaring, too. They fall down into one hell of a gorge, and eventually, the creek runs into the Herbert River.
We walked first to the Falls Lookout. This was a great place from which to appreciate the size and power of the Falls. In a really Wet Season, they would be something else again.
Wallaman Falls
The nearby Gorge Lookout let us view the Falls from a bit further away, and also the gorge of the Stony Creek, on its way to join the Herbert River.
The gorge of Stony Creek, below Wallaman Falls
We did not tackle the much harder walk down to the base of the Falls – it would have meant coming back up again…..
Drove back to the day use area, near a very pleasant little campground. From here, walked through rainforest, to the Rock Pool.
Pool on Stony Creek, above Wallaman Falls
On the way, we spotted a Pale-yellow Robin, for the first time – a NEW bird! They were so hard for us to find, these days, This species was only found in a couple of rainforest areas on the east coast, so we were lucky.
The walk took us to big pool areas in Stony Creek. There were turtles in the pools – apparently this species of turtle could eat cane toads without coming to grief.
Stony Creek
There were a few drops of rain. It had been cloudy all day.
Returned to Ingham, the way we’d come. Had a very late lunch there. This morning, I’d had no makings for a picnic lunch, and then didn’t think to stop and get something on the way through Ingham. At a Deli, we had toasted wraps – they were very yummy. I now wanted to buy a flat toaster press!
Did a couple of chores in Ingham, before returning to camp. Our new cards still had not arrived at the bank. Deja vu – we’d played chasey with bank cards before on our travels.
I got some more library books. Having these had been such a luxury. I didn’t have to ration my reading quite so much when I didn’t have to buy the books. Being an extra fast reader did have its drawbacks.
After the late lunch, tea was soup, some salad and cold meats.
This Adventurous Age 