No Cassowary Sightings for Us

[RB]

Nyleta Wetlands

 

[jastel]

Yes, every camping spot is overfull, people are everywhere even where they are not meant to be camping, but you are right they dont spend the same $$$ as the International tourists we usually get. It is still slim pickings for the reef operators as Aussies wont spend the money on a trip they have done before.

We usually get people fleeing the cold, now we have them plus the covid refugees.

On the upside the people you meet do all speak English!

 

[RB]

Atherton to Kurrrimine Beach
Only about 130km, we were in no hurry and the scenery was great. We had been online and purchased a combo ticket for the Mamu Tropical Skywalk and Paronella Park-again a good saving with our NSW Seniors cards.
Cairns Attractions | Cairns Nature Walk Wooroonooran National Park | Self Drive Tour Cairns
The Skywalk has an extensive carpark with a short uphill hike to the entry where they were very organised. Crowds ( none while we were there) would quickly disperse with the nice wide walkway.The vine forest is thriving on the basalt soils but we had no need for insect repellent during our visit.
It seems the European explorers started through the area in the 1880’s & the timber industry & gold prospecting were responsible for much of the early activity. It seems sugar and banana production also started later that decade. In Dec 1988 the Wet Tropics gained World Heritage listing.
In 2006, Cyclone Larry wreaked havoc through this area. The Skywalk was contracted during 2007-2008 and uses some of the cyclone path of destruction to reduce the amount of clearing. It seems a lot of effort was spent on considering the environmental impact of the construction methods and materials.
We really enjoyed the views and the peacefulness. We heard plenty of birds but didn’t have any encounters with the variety of wildlife that calls the area home.



Excellent pathway & signage when getting around

 

[RB]

"A shelter called a Midja that was recently constructed by the Mamu Traditional owners and is a place of cultural significance. Please respect this by not entering the area".

 

[RB]

Another short hop got us to Paronella Park. Cairns Attractions and Cairns Rainforest Tours: Cairns Tourism at its best! North Queensland, Australia. Cairns Tours Daily. — Paronella Park
We really enjoyed our visit here. The customer service started with one of the owners conducting traffic in the car park & continued throughout our visit. We opted to join a 30 minute tour- our guide had her script well learnt but also added a few anecdotes to keep our group of 20 odd interested. Jose was certainly a hard worker & made his share of mistakes but also left quite a legacy. The idea of the hydro electric plant was pretty amazing. The balancing of preserving rather than rebuilding must be very challenging.









Saw sheeled snapping turtles & black bream compete for pellets that are given to visitors

 

[RB]

Former changing cubicles

 

[RB]

The Mena Creek pub seemed an obvious spot for lunch & the burgers & chips justified the decision. We had also seen the cane harvest in full swing around the South Johnstone mill area. It was a hop across the Bruce Highway near Silkwood and then down the Murdering Point Rd to our next stay at Kurrimine Beach. A drive around the village was a short episode (there is a relatively new cafe and also a new butcher). We had a short walk from the rental house to the beach- an unexpected welcome sign for us, but later on, the locals played down the significance of croc sightings.

 

[jastel]

Those signs are pretty permanent everywhere up here now...

 

[RB]

13 Hopeful St Kurrimine Beach- 2 night stay

Another freestanding house, this time with 2 bedrooms. Good facilities again and a big well fenced yard. Nothing major but this house wasn’t as well maintained and also not as clean as other properties we stayed at. Again a good shower but no wi-fi provided here. Around a 5 minute walk to the beach but probably 25 minute walk to the town centre. BYO Wi-Fi

 

[RB]

Around Kurrimine Beach
Our first full day in Kurrimine started with a walk along the King Reef walking track-an hour or so lazy stroll.. There are not a lot of choices for dining in Kurrimine Beach, particularly without driving from our rental so we checked out the King Reef Resort (about a 15 min walk) while going past. As luck would have it they were hosting a Xmas in July Dinner that night so we booked in. Our walk certainly exposed us to the importance of fishing to the village and despite our prior knowledge we were amazed by the number of tractors that are used for launching boats from the beach.
A drive to see Innisfail was next-certainly more traffic on the Bruce Hwy than what we had been experiencing. Innisfail, QLD - Aussie Towns. About 10,0000 people means it is a service centre. None of the famous rain while we are here (dry season at the moment) and no problems with humidity. It was certainly very quiet in town & the backpackers who were working in the banana industry seem to be missing during these covid times. Really enjoyed our lunch at Oliveri’s Deli.
We called at Cowley Beach on the way back- an even quieter fishing village than Kurrimine Beach.
The King Reef resort is pretty dominant in hamlet-they offer cabins and caravan sites, convenience store, cafe, takeaway and pub and restaurant. We enjoyed a couple of pre-dinner drinks at the beachfront bar as we gazed out to sea. The Xmas in July dinner was great.A sweets style entree & then food overload-a good night meeting a diverse group of fellow travellers and a few drinks at the well stocked & reasonably priced bar.







No signwriters working in Innisfail


Good lunch spot


A couple of views from Cowley Beach

 

[RB]

King Reef Xmas in July






There was a band & a bit of a singalong as well

 

[RB]

Kurrimine Beach to Mission Beach
Again this was only a short hop down the road. We turned off the highway at El Arish and then turned onto the Bingil Bay Rd-more beautiful scenery. Our first stop was to do the Bicton Hill circuit track. The gradient is pretty steady and the vegetation changes significantly as you move from the exposed side. Apparently cyclone Yasi did quite a bit of damage to the canopy but there are very few photo opportunities during the hike.. We heard but didn’t see many birds and didn’t see any of the monitors or possums that we had read about. Great views at the top although some other hikers weren’t inclined to share the prime lookout space. With both cameras the photos at the top had a bit of a milky look (more like a painting) & sometimes the islands looked to be floating.
Alexander Dr from Bingil Bay to Mission Beach village is very picturesque. Plenty of people around the Mission Beach area of camping area. Further south around Wongaling Beach we were staying at Mission Beach Shores. Even further south is Mission Beach South-probably 25 km from Bingil Bay. Dunk Island is close offshore but currently closed Dunk Island bought outright by music and hospitality investment group - ABC News

Climb Up




At the top

 

[RB]

On the way down looking north west


Bingil Bay

 

[RB]

Mission Beach Shores
We had a 3 night stay in a chalet here. There are only 4 rooms available & the design is great for quiet and privacy. The rooms are studio style and only 27sqm but the layout and excellent spacious covered patio in Bali style. The lush gardens promote the feeling of privacy and the pool area is semi-shaded and inviting. Dunk Island is pretty well straight offshore and it is only a 5 minute walk up to the Nana Thai cafe. The Mission Beach Resort with its associated public pub/dining is a 5 minute drive and they offer a courtesy bus service. The Woolworths that serves the general Mission Beach area is only a 5 minute drive.

 

[RB]

Around Mission Beach

Mission Beach, QLD - Aussie Towns
It seems that destruction on Dunk Island by Cyclone Yasi, failed sales of the island the clouded associated sale of 200 properties around Mission Beach and covid have certainly impacted the area. We concentrated our visit to the southern end of the settlements on the first day. Next day we ventured down to Tully and the golden gumboot and the sugar mill. The town had quite a few empty shops. Despite a lot of signage & speed limits we missed seeing a cassowary. Back at Sth Mission Beach we ventured on the Kennedy Walking track as far as Lugger Bay and lazed away the afternoon around the pool. Dinner was a short walk to Nana Thai Cafe (need to book & BYO) and was very good.





Not sure who this visitor was

 

[RB]

 

[RB]

Aug 1st was not only the horses birthday but also market day for Mission Beach at Ulysses Park. It certainly bought the crowds out with the usual array of art, craft, food, clothing, jewellery and local fruit & veggies. We spent most of our time walking along the various tracks as far as Perry Harvey Jetty. We collected our car back at the markets and then drove to Clump Point Boat Ramp- a great facility.
From here we discovered that the local Woolworths doesn’t open on a Sunday Trading Hours - Non-Exempt Shops Trading By Retail - State (TH/2008/4) - decision_th4_2008_130710.pdf so we had to change plans. The Mission Beach resort came to the rescue. We enjoyed lunch there and also took advantage of their courtesy bus to return for dinner and certainly happy with our choice.

 

[craven morehead]

Awesome photos I'll be up that way in about 4 weeks. Can't wait

 

[RB]

Mission Beach to Cardwell
We drove via Tully Heads- another nice enough settlement but too quiet for us . The banana & sugar cane industries dominate the drive. Easy driving again and only about 70km all up.

Tully Heads






Cardwell Beachfront Motel 2 night stay
We had the best of the rooms here- a 36sqm room described as a studio with ocean view. It certainly had a great view with the corner location, enabling a sitting area off the general verandah but also a great balcony accesses from within the room. Very friendly operators and the whole place was immaculate. A pool onsite ( not used by us), good wi-fi, all facilities working and a 10-15 minute walk to the centre of town shops via the foreshore.

 

[RB]

Around Cardwell
We were very impressed by Cardwell. Cardwell, QLD - Aussie Towns. Only a population of around 1,400 and the highway goes right through town - but what an excellent outlook. Hitchinbrook Island and Channel provide protection from the Coral Sea and are a fantastic backdrop to the magnificent foreshore & pathway. There are heaps of interpretative signs and the path itself is nice and wide.
Cardwell is obviously a popular stopping point - plenty of fuel spots and a lot of food choices for the number of permanent residents. Despite the highway location, traffic noise wasn’t a problem & no one seemed to have hassles with parking when semis were following them (often see this in NSW where places haven’t been bypassed). First afternoon we walked & drove around town.









Not sure of the market for these