Day Thirteen
Wednesday 30th July
This morning we woke to a fog not quite a pea souper. Leaving Morton Telegraph Station for another dirt road experience.
Stopping at the new Weipa sign, another photo!!
We then take roads through the iron range and stop at a beautiful lagoon where there is lovely Lillies in flower.
We set up our campsite then head to Portland Road where we see the beautiful beach, and Torres Strait.
Bought prawns and Mackrell from a fisherman at Portland Road. Then off to Chilli beach and some girls were on the swing enjoying being pushed.
We heard about David Glashien, who had lived in Sydney where he built a multi milliam dollar mining company but lost is all in the stock market crash of 1987, a hermit who lived on Restoration Island by himself with regular visitors
Happy Birthday Ed, so a few games to be played.
The men tried swinging the balls to knock cans along the ground, and then Sally & Matt tried to untie a loop around your partner’s hand. Hilarious.
Day Fourteen
Thursday 31
Lockhart River
Visited the airport where there is a memorial and existing buildings from when the Americans were there.Then to the the art gallery and beach for lunch. Off the track again and visited an old gold fields and the remnants of the steam engines.
Stayed the night in Coen. Tea at the Sexchange Hotel. (Exchange Hotel) with a unique sign.
Day fifteen
Friday 1st
Mackerel Range and Silver Plains.
Stoppping at lagoons to see if we can spot a croc but so far only the one at the beginning of our trip. Interesting facts about the palm that grows with many fronds and the goes to seeds after 20 odd years and then the top drops off.
Stayed at Kalpower tonight no hot showers only cold. Cameron and I decide to have a shower at 10pm and because there is no lights we go into the shower block and are both in there and a woman comes in and says “What is going on here” Cameron replies I am here with my wife” we find out we we were leaving that we were in the Ladies and I suppose she was worried about people vandalising the block.
Day Sixteen
Saturday 2nd
Old Laura Historic site would have been a beautiful homestead but National Parks now own it and all boarded up
Lunch at the Isabella Falls on our way to Cooktown.
Sunset bikkies & Nibbles at the Lookout and sunset. Everybody is complaining how cold it is.
Day Seventeen
Sunday 3rd
As we are doing a tour of Cooktown museum at 11am we decide a tour of Cooktown seeing all the aspects of a remote town.
Visit to the Museum and a very informative talk about the area and Captain Cook. A very passionate speaker and very informative. Looks to see and we buy books for Mark our tour guide as a Thankyou. Plenty of photos of Cooktown and memorial of Captain Cook. Visited Reconciliation Rocks.
After leaving Cooktown we travel along the Mulligan Highway then turn off to to he Archer Point Lighthouse, we travel along dirt to a car park and then one by one we climb a track to the top of the road to lighthouse, where 10 cars are parked and we take in a magnificent view of the coastline and mountain behind.
Stayed at The Lions Den our final night and gave Mark books and and empty cartoon of Jack Daniel’s then we all gave him a can with our names on so when he drink the cans he will remember us. A very interesting place, there is a water level mark from Jasper cyclone in 2023 and how the staff had to climb on the roof of the hotel as the waters rose to the height of the doorway. 1metre of rain in 24hours and then 1 metre of rain in 4 hours, unbelievable. There was tons of mud removed from the pub and was closed for 6 months plenty of money to restore the pub to a working pub.
A very interesting tree the Cannonball Tree.
Campfire for the last time.
Day eighteen
Monday 4th
Photo taken at the Lions Hotel sign and I am asked to get on the Lion and unbelievable.
Bloomfield falls (Wujal Wujal ) and onto the Bloomfield Track stopping on Wukuju Bridge for morning tea, on to Cape Tribualtion for lunch.
then across on the ferry to Mossman, stopping to see the nests of the Metallic Starling also known as the shining starling
Where we depart for Mareeba and Walkamin and our Caravan and the rest of the cars to Ellis Beach outside Cairns and there respective destinations for the night.
Not sure how we can describe the last 18 days there have been scary times exciting times and a sense of achievement, in how we have faced the roads and sleeping in swags.
Bullhaven Antics 