Granite Gorge Nature Park

A magnificent drive through the Atherton tableland meant that we saw some beautiful vistas and wonderful green valleys.

A visit to a local dairy farm ensured new supplies of yoghurt and cheese. these farmers have "valued added" to their income by making and selling cheeses, chocolates, milk products from a factory outlet on their farm using their own product.

Many farms in the area have chosen to do the same value adding to the product. Mango wineries, coffee planations tours etc are the go for many enterprising farmers.

We booked a night in Ganite Gorge Nature Park and found a beautiful campsite away from everyone else, where we could have a campfire. Granite Gorge Nature Park is an 86 hectare property that includes a spectacular granite gorge with mountain stream cascading down it. Here the Mareeba rock wallabies come out every evenng onto the rock faces to eat. It is a great drawcard for international tourists as they are allowed to be fed on macropod pellets available from the kiosk.

Unfortunately it had drawn to it some truly disgusting French tourists. A family of five; mum, dad, two young girls of about 7 and 8 and a toddler. This family had no boundaries in terms of modifying behaviour or awareness of others. Not only were they loud and unaware of space with others, the girls who had been sitting on the loo, pooing, came over to the handbasin where I was already washing my hands and put their hands on top of mine to wash them! In the morning mum laid the toddler on the communal kitchen table took of his VERY dirty nappy and placed it in the bathrooms. A dump bin outside was ignored. Dad went through the park ripping up wood, takng his girls with him, so that he could light a campfire. Not a good example of how to look after a very delicate eco-system!

 

 

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Undara Lava Tubes

From Greenvale to Undara was not a long drive, so after a late start we arrived around midday. No tours of the lava tubes were available until next day. We chose the "active" walkers tour for the following morning.

After selecting our camp for the night we went to Kalkani Crater for a walk up the side and around the rim of the crater. From here we could see the amazing panorama of past craters and their lava spills.

We lunched at the picnic site below the walk in a lovely shaded area.

Early next day we set off on our tour. A bus takes you into the private tracks leading to the tubes. We hadn't really believed the reception when they indicated that the tour we were on was for active walkers until we were led down tracks containing huge boulders over which we had to clambe and balance. One tube had us crawling through on our bottoms into the dark cavern within and down loose boulder rubble leading to the cave bottom. We had to scramble out the same way we had come in - quite a challenge!

The lava tubes are a wonderous sight! Awe inspiring!

 

 

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Greenvale

After a recouperation time at Teresa Creek Dam, our intention was to reach Undara Lava Tubes and stay for 2 nights. However a late start, single bitument road, failing light, road trains and various fauna on the road, turned this into a potentially dangerous drive. So we stopped in Greenvale, expecting to find a "dump" of a town.

But.......

What a surprise!!! This ex zinc mining town was a fabulous place to visit! The caravan park was clean and green. But more importantly the people who lived there were so incredibly welcoming!

A quick walk around the town, gave us some ideas of how this town operated when a working place of some 3000 people. Only 150 now live here!

We walked past the local hotel The Three Rivers Hotel, known locally as Slim Dusty's Hotel. This is because this was where Slim made the poem, the Three Rivers Hotel, written by Stan Costin, famous! Evidently he performed here on a regular basis! the bartender gave us the information that the local social/golf club did a "pot luck" dinner on Friday nights and that we should attend.

Here Janice is sitting in the only spot in Greenvale that receives Telstra communication!

We were advised by the bartender to go to the "pot luck" dinner held at the local social/golf club. This was a highlight for us all. Here we were greeted with great hospitality. Each member made sure that all the visitors were introduced to local residents, who entertained with local anedotes and stories. The dinner was unexceptional, but the company was cheery and very welcoming.

In the morning, we were invited to attend the local ladies' sewing club. So I went with my small carpet currently under construction. On departure, Brenda the vice president of the social club presented us with a small gift of handmade patchwork placemats. This took me completely by surprise. It is certainly a place where we would gain visit!

 

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Teresa Creek Dam

From Caravon Gorge we travelled to Teresa Creek Dam. On first appearances it looked far too crowded for our taste. But after having driven around it a bit, we discovered a very secluded spot right beside the water.

It was very peaceful, with huge varieties of bird life!

Tiredness was a problem for us all so this became a 3 night stay.

 

The first day, there, Janice and I went to town to do a much needed laundry run. We discovered that the local hotel had a courtesy bus and would collect us and return us back to the campsite, some 22 klms from town, providing we had 6 people on the bus. In the laundry we met some other campers who also decided that this would be a good idea. So at 5:30pm the bus came to take us to the local watering hole, where we had a respectable meal!

 

 

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Carnavon Gorge

Carnavon Gorge is spectacular!!

As we were relatively close, a trip to visit this wonder of nature was a "must" see!

We were not disappointed! The National Park is only open during Qld school holidays, so we stayed at Takarakka Nature Resort. Very crowded in the powered sites area, but not where we were placed in the non- powered camper sites.

A long strenuous walk of 14 odd kilometers meant that we saw most of what the gorge had to offer. Some of it is up ladders and stairs, so the knees were given quite a work out!

 

The moss gardens are constanly fed by dripping water, leaking out of the sheer rock face. The rain in central Queensland seeps through the sandstone and limestone until it hits a layer of shale, which prevents it from seeping further down. This is trapped in the artesian water course, which is used over much of Australia. Here at Caravon the water comes out in the form of springs because the sedimentary rock is cracked and crazed.

Below is a grove of cycads or Warwangs! They towered over us! Amazing!

Bird nests clung to rocks and trees. A very lush place in the middle of aridness!!

 

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Sapphire

Two wonderful days were spent on Sapphire and Rubyvale. Fossicking has proven to be great fun, with a few sapphires to prove it! Nothing big but enough to get facetted!

The Sapphire caravan park was an unexpected delight. Discreet sites, very quiet with amazing facilities! The best ever camp kitchen and barbeque areas were equipped with everything that opens and shuts.

 

This is the camp kitchen!!

Both Janice and I fossicked for sapphires at a mine set up for the purpose! Janice found 5 worth cutting and I found 3! We had them cut overnight. They lok beautiful! Jacice had 2 of hers set in rings. One is a parti-coloured stone and the other a very rare yellow! 2 of mine are blue and the third a blue/pink! It was such a buzz to find our own!

 

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Lake Maraboon

The coast was extraordinarily busy, the weather continued to be cold with the possibility of further showers, a sorjourn into the outback was the best option.

A long day's drive to Emerald and Lake Maraboon was the decision. Here we were packed in like sardines into the caravan park. At $32 per night for an unpowered site, we felt this was a bit much! Far too few tiolets and showers for the huge numbers of people packed in. Some however, choose to stay here for the entire winter period!

 

The lake is magnificent and hardly a soul about!

 

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