We were up and about at a reasonable hour, ready for the
final 160 kms or so into Cairns.
Another day of leisurely travel, with a few side
trips and digressions thrown in. Our first stop was Tully, another victim of
Yasi, but showing a lot of new roofs, fresh paint, etc. We rubbernecked at the
big gumboot.
(7.9 metres high, representing the total June, 1950 rainfall!!! –
and that’s the dry season) Good on them for making a virtue out of such a lot
of misery. Tully’s sugar mill, right next to the centre of town was enormous –
it was Gary Fettke’s bete noir, Big
Sugar personified, permillified? perfactorified? Whatever.
Just up from Tully on the Bruce Highway, we struck off
eastwards towards Mission Beach. Beautiful beaches, playgrounds for the
well-to-do.
Then on to Bingil Bay where we met the Dutch couple with their left-hand-drive Land Rover Discovery carted over to Australia in a container. They were nice and friendly people. But I mean, why would you?
Then on past Innisfail and into Cairns. Familiar
territory, at least some of it. We drove up and around to the Crystal Cascades
caravan park where we had booked. There we were escorted to our place – next
door to where Joke, Miriam and I had stayed 6 years ago! Alwyn the Tasmanian
was there, he lives in Wynyard in the summer and works at this caravan park in
the winter. Crystal Cascades is in a really beautiful setting – all palms and
lovely green mountains as a backdrop. |
| Pelicans having a coffee social on the sandbar at Hull Heads |
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| Mouth of the Hull River |
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| The volunteer Coastguard station, Hull Heads |
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| Why not Bunny's Guirl? |
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| View over Hull River from campsite |
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| Tully's Big Bata Gumboot (yes it is a Bata!) |
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| As Joke was not willing, I had to entice a random Grey Nomad to pose in front of the gumboot. |
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| Tully Sugar Mill - fructose central... |
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| Sweet smoke |
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| Arf, boss! Two lumps fer me an' one fer Dobbin! |
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| Naaay, I'm not liftin' me tail again, no use tryin' ter sweet-talk me. |
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| Sweet ecumenism? |
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| Tully's main street. |
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| Queensland's cities do random beautiful flowers in public spaces very well |
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| South Mission Beach |
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| Dunk Island from South Mission Beach |
Then on to Bingil Bay where we met the Dutch couple with their left-hand-drive Land Rover Discovery carted over to Australia in a container. They were nice and friendly people. But I mean, why would you?
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| Bingil Bay |
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| Bingil Bay Butterfly |
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| Cross spider (Why cross? Ask Joke!) |
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| Crystal Cascades Caravan Park - familiar territory: in fact right next door to the spot we had 6 years ago. |
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