Tuesday 14th May

This is our first consideration to day.    Cyclone Ann is approaching the QLD coast and whilst we’re far enough south for it not to be too much of a problem our next movement is north and also if the cyclone is packing a bit of rain then it may close some of the roads and places on the Cape that we want to visit. The main concern is towing a caravan in strong winds so we have decided to stay here another day to let the worst of the wind pass.

We have plans for today anyway and that is to visit the lava tubes.   Pat and I were here in 2014 but Brad and Denise have not been this way before.   The lava tubes are tunnels really and were formed when the Undara volcano last erupted about 190,000 years ago.   The lava streams followed the existing rivers and streams when hot, the surface began to cool but the hot lava continued to flow, insulated by the cooling layer above.   When the lava stopped flowing it left these tunnels.   They are big and very dark inside so photographs are difficult, with the ones below I cheated as they are some professional ones.

     

Access is only by guided tour, our group was quite small and the guide was quite knowledgeable, it was interesting to do it again, particularly as the access had been improved considerably since we were last here.  In the afternoon we decided to go out to the Kalgarni Crater which erupted after Ungara.   There is a well made path which takes you up to the rim of the crater and then you can walk all the way round the rim with some very nice views over the surrounding countryside and other dormant volcanoes.   Also, difficult to photograph but in the last photo the lighter orange bit is the current floor of the crater and the tree line is the rim.

        

Wednesday 15th May

The wind is pretty strong which may be the tail end of the cyclone and towing in this wind would be a bit like hard work so we decide to stay here another day and hope that it abates a bit.   Brad has some work to do on his oven which could take a while, so after morning tea, ie; nearly lunchtime he makes a start.

Pat and I catch up on some admin and the blog.    Also, I need to do some more study on my new GPS system, ie; find out a bit more about how it works.

Surprisingly it’s soon time for wine and nibbles although it is still windy, we invite a couple Cam and Gay over for a chat, they are from Brisbane.

Thursday 16th May

We are moving on today, heading for Atherton and Alf and Leslie’s place.   They are Bushtracker owners and have said we can park at their place whilst we have a look round the area.

Morning tea is at Pinnaradi Station, run by a young couple who have branched out a bit and in addition to running cattle they run this lovely camp site and coffee shop cum restaurant.  The wife is in town shopping and the husband makes us a very good decaf capuccino.   Their son has a 3D printer and makes lots of little toys which he sells in the gift shop.   Had we not had somewhere to be I think we would have stayed here.   Another couple had arrived on the Monday for a night and were still there!

We stopped at a farm shop just outside Atherton and this lady came up to us and gave us her card; it was the lady from Pinnaradi Station!   We told her we had been there that morning and thought it was a lovely place and that her husband made exceptionally good cappuccinos.

By the time we got to Atherton, it was raining and blowing a gale up the valley (Alf and Leslie’s place is on the top of the hill).   The cup of tea offered by  Leslie is very welcome then we settle in for a blowy night.

Friday 17th May

The weather is no better this morning, still wet and windy and not looking like getting much better.   Leslie is taking us out today for a ride round.  On the way we’re stopping off at a garage to see if we can get the services done on our Landcruisers, after a bit of negotiation they decide that they can do both today which is excellent.

Our first point of interest is the Nerada Tea House. Here they not only grow and process their own teas but also sell them in their tea rooms.   They also sell Devon style cream teas which are very tasty.   Then we braved the weather and went over to the viewing platform in the factory where you can see all the tea processing activity.

One of the local creatures, the ‘Tree Wallaby’, has been seen here recently and Denise spots one whilst we’re having our tea.   It is still raining so photography is both difficult, because this creature is high up in the tree, and wet but we did manage to get a picture or two of these fairly elusive creatures.   They look a bit like a cross between a wombat and a wallaby, having the face of a wombat and the rest being the wallaby.   Their toes have adapted to the arboreal life.

Our next stop is the information office in Milanda which is very good and the staff are keen to offer advice on places to visit.  The building was raised to ground in a bushfire in 2010 but the community has rebuilt it along more modern lines and it is well worth a visit.

For lunch Leslie takes us to the Lake Barrine Tea House, a really pretty place on the lake where we had an exceptionally good salad whilst looking out across the lake which is in the caldera in an old volcano. For once the rain had stopped and the sun came out so we could sit out on the decking.  The gardens were a blaze of colour with lots of flowering plants which attract the beautiful, blue, Ulysses butterfly. Cameras were poised and we did see one but it was impossible to get a good shot.

We were able to pick our vehicles up in the late afternoon both having been given a good check up.

Saturday 18th May

Last night was wet and windy and today is no different.   The morning is taken up with shopping, coffee, more shopping and then lunch.    After lunch we try to spot some platypuses and are successful with patience.   Pat and I have seen them in Tasmania and NSW but it is a first for Denise and Brad.   

These are really fascinating creatures, as you can see they have a wide flat bill and large ‘rudderlike’ tail.    They spend their time foraging under rocks and   vegetation, searching out fresh water crustaceans and other small marine animals.

Also in this creek are some small turtles, about 250 mm across the shell.   We think people must feed them because they come over as soon as you stop to look at them.   They’re real posers!

The next stop is the Curtain Fig Tree.  This is a really awesome parasite which slowly takes over the host tree and kills it.   To access the tree we walk through typical rainforest which lives up to it’s name and it is very wet. We find the density of the vegetation amazing.

We need to dry out when we get back but soon its time for the pre-dinner socialising.

After drinks and nibbles in the shelter of Leslie’s veranda we opt for a film, ‘Mama Mia – here we go again’ which is entertaining!

Sunday 19th May

We have decided to move on today although we’re not expecting the weather to improve much.   We get the vans hooked up in the rain and then get invited in for a coffee before we leave.   Leslie has been great and has gone to the trouble of showing us around her neck of the woods while her husband is away fishing.

We’re not actually moving far, only about 45minutes up to the road to Mick and Sue’s place on Lake Tinaroo.   We don’t know these two but Brad and Denise do and they have invited all of us to camp on their property.   It is superbly located overlooking Lake Tinaroo, which is nearly as big as Sydney harbour.

  

Apparently, 4 o’clock on Sunday is champagne time!   The nibbles and wine session is really something else, a massive spread and apparently the philosophy is that we just have the nibbles tonight and no dinner.   Another Bushtracker couple turn up, Stephen and Mary, who we haven’t met but we are soon on the same wavelength and swapping yarns.  They are actually camping on Norty and Marge’s property just down the road, also on Lake Tinaroo. It was a great evening even though we had to move round the back of the house, winter entertainment location,  because of the wind.