Home again

Hello all friends and family. We're back in Ferny Creek which as you can see is looking pretty good. We had a great trip and loved seeing outback Queensland but there's no place like home! Hope you are all well and happy. Signing off now. Anne and Steve.

Role models

This lovely couple in their eighties ride out each day for nine km. Might be steve and I in a couple of decades!

Annes Blog- Cobbald Gorge

Stayed at a camp here and went on a walk over the top to look down on the Gorge then went on an electric boat which silently drifted through the narrow passage between the rocks. We could touch both sides. Big fish in the water.

Rainforest

Atherton Tablelands

Annes blog-Atherton tablelands

We've found some patchy sun and are enjoying rainforest walks and mighty waterfalls. These are the Millaa Millaa. Falls 18.3 mtrs drop formed 1.5 million years ago. Looks like we'll be dodging the rain for quite a while. On the weather map this morning Mt ISA was the only place without rain. Guess where we are heading?

Annes Blog

Cooktown - what bad luck! The weather got steadily worse as we got nearer and by the time we got there we were in a howling gale with palm trees bowed over and sheeting horizontal rain. Lying in bed at night with the van being buffeted from side to side and the wind shrieking! It's a shame because it is a lovely little town with a beautiful harbor and old picturesque buildings. We spent all of our one day there in the museums learning all about James Cook and his Voyages of Discovery (interesting) but not what I'd imagined we would be doing. We turned tail and fled inland the next day as the forecast is for more of the same. We are having to rethink our trip home as all this rain will have made the Outback dirt roads impassible.

Pandanus along the river

Beside the Mary River

It runs along the side of the organic cattle station we're camping on and there are tiny forest kingfishers here.

View from the van

Over those hills are Port Douglas and Mossman

Gone fishing

Annes Blog 4

GULF COUNTRY-FNQ

Normanton was HOT especially in the laundromat with the driers going. Really getting some heat now and our first taste of humidity nearly knocked us over. It was the first cloud we'd seen for weeks and with it came about 100% humidity. We were on a long 500 km stretch of dirt road from Kurumba on the Gulf east in a huge arc to Chilligoe. We had two nights in the bush one by a waterhole and I got the jitters about crocodiles and spent a lot of time 'watching for crocs'! There were a lovely family of brolgas to watch too and rainbow bee-eaters and a tiny Little Kingfisher. We're about to explore caves here in Chilligoe which is surrounded by amazing rock formations. Time out from camping with a couple of nights at the converted Old Post Office has been a pleasure. Lovely people in this one horse town. Hope to pick up a nugget of gold tomorrow. Love Anne.

Leichardt Falls

Overnight Camp on the way to Normanton. Fresh veggies for the first time bought at the Post Office in Bourketown. Delicious! Anne

Adels Grove Campsite

Used to be a botanical garden here which sent out seeds worldwide.

Adels Grove Campsite

Near Lawn Hill National Park. Both deserve Bucket list status.

Overnighter in bush

30+ pigs came by at dusk!

Hello from Gulf Country

We love it up here! It's so different to the whole tourist scene. Space, Friendly people, sunny. Don't expect a good coffee or meal out though. Just had the only available lunch at Bourketown. A 'barraburger' at a kiosk outside the caravan park. He looked in horror when we said grilled not deep-fried. That's shit he said. Why we asked. Because I hate fish that's not deep fried! It was adequate.
We have been camping at Adels Grove and then Kingfisher Camp. Both really good. Highlight was a hired motorboat on the Nicholson River where we saw freshies, lizards, lots of birds and magnificent rocky gorges and sandy beaches. Still enjoying it. A night in the bush was interesting with about 30 wild pigs coming down to drink at the waterhole. no supermarket here only a few groceries at the post office we're running out of food! Love to everyone. Anne x

Me (note earrings Julianne!)

Steve's new hairdo

Gregory River campsite