Cairns, Crocs, Covid.

The Daintree, Magnetic Island, Mission Beach

May 18th 2023

Travelling from Groper Creek we headed the fairly short distance to Townsville. 

I had requested we visit Magnetic Island. Way back in my younger days, probably 1978ish, I had travelled up the east coast with my ex and our 2 little girls, stopping off to visit communities of interest and random friends. We stayed with 2 hippie friends at their house at Horseshoe Bay. Both were marine biologists. My strongest memory is of the girls and I walking along the beach collecting hermit crabs. Our friends had a LARGE salt water tank in their primitive shack with a spectacular collection of fish, crabs, corals, and more. It opened my insular Melbourne-centric eyes to the wonders of the reef. I remember walking along a narrow track to the white sandy beach and crystal blue sea. It became an idyllic stopping point on our travels back then.

Anyway, suffice to say, what I saw there now was nothing like my memories, but it still had an undeniable laid-back, somewhat alternative feel despite the chic new shops and accommodation that line the street facing the sea. Expensive yachts and cabin cruisers were moored just off-shore. As I sat under the enormous fig tree, watching the sea, I overheard the group of salty bedraggled boaties, who were sitting at a table near me, discussing engines, mechanical stuff and using “start you bastard” with little effect. Ah, I thought, there’s still blokes just sitting and chatting about nothing.

We found an excellent cafe for lunch on Magnetic Island, a “modern” backpackers trendy hideout, mostly populated with Europeans, but all looking “cool” in their own way…with flared pants, chai almond milk lattes, dreadlocks, crocheted bikinis and birkenstocks. The lunch was delicious, we later found out the chef had recently worked at the Farm at Ewingsdale.

We had a very cheap day out at Magnetic Island. Being Seniors has its rewards. The ferry was $20 return and our bus tickets for the whole day anywhere around the island were $2.40 each. The landscape was rocky, lush with vegetation, vivid green and the charming houses were tucked into lush overgrown gardens. I liked the slow development it has made over the past 45 years. If only other places would change slowly.

We’d been told not to miss Wallaman Falls, the highest single drop waterfall in Australia, 268 meters. Located in a UNESCO World Heritage site in Girringun National Park. So after a delicious morning tea in Ingham, we unhitched our vans in the car park behind the Visitor Centre and headed up the steep winding climb. It was pretty spectacular. But the best thrill while driving back, was coming across a Cassowary sauntering across the road. Majestic big bird.

South Mission Beach caravan park was our next destination. I have very few pictures from here. We lived in a tropical rain event each night here, where getting up to go to the toilet at night meant wading ankle deep through water. Apart from restocking the fridge and getting coffee, we didn’t do much there. Tully was a short drive away. This is the wettest place in Qld and the home of the Big Boot. That boot is as high as the biggest flood, 7.9mtrs, in 1950. Tully has a working sugar mill which belched smoke over the area. Sadly the town had many empty shops and felt a bit depressed. Maybe when the sugar milling season gets into full swing the town will come to life. We often had visits from the resident Cassowary in the caravan park. One evening at drinkies, he came purposely up behind me, eyeing off the tub of olives. Whoa, he has big gnarly claws and needed to be stopped. Holding up a camp chair as a shield stopped a nasty disaster.

Cairns. I had started feeling a bit off, so tested for covid..positive. Damn. I suspect I got it on the bus in Magnetic island. You know how sometimes you have a premonition…I thought at the time, I should have a mask on. Anyway, the plan to stay 4 nights in Cairns proved a good chance for me, and then Nick too, to weather covid. No need to isolate anymore, so off we went to the Aquarium one day and the historic train to Kuranda the next day. 

Both the tourist train and the Aquarium were easy pleasant activities for old and infirmed people. We still feel we are ahead of the mob, there just are not a lot of tourists around. We also loved strolling through the Botanic Gardens which are beautifully laid out with amazing plants.

Our campsite in Cairns was particularly good, compared to the others at the park. We were located on a grassy bend in the local river, the spot where turtles can be fed and fishes of many varieties gather for a look at the humans, even eels and a large barra. We had a concrete pad ideal for evening drinks overlooking the river under some wonderful trees.

It was time to move on though, we decided to book a camp at Wonga Beach, then radiate out from there for a couple of days, mainly north to the Daintree. We managed to find a storage shed for the 3 kayaks and 3 bicycles, which will make travelling so much more convenient up north. Nick had always wanted to see a sugar train, he was in luck as we drove along the highway there was one chugging along, probably checking on the tracks before the season starts in June.

After a quick visit to trendy Palm Cove, we stopped in Port Douglas for lunch at the Marina, also pretty trendy. Wonga caravan park is nice and simple, on the beach front, under large trees many of which drop big nuts constantly, nuts like macadamias. The coconuts hanging high in the nearby trees look a bit threatening. The extreme humidity we felt a day or 2 ago has gone and now it is relatively cool, minimums of around 23.

It was mentioned that there was a good swimming hole at Mason’s store. So off we headed one day to do our Daintree Rainforest and Bloomfield track exploration. The ferry over the Daintree river took us to the World Heritage listed park. It was amazing. Towering palms, massive Melaleucas, figs, strangler vines, mangroves, an earthly garden that has taken centuries to grow, that is a wonder beyond description. My pictures can never do it justice. A stroll along Madja’s Botanical boardwalk was well worth it. Then I took a swim for the team at Mason’s Store. Soooo refreshing, crystal clear chilly water.

We took lunch at Cape Tribulation. I decided to get us a healthy lunch…vegan panini and a green boost juice. Not sure Nick was impressed. The challenge of the Bloomfield track has always been there for 4WD drivers, so off we headed to ford the rivers and climb the steep tracks, sometimes 30% gradient, which tested us and we couldn’t have towed Swifty that way. But we got to the Bloomfield river, wandered through the indigenous gallery then turned around for the 2 hour journey back to camp.

Today we did a very peaceful cruise on an electric boat up the Daintree to find crocodiles….we found quite a few. The commentary was very good, it was a tour well worth doing.

Tomorrow (friday 19th May) we head off to Cooktown. I have been reading up on the history but I am looking forward to visiting the museum and getting a sense of the place.

Cheers Everyone

Jenny & Nick