Revelling in Rainforest

Andrew is finally getting to do one of the things he's been looking forward to - walking through the rainforest.  Well, we were a bit eager yesterday and from the very first place we could, we dived right in.  The lookout at Cape Crawford gives a tantalising taste of what lies below:

Apart from just being such a beautiful walk, it was nice to be in the cooler surrounds of a rainforest, providing shade under the canopy.  Especially when we got to the bottom and had to climb back up the steps and steep gradient to get back up!

Andrew was seriously working out how the boys could haul that wood back up the path to the car...

 Another big tree that had fallen down.

At Malanda Falls - not a bad swimming pool for our caravan park, hey?  We did two more short rainforest walks near here after we had set up camp.

Paronella Paradise

Starting with almost no resources, working physically for many years, saving frugally and finally, being in a position to buy some land and start improving it.  That scenario is almost unheard of today.  Yet, Paronella Park, at the gateway to the Atherton Tablelands, tells the story of a young Spanish immigrant who came to Australia after the ashes of the Great War, laboured as a cane cutter in Tropical Queensland and then eventually, saved enough to buy a property near Mena Creek.  A baker by background, he then did most of the work himself to create a recreational park that would be open to the public. The means each stair, balustrade, picnic table and pot planter was made by him.

In 1930, just as the Depression is starting to bite, he opens his estate - with rendered castles, a ballroom, a theatre, bathing and picnic area, and rambling walks.  All is centred on the waterfall, which would make each vista majestic and would power the park in more ways than one.  Jose Paronella had the foresight to commission and have installed a hydro-electric system which provided the electricity and water needs of the complex.  In the 30s in Australia, he was ahead of his time!  He was an enterprising and visionary man. Though the park has been ravaged by cyclones and one fire, the current owners have brought the place back to life and have some restoration projects planned.

On Thursday, we went on two tours - one in the afternoon and one after dark, ate lunch on their extensive deck area, had a caravan site for the night and were looked after well by the family friendly staff.  I can’t recommend this experience enough and hopefully the photos will reflect some of the grandeur.

They gave the boys some food to feed the fish - they also had eels and the creature below in there.

TRAVELLER'S TIP:
Detouring off the highway can be where you have some lovely "finds".  Take Paronella up on their various offers - stay for the complementary night, go on the night tour (at no extra cost), and see the park through the different moods of the day.

Magnetic Magnetism

When Captain Cook sailed past Magnetic Island, his magnetic compass reacted, thus the name.

It may not officially have magnetic power, but the island does pull one in.  Sitting majestically in Cleveland Bay, off the coast of Townsville, this island beckons.

One would think we got an early start, with all this in mind, but as Andrew has long reminded me, he is on holidays and won't be rushed...  We were still able to get the Forts Walk in before lunch.  This ranges over some of the higher terrain on the island and overlooks the ocean.  It became a pivotal position during the defence of Australia during WWII.  We got to look at old, rundown buildings that housed ammunition, a gun pivot point, a signal station and a command post.  Unfortunately, we couldn't go into the command post, though you can see it in the distance in one of the photos, as the building was deemed hazardous.

We caught the ferry over there and then hopped on and off the bus all over the island for the day. We had lunch at Horseshoe Bay, and Stephen climbed a big tree (as he does) and then stopped at Alma Bay for a swim but the wind was strong and the waves were low.  We are getting pickier now as we are up here for some time. We then travelled over to the other side of the island to Picnic Bay.  The ride of the bus was about half an hour and the view was stunning!!

TRAVELLER'S TIP:
To maximise a day trip to the island, get your own transport while here.  The bus really curtailed our activities as we were beholden to when they ran.  Scooters, small little cars and even 4WDs are options for a great day.  We would have done a few more walks and might even have gone off the beaten track a little if we'd had a bit more choice.

See the command post on the top of the hill?

Opening Pandora's Box

Yesterday, we went with the den Dulk’s into the Museum of Tropical Queensland to have a look around.  A major permanent exhibit is the discovery of the HMS Pandora, the ship sent to find the mutineers from The Bounty. The ship was wrecked at the top of the great Barrier Reef, though many survived and some of the prisoners were brought to trial in England.

After getting some of them into trouble and then out of it, they were put to work with the firing of the cannon.  We learned some history, had some fun and then went and voted. Pre-poll is so quick and easy!

They also had a Science/Questacon type section to the Museum.

Strolling on the Strand

What a picturesque scene - the sun shining brightly, glittering like jewels in the sea; the water, a brilliant blue; the breeze, just a refreshing temperature so that it cools but does not make one feel cold; people, laughing, playing, sitting, talking, strolling...

After church this morning, we enjoyed such an atmosphere down by the waterfront area called “The Strand” and we enjoyed being two families sharing a picnic and time together.

For those who may have missed a post, we are staying with friends in Townsville and they have children of a similar age to ours, though they have twins as their eldest (having 5 in all).

It has been such a pleasant interlude to life in a caravan and a wonderful reminder of the bonds of fellowship that extend between us.  We haven’t seen eachother for four years but the kids have renewed their friendships and we parents have tried to pick up where we last left off.

Townsville is such a lovely place to be at this time of year!

Unique Undara

Adam helped me with the title this time as I couldn't think of a "u" word to go with Undara.

This volcano erupted a long time ago and formed some amazing lava tubes.  Below are some photos of us walking down into some of them.  The tour went for half a day and we also did a walk around the rim of a crater with our guide.

Later, back at our fantastic caravan park, we chilled out, went to the cafe or pool, the kids played mini golf with Andrew and we had a wood fired pizza for dessert.  Just a taste to see what the fuss was about.  The caravanning club that was there was running a trivia night and asked us if we'd like to join in.  It was a fun-filled hour.  Ok - how will you go with one of the quizzes?  Eight questions and the answers all begin with "man."  I can only remember seven but will try and think of the others...

1. a house  ANSWER man......
2. a ruler
3. used to be in the laundry
4. a housewife's care to look after
5. to make something
6. more hands make light work
7. makes sweet music

Clambering down into the Lava Tubes

 Some animals came in, but didn't make it back out!

Vast, interesting and amazing colours formed from the molten lava in the caves

Pizza afterwards from a wood-fired oven - yum!

We have changed the order around, leaving Mt Surprise and going to Townsville.  This suited our friends better and we are enjoying spending some time together.  The kids have ready playmates with the children from this family and it's been nice to relax and take off the "sight-seeing shoes" for a few days. We will then go up to the Cairns/Tableland area and then start the trek south.

The Surprise of Mt. Surprise

Ever heard of Mt Surprise?  We hadn’t, before the Normanton Information Centre lady gave us a brochure on it.  We had already decided to take the higher road toward Cairns and the Undara Lava Tubes was on our radar... but Mt Surprise?  That hadn’t registered as being only 50 odd kms from Undara and the only other licensed operator for tours into the Undara National Park.

It looked kitsch on the photo and in a way, it is.  The caravan park is called “Bedrock Village” and they a whole Flintstones theme going on here.  What they do have, that can’t be bought, is a friendly and welcoming place.  For a start, they treat families as families and don’t put an artificial age on what a child is.  Some have said children are under 12, some have said under 14 and most caravan parks say under 15.  I don’t know how my 16 year old is more expensive to keep at a caravan park than my 14 year old, but apparently, he is!  Here, a family is 2 adults and up to 4 children (paying for them if they are 5-18). 

They have a mini golf course here, which has already gotten some use from our boys, a pool and rec room (with a large TV for the cricket) but as I alluded to before, they have what you want to bottle and take with you everywhere - the desire to make your stay with them memorable.

Last night, the older boys and I joined in with  their activity night.  The staff put on some games, like passing the tennis ball in your neck, inside golf, ten pin bowling and a brain-teaser, and organised us into teams to take part in the events.  We got to mix with quite a number of people and just have some fun.

They also run a small café and offer home cooked meals for those who want one and are willing to pay.  Last night was Spag Bol and tonight is wood fired pizza.  Andrew is tempted by tonight’s offering, even though we have our own food!

Today, we went to the Undara Lava Tubes and I will put up some photos of that when we get somewhere with a better connection.  We had a wonderful tour, and some of the staff and participants from the activity night were with us for that.

TRAVELLER’S TIP:

Be prepared for the detours and pleasant surprises along the way. I am one who plans down to the nth degree (if given the chance).  Leave room in your schedule for unexpected blessings.

Making it to the Gulf...

How vividly the scene is painted in many Australian history books of how Burke and Wills tragically died, having come within striking distance of the Gulf of Carpentaria! I read part of that to Mark in preparation for our visit to their last marked camp.  It was a hot afternoon (it got to 35 degrees in Normanton), there was a dry wind and the scene looked monotonously the same - low level trees and scrub that offer no real shade or relief, and a parched earth.  We were only out in it for ten minutes as well and had a satisfying lunch before we went. It was still hard to imagine what it would have been like for them!

After this, we went the final 70 odd kms from Normanton to Karumba on the coast. Originally, I thought this would be our only opportunity to peek at the Gulf of Carpentaria but we did have that trip with the Mission Awareness Group out to a different section of the Gulf in NT (near Borroloola).  Still, we enjoyed strolling and hopping along the beach esplanade, having some fresh prawns and the best hot chips I have ever had at a local eatery and then did some four wheel driving down a beach track to see even further down into the Gulf.

We got back after sunset and the boys went to the hot artesian spa that they had at the caravan park. We’re working our way over to the coast now and I’ll report tomorrow on our time at a surprise location.

I'll also add photos later as I am on a slow drip feed free connection at our caravan park and it is torturous!

One of the tree from the B & W Camp.  

The largest croc killed in Australia was 9 metres long.  This is a replica of it in Normanton.

The Gulf of Carpentaria at Karumba Point

Car Capers

We've had some big driving days, going from Alice Springs up to Normanton in three days.  Each has been about 8+ hours of driving and the boys have held up pretty well.  We don't have a DVD player going and we only allow them to play on electronic devices for a short while during that time...so, what do we do?

... one day we had a karaoke session.  We each picked what song we wanted to have played and did a solo.  James boys being James boys, it then became competitive and there was knock out and finals organised.

... we've had on audio books.  The whole of the Chronicles of Narnia have been done now and though we did these in the car several years ago, the younger ones were able to appreciate them more this time.  I actually found that "The Silver Chair" has gone up in my list of favourites to #3. Other audio books will follow.

... there's been "newspaper nirvana".  That's when Andrew gets to sit in the passenger seat and read the paper on the iPad while I drive.  He often reads out snippets and we talk about it.  Zac has the newspaper on his iPad too so there's two copies in the car.

... have I mentioned I am keeping all the op-shops (thrift stores) running?  We have been buying so many used books and chew through them so quickly.  Loads of sporting bios have been read; some Aussie classics - I am reading Mary Durack books and Zac is reading Robbery Under Arms at present; Mark is getting into Secret Seven and Famous Five; Adam is reading "Gifted Hands- the Ben Carson Story" and I found a Cairo Jim book for him.  We are swapping with each other and still running out of things to read! Stephen has been reading for schoolwork and hasn't read too many of the other ones floating about.

...the boys have developed a car cricket game.  They write up the whole scorecard very properly and it's the Ashes, of course.  The batsman gets runs based on the colour of the car that goes past.  A white car is one run, grey/silver - two, blue/black- three, yellow/green/orange - four, gold/pink/purple are six and a red car is out. In one innings, Adam got 467 and in another, less than 150!  I guess some days have more red cars than others.

... on Sunday, we had a sermon in the car as we just drove right through that day. It was great to catch up on one from church that we'd missed and to be reminded of home.

TRAVELLING TIP:
There's plenty of free camp places along major highways.  They are well cared for, offer basic services and give you a place to crash for 24 hours.  We used 2 on this three day trek.  It meant no power, but we had gas and we lit a fire. We had marshmallows and now have firm opinions about which brands perform the best and I made my first damper.

Decorating termite mounds is common on the Stuart Highway.  Had to get a snap of one of them.

Lovely damper, straight from the fire.  Great with butter and golden syrup.

"Drama" day

Friday was one of those odd days when regardless of plans, it just doesn't work that way.  We knew we had to put the car in to have a major service but had organised a hire car so we could still go out exploring in the West Macs.  We also put the portable fridge in to be fixed. That took a bit of time but we finally got moving.  

We went into Standley's Chasm as we had heard it was stunning.  It was lovely but quite a short walk so we decided to do this loop walk around the back and saw the raw rugged beauty in the hills.  Most of the walks we have done, it's been in under the time estimated for the journey.  This walk was rated at one hour.  Zac, Mark and I had it done in 45 minutes.  Unusually, Andrew was hanging back with Adam but we weren't too concerned by this as we thought maybe they had decided to take things a little slower today, after the high energy days we'd had in Uluru/Kata Tjuta.

After 45 minutes of waiting, I was a bit perplexed but thought that if we went back in, they'd be coming out the other side and then they would be waiting for us.  Perhaps I should mention it was lunchtime now and Andrew had the key to the car where all our food was...

After one hour and ten minutes, I decided to go the the kiosk, ask for some water and just let them know we were going back in to find our stragglers.  The manager was wonderful.  He gave us a large bottled water out of his fridge, gave us a block of chocolate and told us to keep our energy up.  The loop walk easily led onto the Larapinta Trail if one went right at the creek, instead of left to continue on the loop.  He said that if they went right, they could be out there along time as it was a very long trail. I had been calm...I was not so calm now.  Zac said I was a bit anxious in my voice at this point.  We decided Zac should go back in through the top and Mark and I would go through the bottom, along the creek.  If we met eachother without seeing the others, then we would go back to the kiosk and ask for further help to find them. Mark and I prayed together for them.

After not much more than five minutes, we saw Andrew. Mark went rushing toward him and cried in his arms.  He then saw Adam limping along behind and rushed at him as well.  I think Adam was a little taken aback.  They had turned right and walked 4kms along the trail before realising they must have made a mistake.  Adam was limping only because he had blisters on his feet, further rubbed by the extra walking.

We got back to the car, told them in the kiosk that we had found our lost ones and then sat to have lunch.  I went to get a coffee from the staff and they wouldn't let me pay for that either as they said I'd had enough to go through already.  We were thankful for their kindness and their help.

Drama over and day mostly gone.  We had to get back into town to pick up things from 4pm.  So, the West Macs only consisted of two things, some prayer, some frustration and a reminder that God's in control and not me.

The Chasm, hills from the loopwalk

The path to Simpson's Gap and the view once there

 The overland telegraph station in Alice Springs this morning.  I read a book called, "The Singing Wire" to Mark in advance and that helped him to understand and visualise things about this history.  I might talk about that later...

Valley of the Winds vistas

Yesterday, we went back into Uluru- Kata Tjuta National Park and did the base walk for Uluru in the morning.  They have taken the track out wider in places and it now takes 10.6 kms!  The older two decided to try and climb again but of course, that was subject to weather conditions.  You can ask them how they got on with that challenge!

In the afternoon, we moved on to the Olgas (Kata-Tjuta) and did the amazing Valley of the Winds walk.  Though beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable, it was another 8kms!  Our legs were starting to feel heavy, especially with the climb from the afternoon before...and I left my camera back at the caravan so will have to rely on others for the photos I put up.

Andrew took this shot this morning. People climbing look like little ants.  Can you see them?

They shut the climb down after two hours due to strong winds at the summit.

A photo of the valley from Adam:

Andrew's photos of sunrise:

After some deliberation (letting our feet do some of the talking), we decided not to try and fit King's Canyon into one day, with more long walks, and to head back to Alice today and spend some time in the West Macs tomorrow. 

Before leaving today, there was time for one more visit to the park.  Most of you will faint with shock but it was Andrew who woke me at 6am and said, “Do you want to go back in for sunrise?” Yes, he can manage the crack of dawn after all!  I managed to find clothes I had not donned in months - jeans, a long sleeve shirt, a fleece top AND a jacket.  It was cold out there this morning and would you believe, after all my debating about sunsets v sunrises that we had a spectacularly lit sky this morning?

TRAVELLER’S TIPS:

If you want to climb Uluru, be prepared to go whenever you see it open as the weather can change and they will shut it down pretty quickly.  We met several people who had missed out because they decided to do the base walk first and then found later, they couldn’t go up.

You get three days for the National Park - why not use all of them and do different things on each day? We were at Uluru for a late climb and sunset, for a full day that included Kata-Tjuta for sunset and then a sunrise viewing this morning.

Those fly nets they try to sell you?  Didn’t need them for the rock but I wore one for the Olgas.  If you don’t like being inundated by flies, have one on hand.

Grandeur, glory, grit and grace

What else can I say to describe the experience  - those four words in the title sum it up pretty well.  We got to the Ayers Rock Resort mid-afternoon, set up and then dashed over to the National Park because we saw the sign said, “Open”.  That meant we could climb the rock if we went...now.

I know that some believe no one should climb Uluru for cultural or religious reasons. As Christians, we believe God created everything in this world and it belongs to him.  We are able to enjoy every tree, flower, rock, sunset, ocean, and the list goes on!

By the time we found the right spot, it was getting late in the day for this.  Some of the boys are mountain goats and they can get up most things pretty quickly - they weren’t the concern.  I am used to walking up a small mountain in Canberra but NOTHING prepared me for this!  There’s this short section where it gets a little steep but the chain to help would-be climbers is placed several metres higher than that...perhaps as a deterrent.  Well, I froze. I’d looked up and I’d looked down and neither way looked particularly appealing, actually; they both seemed frightening! Andrew came back and reminded me to keep my head down and just to scramble up till I got to the chain.

Even though fear is a powerful thing, so is the determination to achieve a goal and not be the one who misses out!  From that time onwards, regardless of how steep it got in sections, I was propelled onwards and upwards - gritting out the tough stages.  By God’s grace, it got a little easier as I got into the rhythm of the climb.

Adam was conquering his own fears - some of you may know how he struggles with heights.  Andrew helped him through some tough bits and stayed with him until the top.  The others?  They’re those mountain goats I was telling you about. Stevie was up first (nothing unusual there), Zac paced in nicely for second and I came next, followed by Mark (who had no fear and seemed perfectly at ease with the whole thing).

I was amazed by the view, reminded of the grandeur of the rock and gave glory to the one who made it.

and we got to see sunset on the way down!