Day 18 - Cania Gorge to Home

The advantage of staying in a cabin is that there is so much less packing up to do, so I was away at about 7:15am, back to the “main” road and then into Monto. Except I never got there. My phone came alive when it got a signal so I thought I should use the GPS to avoid getting lost.

Unfortunately Flossie had a fit of the vapours and took me on a “short” cut. It may have cut a couple of kilometres off the route but on a very minor road that was very slow. It was pouring with rain and some of the creek crossings were covered with water which I took very carefully indeed!

Eventually I got to the real main road and saw a sign to Brisbane which was encouraging. It seemed a very long way but I did finally reach the M1 and crept past Brisbane through the everlasting road works. And then home!

A very good trip of about 5,200kms altogether. The high points were the two gorges, Atherton, Cooktown and Chillagoe caves. The low point was ... well, if you’ve been reading this you don’t need me to tell you!

Day 17 - Cania Gorge

After a good night’s sleep I had breakfast and then drove off to the Picnic Area from where all the walks start. The previous day when I was checking in I said I wanted to walk. The lady at the desk took a look at my obvious antiquity and told me to go to Dripping Rock and the Overhang. This is described as “a pleasant, easy walk.”

I started off to do as she recommended but then branched off and added in Dragon Cave, Bloodwood Cave and the Gorge Lookout before getting back on track. It was all very picturesque and pleasant walking. The Gorge Lookout was a bit steep, but to a conqueror of the Boolimba Bluff in Carnarvon it was not insurmountable! Dripping Rock and the Overhang were good to see as well.

I got back to my cabin and decided that coffee was called for and I had an uninvited but not unwelcome guest.

After a lazy afternoon I had my dinner, which was a monstrous steak – it didn’t look that big in the supermarket – watched a bit of television, which convinced me that Foxtel is better than free to air, then went to bed.

Day 16 - Rockhampton to Cania Gorge

This was a short and interesting trip with hills, bends and all sorts. There was quite a section where the speed limit was 40 kph – and rightly so!

Also a lovely view point complete with shelter and tables where I stopped for lunch. Then I pressed on to Cania Gorge park. This is a National Park with a Big 4 Holiday Park which is technically not in the National Park but it looks as if it is and the National Park is just across the road.

It is a very nice campground which has plenty of camping sites and quite a few cabins. It has a swimming pool and water park, jumping pillows and kangaroos or wallabies wandering around grazing. Just down the road is Cania Dam which is quite a large lake with boat ramps, picnic tables, barbeques, etc.

I think it is an easy drive from home but I will confirm this after I have driven it on Friday!

Day 15 – Townsville to Rockhampton

My original intention was to spend the night in Mackay and then go on to Rockhampton the next day, but I was in Mackay by about 12:30 so I did some quick mental arithmetic and rationalised that two tent sites cost about the same as on cabin - so I drove on to Rocky.

It was a long drive – 716 kms – but uneventful and I got here by quarter to five.  With no tent to put up it was straight into my motel type room and then a pleasant sit outside with a fortifying beverage. The publicity for the park claims that it sits on the Tropic of Capricorn so I enjoyed my last moment in the tropics for a while!

The other advantage of cutting a day out of the trip is that my next stop will not be over the weekend and I can get another cabin! They were all booked for the weekend.

Day 14 - Chillagoe to Townsville

I followed Brett’s advice on route and went through some beautiful countryside, dropping down to the coast. Lovely rolling hills, green green grass and trees. It was winding and steep so not a very fast road.  I got to my campsite in Townsville in spite of the fact that the only sign for it on a divided highway was beyond it and said “Back 100m”. A long U turn and I found it.

I put up my tent for the first time since Carnarvon. I was a bit anxious because I had used it as a buffer between Adelie’s 4X4 and my back door. I had visions of all the bendy poles in the bag being broken into little pieces! But it was all fine.

The campsite was wedged in a triangle between the main highway south and the main road into Townsville. The north south railway line was just behind the highway! After the peace and tranquillity of my previous places it was very noisy. I also found that the site I had been allocated was directly under a street light! Not a good night’s sleep.

Day 13 – Cooktown to Chillagoe

I set off early – back up the hills I’d come down yesterday, then on to Mareeba. There I filled up with petrol and sent a text to Brett to tell him I was about to plunge into the black hole of Optus non-coverage and should be with him in 2 hours.  Who is Brett? He is a friend of Kay and Hannah and is a ranger with the National Parks in Chillagoe.

It was quite a good road most of the way but degenerated into gravel at odd moments. But it was good gravel! I got to Chillagoe and went to my cabin that I had reserved the day before. It was basic, very basic. The lady who managed the reception was the sourest person you could wish to meet – never cracked even a smirk never mind a smile!

She directed me to the camp ground and told me to go round the big tree to my cabin. The campground is covered by very big trees so after circumnavigating most of them I came to a cabin the had a number on like mine, I moved in.

Then I went off to meet Brett which I did, then back to the cabin for a bite of lunch before driving out to the cave that I was going to tour with Brett as guide. This involved a short drive out of town then met up with the rest of the party - seven in all. Brett told us about the geology of the area and then led us into the cave. It was vast and fascinating. We all were given torches and at one point we switched them all off – total blackness, not a glimmer of light. I can imagine how horrific it might be to be stranded down there. I made sure to keep up with the party!

After the cave tour I went back to my cabin, wrote up the story of the caves and lost it somewhere, then went down to the pub where I met up with Brett and we went off on a tour of some of the tracks around Chillagoe to old abandoned mine workings and the sort of roads that I was glad I was in Brett’s car! We then picked up Amber, Brett’s wife, and went up to their sunset spot up a hill and into an overhang looking out over MMBA. Watched the sunset with a few cold beers and then went back to my place where we had dinner. It was surprisingly good and served by the woman who still didn’t smile. A very enjoyable day.

Day 12 – Atherton to Cooktown

This was an interesting drive! Starting through the rain forests around Atherton then getting drier and hilly. Very good road with viewpoints at intervals where there was something to view. I stopped in one of them to have a snack lunch then pushed on to Cooktown. I had a quick look round town and paid homage to the statue of Captain Cook (who was actually only a Lieutenant) then went on to my reserved cabin. This is a budget cabin – in deference to my children’s inheritance – but was well appointed with everything except an ensuite bathroom. The amenities block is all of 10m away so that should not be too much of a hardship!

Then I explored Cooktown. Went up the top of the hill overlooking the sea and tried to imagine what Captain Cook must have thought when he was marooned here 247 years ago. He had discovered the Great Barrier Reef by running into it and badly damaging the Endeavour.  My stranding 3 days ago was quite worrying because I did not know if there was anyone around to help me and I didn’t know exactly where I was. In contrast Cook knew there was nobody within thousands of miles to help him and had no idea how he was going to get home even if he could repair his ship.

The fact that he did fix his ship and did find a way home is greatly to his credit – and I’m sure to the relief of his crew! I had half thought that after Cooktown I might go North up Cape York to visit Coen where Geri started her teaching career. After my recent experiences of gravel roads, I was a little cautious and I enquired of the locals in the camp site. They were quite clear – don’t do it! I was easily convinced. So I’ll just have to take Geri’s word for the wonders of Coen!

I also went down to a lovely little beach with miles of beautiful sandy beach and an azure sea reaching all the way to South America. But a prominent sign advising strongly against swimming or even going close to the water because of the crocodiles! A sign like that easily convinced me that I would take some photos then go back to my lair!