We’re in Cairns and it’s time to update you with our travels. The last big report was from Mt Isa and that seems like so long ago, so let’s try and cover some ground, shall we? We were most reluctant to leave WLS as it truly is an oasis in the middle of the desert but we had other places to see so leave we had to.
From Mt Isa we headed south again to Cloncurry before striking out northwards towards the Gulf. We stayed the night in the free camp behind the Burke and Wills roadhouse at the eponymous 4-way intersection. It was dry and dusty but cheap and quiet. Next day it was Normanton where, we had been told, was a great free camp just north of the river. Run by the local council who are evidently eco-Nazis, you had to just about sign your life away to be granted the privilege of being one of the 10 vehicles allowed to camp there. “Wow,” we thought, “It must be at least as good as we were promised.” It all started to get a bit “iffy” however, when the man behind the counter reminded us not to camp too close to the lagoon to avoid the crocs but not too far back into the bush to make sure we avoided the snakes.
To say that it was a disappointment is a gigantic understatement. It was a dust bowl, no shade and not a blade of grass. We took our precious pass back to the council chambers and moved on.
40kms north of Normanton on the highway we found another free camp that was much more amenable so we stayed there. While there we met a couple from Brisbane who are on an extended tour of the north. A 4WD Colorado ute towing a caravan that has all the mod-cons INCLUDING a fold-down tailgate that gave access to a sealed part of the van that housed their two dirt bikes!! A Jayco Base Station, it is called. Very cool.
In the morning we completed the other 80kms to the little town of Karumba where we stood on the edge of the Gulf (though not TOO close as the croc warning signs were plentiful.) While sitting in the door of the van having a drink, two couples walked by and one of them stopped and the man said, “Haworth Guitars, eh?” (noting my T-Shirt) “I know Phil well, he’s a good mate of mine.” Turns out both couples live in Minamurra, about 20k’s south of where we live in Wollongong. It truly is a small world.
From Karumba we retraced our steps to Normanton and then turned east along the Savannah Highway. Distances between towns is long in the far north so we stopped at Croydon for morning tea and Georgetown f0r lunch, finishing the day at Mt Surprise. The road is all sealed but has many sections where the road is only one lane of bitumen and care has to be taken with vehicles (especially trucks, buses and road trains) coming the other way. Certainly gets your attention. So the little caravan park behind the roadhouse was a relief and once again, totally unexpected.
In the morning it was eastwards again, through Ravenshoe and the north to Mareeba where we stayed at the Mareeba Bush Camp up on the hill behind the town. A spectacular setting and great facilities except for the fact that the showers weren’t hot ones. The sunrise over Cairns made it worthwhile, though.
The bitumen road north ends at Cooktown and, from then it’s 4WD territory only and, with my passionate interest in Australian history, we had to go and visit the town where Captain Cook’s boat the “Endeavour” ran aground in 1770. What a charming town it is, filled with beautiful, graceful buildings, reminders of grander days. We stayed in a commercial park, though it was still quite cheap and we spent the time absorbing the culture.
On Saturday morning, the Cooktown Markets are on in the main park in town and, as is our usual form, we contrived to be there at just the right time. The markets themselves were nothing to write home about but the entertainments was top drawer. All the way from Townsville, the 1RAR Band was in town. Now forget any notions you might be having about a stuffy brass band playing military tunes, oh no. The band played rock and show music, some blues and some Aussie stuff and didn’t they do it brilliantly? Two lead singers, a Canadian guy whose surname was Thomas (didn’t get his first name but they all called him “GT”), and a girl who could command a top salary in any entertainment venue, Jade O’Halloran, (from Wollongong, believe it or not). She has an astonishing vocal range, immense power mixed with finesse and extraordinary staying power. The concert took over three hours and she seemed to be as fresh when she finished as she was when she started. GT played lead guitar and the other instruments were a bass, drums, a keyboard whose player also sang harmonies and then, as a nod to their military roots, a brass section comprising a trombone player, a brilliant trumpet player and David Cox, quite the best tenor sax player I have ever heard.
I stayed and watched the whole show, as did most of the residents of Cooktown. Talk about lucky to be there that day!
From Cooktown it was back down the highway to Mt Molloy just outside Mareeba where we cut left and headed out to the coast on one of the most entertaining roads I’ve driven. The Mt Molloy-Mossman road is like about 3 Jamberoo Roads and two Macquarie Passes all rolled into one!! Highly recommended.
So, here we are in Cairns. The local shire council only wants rich tourists in its area so there is no free camping allowed and their wishes are policed viciously. The local Big 4 is very nice and I don’t mind paying from time to time.
This morning we visited my mate Ian Hopkins. “Hoppy” has his own little motorcycle museum in town and it is crammed with the most astonishing array of bikes, cars and memorabilia. 2 hours went by so fast and it was time to go, but I can’t thank Hoppy enough for sharing his treasures with us. He truly is a gentleman and I count it a privilege to call him my friend.
That’s all for now. Catch you next time.
jeffb says
Have been loving the little write ups of your trip,Phil. Thanks for making the time to share .It all sounds so wonderful and I bet there are many more stories to fill in all the gaps. Look forward to getting together with you and Helena for a trip account with many photos. Stay well and continue safely. Jeff
Phil Hall says
It’s belting down rain and we’ve had to take a motel room tonight; hopefully it will ease tomorrow. We don’t really care, though, we’re just seeing so much good stuff.