After the fun and excitement of the rodeo we were off today to our most northern destination on the east coast, Cooktown. A big drive (well big for Qld but not for WA) of about 240kms from Mareeba through some fairly scenic countryside had us arriving just before lunch time. About 20kms short of Cooktown we passed through Black Mountain National Park. Very eerie mountains made up of huge black boulders where people have reportedly disappeared on bushwalks (it is now prohibited to walk on the mountains), and pilots report turbulence and equipment malfunction when flying over….Ooooohhhh!!
We checked into the Big 4 for two nights – this is the first caravan park in Australia we’ve been to where there has been someone to take you to your site and guide you in. We were supposed to drive down and stop at the “Please wait here for site allocation” sign. This is after the lady in the office had already allocated our site and shown us where it was on the map. The guide was very dirty when we just headed for the site without waiting for him. You know when you arrive at a caravan park and some painful old bugger wants to “help” you back up…this guy has turned it into a job.
After lunch it was time to have a look around. Of course the town is named after this fella…
…who “discovered” the area but I think the aboriginal people would disagree. Captain Cook came ashore here to repair his ship (The Endeavour) after it struck a reef. He spent six weeks and actually got on ok with the local aboriginals. It was here that Joseph Banks first saw a kangaroo (and wondered what the hell it was).
Cooktown is set out between the banks of the Endeavour River and the ocean. The view to the north over the river is beautiful.
We spent lots of time on the waterfront…
…playing in the park and on the musical ship…
…and collecting some of the tropical flowers.
We certainly enjoyed the hot weather, especially looking at the cool temps forecast for Brisbane.
Cooktown is a neat little town and was very interesting to look around.
Finch Bay just out past the botanic gardens looked very nice. A sign indicating a recent croc spotting kept us on our toes though.
On Tuesday afternoon we drove up to Grassy Hill lookout to take in the 360 degree views.
Beautiful views all around…but it was so windy that we could hardly walk without being blown over.
Wednesday 21 July
Wednesday morning was the start of our journey south, towards home…don’t want to think about that. The drive across the top of the Atherton Tablelands and down the range (from Mount Molloy to Mossman) is very scenic with thick forest all around and spectacular views.
After lunch in a park at Mossman we set up camp at a great little beachfront caravan park at Wonga Beach, about 17kms up the road. The best part for the kids was the rope swing on the beach.
Luke loved his Indiana Jones style torch too.
In the afternoon we drove back down to Mossman Gorge (roads are too narrow to take a van up there) and did the forest circuit walk. This was our first look at the Daintree Rainforest…beautiful.
Thursday 22 July
We woke to another warm but wet day. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay another night at Wonga Beach as the site had been booked by others but we had organised to leave the van there for the day so we could head up to Cape Tribulation.
The kids were very excited when we arrived at the ferry to cross the Daintree River. Hadn’t been on a ferry since the Murray River. The scenery was a bit different here.
After leaving the ferry we drove the steep windy road to the first lookout. Great views over the rainforest and out to the reef.
Rather than spend another $68 for the family to go to the Daintree Discovery Centre (which I’m sure is great) we parked just up the road to do the free Jindalba walk. There’s plenty of information on info boards along the walk and we also tacked onto the back of some tour groups so we learned a few new things from the guides.
Next stop was Cow Bay where of course we made a mermaid on the beach (see Are we there yet?).
Last stop was Cape Tribulation for a late lunch and play on the beach. The sight of the thick tropical rainforest coming all the way down to the beach is spectacular.
The handstands have improved lots on the trip.
Ashley the jungle girl was there too.
The drive through this area is truly amazing, with narrow roads lined closely on both sides by the thick rainforest.
The kids were constantly on the lookout for cassowaries (especially after the offer of $5 prize money to the first person to spot one). Unfortunately no one took the money and the only cassowaries we saw were on the many road signs telling you to slow down. Someone had had some fun with this speed bump sign.
In the late afternoon our time exploring the north of the Daintree River had come to an end and we joined the long que waiting to board the ferry.
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