After a few days in Mossman at Newells Beach we headed down the road to Cairns where we stayed for 3 nights in a park at the base of the Barron Mountains. The park was called Lake Placid, but it was anything but that, people jammed in like sardines and the noise of caravaners leaving early in the morning was a little jarring to the nerves, but it is peak season so that sort of thing is to be expected in big cities.
Cairns is as always though a great place to visit. We did the obligatory visit to Kuranda to buy some more honey and of course a visit to the Barron Falls, we visited the Barron Gorge and anything else that had that name as well!! We also had a day of total rest when we just stayed in the city and goofed off all day.
Back on the road again we finally made it to Chillagoe, all roads being sealed from the direction we approached it. We are staying in a great little park outside the town, we are camped beside a little running stream and at sunset kangaroos come hopping by on their way to goodness knows where. The bird life is also amazing. Today we have had visits from maggies, butcher birds, blue faced honeyeaters, shrike thrush to name but a few. The only down side of this park is a $%^%$% rooster that wakes you up at 4.30am then crows about every 15 minutes till you finally get out of bed - then he shuts up. I'm surprised he has lived as long as he has, one day someone will take a shot at him for sure.
Anyway we have had a great time here. Chillagoe is famous for a couple of things - the first being its fantastic limestone outcrops and the caves that are underneath the rocks. We visited Donna Cave yesterday, which is a vertical limestone cave with a fair bit of upwards walking but it was quite beautiful and some of the formations have to be seen to be believed.
In the afternoon we visited the Royal Arch Cave which is about 3 k's long and a horizontal cave. We didn't go the 3 k's mind you as most of it is off limits, but instead we went through a series of chambers and wiggled through skinny openings. Some of the chambers opened to the sky above and they were quite spectacular, the different colours of the weathering of the caves is quite beautiful.
Today we visited the second thing Chillagoe is famous for - the smelters. Way back at the end of the 19th century Chillagoe was a thriving town servicing the mining industry around this area. A large copper smelter was built here in Chillagoe to service that industry, but the copper did not last all that long and the smelter was abandoned in 1943. All that survives today are the chimneys, some of the furnaces and a slag heap that stands about 60 feet high and is a couple of hundred feed wide. Its quite a fascinating place, but there are warning signs everywhere pointing out the dangers, saying that the area is contaminated with various poisons and asbestos.
The best deal we have had though was at the local pub today where we got a rib eye steak with salad for $7. No not a missprint $7. It was beautiful.
The place we are staying at is also an eco lodge and they have a big telescope out the back, hopefully if the skies stay clear tonight we will go and have a peek at the heavens. Saturn is supposedly showing well.
Tomorrow we head off further towards the gulf, aiming for Georgetown. Oh and by the way, the days are beautifully warm, about 30, just a nice dry heat.
Anyway, its beer o'clock, so must go.
