7 - Atherton Tablelands 7/5 - 28/5/19

Entry 7                  Continuing with our Atherton Table Lands experience.  7/5 – 28/5/2019

The Smicks had offered the use of their home for as long as we liked, making us feel very comfortable day after day. Though we were anxious not to overstay our welcome. Knowing we were able to assist with some of their planned projects around their home we did a deal where we would stay until we managed to move one large rock and relocate a tree before moving on. Steve spent a couple of days digging around the subject rock doing his best. Eventually he enlisted Michael’s help.

The socialising continued with the Smicks and recent arrivals Nerilee & Grahame.

The three boys attempted to move the subject rock to its final resting spot, unsuccessfully and needed assistance from a vehicle tow winch.

We did enjoy the Smicks home base setting with the added bonus of being made very welcome.

Morning sunrise

Morning sunrise

Morning sunrise highlighting our location

Getting comfortable with Smicks Roller

Smick was planning to show us around in his Roller

Just prior our arrival it blew a head gasket and he was still considering repair options

It was nearly three weeks socialising with the Smicks – including the mini-muster, and with the projected jobs completed, we thought it prudent to let them have their home back. Norty (from entry 6, 1^st paragraph,) had also offered the use of their Lake Tinaroo residence all to ourselves where we relocated about 2 kilometres down the road

Departing the Smicks

Our new setting about 5 minutes down the road

Looking back from the lake at our new setting

Our new setting from the waters edge

Our daily porch location on left with a separate guest room on right

We utilized our time at Norty’s researching information for the local area. The weather forecast had been for daily rain over the next week, due to a cyclone approaching the coast a bit north. We decided to stay put waiting for the weather to clear before proceeding into northern regions. We did enjoy walking around the nearby forest around Norty’s.

We even had our own resident Bush Stone-Curlews

Close by Rosella

The water level of Lake Tinaroo was nearly down to 100 % providing a very different setting at the dam wall from our visit three weeks prior when it was at about 102% capacity.

Lake Tinaroo Dam at 100%

Dam wall three weeks prior

Three weeks prior a very different setting

We still enjoyed socialising with the Smicks every couple of days or so. Part of our socialising included Mary spending time assisting Sue with some sewing projects etc., and Steve with other outdoor projects on Michael’s future wish list, accomplished with Steve’s help.

Mary made a diet strawberry cheese cake with an almond meal base. So yummy

The skies were predominantly grey with ongoing light drizzle. The ambient air temperature hovered around an overnight low of 19 C to about 23 C daily maximum, quite comfortable. We spent plenty of time sitting outside in the sheltered porch overlooking a beautiful lakeside setting watching the kangaroos and bush stone curlews in our front yard. Reading, relaxing and researching our potential options for appealing activities we would like to participate over the coming weeks.

In the nearby town of Atherton, we spent time in the “Crystal Caves,” an activity recommended to us by a Canadian couple we met in Canada in 2017, (thankyou Ernie & Taylor.) It was a collection of one man’s passion for crystals and fossils, presented somewhat differently from the regular glass cabinet displays. It was presented via a self-guided journey through tunnels and grottos with million-year-old natural crystals and prehistoric fossils. We thoroughly enjoyed the “Crystal Caves,” experience with the viewing way better than our photographs.

We had been experiencing rain almost daily over the last month in the form of light drizzle, interfering with our outdoor activities. Whilst in the north eastern regions of Queensland we set ourselves a target to experience what Cooktown and its nearby areas had on offer. Unfortunately Cooktown (about 300 kilometres further north) was also experiencing daily rain at double the volume we were experiencing in the Atherton Table Lands, enticing us to stay put, hoping for the weather to improve. Even the “locals,” were getting fed up with the ongoing unseasonal drizzly rain.

Unfortunately the wet conditions caught up with us at one stage, Mary slipped on a wet surface falling to the ground. Her right ankle and left wrist both incurred the brunt of crashing to the ground. Assistant doctor “Steve,” placed her on the bed, keeping her sore parts iced up over several hours till she fell asleep for the night. The morning started with more ice followed by a hot shower and thankfully Mary was feeling better.

About 160 kilometres west was another publicised location of Chillagoe with a weather prediction of no rain with daily temperatures around the 28 C. We decided to head to Chillagoe the morning after Mary’s injury for a few days away from the wet slippery conditions.

Another, “unfortunately,” our main laptop computer decided to play up the previous night where the battery would not charge even with the power connected. It was close to 3 years old and Mary thought we may have obtained an extended warranty on the computer. In the morning she rang our local, “Harvey Norman” store and yes the computer had an extended warranty, expiring in a week. After dropping off our computer at the Atherton Harvey Norman for assessment we were on our way to Chillagoe, undeterred even with a late departure time at 1 pm.

At the 75 kilometre mark it was enough driving for the day and we pulled over onto a bit of grass to the side of the road, calling it stumps for the day.

With an early start we were at Chillagoe by 9 am. Chillagoe main attraction is its underground cave systems. We started at the national parks office booking three cave tours over two days. We had previously visited Chillagoe 1991 on a road trip with a tent and our 3 children. At that time we camped in the national park, thoroughly enjoying our Chillagoe time. 2019 camping options are controlled by two caravan parks both very inadequate for the fee they charge. With a bit over an hour before our first cave tour we parked our caravan at one of the caravan parks then drove about 5 kilometres to the location of our first cave tour. Our guide, Eddie was to be our guide for all three cave tours.

Our first cave tour was in company with 7 other people. Cave tour two was in company with 12 other people. Our previous cave encounters involved plenty of steep steps. Chillagoe caves certainly had its share of steep steps providing a reasonably tough work out. By the end of the day our bodies were very weary. The following morning cave tour was meant to be with 5 people. The other 3 failed to show, resulting with our own personal guided tour by ranger Eddie who also relaxed not having to reiterate appropriate caving behaviour which we had heard during our previous two cave visits.

Mother Mary descending

This profile was titled "The Madonna."

Cave coral above Mary's head

Titled the bacon rashes

Cave bats

More bats

This cave was unlit where we needed our own lighting with some tight passages

More stairs

At one stage Eddie our guide whilst in company with the other 12 participants asked if anyone felt a little adventurous and like to travel the “laundry shoot,” route? He was met with silence, so Steve spoke up, yes please, which enticed one of the young lads to respond with a yes. Eddie left the two boys alone for about five minutes to guide the group around the cave to the laundry shoot exit before returning to take the boys down the shoot. It was dark and tight with Steve ending up with his clothes smeared in dirt. All three boys popped out of the shoot with big grins.

Other options at Chillagoe, we spent time at a private Ford Vehicle Museum and viewing the Chillagoe smelting yards.

Tom Prior showed us around his collection starting the motors on many of his vintage vehicles

With the blue ute, utilized as his daily drive vehicle

A nice sounding Mustang

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We thoroughly enjoyed our Chillagoe experience with the added bonus of day time temperatures around 28 C and no annoying rain. The below picture, shows the back ground scenery of Chillagoe where we travelled along about 50 kilometres of dirt roads.

Our route to Chillagoe had highlighted how fertile the Atherton Tablelands area was. Enhanced by a supply of water from Lake Tinaroo by channels of water we saw flowing up to 50 kilometres from the lake.

Unfortunately the prosperous food bowl also attracts thousands of sulphur crested cockatoos and more.

We returned to Norty’s Lake Tinaroo property appreciating the tropical environment, its stunning views across the lake with a backdrop of peaks often shrouded by wispy clouds.

Norty (Norton) came up from Cairns staying for 3 days attending to the ongoing maintenance required for a home. He tidied up the grounds, mowed all the grassed areas including the adjoining neighbour’s yards, placed bird seed about and conducted a general clean up. (By the time of his departure we regularly had the company of about a dozen different species of birds coming within a few metres to visit us.)

The three of us spent one early morning at nearby “Hasties Swamp,” bird hide watching the early morning bird activities.

And there were the enjoyable evenings in company with Norty and the Smicks.

We were primarily now waiting for our forwarded mail to arrive, for the return of our computer and hopefully for the Bureau of Meteorology prediction to be true with a future forecast of clearing weather.