Cairns to Cairns 15 July to 9 August 2012

Cairns, Undara and Cooktown 

Cairns.  We only spent a few days here as Bert flew down to Melbourne to work. However, we did manage some sightseeing, and did a fair amount of Geocaching which took us to some lovely spots and views.

Lake Morris (or Copperlode Dam), a fresh water reservoir servicing the city of Cairns. We drove along a steep narrow road which was pretty much only made up of twists and turns. It was good to reach the lake, and the view was great.

 The Cascades

After Cobbold Gorge we had to go directly to Cairns due to Bert working and needing to catch a flight again.  We desperately wanted to see the Undara lava tubes so, on his return, we travelled 300km back along the Savannah Highway.  It was worth the effort.

En route we stopped of at Innot Hot Springs. The water bubbles out into a creek.  The 78C water from the spring immediately heats up the cold water creek to the point where you cannot put your toes into the water.  One couple visiting was boiling eggs for their lunch in the water!  There was a caravan park next to the river which pumps water from this spring to provide 3 spa pools of varying temperatures so Kenau enjoyed about an hour in the pools before continuing on our journey.

Undara Experience  http://undara.com.au/

The highlight of our trip at Undara was the lava tubes.  In days gone by 166 volcanoes erupted in the area one of which was Undara.  As the fast flowing molten lava cooled, it formed a crust while continuing to flow outwards along ancient river beds creating a series of tubes for 160km north west.





Once the Undara eruption ceased, the lava drained away through the tubes, leaving a 100km long pipeline, the longest in the world.  Over time, sections of the crust have collapsed allowing birds, animals and bats to enter, and now tourists get to see some of them.  







The tour we went on took us into 3 sections and what a great experience it was.  What struck us was the size of the caves although this is not uniform. The variety of the colours of the walls was also amazing - black, grey, white, green, pink, red.  (The photos don’t do them justice). 

A number of interesting geological things were also pointed out to us.  At times the tubes split and split again so we found ourselves walking in the darkness from one tube to another sometimes on very uneven ground. Torches were necessary.  Nature is so amazing.

We also walked around the rim of the Kalkani Volcanic Crater which spewed gases and rocks, when it was active a long time ago.  From the top we could see many of the other craters.

From there we could also see the Undara Crater as well as the path along which the lava flowed.  Because of the rich fertile soil, it has created a dry rain forest. You can see the green line running left to right. So interesting.

COOKTOWN

This is the furtherest north we have travelled.  In 1770 when Captain Cook was sailing around the top of Australia, he ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef damaging the hull of his sailing ship.  They managed to float the ship a few days later and limped into the nearest safe harbor suitable for repairs.  He called the river Endeavour after his ship and claimed the honour of being the first settlers in Australia even though it was just for 47 days.  It was more than 100 years, in 1873, before another white settlement was established in Cooktown. This happened because gold was discovered on the Palmer River (85km south) making Cooktown a bustling port. By 1876, 35000 people had passed through the port to or from the goldfileds.  

Things we did in and around Cooktown.

A statue of Captain Cook stands near the place he first landed in Australia

We walked along the waterfront where Cook beached his ship.

Kenau mimicking Queen Liz, on the very steps she came down to open the Captain Cook Museum

We visited Grassy Hill which Cook climbed to survey the surrounding countryside and establish the best route to sea avoiding the reefs. It was on this hill that Cook's party first saw a kangaroo. The aborigines called it a 'Gangaru'.

We took a drive to the Bloomfield Falls near Cape Tribulation.

 .... and visited Weary Bay (we wonder whether Cook named this bay too as he passed it after days and nights of bucketing water from the Endeavour).  A beautiful beach.  Pity about the salt-water crocodiles that inhabit the area.

The Lions Den Hotel
It's a landmark iron and timber hotel with great character which goes back to 1875.  Over the years 100's of people have signed their signatures on the walls. 

Food was great. T-shirts, caps and ties were hanging from the ceiling.  There is also a great little caravan park on the property, one to remember for next time.  http://www.lionsdenhotel.com.au/ 

  Endeavour Falls

and Isabella Falls. These falls cross a road and then cascade down 2 falls downstream

 Archer's Point

The mysterious Black Mountains

While driving to Cooktown we came across some mountains fully composed of just black rocks. The outstanding feature of this extraordinary ocurance is the entire absence of soil on the surface. The mountain is composed of  boulders perched one on top of another, starting at a point 400ft above sea level and continuing to the summit at 1400ft.  Many strange happenings have taken place on the mountain. For an interesting read go to   http://www.castleofspirits.com/blackmount.html

And so ended our amazing experiences in the Queensland Outback. It was now on to the coast and Port Douglas.l

Road Much Travelled

A Cairns
B Mt. Surprise
C Undara Experience
D Mt. Carbine
E. Cooktown
F. Mount Molloy
G. Cairns



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