Sept 29 ... Eungulla

On our last day at Cape Hillsborough, I spent some hours watching the butterflies. To my great delight I saw more than 50 of the Ulysses but it was impossible to photograph them. Some other species were much more obliging though and I enjoyed the morning very much.

 

We got an early start the next morning as we wanted to stop by Ball Bay and Seaforth to see what they were like. Both were lovely small settlements on nice tropical beaches, but nothing to tempt us back.

Retracing our route from a few days before, we went back to Kuttabul and then turned off for Marian, in the Pioneer Valley. It was a lovely drive through the canefields up to Finch Hatton and the Gorge. To “refuel” we stopped at the River Rock Cafe and enjoyed the most expensive cup of coffee in Australia ... at least for us, on this trip! And it was a very small cup for $6, but fortunately it tasted good. We also ordered pancakes and for $9 we got 3 small, thin pikelets. We were the only people there and at those prices we were not surprised. But the setting was lovely as it was beside a creek and amongst the trees.

River Rock Cafe

The Gorge walk looked easy enough and at 4.5 kms we thought it would be no problem. Little did we know it was a steady, often steep, incline the whole way with the last 500ms all steps... and it was hot and humid. We were dripping by the time we got to the top waterfall, the Wheel of Fire. Of course the forest was beautiful with big trees and vines and ferns, but again, it was silent and still. I am always disappointed by the lack of birds and insects. 

However, there were a number of really lovely waterfalls and there were places to swim if you wanted to brave the freezing water. When we got right up to the top we sat and watched the forest for a while to be rewarded with lots of butterflies including many of my favourite blue ones. 

Falls in Finch Hatton Gorge

Wheel of Fire Falls

Araluen Cascades

My "Ulysses" ... at least he got the colours right!

Not a butterfly, but same colours

On our return to the car, we were surprised how long the walk / climb had taken but we felt we had certainly done our exercise for the day. Our drive further along the valley took us over a number of river and creek crossings and some were very picturesque. 

The road up the range is impressive. It is a 12% gradient for 4.5 kms and it twists and turns all the way, but once on top the views are amazing. We had a little drive around Eungulla before checking in to the park. We had been given a site which had a view right down the valley so we were quite happy until we started to notice a definite pong in the air. The park was obviously having problems with their septic system, which was okay as long as the wind was blowing in the right direction. 

The road up the mountain

The Pioneer Valley

We also think it is an expensive park as it is really old with just minimal facilities (one shower and two toilets) and there would be about 50 people staying here. At $30 / night we have come to expect a much higher standard. 

Our site at Explorers Haven

After getting set up we went for a drive to Broken River to see if there were any platypuses about. Thankfully the advertising did deliver this time and we were entertained for well over an hour by three little animals. I was very surprised at how small they actually are ... definitely not more than 30cms. And they are quick, you only get a few seconds to see them each time they surface. The viewing platform was right over the stretch of the river where they have their burrows and feed so there was constant action.

Not being content with our Finch Hatton Gorge trek, we thought it would be “fun” to do a bush walk along the ridge south from Eungulla through the rainforest. We had a map with a clearly marked trail so off we went, assuming it would be well trodden as was yesterday’s walk. At first we admired the beautiful rainforest, a remnant of the sub-tropical forest that covered this whole area in the recent past. 

 "Black Snake" track

Then we came to a small valley that was full of screeching bats. For animals that were supposed to be sleeping they were making a hell of a noise and I did not enjoy walking beneath them. On the other side of the colony I was having some idle thoughts about photographing a snake when I looked down just as I placed my foot RIGHT BESIDE a 5 foot black snake. It and I got quite a shock. I responded by standing still and it responded by obligingly not biting me and slithering away. Thank God! It may have been a different story if I had actually trodden on it ... what luck!

Smelly, noisy bats

For the rest of the walk I was concentrating quite hard on what was on the track and not too worried at all about the views, which Garry tells me were quite good. Along the route we came to the Tree Arch which is a strangler fig that has killed its host and we walked through huge groves of cedar trees. Compared to other cedars I have seen, these were only small ones but they were still impressive. The track became quite overgrown in places and not as easy to negotiate as we had thought.

At the end of the walk we came to The Sky Window which had wonderful views all down the valley. At the moment there is a lot of smoke about, mostly from the cane mills which are in full production, and also from some cane fires which we see burning at night. We are told that on a clear day, the ocean is quite visible from up here ... I guess that will be another trip.

I was a bit reluctant to walk back through the forest so we came via the road, on which we found a delightful cafe. Run by a very strange German lady, the Hideaway Cafe was an interesting place. “Susanne” was obviously very creative and she had made huge numbers of sculptures out of metal and coloured glass buttons. These were positioned throughout the garden and they looked very pretty in the sunshine. She also had home-made apple strudel which was very tasty with our coffees. 

From here we walked back into town and just enjoyed our pong-free view until lunch time, when we walked up to the Chalet for lunch. This building has been here since 1934 and it was where my parents came on their honeymoon in 1950. I don’t think it has changed much in all that time but we had a nice hamburger with chips for lunch served by a man who had to be an ex bikie. He was big and VERY tattooed, with earrings, rings and the whole works, and it seemed strangely out of character when he politely brought our meals out. 

Eungulla Chalet

The Pioneer Valley

Unfortunately there was a wind change when we got back to the van so it was with some relief that we headed off to watch the platypuses again. This time we were really spoilt for excitement. As well as the three platypuses to observe, we also had lots of turtles, bush turkeys, kookaburras fishing, a huge eel attack a turtle AND a snake swim across the river right in front of us. It was all GO. 

We have both commented on how glad we are that we chose to come up here for a short period of time. It has been really special in many ways and I hope that on our next visit, the air is clear, the platypuses have multiplied, the park has fixed its septic system and the nice bikie still works at the pub!

Sept 26 ... Cape Hillsborough

We are enjoying completely indolent days here but it would be even better if we felt more comfortable swimming. We heard on the radio that there are no bad stingers yet, just jellyfish, but these have a sting also and are quite plentiful in the water. We might brave it later on if it stays this hot though. We do not see anyone else in the water and the tide goes out so far that getting wet could be a challenge in itself.

Given that this is a protection zone for dugongs and turtles we were very surprised to see jet skis and boats zooming around, and fishing is allowed. There are also whales not far off shore and these craft are out there badgering them. It makes you wonder exactly what these animals are being protected from!  

Yesterday was pretty much a write-off for me. I developed quite a bad sinus headache the night before and had to take all the usual drugs. These are very slow to work and leave me feeling really tired so I just lay around the whole day reading the papers and a book. It was a bit boring for Garry who took himself off for a walk over the headland to the north which he enjoyed. As per usual, I am fully back on deck today but I really resent “losing” such a beautiful day.

On his walk, Garry had views back over towards the hills across the mangroves and mudflats which are quite extensive given the tidal range. He also could look down on picturesque small bays and some distance out to sea.
 

The day before we had done the big walk over and around the Cape. It started with 500ms of steps ... all ascending at a steep angle. That made us very aware of our fitness levels! The first lookout we came to was Twin Beaches Lookout and it was beautiful to be able to look down on our beach and the next one around. It also let us see just how clear the water was and appreciate the colour.

A few kilometres further on we came to Turtle Lookout ... so called for obvious reasons. In a short period of time we saw about six turtles swimming and feeding close to the rocks. We also had some excellent views across to Shoal Point, which is just north of Mackay, and the hinterland. While we were watching a number of sea eagles were gliding overhead enjoying the wind currents coming off the Cape. It was a great spot to stop and watch all the “action”.

Looking across toShoal Point

Turtle Lookout

One of many

We continued our bushwalk through the rainforest and around to Andrews Point lookout. From here we had more views across to Wedge Island. This island is connected to the mainland at low tide by a rocky causeway and you can walk across. We also hoped to see some whales but there were too many whitecaps and even though we knew they were there, we could not pick them up. As we descended the Cape, we saw lots of butterflies but none of the Ulysses. That treat was saved until today when I saw a number of the bright blue butterflies in the caravan park around our van! They were huge but moved very quickly and would not settle so you only ever see them for seconds.

Our rainforest walk

Wonderful views

The causeway at low tide

    

We really enjoyed our bush walk as the views were excellent and we saw some special animals, but it was reasonably hot and strenuous, and I was quite happy to just wander along the beach in the afternoon and enjoy its “golden” sands and warm water once again.

Hoping to see some more Ulysses butterflies we went for a walk behind the park this afternoon. The sign said Hidden Valley was only a kilometre, so we kept on. The views were good and it was a nice walk but we saw no insects or birds or animals. The one kilometre actually took us to the start of the Hidden Valley walk! This was a loop through some really beautiful rainforest. There were huge trees and all the usual ferns and vines. There were information boards around the whole 1.5 kilometres and it was designed to acquaint people with the bush tucker and culture of the local aboriginal people. On the shore line the stone fish traps and their middens were still obvious. So, what started as a quick look for some butterflies turned into a proper walk and one we enjoyed very much. We felt we deserved the ice cream we had for afternoon tea!

On our trip there have been very few unpleasant things to include but here the midges deserve a mention. I am covered in itchy red lumps despite slathering myself with Aerogard every morning.  We know it is not sandflies because Garry hardly has a bite and I am largely unaffected by them. We picked up some “Itch Goes” in Exmouth, marketed by an old acquaintance Col Jarrett, and it works really well thank heavens, but I will not be sorry to leave despite all the beauty of the place.

Sept 23 ... Cape Hillsborough

We had two more days at Airlie Beach, the first of which was very frustrating. I got up early to catch up on my blogging and I was very pleased with my efforts after about 5 hours. I was putting the last caption on the final photo when I thoughtlessly hit Control instead of Shift on the keyboard ... and deleted the lot! Had I been able to stay calm I may have been able to retrieve it but it is unlikely. Anyway, it was gone and I had learnt a very valuable lesson. To his credit, Garry stayed very quiet and after some hours I began to feel a little better.

So as not to waste the WHOLE day, we walked into the town to have a look around and enjoy an Italian lunch. We were impressed with the redeveloped foreshore area and the public pools were huge and looked really nice. We had a good look around the shops and then had a lunch of home-made pasta. On our return to the van I made another effort and the blog finally got finished.

The following morning we did some organizing and shopping before heading out to Shute Harbour for lunch at the lookout. Today the wind had come up and there were a lot of white horses. Again we realized how lucky we had been with the weather for our trip to Whitehaven. However, the harbour is relatively protected and the water was as blue as ever.

Shute Harbour

Then we parked a bit further on and went for a bush walk to Coral Bay. It was a lovely walk through the bushland and we caught glimpses of some beautiful views as we skirted the headland. Coral Bay is fairly isolated and the “beach” consists entirely of stones and broken coral. Because there is no sand, the water is crystal clear and the stones make a lovely noise as the waves lap in and out. It reminded me very much of Greece. As we walked down we could see a turtle bobbing about and feeding very close to shore. It was an idyllic scene.

Coral Bay

The "Beach"

Coral Bay

Beautiful clear water

We walked to the end of the beach and then another kilometre or so up the headland to a lookout, but the vegetation had grown up in front of it and we could see very little. By now it was late afternoon and we felt we had done a fair amount of exercise so we returned to the Park for a shower and an early night.

The walk to Coral Bay

The view towards the Islands

One of the great pleasures of this park has been the curlews and the other birds. They are all very friendly and are quite content to wander in and out of your site. Most mornings when I look out of the van there will be four or more curlews standing there looking back at me. I have really enjoyed watching and interacting with them.

Leaving Airlie Beach we stopped briefly for some more shopping at Cannonvale before driving on to Conway Beach. Again this was a bit of nostalgia because we came here 18 years ago also and, even though it was very wet with heavy showers then, the kids had a great time on the beach and the rope swing. Amazingly, the swing was still there ... at least A rope swing was there, and so was the beach ...of course!  However, the weather was much better and the beach looked much nicer. We remember that the tide went WAY out and it was similar today, so we stopped and watched other families explore the endless sand flats while we had morning tea.

The rope swing still worked!

Conway Bay

The tide was REALLY out!

From here we drove back to Highway 1 and down through Proserpine to Kuttabul where we turned off for Cape Hillsborough. The Park here is part of a National Park and it is set amongst the trees so that it is virtually invisible from the beach. We got a good site, very secluded and shady and close to everything, the only negative being that it is all dusty dirt. The park is almost full, and mostly with families so it is quite noisy, but we expected that being school holidays.

The Caravan Park!

Our site at Cape Hillsborough

Very comfortable

Once we had set up camp, we walked down to the beach and it was surprisingly beautiful. Firstly it was very scenic but, secondly, the sand looked as if it had been sprinkled with gold glitter. Apparently this is mica and it makes the whole beach shimmer. When the sun is reflecting off it, and the water moves it about, it really sparkles. I thought it  looked wonderful. Unfortunately the photos do not give a true image but it really is something to see.
 

Wedge Island

Golden Sands

The beach actually shone.

Mica in the sand gave it a golden glow

 We walked the full length of the beach and then around to the next bay. There are lots of rocky outcrops in the ocean and islands off shore. This is also a protection zone for dugongs and turtles and, in November, the turtles lay their eggs on the beach here. Just now, whales have been sighted so we will spend some time at the various lookouts in case we get lucky!

Because it is a national park there are a lot of other animals here too, including kangaroos and euros. They are wild but obviously feel secure moving about the park, even to the point of being a hazard when hanging out the washing!

Tonight Garry has gone up to watch Aust Vs USA in the Rugby World Cup on the TV in the Community Room. Unfortunately, we do not get any mobile or internet coverage here, so we could not stream the game, but I am sure he will enjoy it more on the bigger screen anyway.

We have five days booked here and we hope to spend some time on the beach and bushwalking, if we continue to be lucky with the weather. It’s not a bad way to spend the “winter”!