Lava Tubes

Thursday, 1st August

The dinner fire

The breakfast table

The toaster

Happy little camper

The coffee maker

Happy little rock wallabies

Happy little hikers

Torches required

Happy little micro-bats

Bottle tree

Millaa Millaa Falls - plus Cat

Interesting shape for a dunny

Last evening, just prior to us going to dinner, we heard lots of giggling and banging from the two ladies in the next compartment, which quickly became muttering and swearing. On enquiring, we were told that their door was jammed and they couldn’t get out! (Probably why locks aren’t required – the doors wont open.) Les couldn’t get the door open from the outside so went for help. The lady who came had a look and said the lock was jammed. We knew that. Didn’t know what to do as the maintenance man had knocked off. Perhaps the manager …? Manager eventually freed said ladies and suggested they move to another compartment.


Dinner in the bistro was very good and reasonably priced and we also enjoyed the open fire pot and talking to other guests. Our bed lived up to expectations and we were quite happy when it was time to get up for breakfast. The morning was cool as we walked the 500 metres to the bush breakfast area and were advised of the serving and seating options. There was a good selection of cereals and fruit, juice was limited (we arrived 15 minutes after breakfast commenced), there was a choice of vegemite or peanut butter for our self-cooked toast and plenty of hot food available. Coffee and tea was prepared over an open fire. Cooking our toast over coals wasn’t a new experience for us, but the French family needed some assistance as to where to hold the bread. The coffee was great – our usual blend from Maria!

After checking out, we joined our guide for a two hour tour of the lava tubes. This was great – we were taken in a small bus out into the bush and then down into two separate tubes. The guide explained about how the tubes were formed and the geology of the area and we were able to walk well into the tubes. The first tube we entered had a colony of micro-bats but the second tube only had a few bats. The colours of the rocks inside the tubes was amazing – not boring black as I had been expecting. We were lucky enough to spot a few rock wallabies as well.

We really hit the jackpot on our drive back to Cairns – there are many roadworks happening in FNQ and I think we had to stop for every one of them! The clear skies of the savannah gave way to clouds as we approached Ravenshoe and the Tablelands, with a subsequent drop in temperature. We decided to return to Cairns via the Palmerston Highway and Innisfail – it isn’t as windy as Kuranda – and stopped at Millaa Millaa Falls for a quick look. In a paddock at the entrance to the falls there is a rather unusual shaped dunny; it was relocated from the local cemetery after mourners complained!