Tuesday, 2 September
2014
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| Countty near Undara |
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| Some birds at the water trough |
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| Resort's water bore |
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| Resort's dining room |
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| Very tiny orchids |
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| Undara National Park |
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| Enjoying the view |
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| Our guide |
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| "Wish he would hurry with the glasses." |
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| Got my glass! |
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| Bush sunset |
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| Bat exiting cave |
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| Inside lava tube |
Yesterday, we said farewell to friends and Cairns
before heading up the Kuranda
Range towards Atherton
and the Tablelands. We thought the 400
metre climb up the range would be as high as we would get, but we ended up
climbing to over 1000 metres before arriving at Ravenshoe. Ravenshoe was when the rolling, green
farmlands suddenly became dry savannah and the extent of the World War 2 army
camps really became noticeable, with many signs detailing the camp sites for
the numerous companies. After leaving
Ravenshoe, the road was excellent, with the long, flat stretches appreciated by
the co-pilot. By the time we reached the
Undara Lava Tubes turn-off, the country had become very dry.
Our site in the caravan park at the Undara Resort was very
good – a large drive-thru site in a beautiful bush setting. We had power and bore water connections – and
shade, thank goodness. Once we were away
from the coast, the temperature rose, the clouds vanished – as did the
humidity. We decided to do the Sunset
Tour which was on offer and set off with a English guide (only been in Australia less
than 18 months) and about 16 other guests.
After driving through the bush for about 14 kms, seeing a few kangaroos
on the way, we stopped at a small rocky outcrop and invited to join the guide
at the top. He sped away and the rest of
us slowly brought up the rear. The scenery
was magnificent, with a number of extinct volcanoes clearly visible. After standing around for some time, during
which our guide didn’t really offer much in the way of information, some of the
group started to head back down the hill and our fearless leader suddenly
realised we were all sick and tired of just standing on top of a rocky
hill. Onwards and downwards and then
back on the bus for a short drive to a picnic table in the middle of the bush. By this time the sun was setting but no
startling panoramas to view the spectacle.
Meanwhile, the guide had unloaded a few cooler bags and out came the
bubbles and nibbles, which were much appreciated. Just after picking up our glasses, we were
suddenly told to drink up quick because the bats were starting to appear. Sculling sparkling wine on an empty stomach
late on a hot day and then having to walk through the bush in virtual darkness
to a lava tube opening was … an interesting exercise! We all then sat on some steps and watched the
bent wing bats fly out of the cave – literally thousands and thousands. During the wet season, snakes drape
themselves in the branches above the cave opening and catch the bats as they
fly past. We were then taken down into
the lava tube, sans torches, with only the guide having a light to lead us down
the stops and across the rocky path (remember the bubbles only happened a short
time previously!!!) and we then stood in the pitch dark and listened to the
bats and were allowed take two photos all at once. I must admit to using my torch on the way out
of the cave: felt my safety was more important that the few remaining bats
being a bit upset at some light. It
really was a good tour and would have been even better if the guide had more
personality and knowledge.
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| Rocky bluff |
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| Pedestrians |
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| This river actually had some water |
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| Typical of the countryside |
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| Lunch stop |
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| Inside Stock Exchange Arcade |
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| Charters Towers |
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| Enjoying the 34 degree breeze |
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| World War 2 bunker |
We left Undara at 8.00 am this morning – an easy start as we
had not unhitched yesterday and someone was awake before 6.00 am. Unheard of!
I took the first driving shift today, as we didn’t expect single lane
bitumen until after we reached Lynd Junction.
Don’t believe 2013 maps – they can be wrong. The beautiful road suddenly reverted to
single lane about 50 kms north of the junction and after nearly 10 kms I asked
if Himself would like to drive (he had been sitting up very straight and
hanging on grimly for a while). We
changed drivers and about 200 metres around the next bend, back to beautiful
road. We topped up our fuel at
Greenvale, just to be sure, and discovered that the brakes on one of the
caravan wheels was very hot. The magnets
were disconnected and the brakes had cooled down when we checked at the next
stop. The countryside was very dry and
barren, although we did see quite a few cattle.
Also saw a couple of wedge tail eagles – such huge birds which do take a
long time to get airborne. We also saw
lots and lots of roadkill, mainly kangaroos but also a couple of pigs and
cows. We did a lot of zigzagging, but
still couldn’t always avoid what was on the road; I could probably scrape
enough off the front of the caravan to make a couple of kangaroo patties for
tea.
We are staying at the Big4 Oasis Caravan Park in Charters Towers and were very pleasantly
surprised to be given a small box of chocolates when we checked in. Evidently, having gold membership status does
have some perks! This is a lovely park
in a bush style setting, with large sites and good amenities. It has been very hot and dry today, so this
afternoon, after refuelling, we just had a short visit to the town centre and
Towers Hill.
