Lions Den, Cooktown & Cape Tribulation

We’ve have had an absolutely wonderful 2 weeks at Babinda, with is funny because initially we were only going to stay a few nights, then decided on 1 week! But we caught up with John & Trish, a wonderful couple who we met back at Toomulla Beach. They are terrific people and we all had such a good time with a great deal of fun and laughter. Trish and I spent lots of time relaxing down by the creek with our doggies, and splashing around in the water with them. Missy, Trish’s gorgeous little poodle, isn’t as keen on swimming, but Millie thoroughly enjoys it – her confidence has grown and she is more willing to paddle where it’s a bit deeper. Mark and John often sat up by the van, chatting, laughing, catching up with the other people we got to know, and in general they would be ‘looking’ at things to do with the car and van, as only men do! Mark helped John install a meter inside his van, showing how much the battery level is, and that took them quite a while, which of course earned them a cold beer and a few more!

There is a little upholstery business in town, and John and some others had all ordered a made to measure shade blind to go over the outside of the van where the fridge vent is. We decided to order one also, and at $55 it is certainly worth it. The fridge has been working overtime with the heat, so anything to help it can only be a good thing.

We drove into Cairns on the Friday before we left Babinda, leaving Millie with Trish & John for the day,  to get new tyres fitted on the car; after much deliberating and talking to other travellers, plus ringing around for prices, Mark settled for B.F.Goodridge All Terrain fully fitted for $1180. We dropped the car off at JAX Tyres and walked up the road to the small shopping centre. The tyres were completed later than we had been told they would, so after picking up the car we stopped at  Coles on the way home to grab some groceries. Our shopping takes sooo much longer these days;  having to go into so many different Coles or Woolworths means nothing is where we are used to at home! I reckon there should be a rule that all of them be laid out in exactly the same way – it would save travellers their sanity!! We were glad to get back to camp as we had walked our legs off and it had been a very long day!

We also had quite some free entertainment on the Saturday night; a few aborigines live here at the Rotary Park, others in the town, and every single day they sit in the pavilion drinking whatever alcohol they can get their hands on, including methylated spirits, which they call ‘White Lady’, they drink this from water bottles because it looks like water! Along with a few who have guitars, they sing the same song over and over. They are drunk day and night, although quite friendly and generally don’t bother anyone. They all say hello and wave. But on this particular night, something must have set them off, and they started really full on arguing, swearing (very colourful language – pardon the pun) and seriously threatening to kill each other! A couple of them apparently had knives! It nearly became a huge brawl and I, along with a few others, called the police, who are used to these guys and make regular patrols to make sure they aren’t misbehaving. The cops arrived within minutes and grabbed all their alcohol, tipping it all on the ground and taking one guy away to the lock-up for the night! Yep, sure was fun and games!

We went to the Roadside Café the next morning with Trish & John, taking our little pooches with us, as the Café has a lovely outdoor area and they welcome dogs, even providing a bowl of water. We enjoyed a yummy breakfast and again more laughter. We will certainly miss them when we leave!

At the Roadside Cafe near Babinda

On our last night, an older man came around asking if we would like to join in with Happy Hour, so off we all went at 5pm, only to find he was playing his guitar and talking up his CD’s that he sells for $20. It most definitely wasn’t Happy Hour, more like Serious Hour, as everyone sat around listening to him play his guitar and singing, nobody talking at all, except for us lot up the back! We made our escape during his ‘interval’ as did many others, and sat around our van for a couple of hours having a wonderful time with our own fun. John had us in stitches when he told us the story of the day he ate a bad Dagwood Dog at a New Year’s Eve bash on Bribie Island where they lived. I won’t go into all the details, but let’s just say it did not agree with him, and it came out rather fast – through the other end. I don’t think we’ve ever laughed so much, it really was so hilarious! The next morning I felt like I had done 100 sit ups the night before, my stomach was so sore from laughing!

Trish & me at the Happy Hour

Lots of laughing!

Mark & John 

'Missy' - Trish & Johns' much loved pooch

We said a sad goodbye to Trish & John on Monday 30^th Sept, however we are catching up with them at Mareeba; there is going to be a 3 day Music Festival at the Rodeo Grounds, and we can also camp there for $16 per night with power. We will probably stay there for a week, using it as our base to travel around the Tablelands, which I really am looking forward to seeing. We made our way to Rifle Creek for the night, a Rest Area at Mt Molloy. We had thought about taking the coast road all the way up to the Daintree River, taking the ferry over to the Daintree National Park, then all the way through to Cape Tribulation and along the Bloomfield Track taking us to The Lions Den. However the road not far past the Cape itself is quite rough, corrugated and steep with a few small creek crossings and only 4 x 4 cars and off road campers would get through without damage. Our car would be fine, but definitely not the van.

So we drove the coast road past Cairns, a very beautiful and scenic drive, and veered off to look at Port Douglas; we didn’t stop though as we wanted to get to Rifle Creek. We did a loop through Port Douglas and then came back towards Mossman, right up into the Great Dividing Range and on the road to Mt Molloy. Rifle Creek is very dry and dusty, but we have been spoiled at Babinda. In the morning we left by 8.45am and headed up along the Mulligan Highway to The Lions Den, an historical pub with a campground on the Annan River, 30 kms from Cooktown, arriving at 11.45pm. We stayed on a powered site for $28 for 2 nights. The reason we stayed here and not at Cooktown is that there are no rest areas or camp grounds there, only the many caravan parks and their crazy rules; You MUST be fully self-contained meaning NO grey water at all is to be spilled on the ground, not even dishwashing water. You MUST have grey water tanks and take it out with you. Everyone we have spoken to has told us how crazy it is and that even the council check your van and some people have told of they have come around and taken photos! Apparently not even washing is to be hung under your awning! Why, aren’t your knickers allowed to be on display?? Nobody can tell us why these are the rules in Cooktown, but the information centres we have spoken to so far, say it is totally ridiculous and that Cooktown is certainly not welcoming tourists to come and spend money. It’s not like it’s the ass end of the earth – they do have power, water, phone and all other utilities up there! The other reason is this: it is indeed true that word of mouth is the traveller’s guide book of knowledge from those who have ‘been and done that’ , and many people who have been to Cooktown have said it’s “disappointing, small, can do a  visit in a few hours, not worth staying there, expensive, crazy van park rules “ etc. We haven’t actually heard any good things about it at all! Not everyone can be wrong!

Coast Road from Cairns to Port Douglas

Coming into Port Douglas

Rex Lookout on the Coast Road

Check out the view!

Hang Gliders getting ready to take off!

Well, the scenery on the way to The Lions Den was truly amazing; we were going right up into the Great Dividing Range, climbing higher and higher, lots of ear popping going on, where it is very dry and scrubby. The huge mountain ranges way in the distance were just incredible and once again I had to get the camera out! I’m starting to feel like an Asian tourist with all the photos I take! Of course there are many that I have to take while in the car, as there is no opportunity to stop, although Mark is getting used to me shouting out “Stop the car!!!” I know I seem to go on and on about these mountains lately, but they really are breathtaking and have to be seen to be believed. Since we’ve left Townsville, the mountains have been all around us in every direction. Everyone you talk to comments on them.  And we never knew that The Great Dividing Range starts at Cape York, going all the way down the eastern coast into Victoria! The roads are fabulous, although there are many signs telling you to look out for wandering cows as the stations along here aren’t fenced. We did come across some cows lazily crossing the road and had to be patient for them to mooove.  Others were right on the edge either in a big group or on their own. Every now and then a dreadful stench would surround us, and we would see a dead cow or kangaroo, either on the road or just on the side, with a group of massive birds pecking away at the flesh…Ugh! It so dry and scrubby we don’t know how the poor cows survive at all! Mark reckons it is as dry as a Nun’s nasty!

Mulligan Highway 

The cows aren't really bigger than a car!

James Earl Lookout on the Mulligan Highway - We were shocked to see notices stating that the 3 huge placards that explain the history of the area were hanging from thick chains & bolts and  had been taken off by vandals and thrown over the cliff. Such a wanton act of destruction and the question is..why??

Lions Den Hotel

Don't ask...I think Mark might be looking for his tonsils?...

Once we had set ourselves up at the Lions Den, we drove into Cooktown. It’s a very small town and sadly, we were rather disappointed in the place; it is run down and not very well looked after. It’s quite sad really, because it is such a significant part of Australia’s history. We walked around a bit then drove up the hill to the James Cook Museum, (which was confusingly signposted, and the man at the information centre was rather rude when I asked him where it was! Well, excuse me for bothering you!) The museum is $10 per adult to enter, but somehow we weren’t asked for money and managed to just walk in without paying! The museum holds a lot of Captain Cook memorabilia along with many other items from that time. The enormous anchor and cannon from the Endeavour is housed inside a box of glass to preserve it.   

The anchor and cannon from the Endeavour

I have been looking for a map of Australia to record our travels and eventually place under a glass coffee table or have framed as a wonderful memento – I found a great one in the little shop at the museum especially designed for such a thing. I also noticed postcards with a statue of Captain Cook and the Cairn in the very spot he actually landed on. I asked the lady behind the counter where exactly they were; we hadn’t seen them on our walk; turns out we had actually walked right past them, they are not signposted at all ,so really, how are you supposed to find them or even know they are there? The Cairn was half hidden in shrubs along the waterfront, and starting to crumble at its base. We both agreed that Seventeen Seventy had more respect and regard for this historical part of our history. 

The Cairn showing where Captain James Cook landed

The plaque on the Cairn

And they were going to protect them how??

We also drove up to Grassy Hill Lookout – incredible views over Cooktown, the Endeavour River and the Pacific Ocean on the other side.

Looking at the Endeavour River

On the way back from Cooktown, we went off-road 16 kms to Archer Point. Oh… My… God…The road was bulldust dirt, very corrugated and not pleasant to drive along. Mark was laughing at me because I was hanging on to the Jesus Bar so tightly and saying” I don’t like this, no I  really don’t like this”!! Look, if I wanted to be thrown around like that, I’d just get into a bloody washing machine! It certainly wasn’t for the fainthearted! And we made the stupid mistake of leaving the windows down; dust went everywhere! I certainly enjoyed my shower that night!

Archer Point

Black Mountain

The Lions Den was a nice place to stay, a little run down but lots of grass, there were at least 50 rubbish bins near us – not exactly a pleasant smell! I did like the amenities though; they were rather unique – corrugated iron walls and slate floors, along with a thick slab of timber for the basin area - quite rustic! Poor Mark was not impressed with his amenities – they had small fibreglass cubicles for the showers with a shower curtain! Maybe they were doing renovations and had done the ladies block first? 

The ladies Amenities and our camp site 

The next day we went for a drive to the Bloomfield Track to Cape Tribulation. This time we left the windows up and put the air conditioner on low. Ah much better! The road was part dirt, part sealed, then once we got a little into the Bloomfield track it was dirt all the way, some areas were quite steep and had concreting to help you navigate up them. Again LOTS of dust, red bulldust! The trees and palms were totally covered in it like someone had come along and sprayed them with paint. When a car came from the other direction it was very difficult to see ahead of us, and parts were quite narrow, a few bridges with only one lane, a couple of small creek crossings. On the way back I waded through to the other side to get a photo of Mark driving through them. He thought that was pretty cool! Well, even though the drive wasn’t pleasant for me, Mark enjoyed it (again, must be a man thing!) and I do have to admit it was worth it. The Daintree Rainforest at that end starts at Cape Tribulation and continues until you get to the ferry to take you across the Daintree River. There are some enormous trees, ferns, vines and so many tropical plants making the drive quite scenic. We were getting glimpses of the ocean through the trees as we came way up through the Donovan Range. The sand along the beaches is so white and fine, just like talcum powder, probably silica sand, and the view back towards the mountains is so pretty. On one section of the beach we were the only people there, making it feel as if we were castaways. Palm trees rise out of the mountains, the waves are gently rolling along the shore, and there are millions of pretty patterns on the beach from the Bubbler Crabs. We sat on the beach with some absolutely delicious crumbed fish and chips, enjoying the view and soaking it up. 

The start of the Bloomfield Track - The Bloomfield River

The sign on the opposite side of the bridge

 Millions of Bubbler Crabs make these patterns on the sand

After our trek to Point Archer and the Cape, the car was just absolutely filthy! Dust had entered and covered everything! We gave it a good clean then washed it making it much more pleasant to be sitting in!

This photo doesn't really show just how dirty the car was - inside and out!

We had toyed with the idea of driving up to Cape York, to the very northernmost tip of Australia, some 700 odd kms from Cooktown as we had come all this way so far. We could store the van at a van park, because there is no way you would take anything but an off-road van or camper trailer up that way, plus the roads are extremely corrugated, and can change from day to day, not to mention the many river crossings, some shallow, some deep. Then we would need to buy a tent and mattress, pack up some other essential items and make the trek. Mark was also concerned about not being fully prepared with winches etc and any damage to the car. The other worry was Millie; most of Cape York is National Park and infested with crocodiles, wild pigs, huge goannas and every other animal that would gobble her up! But that’s okay because we knew before we set off that we just wouldn’t see everything. Australia is so huge and we will be seeing an awful lot!

We packed up the next morning and had a look at the pub – WOW!!! It is amazing in there! There is writing on the walls and ceilings, hats, thongs, bras, photo’s, stubbie holders, huge knives, beer coasters, money, funny posters and signs, hanging up everywhere you look. There is a little museum with all sorts of memorabilia along with snakes and spiders in jars!! Ewww! It’s just like the Toolshed at Noojee, only better! They also do meals there and have live music. An awesome place!

Inside The Lions Den

There is just so much stuff in here !



Snakes and spiders! Gross!

We drove back down the Mulligan Highway back to Rifle Creek, as this is the only road apart from the coast. As we are going to stay in the Tablelands, Rifle Creek is a decent enough drive for one day. We stopped at the famous Palmer River Roadhouse to have a quick morning tea and a cuppa. The Palmer River was very famous for gold, and a great deal of people came out this way hoping to try their luck of making it rich. They have a lot of interesting things in the Roadhouse about the area, and you can also stay there with your van if you wish. 

On the way back from The Lions Den - The Palmer River Roadhouse

Inside the Palmer River Roadhouse

Hmmm...which way shall we go?

Amazing woman!

Mulligan Highway  on the way back to Rifle Creek- Amazing views from so high up!

We also stopped at the Lookout near Mt Molloy, as on the way up to The Lions Den it was on the opposite side of the road with no turning circle for us. The views were truly amazing, you can see forever!

We stayed at Rifle Creek for two nights then headed 30 kms down the road to a Roadhouse at Biboorah that has a park at the back for people to stop. It is free with hot showers costing $3 and they only ask that you spend some money there. Then on Monday or Tuesday we will make our way to Mareeba to stay at the Rodeo Grounds for the music festival.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A pretty camp area at Biboohra

We are having so much fun and enjoyment out here on the road, it really is a wonderfully exciting way to see our amazing country, as it really has so much to offer. We feel so free out on the open road, windows down, sun overhead, blue skies, beautiful scenery, music up loud and singing along at the tops of our voices, finding amazing places to stay and visit, marvelling at the billions of stars in the night sky, meeting so many people travelling just like us, and laughing every day. We still pinch ourselves, not quite feeling the reality of the fact that this is it, we really are living our dream!! 

As I write this, today it is 11 weeks since we set off; tonight we ate a dinner of porterhouse steak and salad at a picnic table under a tree at Biboohra, the mountains in the distance and the sun slowly setting over them. How much better can it get?

We choose where we want to go, how long we want to stay, no set time to be anywhere, exploring and witnessing the beauty, vastness, and amazing country we live in. Yes, this definitely is the life!!!
For those of you out there who say, Oh yes, one day we want to travel the country, we'll do it one day, maybe when we retire, please, don't put it off until the time is right, for there will never be a right time, something will always get in the way, the if's, the buts...and life is too short. You just  never know what's around the corner.

We are so grateful for this opportunity and truly appreciate this time in our lives. Some people have said Oh your'e lucky, so lucky to be able to do that. No, luck means winning Lotto. Doing this trip has nothing to do with luck, it's something we made happen. 

Just do it...Live your dream...One day you could be sitting outside like we do every single day, saying "This is the Life! Trust us, you won't regret one minute of it!!

Until next time…

Stay tuned!

Love Mark, Lil & Millie!

xox

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”

Native American Proverb

P.S. Thanks to everyone who has left a comment on our blog - (especially you Scott, that was a lovely surprise!) It is much appreciated and wonderful to receive such lovely comments from you all! Just remember to put your name at the end of your comment so we know who it's from.