Karumba to Cooktown

Karumba to Cooktown

From Karumba, we went back down to Normanton and filled up with petrol at a BP garage. There is obviously a big business in mending or changing tyres in this town because the BP garage had a “waiting room” of old chairs of various descriptions for its clients.

We made our way over to Croydon for lunch, a small town which at its peak was the 4th largest town in Queensland. Gold was discovered in 1885 and by 1887 the population was 7,000 with factories, foundries, schools and 37 hotels. Now there are 322 people and 1 hotel, which the present owners are trying to restore, with grazing and tourism providing income. It is a very proud little town and some interesting old buildings and a “historic precinct”.

Our stop for the night was at Georgetown, the centre for the Etheridge Goldfield. The Terrestrial Centre, home of the Ted Elliott Mineral and Fossil Collection, containing over 4500 mineral specimens from throughout the region and the world with hundreds of fascinating colours and shapes. The Terrestrial also incorporates a visitor information centre, and the Shire’s artworks and historical photographs. Some travelers obtain permits and fossick for gold and precious stones

In the morning we set out for Undara, the home of the lava tubes. The only way to see the lava tubes is to go on guided tours. The resort is on the site of the original Savannah railway and accommodation is in various forms – old railway carriages that have been restored, dormitory accommodation, safari tents, or the caravan/camping area. Railway carriages are also used for the main dining room, bistro, bar and entertainment areas. We had opted for a deluxe safari tent, which meant there was a small verandah and an “al fresco” kitchen – a frig and a sink.

We had booked on a 2 hour tour for the afternoon and met our guide, Levi, who was very interesting and entertaining. He drove us out to the beginning of the walk, explaining quite a lot about the history, and the birds and animals that inhabit the area, as well as the geology. He also showed how the early explorers marked the stock routes using an iron bark tree which is poisonous and termite resistant. Granite and basalt are the main rock formations. The lava tubes were originally discovered by Ludvig Leichhardt, but he was expecting to find water and really didn’t place any importance on them, not being a geologist. The Collins family were the first white settlers in 1860 and six generations of the family have explored the tubes. The family opened it up to the public in 1990 with the aim of preserving the area for future generations, and now work with state environmental agencies and the Savannah guides. We descended into the tubes, formed hundreds of thousands of years ago during volcanic eruptions when the lava forced itself down through the basalt. Over the years, water with a high calcium content has leached through the basalt and granite and formed beautiful patterns. During the floods earlier this year there was a high level of water and the rangers were able to swim in the pool.

That night we cooked in the camp kitchen and then joined some other travelers from Queensland who had set up a roaring fire. Very relaxing I must say.On our way next day, destination Chillagoe. We decided to take the option of going up the gravel road behind Mt. Garnet, which was different again to those we had been on before. A lot of corrugations, dips and sharp curves, but very interesting. We met a few road trains and as Heinz was on the UHF we heard ourselves described as “one of those ****### little Subaru’s coming through”. We were quick to correct them that we had a Toyoto! And the driver apologized! And advised us there were no other road trains coming through.

Chillagoe is another one of those North Queensland towns that has had highs and lows with the mining industry, and in the present day there is another mining boom. However, it is a pleasant little town with one of the main attractions being able to visit the limestone caves with a ranger. This we did in the afternoon. We visited the Royal Arch Cave, named after one of the rocks resembling Queen Victoria, a similar rock we had seen on the Gibb River Road, and this one was easy to pick. We went down into the caves complete with our lights and power packs. The caves were certainly interesting, with some very narrow passages and at times you had to crouch down to get through. We went to several, some open caves where there had been a collapse of the surface rocks.
Again, with the floods earlier this year the rangers were able to swim in one of the caves. The water level was some 2 metres higher that when we were there.

The next morning we walked out to one of the primitive aboriginal art sites, and then up to the “balancing rock” (can’t understand how it hasn’t fallen). On the way up a wallaby bounded past Heinz at a great rate. From there we visited the old government smelters. One can only imagine what it was like to work there in 40 deg. temperatures where conditions were dusty, smelly and very hazardous.

Then it was time to head for Mareeba along the Wheelbarrow Highway, where we were to stay overnight. There is an annual wheelbarrow race, and we met one of the locals in Chillagoe who completes the race each year on his own, taking three days. The vegetation along the road changed completely from “limestone” country to farming, sugar cane and mango farms. Also, Mareeba is a premier coffee producing region. In early years it was a big tobacco producing area with a lot of Italians moving into the area. A bit of excitement early in the evening when we discovered quite a large frog in the toilet bowl. Fortunately Heinz was able to dispatch it to the garden and we kept the seat closed after that. We had been warned in several places about likely frogs but this was the first time we had encountered it.

Early next morning we departed Mareeba for Cooktown, visiting the Mareeba Wetlands on the way. We were hoping to see more bird life and the water lilies were not out, but it was early. I’m sure at different times of the day and in different seasons it would be wonderful. Now we started passing some of the large mountais in the Great Dividing Range, and then Black Mountain, a huge mountain of black rocks, which looked like the remains of a coal mining exercise. The only vegetation is the occasional fig tree, whose roots must travel a long way to get to the water.