The Journey continues..

Today we are driving to Cooktown via the inland route, the Kennedy Highway, Mulligan Highway through Kuranda, Mareeba, Mt Molloy and Lakeland. Distance 330kms.

We left Cairns about 8:45am and made our way to the Kennedy Highway that takes us into the Tablelands via a very steep and long climb.  The vegetation changed from tropical rainforest to wooded bushland.  We stopped in Mt Molloy at a cafe and had a coffee and meat pie for brunch.  We met up with another SA couple from Modbury who were on their way to Wonga Beach near Mossman. After some chit chat with them we went our own ways and continued along the Cooktown Development Road (Mulligan Highway) past wetlands, green hills and up and down steep climbs over Ranges.  I was surprised with the mountainous hills we had to get through.   As we neared Cooktown we had to negotiate a steep descent as we passed the Black Mountains National Park.  The Black Mountains are named such because they look like a pile of black granite boulders piled on top of each other and about 400m high. 

'Mags' our Navman GPS was having difficulties with the navigation.  Every now and then it would track us off the highway and go bush telling us to find the nearest road when we were already on it, probably because the road is new and may not follow the old track that used to be there and the maps haven't been updated yet.  As we drove on we saw large round termite mounds that have been described as giant petrified dinosaur turds.

Coming into Cooktown we were surprised how small it was.  It has a main street where all the shops and historic building are and then smaller streets coming off it.  We found the Big4 CP at the southern end of the main street.  After set up we relaxed until about 4:30pm when we went to a concert at the swimming pool held by a retired Irish singer Jim Harte who is travelling round Australia in a motorhome.  He makes a bit of money selling CDs of his songs.  When that finished we drove into town to fill up with fuel and then as the sun was setting over the Bay we went to the wharf and had fish & chips and watched the sun set.

Fuel Prices:    Cooktown     LPG=$1.029    ULP=$1.639

Some of the Mountainous areas we  passed through.	Termite mounds described as giant petrified  dinosaur turds.
The Black Mountains , Granite boulders  piled up high.	A fishing trawler at Cooktown wharf at sunset.
A fisherman waits for that elusive fish  to take the bait.	Cattle feed on the side of the road.

Location Map

Yesterday we did a bit of shopping at the local IGA, found the prices reasonable considering the remoteness of the town.  We visited the Botanical Gardens and walked the track to Finch Bay.  The walk was through tropical rainforest with some steep climbing to get over the hills to the beach.  When we got to the beach we were alone, we had the beach to ourselves, until another person walked out behind us and went for a swim.  We walked back to the carpark via the dirt road.  Geraldine's back is much better today.

In the afternoon we relaxed in the CP until about 4pm when we went for a drive out to the Endeavour Falls which was about 30kms out of town on the road to Laura.  There was about 8kms of dirt road to negotiate as well.  When we got there we found that there was a CP at the location and you had to walk through the CP to get to the Falls.  To do this you have to see the reception office and get permission.  This was easily obtained and we were at the Falls after a 2 minute walk through the park.

In the evening we decided to go to the Bowling Club for dinner.  They had a BBQ for $10pp.  We also watched the sunset at the Captain Cook Memorial.

Walking through the Botanical Gardens.	The beach at Finch Bay
The fisherman's wharf in Cooktown.	Endeavour Falls.
Captain Cook Statue at sunset.