Here We Go Again - Chapter 37 - Cairns Day 5

Wandering is one of the things clearly in the definition of the Silver Schoolie/Grey Nomad. Today is a chance for us to simply do it.

We have a map, one place to be at a specific time during the day, giving us a general direction to head, and an idea of the things we might like to see, particularly waterfalls and other things “nature”

Closest to us are the Cattana Wetlands, just north of Cairns. We arrive thinking we might be early, we are pleased to find the park has been open since 5.30am. There are lots of educational places and we wander the lakes looking for any of the noted flora and fauna. 

At the entrance are a turkey and a rooster. Not anything like natural fauna for the area but it is fauna. We snap them and move on.

We see a lilly walking bird, and then another. The stillness of the water enhances their trip across the petals. From time to time, they get a little too close to the edge of a plant and the bird crashes into the water for a moment. Quite comical.

We meander around the lakes, ensuring we check out the vista from each and every viewing point or hide. As the wind picks up, the ripples on the water change the view in so many ways. What was a glassy reflection becomes directional waves of windswept water.

That’s enough walking. Time to move on, let’s not get carried away early with too much exercise.

We drive up the road a little. The map suggests there is a German Sausage Shoppe or the first potential winery/brewery on the map to be investigated. I have read the map incorrectly.To me the brewery and the Shoppe are supposed to be adjacent to each other. In the GPS they are many kilometers apart.

Taking the closest option we end up in Kuranda, the station at the end of the Sky Rail. We will be here again tomorrow. There is no point hanging here too long but then again there are shops, there are markets and there are other things of interest. 

We begin to look around. I go looking for this Sausage Shoppe, the others find a way into a shopping mall behind the street front shops I am investigating. Thinking I am looking for some huge establishment, I am frustrated I cannot find it. I do, though, find a Chocolate Shop, seeing an A frame containing its slogan “A balanced diet is chocolate on both hands”. I laugh, turnaround to consider finding the others and right in front of me. Now with “real” knowledge I can happily find the others.

The girls have found clothes shops, but to get to them I have to walk through a shop to the back area where all the street facing shops also face. Robyn points out to one vendor I am wearing a shirt in his stock. He sells bamboo clothing and Robyn is of a mind to enhance my wardrobe with a couple more shirts. I certainly don’t mind this as I enjoy wearing the bamboo, they are so comfortable. She selects 2 shirts and hands them to the vendor who readies them for sale. Robyn is keen to buy one of here own and begins to try on some of his wares. 

Whilst Robyn is trying on the shirts the vendor and I get discussing what we are where we are and other things trivial enough to pass the time. It comes to the conversation that tomorrow is our 25th anniversary which he seems to take in his stride.

Robyn eventually finds a shirt which she is happy with and we get ready to pay when the vendor asks Robyn to hold out her arm and he places a small bracelet on it and wishes us a happy anniversary. A lovely gesture.

Robyn and Rose head off as I see some stuffed dogs at a vendor across the way. I snap a shot and sent it to Kirsten, who would, if her landlord would allow, would have a dog immediately. The tease gets an immediate response. I offer to buy her one and she selects a blue heeler. I go to pay for it and another one looks at me and says buy me too. I oblige. and now Kirsten owns 2 dogs. 

She might not see them for a while but the best thing will be they will not grow any larger before the memory of the purchase becomes the reality of her ownership.

Paying for the purchases has its issues as the vendor is presently dealing with another customer. His adjacent vendor, a lady just getting her stall ready, attempts to assist me by grabbing his card reader and finalise the sale. Before she can get to it, the vendor has completed his discussions with the other customer and can finalise my payment himself.

As I noted earlier tomorrow is our 25th wedding anniversary and although I had kinda agreed to a “no presents” strategy, I cannot help myself as ther lady vendor is a peddler of silver jewellry. 

Right place, right time. I select a pair of silver seahorse earrings. A small gesture but one I need to do – its a “done thing” sort of action. I pay for them (it will be lost in a the other purchases of the day) and deposit the package in my pocket for the appropriate time. Only one issue with the plan, the earrings rattle in the box for the rest of the day, almost giving away the presence of the gift.

As not earlier we will be here again tomorrow on the Sky Rail tour so being here for the rest of the day is potentially a silly option. Having said that we continue to wander, leaving a large area of the retail community unchecked, ready for a foray into, on that excursion.

From the excellence and order of Kuranda to the unsettled chaos of what was to happen next. Its time for lunch. Silver Leader needs to be in Atherton, about 30 kilometres away at 2.20pm for a Covid shot. We have plenty of time. 

I see a sign along the way to Davies Creek and am drawn towards it. There is plenty of time between now, allowing for lunch and the appointment in Atherton. Robyn is anxious about the time but Silver Leader assures her we have plenty of time to devote to a good check of this destination.

The road in, is corrugated and Silver Leader and Robyn quip I am getting ready for the Gibb River Road. The GPS shows the road becomes a “track”. We stop at this point. Its a camping ground. There is a camper here who has booked their site, set up and is now reading a book beside a babbling brook. We take pictures and use the ablution block. There I meet a couple who suggest there are a set of falls a little further up the road that are worthy of the trip.

Time is not against us yet so we decide to give it a go.

The road gets even more challenging. Robyn is trying hard not to look out the window at the sheer drop on her side of the road. We get to the apparent point of viewing, but there is a walk into the viewing area. Its almost straight down and 250 meters according to the sign. That’s a lot of stairs. We all look at each other and discretion becomes the better part of valour and we head to lunch. 

Malanda is close but Atherton gives us a better chance to ensure Silver Leader is on time for his jab. We find a suitable site for lunch and order. I order a chicken roll with gravy, Robyn orders some calamari rings and scallops. Silver Leader and Rose order 2 hamburgers after us.

Silver Leader and Rose get their meals first. They are huge. After an inordinate amount of time my Chicken roll appears. A bit later the lady who took our order walks by and asks were we waiting for anything else. Silver Leader and Rose are all but finished theirs, and I have started on my roll not being able to wait any longer but Robyn is yet to see any of her order. 

The lady heads to the kitchen and returns with the news/excuse they have only a small fryer. The only trouble with this explanation is that meals with fried chips etc have been going past us continually. Robyn, when Silver Leader and Rose are finished, finally gets her meal. She will have to eat quickly without having to gulp it.

Its time to take him to the hospital. The local show is on as well and adjacent to the hospital, not to mention there is a major construction site next to it as well. I miss the opening and have to turn around. I finally find a suitable spot to let the Silver Leader loose. Rose is going with him just in case there is an adverse reaction and I notify Forbsy who is visiting friends nearby that I have “dumped” the package and he can now leave to pick him up – well that was the plan as it was formulated.

Robyn wants to visit the Nerada Tea Rooms. A place on the map that has caught her attention early and she placed it on the list. The drive there is uneventful except for the straightness of the road.

On arrival, I get a call from Forbsy wondering what is happening with Silver Leader and what did the “dumping message” mean. I remind him of the “plan” but he is confused about any “plan”. It has been almost half an hour since we left Silver Leader and Rose at the hospital and the time of his appointment is upon us. 

Forbsy heads off and I call Silver Leader only to find out the hospital has mucked up the appointment not offering AstraZeneca here. They have heard form Forbsy and are sitting watching  the show jumping on the adjacent arena. A real stuff up. It makes me feel worse than Forbsy already has created

The landscape where we have now arrived, is simply a plain of tea in all directions, manicured by harvest. Cutting only the tips off the bush is the way tea is taken. The tea rooms are simply that. A place to have a cup of tea, purchase tea and thats about it.

Its outside where the only magic of the place happened. In the treetops are two tree kangaroos. First looks you see what appears to be just blobs of fur in the trees until they move. There is no jumping around but enough movement to warrant a video of them. After doing this its time to move towards the site of the reconnection weight the others – the Curtain Fig Tree.

I am led astray by my own assumption of Robyn’s instructions. She talks about John Curtain when we are trying to get the GPS set up. Wondering what a large fig tree has of significance when compared to something of say, the fig trees in the Sydney Botanic Gardens. What we see is an amazing piece of nature.

A parasitic effort by the fig, It wraps itself around a host, strangles it and eventually sets down roots from the top of the tree as the host falls over dead, creating this curtain of roots  that need to be seen  but have created this amazing curtain of roots.

From the tree its time to engage in checking out waterfalls. We head back to the Malanda Falls. These are not very spectacular at all. Simply what seems to be a weir used to create a swimming pool, its significance is a wonderment, given some of the other things we have seen. More than anything else it’s a toilet break and we move on.

Millaa Millaa falls we are told are much more the icon as opposed to the Malanda. 

We are not disappointed at Millaa Millaa. The falls are majestic flows of water falling many metres to a pool. The walk down to the viewing area is slippery and when we get to it, work out we could have driven directly to it. Well, we need the exercise, don’t we?

Its getting late but there is one more stop on our map, The Boulders. This area is not a waterfall, its a set of rapids not far from the crash of a World War II bomber in March of 1942. The cascading water goes from placid pools congregated at the top of the rapids through crevices and cracks for almost a kilometre back to a placid pool below.

There is a boardwalk along the entire length of this phenomenon. About half way along I take a picture of a rock formation that could easily been construed at the head of the Rainbow Serpent. I send this picture to my daughter Kirsten who sees why I think this.

Its getting darker by the moment. The eerie trip to the site deserves videoing which I do on the way out. Then its time to put the van park in the GPS, place the pedal to the metal and poin the Cruiser in the right direction. Using the driving lights when I can, I notice one of the spotlights has become depressed having been on the bumpy road – it has drooped forward and will need to be re-adjusted tomorrow.

The lunch was enough to ensure we need not worry about dinner. A big day. We left at 8.30am and returned to the van park after 6.30pm. The tribulations of the day with the medical issues did not detract from the marvels we have experienced. 

We have seen tree kangaroos in the wild, something very special and which fills us with contentment as we head to the pillow.