The Count around Australia, travelling in a Morris Minor.: 19 June 2014

Well this morning looked a bit dodgy weather wise so I hi-tailed it out of Townsville and the dodgy weather seemed to stick around, the good part though being it seemed like it rained in a few places before I reached there and had already stopped when I arrived, so that was great. Makes for some grey skies again and flat light for photos, not that the photos are anything special of course, but just that everything looks better in the sun with blue sky. There are some areas that where sunny though so there are some sunny pis along the way.

First stop was Caldwell on the Coral Sea and gateway to Hinchinbrook Island, or so the PR spin goes. Actually it is quite a nice looking little town and it must have something going for it because not only are the backpackers hanging about there, but there is a lot of public infrastructure happening along the waters edge and adjacent to the jetty. It is a typical old style of one side of the highway is the town in a strip and the other side is the foreshore and beach, which works well in Caldwell's case and it is only a small town anyway.

Caldwell jetty, lots of public building happening and if you believe the highway signs everything in town is just across from it. That is Hinchinbrook in the distance.

The visitor centre/tourist information is inside the mini rain forest there and actually is one of the best laid out centres I have seen yet.

Looking back at the town from "The Jetty"

The highway/main street looking south (from the jetty!)

New friend perhaps? Actually no the owners didn't even acknowledge our presence, oh well their loss

From here I had been told of a place, that they (who ever "They" actually are) are suggesting is the Number One attraction in all of North Queensland, Paronella Park, well it said so on their billboard just outside of Townsville 98 kilometres back. Pays to advertise though as the place had accommodation available and caravan park facilities too, and is down what may have once, in the 30s, been the main highway, but is now little more than a glorified farm road. Anyway as I say it pays to advertise and there was no shortage of people stopping by to visit the place and the car park was full when I arrived, so I had to park up the street. Now having been through the Park and done the tour I have to say whilst I found the tales and park interesting I am not so certain the Number 1 spot can be claimed here. I should add that the almost shocking admission price, which was I must admit asked for in a most light, friendly, helpful, cheery way, does entitle me to stop in anytime in the next two years and I can camp there anytime in the next twelve months too.

Anyway the park. Very interesting and the man was very ahead of his time, being able to have electricity generated by the waterfall on his property about ten years before the entire town if Innisfail . It has had a number of unfortunate catastrophes with cyclones, major floods and a mysterious fire all adding to the delicate condition of the main buildings, or what is left of them, throughout the park.

Remains of the Castle

Do you think they are used to being fed by the tourists?

Mena Falls on the property, the hydro plant is down the stairs to the right

Lots of walkways through the gardens, some never finished before his death, so lead nowhere

Teresa Falls named after Jose's daughter. They once sold the water much like Mt Franklin water today

The formal pond between the old tennis courts and the Pavilion, water jets are fed from the Mena Falls

The Pavillion, was three levels and had a row of changing rooms along the side for the ladies to change before swimming in the water at the bottom of the falls. Unfortunately in the last 6 months a Crocodile has moved into the area

Oh and I would like to get opinion of what is the most attractive setting for a picture of running water using the falls, which of these works better?

or this:

Ok now an entirely necessary picture of a Sugar Mill, just because I am in North Queensland and really I just like them, must be a childhood thing, I really like the strong molasses smell about them. That and as I had to pass it on the way back to the highway, so why not. The South Johnston Mill processed its first sugar in 1916 and in 2012 crushed 1.13 million tonnes of cane.

South Johnston Mill

Right now on into Cairns, have been into the city and had a bit of a look about, though not really had much time to get a good impression of what is on offer here. I can say without a any doubt at all, there is a heck of a lot of public infrastructure going on in this place (this and lagoons seems to be a thing in all of these north Queensland towns it seems!) The esplanade area looks great and the new marina is up there with the gold coasts best and one of the main city streets closed to all traffic as they are completely redeveloping it. Oh and they have a swimming lagoon, of course, but it is currently drained and being worked on, redeveloped.

Random Cairns pictures: