Tues, 31st July, 2018 Lions Den, Helensvale to Bush camp by Laura River, Qld (exploring)

Packed up camp after breakfast and went for a walk down to the river. On the way we checked out a 1930 Dodge that has just come back from the Tip of Cape York with a WW2 Willys Jeep and some other vehicles. Well done. Chatted with the chap, Ted Callahan, and found out he was from Gayndah. I said Steve’s cousins were from there and he knew all the Woodcocks. What a small world. The boys were impressed. Malcolm loved the turning signal hand.

Walked down to the Little Annan River. We camped on the sand beside it when we were first married when we came up with the speedway gang.

Up the road to the turn off onto the Mulligan Highway and right towards Cooktown. Passed the Black Mountains – will check them out on the way back.

Turned off and into Archers Point. Up the hill to the lighthouse and gun emplacement. Very windy – such a change from yesterday’s perfect calm day but then it is always windy here. Looking south over Olive Island which is just off the shore.

Malcolm was taking off in the wind.

Zoomed in on the jetty. This was built for the export of beef in the early 1800s but that didn’t happen due to the wind and export issues.

Looking north.

Back out to the main road and on to Cooktown. Across the wide Annan River which flows into Walker Bay. Looking upstream then downstream.

Through town and up Grassy Hill to Cook’s Lookout and the lighthouse.

Great aerial photo of this spot on one of the bins.

Fabulous view – starting with Mt Cook (431m), over Cooktown, Endeavour River, the mountains and the sea to the north.

Survey marker.

More information about the Wireless Station that was here.

Don’t like the look of this guy.

On the way back down I snapped a shot of this happy roo. The plaque says “Lt James Cook and the men on the HMS Endeavour were the first Europeans to sight a kangaroo. ‘Observed, Amazed, Described, Sketched, Shot, Eaten and named Kangaroo’ ”. I read that the Aborigines here called them ‘gangurru’.

We drove back down to Charlotte Street and parked near the park. During the Palmer River gold rush Cooktown had 47 licenced pubs within the town boundaries in 1874.

Nice mural on the toilets.

Had a cuppa then us girls walked along the Esplanade while the boys checked out Bob’s car as to its power problem.

A plaque marking the beginning of the National Horse Trail and to commemorate the epic ride of Dan Seymour, from Melbourne to Cooktown, with his two horses and ‘Blue Dog’. He blazed a trail following the Great Dividing Range. This trail is now known as the National Horse Trail, set aside for those who wish to ride horses for pleasure and enjoy the great Australian Bush.

Near that was the cairn for Edmund Kennedy.

Lovely big mango trees with little fruit.

Monument to celebrate Captain Cook’s landing here on 17^th June, 1770. He spent 48 days here fixing the Endeavour and working out how to get through the Great Barrier Reef. We came up with Terry and Erica in June 2014 for the re-enactment but unfortunately it rained so we had a very shortened version.

Kerry and Margaret checked out the Cooktown Cannon.

Kerry played us a tune on the Musical Ship.

Captain James Cook statue.

Down by the river is a statue of a gold prospector heading to the Palmer River Goldfields to find his fortune.

This is also where the crew etc from the Endeavour came ashore.

A memorial to the many Chinese who worked in Cooktown and in the goldfields.

I showed the girls ‘sensitive weed’. Fun to make the leaves close up but no nice to stand on or pull out of the ground.

A mosaic sculpture.

More old history plaques and the pavers on the walkway.

Another well.

Lovely frangipanis and I think this is a Flame Tree, no leaves just flowers, with a lorikeet on the branch.

Back to the cars and another board about the gutters.

Malcolm found a ‘beach’ shirt in the shop so Margaret tried it on for a laugh. Bit bright Mal.

A lovely old building.

Headed back out of town then down past the Botanical Gardens to Finch Bay. Had lunch at the cars as it is a bit of walk down to the beach where a creek flows out to sea under Mt Cook. Chatted with a chap and he said there is a very big resident croc up the creek who is often spotted walking down the beach. Now that would have got our ‘tourists’ clicking their cameras.

Malcolm’s going to get his feet wet wherever we stop.

Dark clouds are coming over and it looks like it is raining out there.

Back into town then headed back out to the Black Mountains. Some of the boards need redoing.

The Aboriginal story of how the mountains were created. Bit like the Grimm Fairy Tales – not very nice but it teaches them something, not sure what the moral is here.

Pretty yellow blooms on the tree.

Across Little Annan Creek causeway. Little Annan is Cooktown’s water supply, via a weir downstream.

Left the green countryside now for drier scrub. Fire by the roadside which has travelled up the hillside too. Lots of hawks, crows on the road getting a toasty dinner.

Across the East Normanby River which is only a small creek and there is not much more in the West Normanby River (which the photo is of). It flows up into Princess Charlotte Bay on the east coast.

Lots of bananas being grown and other tree plantations as we head into Lakelands. When we first started coming barra fishing in the early 1980s the road was dirt all the way from Mt Carbine, over the two ranges and into Lakefield – so different now with bitumen. Apparently there is only about 200km left to get to Weipa. We remember the bull dust holes well as we were usually driving at night and the little owls sitting in the middle of the road.

Past mangoes and pawpaws as well as the bananas and there are even sheep! Then cattle as we headed towards Laura. Passed a heaps of watermelon being harvested.

Lovely big mountains – never really appreciated them before. After our travels I appreciate what is around us more.

Across Laura River at Caroline’s Hole – Wayne & Judy’s camp spot.

Past Crocodile Station – shame they don’t have a big crocodile out the front for photos. We told the others about Croc Hole further along. When you approached the waterhole appeared to be littered with little logs but when they heard us approach all the logs would quickly disappear into the water – heaps of Freshwater crocodiles.

Over Kennedy Creek on the Toots Holzheimer Bridge. She was an amazing woman driving trucks up here in a very ‘man’ world. I went to school with her daughter, Sharon.

Pulled in Split Rock to check out the Aboriginal paintings. Quite warm now as we climb up the hill.

Lots of little pebbles in the rocks.

Split Rock.

Around the other side was the first group of paintings.

Continued up the track to the Flying Fox paintings.

Further along were the Tall Spirits.

Interesting hole in the wall.

Margaret spotted a sign about the tree.

Found another little overhang with an emu on the wall.

Nice green view.

Continued on to the Laura River. A big bridge has been built over it but we drove down to the old crossing to see about camping there tonight. The old bridge over the river.

It was quite soft and there was a lot of rubbish left around so we turned around and went back up the eroded track which used to be the main road. It has become a dump unfortunately.

Change of drivers in the Bob-tail car!!

Over the very high bridge.

Into Laura and around to the pub and general store. Checked out the info board about the pub. Good flowers on the mango trees out the front of the pub.

On the wires and the roof of the general store were heaps of galahs and they were making a racket. Some were sliding down the roof. Apparently they feed them at 4.30 so they were getting ready for their feed. Took a video of them.

The boys went over to check out the replica of the Austin 7 which was the first vehicle to reach the Tip of Cape York. Beside that was a BMW ex German army motorbike and sidecar.

Walked across the road to read the history of the railway. The steps near the toilets lead to the goods shed. Great mural.

On a plaque outside the Police Station is an interesting bit of info about some Aboriginal troopers – ‘The first group of Aboriginal troopers stationed at Laura was from Fraser Island. During the time of the Kelly gang, the police and trackers from Laura Native Police camp were sent to Victoria to track the bushrangers. They were present at Ned Kelly’s last stand at Glenrowan in June 1880.’

Drove out past the airstrip – nice departure lounge.

Continued out of town to the north crossing of the Laura River called Shelley’s Crossing.

Pulled onto the gravel and set up for the night in the shade. Still quite warm which is nice for a change.

Our route for today.

Great afternoon chatting. Got the fire going and cooked dinner. Kerry had marshmellows so Steve made a fork for her to use to cook them. A lot of traffic going in both directions over the bridge. Whistling kites circling above us.