Paradise on earth
On arrival we were told that with Christmas holidays approaching fast we could only stay at the caravan park for three weeks, which was great considering we had no prior booking. But we did not estimate how alluring the place was to become.
Talking of Barramundi their huge in the well-stocked Tinnaroo dam,
Another claim to fame is the amazing Curtain fig Tree just out of town. The process of strangulation of a host tree by the fig tree is a common feature of rainforest life; this one is dated around 800-900 years old and is massive.
One of the best ways to experience the rainforest is to walk one of many walk trails in the area, and you never know you may get lucky and see a tree Kangaroo or platypus along the way.
Christmas Eve drenched us with approximately 600mls of rain over 24 hours around the region; some believe that down pure was the beginning of Queensland’s flood disaster. The once pristine waterfalls of the area turned into gushing muddy rivers and at Malanda falls were we had relocated too, it had risen approximately twenty foot overnight, it was the wettest Christmas day we had ever had.
We escaped from our swampy caravan site for a few days to Cairns to visit with family who were visiting from England. We took in the sights from the sky rail rainforest cable way; gliding over the tree tops is a fantastic way to experience the rainforest, and has two nature walk stops along route, before arriving at Kuranda village. The village was established back in 1800’s as a retreat from the heat & humidity of the tropical coast, but back in the 1960’s a new wave of alternate lifestyle settlers moved in and begun the renowned arts and craft markets of today. After some great retail therapy at these unique markets and a family game of mini golf we returned to Cairns on the scenic railway stopping at the mighty Barron Falls
The following day it was Cairns Zoo to introduce the family to Kangaroos and crocodiles, fulfilling their itinerary of must do things. It was an extremely hot humid day, felt like 35 degrees Celsius till around 3.30pm when the heavens opened and our nearest shelter was the Kangaroo feeding enclosure. We had been there earlier in the day but the Kangaroos were not hungry, in fact overfed by eager tourists, but on our return at closing time, they were eager to see us and clambered for our food pellets, it was a magic moment just us and about 30 Kangaroo’s, so glad we weren’t close to the crocodile enclosure, ha ha.
And talking of Crocodiles, it can be quiet alarming to tourists when they hear estuarine (salt water) crocodiles are common in rivers, creeks, estuaries and beaches in North Queensland. So we walked Mylee our 2year old Staffy very gingerly along Yorkey’s Knob beach were we were staying, keeping an eye open for any large slithery tracks? Unfortunately some of the area’s best fishing is in the rivers and mangroves, that is why the croc’s are there, so remember don’t dangle your legs over the side of the boat in FNQLD!
We left Cairns and headed south through lush green sugar cane country, along Canecutter way to visit Paronella Park. On five hectares beside Mena Creek Falls Jose Paronella built a remarkable castle to fulfil his life’s ambition. He opened it to the public in 1935 and it was the talk of the whole region, holding many elaborate dances and movies in the ballroom of the castle; the first to have a hanging mirrored ball over the centre of the dance floor. The garden with its bridges and tunnel is home to 7,500 tropical plants, Complete with a delightful picnic area by the water fall. In its time the park boasted tennis courts, and change rooms with an ice cream parlour to refresh the wired tennis players. Jose certainly was an innovator, installing Queensland’s first privately owned hydroelectric plant (1933) utilising the 45 foot Mena Creek Falls Paradise on earth
Ravishes of time and Queensland cyclones have taken their toll on the cement and the fixtures of this remarkable place but the ruins continue to talk of Jose dream, just like a lost Incan village.
Your entry ticket allows you to come back with in twelve months to experience a night tour and a stopover in their van park next door, which makes this place good value for money.
There are heaps of special places to visit and things to do in and around the Tablelands, so I’ll keep a few stories for our next instalment of the Gemseek travel blog.
Tinnaroo, Yungaburra, Tinnaroo, Yungaburra, I keep repeating these two words to myself like a mantra as I wait to return to this paradise on earth. The three weeks we spent at Lake Tinnaroo Caravan Park when we first arrived on the Tablelands, will be amongst the most memorable of times.
On arrival we were told that with Christmas holidays approaching fast we could only stay at the caravan park for three weeks, which was great considering we had no prior booking. But we did not estimate how alluring the place was to become.
Around Lake Tinnaroo would have to be the most scenic of landscapes we have ever seen particularly in the wet “Green season”. (Late December to end March) We marvelled at the Picture post card beauty on a daily bases, as we checked our Cray pots and fished for the elusive Barramundi.
Talking of Barramundi their huge in the well-stocked Tinnaroo dam, one day out fishing on the lake in Little Toot (our flat bottom Tinny) I saw what I thought was a rather fat log coming towards us, as it got closer I realised it was a four foot Barramundi sunning its self. In my excitement I alerted it to our presence and it took off. Now as if that’s not enough of a trill, the very next day Laurie caught a rather large cat fish and as I bent over the boat to net it for her, the biggest Barra I’ve ever seen (6 footish) was chasing the cat fish and if I had been a little quicker I could have netted it as well, that’s if I’d had a bigger net. This was all the encouragement I needed though to get up at 4am and go fishing. I know they’re out there, so it is now our mission to catch one before we head off .
The town ship of Yungaburra is another jewel in the crown of the Tablelands , in the 1800’s it was an overnight stop for miners heading west, and once the railroad was put through it became a thriving community. Today it’s a haven of boutique shops and restaurants and boasts having the largest country market, which is held on the village green, the fourth Saturday of every month. There are fabulous arts and crafts on display and the area also has several local art galleries well worth a look.
Another claim to fame is the amazing Curtain fig Tree just out of town. The process of strangulation of a host tree by the fig tree is a common feature of rainforest life; this one is dated around 800-900 years old and is massive. One of the best ways to experience the rainforest is to walk one of many walk trails in the area, and you never know you may get lucky and see a tree Kangaroo or platypus along the way.
We escaped from our swampy caravan site for a few days to Cairns to visit with family who were visiting from England. We took in the sights from the sky rail rainforest cable way; gliding over the tree tops is a fantastic way to experience the rainforest, and has two nature walk stops along route, before arriving at Kuranda village. The village was established back in 1800’s as a retreat from the heat & humidity of the tropical coast, but back in the 1960’s a new wave of alternate lifestyle settlers moved in and begun the renowned arts and craft markets of today. After some great retail therapy at these unique markets and a family game of mini golf we returned to Cairns on the scenic railway stopping at the mighty Barron Falls
The following day it was Cairns Zoo to introduce the family to Kangaroos and crocodiles, fulfilling their itinerary of must do things. It was an extremely hot humid day, felt like 35 degrees Celsius till around 3.30pm when the heavens opened and our nearest shelter was the Kangaroo feeding enclosure. We had been there earlier in the day but the Kangaroos were not hungry, in fact overfed by eager tourists, but on our return at closing time, they were eager to see us and clambered for our food pellets, it was a magic moment just us and about 30 Kangaroo’s, so glad we weren’t close to the crocodile enclosure, ha ha.And talking of Crocodiles, it can be quiet alarming to tourists when they hear estuarine (salt water) crocodiles are common in rivers, creeks, estuaries and beaches in North Queensland. So we walked Mylee our 2year old Staffy very gingerly along Yorkey’s Knob beach were we were staying, keeping an eye open for any large slithery tracks? Unfortunately some of the area’s best fishing is in the rivers and mangroves, that is why the croc’s are there, so remember don’t dangle your legs over the side of the boat in FNQLD!
We left Cairns and headed south through lush green sugar cane country, along Canecutter way to visit Paronella Park. On five hectares beside Mena Creek Falls Jose Paronella built a remarkable castle to fulfil his life’s ambition. He opened it to the public in 1935 and it was the talk of the whole region, holding many elaborate dances and movies in the ballroom of the castle; the first to have a hanging mirrored ball over the centre of the dance floor. The garden with its bridges and tunnel is home to 7,500 tropical plants, Complete with a delightful picnic area by the water fall. In its time the park boasted tennis courts, and change rooms with an ice cream parlour to refresh the wired tennis players. Jose certainly was an innovator, installing Queensland’s first privately owned hydroelectric plant (1933) utilising the 45 foot Mena Creek Falls Paradise on earth
Your entry ticket allows you to come back with in twelve months to experience a night tour and a stopover in their van park next door, which makes this place good value for money.
There are heaps of special places to visit and things to do in and around the Tablelands, so I’ll keep a few stories for our next instalment of the Gemseek travel blog.So until then followers, BFN and enjoy those gems!
AL.B & Laurie C
Gemseek Productions http://www.gemseek.com.au/
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