Following the Eclipse and Breakfast it was time for Jock & Annie to pack up and head back to Charters Towers and for us to get back to Bluewater to finish off the house. The decision was made to travel together, having an overnight stop on the way back.
We left around lunchtime with the first stop being to pick up Jock & Annie’s purchase, a Suzuki Jimny that had been rolled, for spare parts for their one back home. Lots of strange comments, especially as the roof was a sheet of corrugated iron.
As we had traveled up to Mareeba via the Palmerston Range it was decided that we would travel back through the outskirts of Cairns. About a half hour drive from Cairns the Atherton Tablelands is home to a number of quaint towns and villages, B’n’Bs and attractions. Running from the Bellenden Ker Range in the south to the Great Dividing Range in the north, the Tablelands range from 600m to 1100m above sea level and are a cool getaway from the coastal plain around Cairns city.
Kennedy Highway
To the north of Cairns is the Kennedy Highway that runs up the Kuranda Range and begins in the suburb of Smithfield about 14km north of Cairns city. Commonly known as the ‘Kuranda Range’, the road is about 12km long and rises to a level of about 430m about sea level. It’s mainly two lanes with a number of overtaking bays and lookouts on the way up. At the top of the range is the village of Kuranda which is a tourist destination in itself.
Unfortunately as time was an issue we didn’t get to have a look around. The views from the top of the Kuranda Range are quite spectacular and as you venture down the range you can quite distinctly feel the change in humidity.
We arrived in Cairns around 2pm and as none of us had eaten lunch we stopped for a Roast Beef Roll. It was then back on the road with a stop at Innisfail to pick up some eggs, Jock was cooking omelets for breakfast next morning, then onto Murray falls for the night.
Murray Falls, Girrramay National Park is in the foothills of the Kirrama Range 36kms SW of Tully or 41kms NW of Cardwell and is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Murray Falls is known to be one of the prettiest waterfalls in North Queensland, with spectacular water-sculpted rocks and crystal clear pools. At $5.15 per person per night, a great deal!
As it was past Happy Hour by the time we arrived, we headed straight to the falls with drink in one hand and chair in the other. A 300m boardwalk leads you to a viewing platform near the base of the falls. We also noticed there was also a longer 1.8km walk to the top of the falls. Adjacent to the Camping area there is a day-use area which is a great location for a picnic with Gas Bar-B-Ques and picnic tables.
The next morning after eating our yummy crab omelets, expertly cooked by Jock, we headed to the swimming hole where there are a series of pools. Water flows over slippery granite rocks from one pool to the other making for heaps of fun!
Unfortunately it was time to go! A few more days there would have been great.
Well we seem to have packed a lot into our 4 days and it has taken 3 posts to write about it, but so much to see and do we didn’t want to miss anything out.
Back to reality and work! Until next time “Laugh more, live longer”