Escaping Cold Perth: Palm Cove, Queensland

Our plan was to spend a couple of days in Brisbane catching up with family, then head further north for the warmth. Flying to Cairns from Brisbane, we were picked up in a very comfortable Audi and taken to Imagine Drift apartments in Palm Cove. The accommodation, booked at least six weeks earlier, overlooked a car park instead of the promised pool view. With only one other apartment available, we moved to it – angled view of the pool, but air-conditioning was not working, fans rattled and the door to the balcony wouldn’t lock. I hadn’t checked school holidays for NSW; everywhere was full. Not my best piece of travel planning.

The pool and its surrounds did look very inviting, so we ventured in on day two. Freezing. We thawed out in the spa and enjoyed the greenery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing scenery abounds in the area, and we were lucky to book a private tour to the Atherton Tableland on the Saturday

 

 

 

 

 

Louise Elliott, a delightful lady with her own company called Elliott’s Limousines, ( which we highly recommend) picked us up in a black Mercedes  (superbly comfortable) and drove us up the winding and quite terrifying Gillies Hwy. Stopping was impossible as we climbed hairpin bends on the narrow road, until we came to a viewing space.

To that point, the soil was poor and vegetation struggled to survive amongst the granite rocks. Climbing higher, still winding, we drove through rainforest and soon arrived at Lake Barrine where Louise had booked us on a cruise.

For four generations, since the 1920’s the Curry family have lived and worked here. They established the original teahouse and built their home from local timber. Even the boat that took us around the lake was home made, from timber and concrete.

 

Returned soldiers from the first world war were allocated small plots of land to develop and settle the area, but clearing the forest was extremely difficult and the soil turned out to be useless for farming. It has now returned to natural forest. I was reminded of the similar story for Pemberton in WA, where returning service men were given 100 acres each. With an axe and a spade they were expected to clear the land and farm it. Had those men been farmers originally, they would have known the job was almost impossible.

Fortunately for us, Saturday the 28th July 2018 was a perfect day and we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fish are plentiful and the movement of the boat caused interesting patterns in the water.

 

Back in the Teahouse after the cruise we enjoyed a delicious lunch and as Louise was driving, I could have a glass of wine.

 

 

 

With loads more to see, we headed to Lake Eacham which is in fact an extinct volcanic crater filled with water. I don’t dare try to imagine how deep it is in the centre, but people seem happy to enjoy sunbathing on the surrounding lawns, although we didn’t see anyone actually swimming in the water.

 

 

 

Back in the comfort of the E class Mercedes, we were driven on to Yungaburra. Even the name of this town sounds like something out of a story book. To add to its quaintness, ‘Let’s paint Yungaburra pink’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

was the theme for a charity which obviously had the support of everything and everyone in town.

 

Ribbons, streamers, flowers (real and artificial) decorated buildings, lamp posts, fences and anything else they could find to pretty up with pink. Many of the buildings are heritage listed, built of timber, making them very attractive even when not pinked up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Characteristic of all country towns that have retained enough of their attractive historic buildings, Yungaburra seemed almost too cute to be a real town. It reminded me of many of the similarly picturesque villages I’ve visited in England, with their numerous eateries, flowers spilling out of baskets and pots all over the place and a post office and hotel that must have been photographed so many times it’s a wonder the buildings are still standing. But they are irresistible. We didn’t have much time to spare so I raced up and down the main streets to get these photos.

 

With more mountains in the distance, we then drove through the flat part of the tablelands towards Atherton. Sugar plantations surrounded us, interspersed with cattle farms. We had just eaten a hearty lunch but looking at those healthy animals, David was ready for a good feed of steak.