The caravan parks at both Wonga and Brampton beaches are municipally run and occupy prime beachfront positions within the coastal reserve making them very desirable in our eyes. Generally, all developments are kept well behind the foreshore with the road in front of them. That evening as we walked to the point of Brampton Beach we observed how many residents leave their outdoor furniture on the high water mark to avoid carrying it all back over the reserve that prevents them from truly having beach frontage properties.
With lots to see on the Great Green Way and November disappearing fast we didn’t tarry longer than 24 hours at Brampton Beach. In departing we noticed some of the damage caused by Cyclone Larry on the sea-facing slopes of the mountains. The many denuded / coppicing trees reminding us that we were approaching the area that had been in the eye of it all. We saw our first trains transporting sugar cane which jolted us because we hadn’t seen any cane suitable for harvesting as yet. The cane size in the many fields we had passed through looked immature in comparison to Natal cane at harvest time. All the trucks appeared to be carrying cane chopped to a size that made it look almost trashy. We need our cane farmer friend Raymond to advise us on our perceptions. As we neared Innisfail the banana plantations that Cyclone Larry had decimated earlier this year came into view. The differing stages of maturity on the plantations, lack of bags protecting bunches and empty road stalls made us wonder how long Cyclone Larry will hold Australia to ransom over a banana.
“Nothing compares - wander through the captivating charm of a lost castle of romantic dreams, inspired by spectacular waterfalls and nestled in the lush tranquillity of a mysterious rain forest. Delightful gardens whisper untold stories of the past”. So read the advert for Paronella Park that captured our interest. In 1993 Mark and Judy Evans, a Western Australian couple, bought a derelict, overgrown property on Mena Creek that over the years had been hammered by floods, cyclones and fire. The property had a history dating back to 1929 when it was built out of virgin rain forest by a Spanish dreamer, Jose Paronella. A baker by trade, he came to Australia in 1913 to seek his fortune and, by working and saving hard for 11 years, amassed a fortune buying, improving and selling cane farms. Romantic Jose returned to Spain to collect his fiancée only, he’d neglected to make contact over all the years and she’d married another. Undeterred he married a younger sister and returned to Australia to begin building the castle of his childhood dreams.
Refreshment rooms - Paronella Park
Such was his vision, ingenuity and capacity for hard work he achieved all that and more. His artistic abilities came to the fore when creating not only a home for his family but also an entertainment centre way ahead of its time. Besides using the waterfall on Mena Creek as a focal point to his property he put in a hydro electric generating plant providing power for his development 15 years before anyone else in the region had electricity. His castle with cinema, ballroom, tennis courts and magnificent landscaped gardens opened to the public in 1935. This visionary with his appreciation for beauty and fine hospitality died in 1948. A succession of catastrophe’s followed that all but obliterated Patronella Park. Years later the Evans couple discovered the shattered pieces of Jose Patronella’s dream as they cut back the jungle of their newly acquired property. Amazingly Jose’s daughter, now in her eighties, came to light and with her help they have set out to reinvent Jose’s legacy to tourism.
Arriving at Paronella Park we had in mind a stately home a la England not a strange little village scene. All was to be revealed in a series of leisurely tours throughout the day by enthusiastic guides taking us over the heritage listed remnants of the castle and gardens which are largely concealed from view yet cover 13 acres. We stayed in their little caravan park on top of the hill which enabled us to take advantage of all the tours at times to suit ourselves for a one-off entry price. The local Aboriginals sharing their traditional knowledge of bush tucker and indigenous dances proved shining examples of how well their own initiatives can be incorporated into a tourist based business.
The finale to our day at Paronella Park was the “Darkness Falls Tour” taken at evening time. Without the sun beating down mercilessly through the enormous gaps in the forest canopy left by the latest cyclone we were able to wander through gardens changed by the soft and fast falling light, the presence of fire-flies, bats and birds in flight adding their mystique. From the many avenues we had glimpses of the Mena Creek Falls which Cyclone Larry had inadvertently exposed bringing back Jose’s original intention. As we stood in the dark on the old tennis courts looking through an archway in a timeless old building that framed the falls, in true Jose Paronella style, its form was suddenly illuminated to divulge a lone saxophonist on the upper tower playing a haunting tune … thus “continuing his dream”.
Trailing back down to the coast and along Mission Beach, we made our next stop at Wongaling Beach overlooking Dunk Island. A no swimming beach which was a pity as the water was a lovely colour. We made do with walking and noticed that the beach profile was in the process of being mechanically reshaped to protect the mass of exposed roots along the edge of the beach reserve. Not a good beachfront management practice as their efforts to cure one problem will almost certainly lead to another.
Tully interested us because on our arrival in Ravenshoe four weeks ago in cold, drizzly weather we’d looked at a “rain pole” topped by Tully, the wettest place in Australia! The next town on our map was Tully so we called in there for fresh bread and milk. In the park we found the 7.9m high gumboot commemorating Tully’s place in Australian records as the town with the heaviest annual rainfall ever recorded.
7.9m high (annual rainfall) big gumboot at Tully
We have been zigzagging between coastal and mountainous habitats of late – After Wongaling beach it was up to the Murray River National Park. Parking Getaway within earshot of the 30m high Murray Falls we set up camp and spent the day reviving from the heat by taking regular dips in the crystal clear rock pools AND clopping march flies! Related to horseflies these sluggish blood suckers fortunately seemed to prefer men here. The “March Dance” as we came to call it is somewhat like the South African gum boot dance. In this case very amusing as the stamping and slapping occurs so unexpectedly. By nightfall we were the only ones left in the National Park. In the silence we hoped we’d see some night creatures but, other than fire flies flitting between the lofty trees around us we received no company.
Back to the coast! We made for Cardwell and Hinchinbrook Island – the caravan parks were well back from the beach and not appealing to us. We hoped Lucinda would be better so continued on there in time for lunch. Driving through the massive swamps of the Herbert Estuary a strong on shore wind began developing- cooled us down but wasn’t pleasant for beach walking. It wasn’t a wasted journey though as the world’s longest sugar loading jetty is here and George was keen to see that.
Found ourselves a shady spot to eat our lunch overlooking the sugar facility and the southern end of Hitchinbrook Island with Mt Bowen towering in the background. This mountain changed the life of Warren Macdonald in 1997, while climbing Mt Bowen, the highest of the many peaks on this rugged island. A freakish accident occurred when a massive slab of rock sheared off the mountain trapping him for two days and nights in a creek bed. He wrote an inspiring story “A Test of Will” about the dramatic rescue that followed and his determination to overcome the handicap of having both legs amputated. We, as readers were overwhelmed by his courage.
5.7km sugar loading facility at Lucinda and stinger net at Lucinda, with deep water berth & Mt Bowen on Hinchinbrook Island in background
The strength of the wind drove us inland to Ingham for the night. After carefully selecting our site and unhitching well away from the main road we were horrified when a train rumbled past within a stone’s throw of our doorstep! We are still bemused that we didn’t see that line especially as George had just remarked what a beautiful farm-like setting we had with cows lowing in the meadows and chickens scratching around!
The road to Girringun National Park was considered unsuitable for buses and caravans. As we were keen to see the Wallaman Falls (the highest single drop falls in Australia) we left Getaway in camp and drove across the cane covered flats and up the steep, winding road climbing to 540m above sea level where we found the spectacular falls. Plunging 268m into the valley of the Herbert River it made a very glamorous bridal veil with a rainbow catching the light within the spray. March flies irritated the hell out of George as he tried to capture the falls on camera.
268m high Wallaman Falls, Girringun NP. The highest single drop falls in Australia
Half way down the access road was a lovely view spot overlooking the Herbert River Gorge. No sooner had we stopped for lunch there than we heard a strange alarm and up the hill and into our lookout came an overheated VW Wicked , out of which sprang two Irish guys, very agitated about their hire vehicle and worrying about how much further the falls were. We had a good chat while their engine cooled. By now the coastal lowlands were scarcely visible, obscured by a heat or smoke haze. Returning to Ingham the ferocity of the heat hit us. On the news that evening we learnt that the temperatures had reached 36°C. After cold showers we sat in the shade of Getaway and noticed a tiny sunbird building its nest from spider webs in a spindly shrub a metre from us. So much effort in a position that is far from safe!
With a selection of 48 hour beachside rest areas available between Ingham & Townsville we took a look at each one until we arrived at the last- Saunders Beach where we had to stay. Fortunately it turned out to be the best. Having left the rainforests behind us we are finding the landscape very hot and dry looking. With strong on shore winds persisting we were kept well entertained by kite boarding enthusiasts who’d been drawn by the wind, forsaking their jobs for the afternoon. Just like Daniel, they were racing up and down through the waves, leaping into the air with twists and somersaults periodically crashing out in the shallows. After a shark had been spotted amongst them, George was asked to keep a lookout for the black fin.
On Saturday morning we drove into Townsville taking up a caravan site on the outskirts of the city. Spent the rest of the morning on The Strand where we happened upon the Tobruk swimming pool. Arising from our enquiries at the desk our sleuthing paid dividends. Amazingly, within the hour we had Roger Lebish on the line. An old friend from our Kariba days, we arranged to meet that night when he had finished his voluntary Coast Guard work. We had such a disturbed night with big trucks and trains rumbling past all night that in the morning we packed up and moved to Rowes Bay caravan park ideally situated to joining Roger and Judy in the late afternoon for a walk and dinner at their place. The Sunday markets lured us into the city for the rest of the morning where we brought some fresh tropical fruits to savour as we begin the hot, dry crossing back over the continent en route for Western Australia.
From here on it’s goodbye to the cool sea breezes and humidity which we prefer.
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