Kurrimine Beach - 17 October to 22 October 2012

Kurrimine Beach – 17 October 2012

We got up at 6.00am and left for Townsville at around 7.30am. Arriving in Townsville, we parked opposite the large shopping centre and while I returned our old water purifier for a refund at K-Mart, Sue went across the other side of the road and purchased a new one from Big W. We grabbed a few more groceries and then left town, stopping at a few grog shops on the way to source some vodka cruisers for Sue. 

We had lunch on the road and arrived at Cardwell around 2.00pm.  First stop was the post office, where we checked for mail and then Sue booked herself in at the hairdressers for next week. We left Cardwell and arrived at Kurrimine Beach at 3.30pm.  The girls immediately went and checked out all the great activities for kids. There was a jumping pillow, great playground and best of all a massive pool full of humongous pool toys. They were in heaven! There was also a games room with a Wii for them to use, and as they were the only kids in the park, they had it all to themselves.

We set up the van and had a peaceful happy hour. While we were relaxing, the groundsman, Gordon, bought over his four toy poodles for a visit. He had two whites, a black like our Zac and a phantom (silver with black around the eyes & nose). The girls loved them and each dog scored heaps of pats and cuddles.

Mega pool toys to keep the brats occupied

Kurrimine Beach – 18 October 2012

I spent the morning preparing the boat and tackle while Sue did some laundry. The kids of course did whatever, as you would in heaven.

After lunch Georgia and I went fishing in Maria Creek. Live bait was scarce, but we did manage to get a few herring and also saw a croc of about 2-3m in a side creek near the mouth. We anchored up on a couple of snags, but apart from the midgies, we didn’t score any bites.

Sue and Kelsey had a nice walk on the beach and a relaxing afternoon. Georgia and I picked up some hot chips from the local shop on the way home from the ramp to have with our fish dinner.


Kurrumine Beach – 19 October 2012

After breakfast I flushed the motor on the tinnie, then we all jumped into the car and headed north to Bramston Beach. Years ago Sue and I had caught some nice barramundi and mangrove jacks at the mouth of a small creek to the north of town. We thought we'd give it another crack.  Many wet seasons, and the odd cyclone since, had changed conditions a fair bit and despite our best efforts, we returned fishless.

We left Bramston and drove south again, stopping at Josephine Falls, where the kids had a swim in the icy water. They climbed a rock face with some backpackers and slid down a large section of waterfall into the pool below. Georgia wasn’t real keen and only went the once, Kelsey though, returned for a second shot.

Beautiful Josephine Falls

Kelsey was first to try out the rock slide below Josephine Falls

Georgia was next, looking even more anxious than Kelsey

Back on the highway we headed south again, and then east to Etty Bay. Etty Bay is only very small, consisting of nothing more than a surf club, caravan park and kiosk.  But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in beauty, with a pristine palm fringed beach backed by hills covered in thick rainforest. We bought icecreams at the kiosk, sat in the shade and enjoyed the view.

Leaving Etty Bay we drove a short distance south to Mourilyan Harbour, where the television series Sea Patrol was filmed. All the sugar from Tully Mill goes here for export to ports abroad.

Next we continued south into Innisfail and stopped at the chemist and supermarket for a few supplies, then continued south to another coastal settlement, Cowley Beach. At the northern end of Cowley Beach is a military training facility and at the southern end a caravan park. A few houses between the two completes the picture.

We left Cowley Beach and returned to Kurrimine for a well earned happy hour after a long day of exploring the area.
 
Kurrimine Beach – 20 October 2012

Following breakfast, we headed into Tully for the sugar mill tour we had booked. We stopped at the Visitor Information Centre first to pick up our tickets and ended up chatting to the staff for a spell. Old George really looked after the girls, giving them a free poster each, quizzing them and telling them interesting stories about the area.
 
We got to the mill just in time for our tour, which began with a safety briefing and was followed by the donning of hard hats and safety goggles. Along with 2 other couples, we were led through the mill by our guide and learnt all about the process of turning sugar cane into raw sugar. It was a bit hot and smelly at times but very interesting.

On tour in the Tully Sugar Mill















Steam rising from the Mill stacks

After the tour we drove north, just out of Tully, to the Alligator’s Nest, a picnic area which is located adjacent to a beautiful tropical creek. Here we enjoyed our lunch at one of the many picnic tables before returning to Tully to check out the Golden Gumboot.
 

Creekside at Alligator's Nest

Tully has the unenviable record of being the wettest town in Australia and as such has erected a 20m high golden gumboot in the main street to acknowledge the fact. A spiral staircase inside provides access to the viewing platform at the top where you can look out over the mill and the town. We took a few pics here.

The gills at the top of the Golden Gumboot with the Tully Mill in the background

Ferals invade the boot

We left Tully and drove south to Hull Heads and Tully Heads. There wasn’t much at Hull Heads except for a very small, and cheap, camping ground right at the mouth of the Hull River next to the coast guard station. Tully Heads was devastated by Cyclone Yasi with most of the beachfront houses wiped out. Signs of damage were still evident, with piles of debris still laying around and many new homes built or being built. We searched for an access point to the Tully River, where we’d been told some good jacks were being caught, but it wasn’t to be our day.  Our hunt turned up nothing, so the fish were spared.

We returned back to the Tully Visitor's Centre again, just before closing, and picked up a couple of souvenirs for Sue and Kelsey, then returned home.

Sue went for a walk along the beach, while I kicked back in the van. The girls did their thing somewhere in the park. Happy hour was followed by another fine feast of Spanish Mackerel in beer batter.
 
Kurrumine Beach – 21 October 2012

After breakfast, Sue did some work on the diary, while the girls did their journals and I started washing the car. Sue helped me finish the car and then had a swim in the pool with the girls. I watched a bit of tv with the girls over lunch and then Sue and I washed the caravan.

Later in the afternoon, Sue and I went for a walk along the beach, while the girls watched tv in the van. We returned and enjoyed a relaxing happy hour before dinner.
 
Kurrumine Beach – 22 October 2012

Today we headed off along Canecutter's Way, a tourist drive from Kurrimine Beach to Innisfail. We stopped about halfway, at Paronella Park, and got out to walk across the suspension bridge above the waterfall, and take a few photos.

The suspension bridge over Mena Creek Falls at Paronella Park

 

A view of Paronella Park from the suspension bridge

Continuing on our way to Innisfail, we planned to have lunch at a pub where we’d dined a few years earlier on a trip to Cairns.  Unfortunately the pub was now closed for good, so we drove out to Flying Fish Point, at the mouth of the Johnstone River, and had lunch at a nice little café opposite the beach.

After lunch we drove back through Innisfail and then west to the Mamu Rainforest Walk. The walk took us along a dirt track through the rainforest and then onto an elevated walkway above the trees. This continued for a few hundred metres, with interesting story boards along the way explaining how the rainforest was recovering after Cyclones Larry and Yasi. The walkway ended with a climb to the top of a 15m observation tower that looked out over the valley, to the Johnstone River below.



The elevated walkway to the observation tower at Mamu

The view of the Johnstone River Valley from the observation tower

We returned to the car, and back to Innisfail, where we stopped at Coles for some groceries and then again at K-mart for a bit of a look around, and a new broom. Back at home, Sue gave the grey nomad a trim with the clippers before happy hour and dinner.