Day 148 / 2016 - Wims Visit

Annes Uncle Wim flew up from Sydney for a visit spending a few days with us. He had been to Cairns and Port Douglas before but we decided to show him around the tablelands giving him a sample of whats on offer here.  

Picking him up from Cairns airport we made our way up through the Kuranda pass pausing at Henry Ross Lookout for a view of the Cairns coast. The sky was clear and you could easly see all the way out to Garden Island. Driving towards Walkamin we stopped in at Jaques Coffee plantation for a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a quick look at the plantation. Arriving at Walkamin we dropped his luggage off before heading out to Tolga for a quick look around at some of the housing estates in the area. The evening finished off with a home cooked meal and a look at some of the DVD video from Holland he had bought with him.  

Next morning we headed off towards Malanda. Wim had also brought a VHS Video which had some footage of Anne when she was a young girl. We didn't have a VHS player but a quick call to Frank and Alice and they still happen to have their old player we could borrow. We arranged to meet at a cafe where we could pickup the player from them. They wern't sure of the condition so included an old training tape of Franks that we could run through just incase it decided to chew up tapes.   

After coffee we headed off towards the Nerada tea plantation located the otherside of Malanda. At the plantation you can stand on a platform which overlooks the fields of tea trees as well as walk over to the processing plant where you can watch the grean leaf processed into dry shreded tea leaves. Packaging is the only part not done on site and is sent to Brisbane. There is also a cafe where you can sample the various variety of teas on offer as well as a choice of biscuit or scones to accompany it. On a dry day you can sit in the cafe looking out over the tea fields and the mountains in the distance through the open bifold doors of the cafe. Outside in the gardens we spied the elusive local resident Lumholtz tree kangaroo up in a tree.

Leaving the tea plantation we headed towards Millaa Millaa and the waterfall circuit. The first falls is Millaa Millaa which are located about 1.5 km down the road. The water drops straight into a plunge pool which is surrounded by grassed area and can be viewed from a platform just in front of the carpark. The pool is accessable for swimming but the water is a bit cold. The next fall is Zillie located another 10 km along the road. The carpark is on the right and after parking you cross the road and follow a small track to a viewing platform located at the top of the falls. Looking over the edge you can see the water cascading over rocks into the continuation of the river below. The last fall is Elinjaa another 2km further along. The carpark is on left hand side and from there is a walking track which winds it way down to the base of the falls. Here you can lookup to watch the water drop into the pool underneath it.  

Heading back we stopped in at Curtain fig just a few kilometres from Yungaburra. The Curtin fig formed when a fig tree eventually strangled and killed its host causing it to fall. As it fell it was caught by another tree giving it a lean of 45 degrees. From here the fig drops more roots forming a curtain. Finally heading home we called in to Tineroo dam which was constructed to provide water for the tobaco farms located on the tablelands. Although the tobaco farms no longer exist the dam is still used to provide water for towns and other types of produce farms. That evening we tested the VHS player which worked quite well. We then watched Wim's tape he had bought with him.  

Next day we travelled to Kuranda for a look at the Market village. Our first stop was Barron Falls where you walk through the Rainforest on a purpose built boardwalk. At the end is the train platform for the Kuranda Scenic Railway whe passengers can alight for a birds eye view of the Barron falls. As we started our way backup we watched the first train for the day came into view stopping at the platform where swarms of tourist came out and us thinking we timed that well.  

Next we parked in Kuranda in an all day unmetered parking located just behind foodworks. Walking up the stairs to the main street we then headed in the direction of the Skyrail cable car station. Normally tourist would either ride the train up from freshwater station in Cairns and take the cable car back to Smithfield in Cairns or take the cable car up and ride the train back. Either way it is busy with tourist as which everway you choose originates from Cairns. We were doing it in reverse and starting our journey in Kuranda and then returning from Cairns. We were hoping to take the train down and the Skyrail backup but soon realised we wouldn't be able to get to the cable car on time so opted for the cable car in both directions.   

You get a great view from the gondola as you pass over the rainforest canopy below. There are two stops along the way, one at Barron Falls where you can view the falls from the otherside and a second stop/transfer point where you take a boardwalk loop through the rainforest at the top of Red Peak. Getting back in a gondola the final leg takes you down the hill towards Smithfield taking in great view of the Cairns coastline. You can stop for a coffee at the base station before reversing the trip and head back to Kuranda. Travelling in this direction worked well for us as we missed all the queues of people and crowded gondolas.  

Back in Kuranda we took a look around the different markets before heading towards the Buttefly house. The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is a fully enclosed area where you can walk around the gardens with butterflys all around you. If you stop they may land on you making for a great picture. There is a hatchry where you can look at the various stages of butterfly development before being released into the main house. The expected lifespan of a butterfly is about 5 weeks depending on the type. The main reason they die is because they wear their wings out with no way of regenerating them. They are unable to fly and cannot reach the flowers to drink the nectar which is there only food source.  

Next day we headed towards Mareeba our first stop the tourist information centre where the heritage musem is located. Walking around you look back through history of the tablelands area including the rise and demise of the tobaco industry. Next we called in at Coffee Works also in Mareeba. After a cheap but tasty lunch we went inside and for a fee you can taste coffee both grown locally or from overseas. The beans are roasted onsite with some varieties coated in a flavoured oil for a different taste.  There is also Chocolate and coffee Liqueur on offer for tasting. You can taste all the products on offer as much and as often as you like. There is also a Museum dedicated to coffee pots, expresso machines and tea pots from throughout the ages. You walk through with a personal audio player where you key in the number attached to the item with a voice will describe what you are looking at.  

On the final day we headed down the Kuranda pass and back to the airport where we watch Wim leave back to Sydney hoping he enjoyed himself and will once again come back to the tablelands to take in the sights he had missed on this trip.