Day 203 / 2016 - Kennedy Hwy a Busy Tourist Route

We have been in Walkamin for almost 3 months now arriving at the end of April and we are amazed at how busy the Hwy has become from that time to now.

Living one street back we can view part of the Kennedy Hwy from the kitchen window of the house we are staying at. Over the months we have seen the Hwy getting steadly busier with recreation vehicles (RV's). Those are the ones we could identify as RV's there are no doubt lots of passenger vehicles loaded up for an extended holiday trip as well. Into August we are now seeing many vehicles heading back south again but just as amazing is the equal number of vehicles still heading north.

Our part of the Kennedy Hwy is between Atherton and Mareeba. Heading past here going north travellers could be heading to Mareeba, Cairns, Cooktown, The Cape or parts there of, Port Douglas and the Daintree region. Travelling South they could be coming from any of the above areas heading towards the coast via innisfail or inland via Ravenshoe. There are many tourist activities in the tablelands region, there are many food, drink, and natural attractions for the passing traveller. Some of these a little difficuilt to park when towing a van or driving a motorhome so it is worth the stop and unhitch at one of the free camp spots or caravan parks for at least a few days.

The towns have also become busier while we were in Atherton shopping we were taken a back by how many RV's were lined up at the Supa IGA store and how many more just driving through. Now I think Atherton is an RV friendly town and there is parking around the town for RV vehicles but there is no real signposting to where these RV parking areas are especially the ones close to all the amenities. Mareeba is also a very busy town prospering from the passing tourist trade. The caravan parks are full and many of the attractions in this area have parking for cars towing caravans. The town of Mareeba is so busy at this time of year it can be a struggle just to cross the main road. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the small township of Walkamin. There is not much here but a few houses, school, general store and a caravan park. The caravan park is quite busy at this time of year. It is centrally located on the tablelands only 70Km from Cairns and there are lots of attractions within easy reach. The park is quite cheap currently $24.00 per night powered.

July and August seem to be the busiest months the inland route now becoming popular with travellers coming from the southern states allowing them to bypass the busier coastal route. A lot of the inland towns are now starting to prosper from the passing tourist trade heading north with the one big hook a free camp spot. If its a good spot to stop then people will linger longer in the area. Roads are also starting to improve with more of the inland roads traditionally gravel now being sealed. It is worth exploring the inland route options and they are not as lonely as you might think and you might see some suprisingly different sights.