Dry Deserts to Misty Mountains

The contrast couldn’t have been more marked. For eight weeks we have travelled through scrub, desert, gibber plains, grasslands and dry dusty bushland. Within a couple of hours of leaving the Undara Volcanic National Park, the self-proclaimed “accessible Outback”, we found ourselves in one of the most lush, green and mountainous areas we have ever visited – and certainly the first since leaving the mountain that is our home!

The Atherton Tablelands reminds me of a range of places. The farms on the rolling green hills are reminiscent of South Gippsland. The red fertile soil could have been Silvan. One section of the Kennedy Highway reminded me of the Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, as it drops down to Upper Ferntree Gully (which seems so far away). But other sections are very uniquely tropical. We would drive through farm country and then quickly descend into gullies that included majestic waterfalls and tropical rainforests. The forests in particular were almost magical in their dense, humid atmosphere. Photos will never capture the damp, earthy smell, or the sounds of the birdlife hidden in this thick, impenetrable landscape.

We camped yesterday evening at the edge of Lake Tinaroo. The sounds of jetskis and power boats were incongruous for Marilyn & I, who enjoy the quiet remoteness of the natural environment. But the boys gazed at those whizzing about on the lake with a look of longing in their eyes.

The boys on a "biscuit"

Much of what we have experienced has been carefully planned – including last night’s camping spot. What has been unplanned has been the kindness and generosity of the many neighbours with whom we have shared various camping places. We have experienced gifts of fish and other food (including a paw paw that was brought to us tonight) and had many great conversations. This morning our neighbours, equipped with a jetski, biscuit and donuts, invited the boys to “have a go”. Even Jackson joined in the thrill of being towed at high speeds around the lake, delighting in becoming airborne when crossing the wake, and tenaciously following the one clear instruction: Hold on!

Nicholas & Ryan, having swum from the shore behind them!

Ryan and Nicholas decided they wanted to swim across the lake – about a kilometre – to a campsite on the opposite side. As much confidence as I have in their swimming ability, I was still relieved after half an hour of driving around the lake, to find them swimming towards the shore on our arrival there!

The boys have not lost their sense of wonder at the various places we’ve been and many things we have seen across this amazing continent. That wonder was evident again yesterday as we drove through the so-called “misty mountains” and across those rolling green hills. As much as we loved the wide open spaces of the Outback, it seems we were all ready for something different.  As we drove through narrow windy roads that weave through tropical rainforests of the Tablelands we were all in awe of the contrast with where we had been.

Tomorrow we drive further north-east towards Cooktown. For the first time we will set our eyes on the east coast. And then we will begin the long journey south towards home.