Day Forty Two - August 17th, 2013

Cairns to Yungaburra via Barron Falls and Kuranda

We've perfected our packing up routine by now, and after a swift breakfast and a round of goodbyes to Megan and Ben, we were off.

We took a detour from the Savannah Way towards Barron Gorge and the hydro-plant there. The views from the bridge were spectacular, and you could tell the power behind the 243m Surprise Creek Waterfalls would have been awesome in the wet season.

Back in the car and back on track, we headed up the very windy and steep path leading to the Barron Falls; the origin of the Baron Gorge. We parked up and I laced up my new walking boots for the first time. I felt a little silly as it was all boardwalk down to the lookout point, but Elly assured me it was necessary to break them in a little each day. The falls were fantastic, but again, in the wrong season. Unfortunately we were witnessing a trickle, rather than a torrent. Not to worry, it was still a great view.

We received a text from Megan and Ben letting us know they'd rented a car and would be at the Kuranda markets a little later. Seemed our goodbyes were a bit preemptive! After wandering through the bohemian market place for a while by ourselves, we came across them and joined forces. I managed to buy a book for a dollar, and Ben made friends with a large grasshopper who didn't want to leave him. There were some really magnificent photographs on display, and pieces of amazing aboriginal art, but we are holding off buying anything until later in the trip: we just can't fit it in the car.

We headed off to eat our lunch, leaving M&B browsing the stalls. The next stop, and the last for the day, would be Yungaburra. We were sidetracked once again however, and drove the 500m off the main road to see the Curtain Fig Tree. The fig tree germinates on a large host tree and gradually over time, takes over and strangles the host, bringing it to its demise. The weight of the dead tree causes it to collapse onto a neighbouring trunk, causing a curtain effect. The photos certainly don't do it justice - it was just the widest tree we'd ever seen! It's so exciting being in the rainforest; you never know what the next turn with expose.

We finally made it to Yungaburra, and pulled into the information centre. The helpful man let us know of two camping grounds in the area, and we set off for one set on a lake. Unfortunately they were fully booked, and we left feeling a little downhearted as the location on the vast blue lake was spectacular. We headed to our only remaining option and actually weren't disappointed. Nestled in by Eacham Lake, the reception was manned by an extremely helpful man who gave us an unpowered site for $19! Elly was over the moon, dipping below the budgeted $30 a night. The reception doubled as a little shop and there were even 2 petrol pumps outside, one diesel and one petrol. We checked in for 2 nights, set up camp in the rustic yet charming campground, and set off to explore the small village. We jumped into FoodWorks and bought the makings of ratatouille for tonight. We spotted a second hand bookstore, and went in search for a non-fiction adventure book for Elly. The shop was so welcoming, and the friendly couple who ran it had jazz playing over the speakers, and cake for sale as you searched for the perfect read. It was so higgldypiggldy, anyone could have settled in and been cosy. It was definitely a place my Dad would enjoy! Elly managed to haggle his way to a bargain price for 2 Bear Grills books, and we set off in search of the platypus viewing platform.

Who should be in the car in front, but Ben and Megan! Seems like the universe wanted us to spend the day together. We weren't expecting much, which meant we were totally blown away by the experience down by the creek. We saw a platypus straight away, and marvelled at the precious moment. I know how elusive they are in the zoo, let alone the wild! It was simply magic. They are so graceful, their appearance is preceded by a smattering of tiny air bubbles breaking the surface, followed by their small, lithe little bills and bodies. They either sat contentedly on top of the water for a few moments, drifting on the gentle current, or were effortlessly gliding over the top of the water, traveling at such a speed it seemed impossible for to be so tranquil. We spent a happy couple of hours haring up and down the river bed searching for them, and were not disappointed. We saw several, and a couple of turtles and a tree kangaroo, curled up asleep high in the branches, to boot. A perfect afternoon. We said our final goodbyes and headed back to the campsite. We showered and covered up protecting against the abundant mozzies, and cooked dinner in the camp kitchen, a corrugated iron structure. Everyone is friendly and there's a good vibe around. The walk to the loos is a little scary, surrounded by long grass, but if tomorrow is anything like today, I'll be signing up for several more nights here!