Sunday 6th September 2015

Cooktown

Curlews had been calling through the night, morning brought a whole new band on to the forest stage. We still don't know them there are so many but it is cheering to wake to their vigorous songs and calls..

We skip breakfast and Mal absentmindedly makes Sue coffee where she always has tea, well for the past 10 years or so.

Well first port of call is the Cooktown harbor - well yes we see that - what we do see that makes Mal's heart beat in unison is a sweet running BMW R75/5 that idles around through the car park and gives us a cheery wave as he sees Mal's drool - he just can't help himself. Then we catch up with a Melbourne couple who we saw last night at sunset and Mal shows them a couple of photos from our trip on his laptop.

We have a long day ahead of us so we excuse ourselves and head for the wetlands just out of town to see if there are any great birds having a late breakfast. We follow a large tourist bus into the car park which is barely large enough for him to turnaround in - we take our left over pizza to the bird hide for a late breakfast. The birds have finished early and being Sunday have put on a nice hat and headed off to church. Sue dos get some Burdiken ducks and a few others.

A bunch of noisy trail bikes stamp and swear with their raucous exhausts - oh how sweet the old BMW sounded and really these bikes are what mal would use for landfill in eroded gullies.

We run up to Black Mountain - well it is more a range composing several hills made of large granite boulders that are just piled willy nilly in about four or five very large hills. How were they formed? Well we asked too but at present do not know what the geologists have to say on the matter.

The Lion's Den hotel is just down the road. Mal had not been there since Col, Beth, Wendy and himself stopped there one day after a rather rugged ride to try and get to Bloomfield on their motorbikes in late 1974 - the road now is all bitumen - and it is rather like parts of the coast around Cairns back in the late 70's - still remote but fairly well populated. The Lion's Den revealed the most amazing flower of the trip a pale green flower with soft lilac tinges.

We ran on down to Bloomfield, along the way we saw a red Mitubushi 4x4 parked up by the road - we both commented - Helen and Ken who we had met at Kalpower Crossing - where stopped for lunch at a café - the place is very attractive. Well we are busy gobbling down our lunch and in pull Helen and Ken - they join us for lunch and it is really good to share road stories and bird finds.

BLOOMFIELD TRACK

Well it is not called the Bloomfield Track anymore - it is just the Bloomfield Road - and fair enough. It is rough, it is steep, it is narrow in some places - but it is a road not a track.

We dodged the Postie Challenge bikes that swarmed towards us like small red locusts - Mal just did not want one stuck in his radiator - some looked fairly shakey on their small bikes given how rough and steep the road was - especially at the Northern end where we met the hoards.

It is only 33k from Bloomfield to Cape Tribulation but it is still a harrowing drive - Mal was glad to stroll down to the beach and take a break. However no rest for the wicked - first we opened up Vickiu for ahose inspection for a couple who are interested in a slide on - then in pulls Derek in his Toyota with a Optima (Active Camper) on his vehicle. So we chat with Derek for a bit - he is heading up the track.

The run through the forests and past the numerous café's, home stays, camping options, and this is a tourist mecca (as it should be too) was slow with the numerous speed bumps on the road - then as we run the last 3km to the ferry a typical hyped tradie in his ute races past us and the vehicle in front so he dosen't run the risk of missing the ferry - no worries Jack there was plenty of room for all and several more who did not come. $14 later we are motoring across the Daintree and Sue is photographing a small grey bird who is also going across for the ride.

Then we drive, the day is getting late, the large mountains have on dark wooly night caps and sun is shrouded in clouds. We pass the Trayon camper at the bottom of the range and drive on up to Jalatten and through Mount Malloy and we arrive at Jeff's place just on sunset.

Great to stay with Jeff and we have a reasonably late night after a beautiful stew Jeff has prepared.

A sad cloud has bobbed along behind us all day since we got a text from Tahnee letting us know the Grandmar Betty (Wendy's mum) passed away earlier in the day. Betty was really a favourite of Mal's and she will be sadly missed by the family and friends who loved her. How fleeting life is and how precious each day.