Our previous chapter left off with us at Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland, one of the most beautiful places we had so far visited. By now we knew we were beginning to run short of time to complete our circumnavigation of Australia so reluctantly we had to leave and start to head south. Going further north would not have been an option anyway because back then in 2006 Cape Tribulation was about as far north as any useable roads went. To access the rest of Cape York Peninsula would require a much more rugged caravan than we had as it was all dirt roads and sometimes no roads at all.

So we headed south to Cairns, one of the largest cities in Far North Queensland and the place which many people visit as one of the best places to access the Great Barrier Reef. We spent a day snorkelling over the reef and it was absolutely stunning. The colours were amazing and I even managed to swim alongside a huge greenback turtle.

We also took a day trip aboard a vintage train which winds its way up the mountain behind Cairns and takes you past waterfalls and crosses gorges and ends up in the town of Kuranda. We came back down the mountain on the Skyrail, an overhead cable car which goes just above the treetop canopy of the tropical rainforest which covers the mountainside. Another unforgettable experience.

From Cairns we headed inland and after a couple of stops bush camping we ended up in the town of Charters Towers, a really nice town, whose origins like so many inland towns and cities in Australia was founded on the discovery of gold. For a time it was one of the most productive gold producers in the country but by the early twentieth century it became uneconomical and production dried up.

From Charters Towers we carried on further inland south westwards and reached Longreach, the town where the Australian airline Qantas was founded. Qantas is one of the worlds oldest airlines and gets its name from the acronym Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services.

Longreach is also home to the Stockman’s Hall of Fame, which despite our misgivings over why such a thing even existed was actually a really worthwhile and interesting place to visit.

Leaving Longreach we struck out due east passing through Barcaldine, Jericho, and Emerald where we turned south to Takarakka which stands at the entrance to Carnarvon Gorge. We had been recommended to come here as the gorge is a truly wonderful scenic area and a hike through the gorge is a must. It is also physically quite demanding if, like us, you try to go right to the end and back again all in one day. But we did just that and were richly rewarded by some fabulous scenery including aboriginal rock art thousands of years old and some rare plants, like 2,000 year old cycads and tree ferns. An amazing place.

to be continued………