Cooktown Memories - 2013 - Day 3 35 -37 -Ravenshoe, Malanda, Mareeba

Millstream Falls

DAY 35

We left Innot Hot Springs and headed for Ravenshoe about 34km and through some lovely country, so different from the last few weeks, as we are now in the tropical north of Australia.  Along the way we stopped at Millstream Falls, claimed to be the widest single drop waterfall.  I didn't walk all the way to the falls as my knee was a bit painful so I stopped about halfway for a rest while Ron walked on and took some photos.  We then headed on to Ravenshoe and called into the Info Centre and then on to Malanda where we booked into the caravan park for 2 nights. We had a lovely site that backed onto a stream and rainforest with orchids growing on the trees, just beautiful.

The creek behind our caravan site  at Malanda

Malanda caravan park

Lovely orchids at the caravan park

After setting up in the caravan park, we walked the short distance back into Malanda, and stopped at the Dairy Centre for a nice cold milkshake and then walked on to see the Malanda Falls.

Malanda Falls

Malanda Falls

 We never seem to be able to sit around for long, so  after lunch next day we drove out to the Nerada Tea Plantation about 10km out.  Nerada Tea Plantation is the largest industrial tea plantation in Australia

Spectacular scenery on way to the tea plantation

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Tree kangaroo

While we were there having a nice pot of tea, the waitress told us there was a tree kangaroo outside in the tree, so we were lucky enough to get some photos although the tree kangaroo wasn't keen on being photographed.

We left Malanda after 2 days and our next stop was at Atherton for a quick look around, and as our grandsons were interested in rocks and minerals, we bought a bag of polished agate at the Information Centre, then onto Mareeba where we were expecting to collect a parcel from the Post Office but unfortunately it hadn't arrived, so we decided we would return to Mareeba on our way back from Cooktown.

We somehow managed to take a wrong turn and ended up on a side road to the Mareeba War Museum, didn't stop to look but soon got back onto the road again to Cooktown.

Horses on the road to Cooktown

The Annam River in Cooktown

Road to Cooktown - sunny

Road to Cooktown - clouds gathering

Road to Cooktown - then rain

And then very windy too

From Mareeba to Cooktown is 266 km.

We arrived in Cooktown late in the afternoon and after driving around trying to find the Information Centre and then phoning a few caravan parks without much luck, as either a message or no answer at all, we drove out to the Big 4 caravan park, the most expensive in town, but at least we were able to get a site and the park was very well set out and we had a good site.