We drove south from Cooktown out of the very Wet Tropics towards banana and coffee country. We stopped at the Lakeland servo for sandwiches, whilst watching the passing cavalcade of 4WD vehicles, motor homes, campervans and every possible incarnation of the caravan. Leaving Lakeland, we travelled past Palmer River Roadhouse and Mount Molloy before arriving mid afternoon at the Trinity Plains Kui caravan park out of Mareeba. We'd stopped briefly at the Tourism Information Centre but Michael was spent after a day's driving. He dropped me at Coles where I proceeded to purchase every bottle of alkaline water on the shelf plus a few other items. We then gratefully settled into the park, showered and enjoyed an exceedingly early night. The following morning, we decided that clothes washing was required, so we paid for an additional night.
Mareeba is a large regional administrative town, with some fabulous hidden secrets. Due to Michael's dodgy hips and my suspect knee, we choose to avoid the waterfalls and Granite Gorge (which will both have to wait until we have been rebuilt...), we set out for Coffee Works, located in the light industrial area on the edge of town.
Even though I am not particularly into coffee drinking, Coffee Works offers a superb experience of the fantastic history of coffee, exquisite giftware, great food, teas, coffees and liqueurs (!) all under one roof. We staggered out after a wonderful couple of hours, with additional knowledge and appreciation, having been delightfully assaulted by an outstanding attraction. Do not miss Coffee Works whilst visiting Mareeba, as this place was just totally unexpected.
Next morning, we stopped at the Mareeba Heritage Museum prior to moving on to Yungaburra. This was another amazing hidden gem. Like a micro version of the Herberton Historic Village, this place was free of charge and represented earlier times in the life of Mareeba. We happily spent a couple of hours wondering around though the exhibits which included Jamieson House, a completely renovated property that had been transported to the location in a decrepit state.
We drove onto Yungaburra, a quaint village with nearly twenty heritage listed buildings. After eight days in Romeo, we decided to shout ourselves a spa villa at the glorious Blue Summit establishment on Yungaburra's main drag. After divine showers, we gleefully wallowed in the double spa bath, before setting out for the pub. Dinner was followed by a spot of television before we tumbled into bed. Make sure to sample the house port whilst staying at the Blue Summit.
The morning dawned cool and cloudy. The Pit Stop Café provided a fabulous breakfast, followed by sustained browsing in the Artistree Gallery and the neighbouring Global Free Style Lifestyle Fashion. I came away with an outfit for David's 70th birthday bash and some gifts for family.
We moved onto Atherton for some essential groceries and then to a fabulous photographic exhibition at the Tablelands Regional Gallery next to the library. This was a graphic art showcase and some of the pieces were absolutely amazing and thought - provoking. We then moved onto Herberton for our overnight stop at the Wild River caravan park units. We arrived mid afternoon and settled into our basic but very comfortable accommodation. I spent a couple of hours sorting the camper and our clothes. The days would warm as we headed through the savannah but the nights would be cooler. I found our thermals and jumpers that would be necessary for our movement west.
Before we leave for Undara, we plan to check out the Herberton Mining Museum and other attractions in this historic village.
The Old Farts' Epic Road Trip rolls on! Stay tuned for our next update...
We never know what we will find!
