Lava tubes, a train, lots of bush and tiny outback towns...

Howdy! I have decided to start typing (when I have the motivation and time) a daily log of our activities, saved on our computer…then when I go online I can simply copy and paste a very detailed and up to date entry onto our blog site!

So this is the start of that process!…

Thursday, July 6th

Had a relaxing morning at our caravan park at tiny Mt Surprise…a much needed rest to be honest! Then at midday we boarded the Savannahlander….an outback tourist train that runs from Cairns and heads west, traveling between some very small towns in this area, including of course, Mt Surprise. The rail line was originally built when the towns around here were big mining and gem fossicking areas.

It was a fun 2 hour train ride to a town called Einasleigh…about 80 k south of mount surprise. The land is hard- quite rocky from past volcanic activity…lots of bush and brown grass and huge termite mounds! When we reached the town we went to a quaint old pub for a cold drink- the only pub remaining in the area since the mining stopped. It was opposite Copperfield Gorge… a scenic spot with freshwater crocs. We saw on the way quite a few huge wedge-tailed eagles…such huge and impressive birds.

On the way back (a bus met us and drove us back to Mt Surprise) our guides stopped by a lovely part of the river so we could all have “smoko” they boiled the billy over a fire and we had tea and coffee and cookies, which was nice.

Tomorrow another big day awaits touring the lava tubes!

Friday July 7th

A fun, long day touring the Undara Lava Tubes, about 50 k from mt Surprise. Lots of fun and the lava tubes are really amazing. Undura means “long way” in Aboriginal language- one of the flows extends more than 160kms! Basically, there was a volcanic eruption around 190,000 years ago and molten lava burst from the crater and flowed across the land in different directions….rivers of lava. The air begun to cool the surface of the lava rivers, which eventually formed a solid crust…while molten lava continued to flow inside the tube. Eventually the lava flowed out to the far end of the tubes, leaving hollow tunnels.

It was part of those tunnels we walked through today- huge structures, which are now home to many species of bats- some of them quite rare and endangered, It was fascinating to see. We also walked around the rim of a volcanic crater. The entire area is covered with old craters and is pretty amazing to see. All this bush and volcanic formations. It was also another perferct day- a blue blue sky, with not a cloud, just a half moon hanging in the rich blue and the green gum trees stretching far and wide.

We saw a huge flock of red-tailed black cockatoos this afternoon too, plus lots of galas and apostle birds. So another good day! (even though I’d love a swim at the beach!!)

Saturday, July 8th

Sunny blue skies again! Drops to around 6 or so at night, then up to about 21 degrees at lunchtime…so lovely weather.
Packed up and left Mt Surprise today, with its population of 60 and headed west to Georgetown…slightly bigger, and actually has a few shops here!..probably about 250 people live here. This afternoon we drove to a nearby swamp, which is known for attracting lots of birds and wildlife during the dry season. It was terrific! Covered in lilies and full of birds! We spent over an hour just sitting and watching and saw some beautiful waterbirds we’ve never seen before…there were even wild pigs coming down to the shore to drink.

Tomorrow we are heading south of here to a tiny outback town called Forsayth, then further on to Cobbold Gorge…where we will take a boat trip into the very narrow gorge. Should be fun!
Then we are heading onwards to Normanton and Karumba, in the heart of Gulf country- lots of barra, prawns and mud crabs up there!

Love to all… Em & Ad xx