A more comfortable start today, as we didn't have to get up in the dark. First travel for the day was to return to Seisia (which is pronounced Saysha for some reason) to refuel the bus. I should mention the bus is very comfortable, with good seats and the suspension's been modified for the bad roads- mostly it's quite good, but on corrugated sections we do feel it, probably not as much as people in normal 4WD vehicles).
Seisia's a tiny place, really not much more than a wharf with some small associated buildings, caravan park nearby, and some houses and a servo. The main town in the area is Bamaga, quite a pleasant place with neat gardens and a few shops- still a very small town.
Leaving Bamaga behind, we set off down the road to the south. We passed another settlement, where people have been relocated from Weipa because they were in the way of the bauxite. They're taken hundreds of miles from their land, put in these settlements with people from other tribes and nothing to do, a recipe for trouble.
The first stop of the day was the Jardine River crossing, where drivers are held to ransom. Only one way across, and $88 return fare for a fairly short crossing.
Next stop, Fruit Bat Falls, so named for the shape, not for the presence of bats. It's a delightful place with safe swimming, but we arrived at the same time as a large convoy of 4WD vehicles, each one full of kids on school hols. Normally a very peaceful place, according to Peter, it was really jumping this day, and the air was filled with shouts and squeals.
When they all left, suddenly peace reigned, but it was time for us to leave as well. Luckily they were heading north, we were going south, so we didn't have to eat their dust.
On the way Peter kept his eyes peeled for items of interest. He stopped once to show us a dead black snake, and another time for a live python, which he unsuccessfully tried to grab by the tail, but we were able to see it slithering away into a pile of debris, quite a long snake.
At Moreton Station, a former outpost of the northern telegraph line on the banks of the Wenlock River, which floods the whole area each wet season. (A croc was seen walking up the main road last season- this is the middle of the peninsula!) Peter drove us across the river to show us the sign high above us in the trees - "we were here in a boat"- incredible but the high water mark is also shown outside the main building.
We had safari tent accommodation, which is actually quite comfortable, with even a little bedside table, so nicer than the previous nights' "resort". No ensuite but the amenities were close by. The only problem was the similarity of the tents- when returning to ours after dinner (which was excellent, in an indoor/outdoor dining area) it was too dark to read the numbers and I found myself in the wrong tent! Luckily nobody was in it.
We'd been for a pre-dinner walk to some strange caves, formed by the forces of this river. I felt really strange here, and couldn't leave quickly enough. I don't know for sure, but I think people have been swept into these caves and died.
No comments:
Post a Comment