FINAL DAY OF TOUR- BACK TO CAIRNS

We woke to drizzling rain, which would continue all day.  During a brief respite we managed to walk along the main road of Cooktown to see the sights but by the time we drove up to the excellent lookout, which has 360 degrees views, it was raining hard and almost nothing could be seen.  We did find a spider huddling out of the rain.


On the highway south, we stopped briefly at Black Mountain, a very strange affair of huge granite boulders piled on top of one another, making a very unstable surface which has accounted for a number of climbers.  The rocks are covered with lichen, which gives the black appearance.  Apparently the local tribes greatly feared this mountain and gave it a wide berth.


A stop at a quaint pub named Daniel's Den and a visit to Wojul Wojul Falls before we headed off on the Bloomfield Track, through dense rainforest and up slippery slopes.  Again and again on this trip we have been very pleased to have someone else doing the driving and someone else's vehicle copping the pounding, and this was another of those times. There are a number of creek crossings on the way, and we stopped beside one big one while the bus brakes cooled down.  Most drivers are cautious but there are some who are just stupid, and who fly through the crossings without knowing how deep they are.

 Creek crossing, Daintree National Park


Cape Tribulation was disappointing because of the heavy rain, which meant a very hurried trot up the track to the beach and back, and because of the huge crowd of people doing this.  The rain meant we had to eat lunch in the bus, but since it was sandwiches this was not a problem.  




Next stop was a tropical fruit plantation which sold icecream made from exotic fruits- yum! Then on back to Cairns, where we were the first ones to leave the bus, as our caravan park was on the outskirts of the city.  Everyone waved to us as they drove off- it's always a sad moment at the end of a trip, but at least we know we'll keep in touch with Bob and Faye.