Wallaman Falls and Tyto Wetlands

 The beach and pier at Cardwell.

 Sugar cane in bloom.

 Wallaman Falls.

 On the hike down.

 The falls from the bottom.

 An agile wallaby.

 The vegetation of the Tyto wetlands.

A pair of spoonbills.

Sunday July 3^rd

Woke up and went down to the beach to see the sunrise but it was overcast, so I walked the beach for a while listening to the surf and the birds, feeling the breeze and smelling the surf. I came across another market where the locals were selling crafts, food preserves, fruit and plants. On the way back I stopped at the Early Riser's Cafe and had a bacon and egg toasted roll.

I went back to the room and watched a bit of news and found out that the election has not been resolved. It is too close to count and it may be days before the result is known.

I drove south from Mission Beach to Cardwell where I walked the beach to a rainforest and reef information centre. This is another area where the two meet. I talked to a lady about crocs in the area and she told me that the death of the woman in Daintree happened when she was walking along the beach with a friend. Can you imagine the horror? She also told me about a waterfall I should visit.

There is a narrow channel of water between Cardwell and the Hinchinbrook Range, which form a large island just off shore.

Then I set out for Girringun National Park to see Wallaman Falls. It was a 50 kilometre drive one way. The first part was on a couple of flat straight roads with open range (watch out for the cows!) and then it rose steeply for 20 kilometres along a winding road up into the mountain range. The view of the falls from the lookout was incredible. They fall over a cliff 268 metres to the bottom. A lot of the water vaporizes on the way down. Beside the parking lot was a sign pointing to another lookout and a 2 km walk to the base of the falls. I looked down and said “I'm not interested in that and I don't have the time to do that” but somehow my feet just lead me down the path to the lookout and keep going down the steep path with multiple switchbacks through the rainforest to the floor. The view from the bottom was just as impressive. I talked to a couple who live in the area and they told me that when they were kids they used to scramble over the rocks past the barrier to have a swim in the pool. They also told me that the road up the mountain has only been paved for two years which has made it more accessible. The 2km down was a lot easier than the 2km back up but I kept in mind what I learned on Killimanjaro just keep a steady pace where you can breathe and don't stop. Actually it was better than I expected.

I drove the 50 km back to Ingram looking for cassowaries and watching out for cows. When I got there I continued south towards Townsville. I really didn't know where to go so I just drove. I stumbled upon the Tyto Wetlands and went for a walk. I saw several agile wallabies (that's their name I didn't make it up) and a number of different types of birds including the spoonbills in the tree. The light failed and the sun set by the time I arrived. Townsville is a much larger place than I expected and since it had a highway bypass I took it. I don't like driving in the dark because you can't see what you are driving past and I worry about 'hoppers' and other animals on the road. So I stopped at the first motel I found got a room, ate dinner in their restaurant, and then sat outside the lobby using the internet because it doesn't work in my room.