Mission Accomplished at Mission Beach

Critter of the Week - The Cassowary

After 15 years of trying to find this elusive prehistoric beast of a bird, I was almost convinced it was a myth drummed up for tourists.  Nevertheless, I had it on good authority from the nice lady at Mission Beach’s Tourist Information, that they do exist, and to never give up the quest.  She said, they could be anywhere, or nowhere – not that helpful.  Nonetheless, now stationed on the Cassowary Coast we embarked on a challenging trek through the rain forest to give it a hot shot.  We navigated rocky creek beds, ignored the crocodile warning signs, and eventually emerged out of the bush at a place called Tam O’Shanter Point.  Along this secluded beach we stumbled across a few clues that Big Bird might be in the vicinity. 

While we were analysing the diverse contents of the scat, channeling our best David Attenborough, a vivid azure streak caught my eye from the nearby bush.   Not usually one for expletives, I have to admit that the F bomb was deployed due to my twin surge of utter excitement and alarm.

Clue 1:  No Shit Sherlock - that looks like Cassowary scat 💩

Clue 2:  Tracks of the creature that will rip out your innards with its razor claws, given half a chance

Mhairi - The Mutant Injured Turtle

Our mission at Mission Beach was well and truly accomplished… or so we thought.  We were on such a high after finding our feathered friend, we almost walked right past a massive Green Sea Turtle stranded on the shore.  We noticed it had a big gash on its shell and flipper was severely damaged, probably from a boat propellor strike.  Initially we thought it was dead, but upon closer inspection, it raised its head, gaped its mouth and looked like it was pleading to us “HELP ME” 😭.  

Luckily, we had phone service and Steve was able to contact Mission Beach Wildlife Rescue who launched a rescue mission right away.  They called us later that evening wanting to discuss the near 80 kilo old lady - and for a second, I thought they were referring to me.  How rude!  But they were actually letting us know that the turtle, which they had named Mhairi, was resting comfortably in a bath of painkillers and antibiotics and would undergo surgery if she survives the next few days.  

They asked our permission if they could post a video of the rescue story on their Facebook Page.  Local heroes of the day – who would have thunk it!!  Here's the link to the Facebook story Rescue Mission

Fingers crossed for Mhairi

Big Thing – The Big Cassowary (of course)

Paranormal Paronella Park

Captivated by the romantic story of a Spanish immigrant who constructed a castle in the middle of the Australian jungle, we set off to Meena Creek to learn more about this dreamer’s tale from the 1930s.  Over several years, José Paranella built an adult theme park and castle next to a waterfall.  He threw lavish parties and got very rich.  However, following his death, disasters such as floods, fire and cyclones ravaged Paronella Park.  Eventually, it was left abandoned and vibrant, green lichen took over the ruins.

Paranella Park by day

José and his wife Marguerita

Thirty years ago, Mark and Judy, a couple doing a lap of Australia, just like us, stumbled upon the abandoned buildings and decided to embark on the massive project of restoring José's castle and its history.  For the bargain price of the entry fee, you get a guided tour, permission to camp in your van onsite and do a night tour.  Whilst it was an enchanting experience in a breathtaking setting, I didn’t sleep a wink that night.  As the hours passed, an eerie feeling slowly took hold of me.  I can't explain it, it was just weird.   

The next day, I Googled if any previous visitors had experienced a “presence” at Paronella Park.  Turns out, they have!  Will I take advantage of the “free return visit within 2 years” offer?  No Way, José 👻

Mena Creek Falls at Paranella Park

Paranella Park by night

A Toothy Situation in the Tablelands

I guess you should expect rainfall in a rainforest.  After a damp week we decided to leave the coastal areas and venture up to the Atherton Tablelands and surrounding areas.  Whilst the rain had ceased, the temperature had plummeted.  Being true Poms, we love to moan about the weather, so we put on long trousers (or "pants" in Aussie speak) and enjoyed a (very) fresh topic of conversation with our fellow campers.  With the small talk out of the way, one of our new camping buddies asked Steve if had a set of needle files in his toolkit.  Steve, helpful as ever, was delighted to oblige, assuming it was for some caravan maintenance.  A short while later, the man put the file in Steve's hand proclaiming it had worked a treat – his false teeth were now in perfect gnashing order again!! 😁

During our stay in the Tablelands we had fun visiting the historic tin mining village of Herbaton and the highest town in Queensland, Ravenshoe.  Of course, Steve had to have a pint in the highest pub in Queensland 😉

We had a great time in the Tablelands driving the Waterfall Circuit.  Too many to include, but my favourite waterfall was Millaa Millaa.  

Volcanic activity in this area 9,000 years ago has resulted in stunning crater lakes like Lake Eacham and the Hypipamee Crater.

Lake Eacham - 65 metres deep!

Hypipemee Crater - the pond at the bottom is covered in bright green Duckweed

Word of the Week – Cauliflory

On our waterfall walks some of the trees were covered in “Cauliflory”.  It’s a unique reproduction strategy where flowers and fruit grow from a tree’s trunk in order to attract a greater number of pollinators like bats and tree marsupials.  It was an amazing thing to see up close.

It’s a Bug’s Life

We have had flora and fauna overload over the last week, and there has been no escape when we return to camp after daily adventures.  Here’s our resident Huntsman in the kitchen making a meal of any mozzies.  Meanwhile his mate, the Praying Mantis is perfecting his pole dancing routine.