Category Archives: Cairns

The Savannah Lander – Day 4

Australia, bark, Cairns, Cairns, Gulf Savannah, Landscape, moss & lichen, mosses/lichens, other, plains, Plant, Qld, river/creeks, rock, States, Textures, Uncategorised

The last day was mostly train travel from Mt Surprise back to Cairns. The Doc was up early and walked to the railway station, having a look around the township. There was also a small market in front of the station with locals selling to the tourists. A great idea. However the food was mostly in glass, so The Doc passed on the opportunity.

There was some excitement on the way home including the train being held up by young bushrangers. A great way for kids to earn pocket money! The passengers were warned that we’d be robbed 😉

Instead of repeating some of the earlier photos let’s look at some textures, here bark and leaves.

And some rock and minerals. Enjoy.

Next day the flight home. An enjoyable trip which included a visit to Pungalina and the Savannah Lander train trip. Yes The Doc used the wrong watermark on the pictures.

The Savannah Lander – Day 3

Australia, Cairns, Cairns, Gulf Savannah, plains, Qld, river/creeks, States

The Doc was up before dawn. Near The Doc’s Room was an unusual looking Toyota Kluger, when he looked closer it had Texas numberplates. The US version of the Kluger is certainly chunkier than the Australian version.

Off to have an early breakfast near a very nice infinity pool as the sun came up.

Next stop was Cobbold Gorge itself. After travelling through the Kimberley and Pilbara The Doc has visited many gorges, but nothing like Cobbold Gorge. This gorge was formed when an earthquake ripped the earth apart. Over time it weathered into an extremely narrow gorge, what the Doc calls a Weight Watchers gorge! By narrow, The Doc means a standard tinny could not get through some parts of the gorge.

10 people each got into the 2 custom-made boats. The boats were narrow and long with an electric motor at each end (a trolling motor). Silica has leached out of the sandstone rocks forming an extremely hard but polished surface, making it very resistant to weathering.

While the gorge is not particularly long, it is unique. There is plenty of freshwater fish, including the resident freshwater crocodile.

We headed back to the camp, collected our gear, and were loaded onto the bus. We were driven back to Forsayth but the train had already left earlier in the morning. The bus drove us to Einasleigh to meet the train at lunch time.

We ate a simple lunch at the Einasleigh pub and were back onto the train. We travelled back over the rivers and waterways to Mt Surprise. We were booked into our rooms at Bedrock Village.

We had to be on the bus within 30 minutes and were taken for a tour of the Undara Lava Tubes. Gary was our guide.

‘Undara’ is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘long way’. The park protects one of the longest lava tube cave systems in the world. About 190,000 years ago, a large volcano erupted violently, spewing molten lava over the surrounding landscape. The lava flowed rapidly down a dry riverbed. The top, outer-layer cooled and formed a crust, while the molten lava below drained outwards, leaving behind a series of hollow tubes. (Department of Parks)

We visited The Archway and the nearby Stephenson’s Cave. The stairs and walkways made the whole experience enjoyable (as well as protecting the caves). The archways, colours and textures were extraordinary and the size of the caves bigger than what the pictures show. These are lava tubes so they don’t have stalagmites and stalactites like limestone caves.

Look closely and you can even see Tweety bird on the wall.

The Doc also saw 2 Mareeba Rock Wallabies darting around. Gary said it was the first time he saw them in this area and The Doc saw two! These wallabies were fast and agile across the rocks.

We travelled back to Bedrock Village for a meal that night. A simple meal well done is one of the simple pleasures of life. It was a full day and probably the highlight of the trip.

The Savannah Lander – Day 2

Australia, Cairns, Cairns, Gulf Savannah, Landscape, landscape, plains, Qld, river/creeks, States

The Doc was up early, we had a simple breakfast and were transported back to Almaden and boarded the train.

The Savannah Lander soon turned off onto the Etheridge Line where the rail was lighter and the trip now quite rough.

Plenty of water crossings like Sandy Tate River, Rocky Tate River, Saltwater Creek (no it is not salt water) and Fossil Brooke. It is the dry season, so only a little water – actually more than normal, due to recent rain. Unfortunately the train does not operate in the wet season as the water would transform the landscape.

The morning tea stop was at the Bullock Creek Café. OK it was an enjoyable morning tea beside the train, prepared by Wil and Leigh.

Lunch was at Bedrock Village, Mt Surprise. Yabba dabba doo! It was owned by Joe and Jo not Fred and Wilma. I did not see Betty or Barney either.

Then a long but picturesque train trip to Forsayth. The Doc took a turn up the front pretending to be train driver Casey Jones (played by Alan Hale Jr. later to be even more famous as the Skipper in Gilligans Island).

There are an historic train and car near the Railway Station. It included the Desert Rose, a Dodge truck used by the old dunny carter, I kid you not.

We meet the bus and were driven to Cobbold Gorge. We arrived after dark and enjoyed a nice dinner. Off to bed for an early rise and tour of Cobbold Gorge.