Day 33 – Saturday 21 August 2021 –260 km.

After a very windy night (Cook Town is a very windy little town) a slow start this morning, we chatted to some of our neighbours & got on the road around 9.40am. On the road south we stopped at the three lookouts that were on the left side of the road that we missed on the way to Cooktown. The first of these was the Black Mountain lookout on Trevethan Range. This jumble of large granite boulders is very interesting, the rock has not weathered like all the other mountains around, thus there is very little vegetation, a few fig trees poking out between the boulders here & there & that is it.

We continue on & our next stop is the Bywater Range with again an amazing view from the lookout at the top of the range. The view back towards Cooktown is beautiful.  There is also some explanation boards under a shelter shed that give a good story of the history of the region.

Our third lookout stop is part way down a range descent & the view looking south is extraordinary. The range nearby is also interesting with some bare rock faces that must be a torrent of water in the wet season. All the stops were a good opportunity to stretch our legs.

The Hungry Pug Café in Mareeba is our choice for lunch and the burger is the biggest I have ever seen & just as tasty. This is the first one I have not been able to wrap my mouth around. No dinner again tonight, I am so full.

Our destination today is Granite Gorge, west of Mareeba, thank goodness for satellite navigation. We book in & set up with a group of onlookers watching us open the van up, we chat to them as well. It is the weekend & the park is nearly full of families camping in tents. We go for a walk on the gorge track and my goodness, this gorge is stunning. The path is well marked & we climb up & down over huge granite boulders with water flowing through, over & under them. Each way we look the view is amazing. Part of the walk takes us to the swimming hole & there are a few people enjoying themselves in this beautiful pool. The next part of our walk takes us to an area that is swarming with small rock wallabies. They are so cute & small & come up to us looking for a handout. There are a few peacocks & peahens wandering around as well.

No dinner tonight, lunch was too much, we have a game of cards with some cheese & bikkies & a glass of red wine. Another great day.