TUESDAY, April 21

We left Port Douglas and headed to the Atherton Tablelands. It was still a little overcast but didn’t look like rain. We drove north toward Mossman but turned off before we got to the town. Our first stop was at a lookout which was looking toward the Mossman River delta. We could see Crocodile Island (and see why it got that name).

We had heard of a place in Mareeba called Coffee World and thought we would go and see – it was pretty gimmicky and the displays looked like a garage sale. We browsed around for a few minutes but chose not to tour the factory for another $40. Off we went to find something else to look at and we spotted the Mareeba Museum and Info Centre. It was a fascinating museum with displays covering all aspects of Aussie life in that area. We really enjoyed it and a lot of the items were the same as at home.

The next town was Atherton – John had read about a place called The Crystal Caves. We were still unsure about visiting it but we stopped by – the young fellow at the counter gave us a good sell and then offered us the seniors rate and guaranteeing that we would love it or our money would be refunded. Well, he was right – it was fascinating. The guy who owns the Crystal Caves is the owner of the largest gem-quality amethyst in the world – the Empress of Uruguay.

Then we had a quick stop at Maccas for lunch and started toward the Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Resort but we got sidetracked by the sight of a platypus viewing area so we had to stop. No platypus in sight at that time, so we decided to go and find a geocache at the Curtain Fig Tree which we did fairly easily (other than getting caught by a wait-a-while vine).

We picked up a few groceries, set the GPS and found our way to the lodge. It was a rustic little place but very clean – the biggest draw for us was the nocturnal animal viewing platform. We were told that the possums and sugar gliders started showing up around 8 p.m.
It was so much fun watching them – we stayed for an hour or so and finally had to go back to our apartment as I was getting cold and my throat was irritated (probably from all the air conditioning).

WEDNESDAY, April 22

Not too many plans for today other than some exploring and trying to see platypus. We drove to Malanda and spotted an info centre and waterfall so we made a quick stop to look at the waterfall and look at the info centre. When we got to the info centre, the fellow who was manning it told us that there was a nature conservancy trail across the road and we might be able to catch a glimpse of platypus and tree kangaroos. We took a walk but all we saw were some turtles.

Back to the car and off to explore some more – we saw a road sign for another set of falls – Dinner Falls and a place called The Crater. These were in an area where cassowaries are seen so it was another chance to find an elusive bird. No luck on the cassowary, but the Crater was very impressive (well at least John says it was – I couldn’t get close enough to the very high fenced edge to actually see it!). The falls were pretty too – guess it helps that it’s been raining here lately so the water was running freely.

After making a circuit and ending up back at Atherton, we to head back to our room and make a picnic lunch to take to Lake Eachem Park. We had an observer while we were eating – think he was waiting for something to drop or for us to feed him.

We were waiting for 4 p.m. since the receptionist at the resort had told us that the best time for platypus viewing was between 4 and 6. While exploring around Yungaburra, we came across a memorial for the soldiers who gave their lives in Afghanistan. It was a beautiful place, near the shores of Lake Tinaroo.

Finally it was time to go and watch for platypus. We walked up and down the creek bank, trying to be quiet and find a platypus. We spent almost 2 hours and then decided to head out. At the viewing platform, we paused and looked out – and a few minutes later, there were 3 platypus in sight. Just then, a bus load of sightseers pulled up as well as other people. One family was leaving at the same time as we were and told us of a place on the way to Millaa Millaa where the platypus had taken over a fish pond so that is where we are going on the way back to Cairns.