Day 49: Mon 13 Jun - Innisfail to Yungaburra

Day 49: Mon 13 Jun - Innisfail to Yungaburra

Towed 103km

13 – 22°. It was a mild morning at Innisfail, becoming overcast throughout the day as we drove up onto the tablelands and by 4:00pm at Yungaburra, the wind had picked up across the Lake where we are parked, becoming quite fresh. By 8:00pm the temperature had dropped to 13deg again. Greg and I went for a morning walk around South Innisfail, before returning for breakfast, then we packed up and set off for Yungaburra on the Atherton tablelands. It was a short 35km drive to our first stop, the Mamu Tropical Skywalk in the Wooroonooran National Park. Greg and Wendy continued on towards Yungaburra, while Noeleene and I walked visited the Mamu Tropical Skywalk. For a little more than an hour, we walked along some lovely rainforest walking tracks, and an elevated canopy walkway with a cantilever, and climbed a 37m high observation tower with fantastic views across the rainforest canopy and into the North Johnstone river gorge.  The Mamu Rainforest is the homeland of the Mamu Aboriginal people. Afterwards, we drove a further 27km to the small rural town of Millaa Millaa where we met up with Greg and Wendy for our morning coffee. In the Lions Park, are a couple of monuments and an 800 year old Giant Kauri Pine log, remnants of a tree which was apparently felled by a cyclone. We continued our drive to the Lakeside Motor Inn and Caravan Park on Lake Tinaroo on the outskirts of Yungaburra arriving at about 1:00pm. It's a very large grassy site, with plenty of room and views of Lake Tinaroo. Amenities are small and dated, but clean.  After setting up and lunch, we all jumped on the bikes for a ride to visit Dave and Noy, friends of Greg and Wendy who live nearby on Lake Tinaroo with amazing views over the lake. The '3km ride' to visit them, as sold by Greg, sounded harmless enough, but he forgot to add how hilly it was, and that did not go down well with Noeleene. Nevertheless, Noeleene did ride (and pushed a little) there and back again - a good effort.  A bit after 4:00pm the wind started to get up, and coming off the Lake, it felt very fresh. We got back to the vans, had a hot shower then caught up for our daily planning meeting/sunset drinks at Greg and Wendy's van (their privacy screen protecting us from the cool breeze blowing across the lake), then we retired for the night in our respective vans. It was only a short drive today, but the day was nevertheless full of activity again, leaving us feeling a tad weary. 

Painted Rocks arranged in a leaf pattern symbolic of 'Growing together' at the entrance to the Mamu Tropical Skywalk

Entrance to the Mamu Tropical Skywalk

Along a walkway in the Mamu Tropical Skywalk

Mamu Tropical Skywalk rainforest canopy

Mamu Tropical Skywalk rainforest walkway



Mamu Tropical Skywalk cantilever - 40m long with last 10m cantilevered 20m high at the end


Rainforest plants

Mamu Tropical Skywalk


Mamu Tropical Skywalk

Mamu Tropical Skywalk

Approaching the Tower - 37m high

Views from the Tower

Views above the rainforest canopy from the Tower

Views above the rainforest canopy from the Tower


Views of the Johnstone River Gorge

Views of the Johnstone River Gorge



Views from the tower

Views above the rainforest canopy from the Tower

Mamu Aboriginal Shelter display

Rainforest vines

Information & Rest Shelter

Millaa Millaa

Coffee at Millaa Millaa

800year old Kauri Pines

Statue of Christie Palmerston and his aboriginal companion Pompo in the Lions Park in Millaa Millaa. Palmerston was the first European to make a feasable track through 90km of rainforest from Herberton and Innisfail.

Lions Park in Millaa Millaa



Comments

  1. Steven BJune 14, 2022 at 6:46 PM

    The rain forest would be of brilliant to see. Don't see trees like that been harvested for sawmilling any more.

    ReplyDelete

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