You guessed right !!!!!!!!!!!!! Croc photos
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tim and Leanne
Dear Family and Friends.
I'm doing a bit of a catch up here as Tim and Leanne came up for a visit and we have had a very busy three days sight seeing.
Having not seen any family for a well over six months it was good to put my arms around them and give them both a hug. It has made me realise how much I have missed all our family.
Tim and Leanne arrived in Cairns on the red eye special arriving at just after midnight. Ravenshoe is a good two and half hours away from Cairns so we didn't like the idea of driving back here at that time of night so we had booked into a Motel at Palm Cove that was just 15 minutes from the airport. I think we all fell into bed we were all so tired.
On our way back to Ravenshoe on the Saturday we detoured here and there sightseeing starting off at Barron Falls. The Barron Falls are a 260 metre granite faced waterfall that can easily be seen by taking road, rail or skyrail and they are a sight to be seen. If you look back on the blog you will see the difference in the falls from the first time we saw them to the time we went with Erica and Peter to this past weekend with Leanne and Tim. They were awesome to look at and the water going over them was just amazing. It was the best time to see them as the pictures in the tourist magazines were no better than the pictures we took with Tim and Leanne.
From Barren Falls we drove up to Mareeba where we had lunch at the Ant Hill Hotel.
Driving toward Atherton I wanted to stop at Walkamin where there was a really good place to get fruit and vegetables but when we drew up there it wasn't there anymore. This place wasn't just a roadside stall where they have an honesty box and you drop your coins in. This place was like a proper shop, it had electricity, fridges, cash register and was located beside the Walkamin Post Office. Leanne and I went in to the Post Office / corner store and asked what had happened with the shop beside him and he said Council had come along with a list of changes that had to be made and he said that they (the owners) said it was unreasonable and decided to close up shop. Not just close up shop, because it meant dismantling the whole premises. When we drove up it was like there had never been a shop there at all. Such a shame and as the shop owner said there were now at least three people without a job. He wasn't too impressed himself as this has affected his business also.
I'm doing a bit of a catch up here as Tim and Leanne came up for a visit and we have had a very busy three days sight seeing.
Having not seen any family for a well over six months it was good to put my arms around them and give them both a hug. It has made me realise how much I have missed all our family.
Tim and Leanne arrived in Cairns on the red eye special arriving at just after midnight. Ravenshoe is a good two and half hours away from Cairns so we didn't like the idea of driving back here at that time of night so we had booked into a Motel at Palm Cove that was just 15 minutes from the airport. I think we all fell into bed we were all so tired.
On our way back to Ravenshoe on the Saturday we detoured here and there sightseeing starting off at Barron Falls. The Barron Falls are a 260 metre granite faced waterfall that can easily be seen by taking road, rail or skyrail and they are a sight to be seen. If you look back on the blog you will see the difference in the falls from the first time we saw them to the time we went with Erica and Peter to this past weekend with Leanne and Tim. They were awesome to look at and the water going over them was just amazing. It was the best time to see them as the pictures in the tourist magazines were no better than the pictures we took with Tim and Leanne.
From Barren Falls we drove up to Mareeba where we had lunch at the Ant Hill Hotel.
Driving toward Atherton I wanted to stop at Walkamin where there was a really good place to get fruit and vegetables but when we drew up there it wasn't there anymore. This place wasn't just a roadside stall where they have an honesty box and you drop your coins in. This place was like a proper shop, it had electricity, fridges, cash register and was located beside the Walkamin Post Office. Leanne and I went in to the Post Office / corner store and asked what had happened with the shop beside him and he said Council had come along with a list of changes that had to be made and he said that they (the owners) said it was unreasonable and decided to close up shop. Not just close up shop, because it meant dismantling the whole premises. When we drove up it was like there had never been a shop there at all. Such a shame and as the shop owner said there were now at least three people without a job. He wasn't too impressed himself as this has affected his business also.
We continued on to Atherton to a shop called the Crystal caves where they sell a huge range of gems, jewelry and rocks. From there we headed off home to Ravenshoe where Pauline had a roast ready for us. Our evening was spent watching the night animals come out to play. An early night was planned to catch up on our missing sleep.
Sunday Morning, we had a leasurely breakfast before heading off for some serious sightseeing.
Every Sunday there are markets that rotate around the Atherton tablelands and on this Sunday they were at Ravenshoe. Not the best but we stopped and had a quick look around before heading off for our day of sight seeing. There are so many things to see and do it wasn't easy to decide what to see and what not to see so we took the best of the best and tried to fit as much in as we could. Our first stop was Milla Milla which is by far the prettiest falls of all and apart from Barron Falls one of the longest.
Malanda Falls were also spectacular but very muddy and like Millaa Millaa you could normally swim in it. Malanda, in particular was brown and dirty and all you could see was just the top of the arc where you normally step down into the water.
Two other stops that we did were at Lake Barrine and Lake Eachem. Lake Eachem is a very popular swimming area and great for a picnic. While we were there there were three men going skin diving so it was interesting to see them suit up and go in. We think it might have been either a lesson or a test. The last time we were there there were skin divers there then so they must use the lake quite often.
Leanne was keen to see the Curtan Fig Tree so we made that one of our stops. The Curtan Fig is a major attraction to the Tablelands. This 100 (some say 500) year old tree within the rainforest has roots that drop 15 metres to the ground that form a curtain effect. the Cathedral Fig Tree is another massive strangler fig tree and like the Curtan Fig Tree is one of the most impressive sights in the Danbulla Rainforest.
The day disappeared all too quickly and it wasn't long before we made our way home with a detour to visit Peter, Erica and Tiddles the wonder dog.
Monday our last day together was spent at the Hartley's Crocodile Adventure Park. What a great day that was. Hartley's is 40klms north of Cairns and has won some of the top tourist awards in QLD.
The map given to us was marked so that if you followed the attractions in a certain order you would see all the attractions with a minimal time of waiting. The great thing was that if you didn't make it to all the attractions you could come again for three days and the only stipulation was that you couldn't go on the boat ride again. On the boat cruise on the lagoon we saw just how high a crocodile could launch itself out of the water to get it's food. We saw a crocodile do the death role. The snap of a crocodile shutting its mouth is undescribable. If they got you there is no way you could get out of its mouth. Leanne decided she would have a go at feeding the crocodiles. You get a long pole with a piece of chicken tied to its end with a string of Hemp. They are incredible when they rise up out of the water and reveal more than half of their total body size. In the amphitheatre they had a large crocodile and when the man came into the area he told us that the two men outside were there to step in if something went horribly wrong. The trainer showed us how a crocodile could lay in water less than two feet deep and not be seen. they barely break the water when they bring their heads above the water line.
There were three koalas and a couple of Kookaburras that were injured and unable to fly, a bird Avery and a snake show where the trainer picked someone from the audience to join him during the demonstration. Tim just happened to be that someone. The trainer asked everyone to stand then asked all children below the age of 18 to sit down, then every one above the age of 40 to sit, all women to sit and then all men from overseas to sit and Tim was the last person standing. so down he went. The trainer asked Tim to put his hand in a large bucket where he had a deadly snake, he even took Tims hand and attempted to put his hand in the bucket. Tim kept resisting so the trainer stopped and said to the audience that some people actually trust him and go to put their hand in. In his other bucket he had a non poisonous snake which he placed around Tim's neck. While Tim was standing their the trainer started to put on a thick leathery cover for his legs and said to Tim to take the snake off and put it back in the bucket, which Tim did before coming back to his seat. Ken and Leanne got some pretty good photos of Tim with the snake and Leanne was able to get a short video of Tim taking the snake off. All in all we had a really great day and went home with a greater knowledge and awareness of both the saltwater and freshwater crocodiles.
From the park we headed into Cairns to a Hotel that we had booked into so that we didn't have too long a drive to the airport so Tim and Leanne could take their midnight trip home. After a meal in the city we went back to the Hotel where Tim, Leanne,and Ken got a couple of hours sleep before heading off to the airport.
Yesterday we had a BBQ here at Robin and Paulines. Guests included, Peter and Erica and Tiddles the wonder dog. Rick and BJ (the Atherton Corps Officers) Anne, a friend of Kens from his teenage years at Toongabbie Salvos and Heather also a retired officer and a good friend of Anne's. We had a great meal together with Peter as our chef on the BBQ.
That I think brings me up to date on all our news so with that
All our love and God bless
Ken and Lyn.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Qld Floods
Dear Family and Friends.
We have now had a taste of how wet it can be up here. Late afternoon, early evening last Thursday we had a deluge of rain. We sat on the verandah of the house and watched it teem down with sharp cracks of thunder that felt like it was right above us. All in all we easily had 120 mls plus in just an hour. The poor old Kookaburras were sodden when they came for their mince.
Robin and Pauline have returned home from Townsville. There was no way that they would get through to Nambour so they came home and will fly down closer to the date of the baby's expected arrival if they still can't get through because of the floods.
TV reports tell us that Qld is now 75% under water. You think it can't get any worse than watching what happened in Emerald and Rockhampton and the other small towns as they went under and then you see things like the 8 meter wall of water that rushed through Toowoomba without any warning. If you don't know Toowoomba it is elevated and sits up on a plateau. As you travel north out of Toowoomba the road is a very steep and windy decline and to see that water you have to wonder where it came from. How horrible it is to watch cars, boats even skip bins being washed away as though they were weightless.
Then again if that wasn't bad enough, the Brisbane River floods and we are now watching footage of homes and businesses flooding all along the banks of the river. The river normally meanders its way through many Brisbane suburbs and is a lovely outlook that many home owners have. Now that same river threatens their homes and livelyhood.
A category 1 cyclone has had a devestating effect over a huge area of QLD. This particular cyclone turned into a rain depression and stayed over land rather than go out to sea and loose its intensity out there. I heard that a cyclone needs temperatures above 27 degrees to form. The follow on now is that NSW towns including Goondiwindi (pronounced as Gun da win di) Ipswitch, Grafton and Lismore may also have rising waters threaten them. We already have another cyclone building up but not expected to hit land but as we are told. The wet season has only just begun.
We went to Innisfail today to do some shopping and on our way home we drove through heavy tropical rain, when it rains it pours, it comes down in bucket fulls.
We went on a tourist drive earlier this week going from Ravenshoe to Millaa Millaa where we went to see the Millaa Millaa Falls, we stopped for lunch at Millaa Millaa. We left Millaa Millaa and went through Tarzali and on to Malanda stopping to look at their falls also. All in all it was a pleasant drive and an enjoyable day.
Malanda is a small town about 25klms out of Atherton and is one of the wettest areas on the Atherton tablelands. Its surrounded by lush rolling hillsides, that support a thriving dairy industry. one of the worl'ds largest dairy factories provides the main source of employment in Malanda and is supported by 190 local dairy farmers. There is also a huge theatre in Malanda which began in the early 1920's and is still in use today.
Yesterday we had lunch in the Tully Falls Hotel with Peter and Erica, Robin and Pauline. It was a great meal (definitely worth going there again). The Tully Falls Hotel is the highest Pub in QLD. and sits on the highest point within Ravenshoe.There is one other pub but it sits further down the hill. After lunch we came back here to have coffee out on the verandah. All in all it was a lovely day.
That's about it for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
PS Sorry folks but I meant to add some photos before I posted this blog so the news is a bit old. Photoes will be with the next blog.
We have now had a taste of how wet it can be up here. Late afternoon, early evening last Thursday we had a deluge of rain. We sat on the verandah of the house and watched it teem down with sharp cracks of thunder that felt like it was right above us. All in all we easily had 120 mls plus in just an hour. The poor old Kookaburras were sodden when they came for their mince.
Robin and Pauline have returned home from Townsville. There was no way that they would get through to Nambour so they came home and will fly down closer to the date of the baby's expected arrival if they still can't get through because of the floods.
TV reports tell us that Qld is now 75% under water. You think it can't get any worse than watching what happened in Emerald and Rockhampton and the other small towns as they went under and then you see things like the 8 meter wall of water that rushed through Toowoomba without any warning. If you don't know Toowoomba it is elevated and sits up on a plateau. As you travel north out of Toowoomba the road is a very steep and windy decline and to see that water you have to wonder where it came from. How horrible it is to watch cars, boats even skip bins being washed away as though they were weightless.
Then again if that wasn't bad enough, the Brisbane River floods and we are now watching footage of homes and businesses flooding all along the banks of the river. The river normally meanders its way through many Brisbane suburbs and is a lovely outlook that many home owners have. Now that same river threatens their homes and livelyhood.
A category 1 cyclone has had a devestating effect over a huge area of QLD. This particular cyclone turned into a rain depression and stayed over land rather than go out to sea and loose its intensity out there. I heard that a cyclone needs temperatures above 27 degrees to form. The follow on now is that NSW towns including Goondiwindi (pronounced as Gun da win di) Ipswitch, Grafton and Lismore may also have rising waters threaten them. We already have another cyclone building up but not expected to hit land but as we are told. The wet season has only just begun.
We went to Innisfail today to do some shopping and on our way home we drove through heavy tropical rain, when it rains it pours, it comes down in bucket fulls.
We went on a tourist drive earlier this week going from Ravenshoe to Millaa Millaa where we went to see the Millaa Millaa Falls, we stopped for lunch at Millaa Millaa. We left Millaa Millaa and went through Tarzali and on to Malanda stopping to look at their falls also. All in all it was a pleasant drive and an enjoyable day.
Malanda is a small town about 25klms out of Atherton and is one of the wettest areas on the Atherton tablelands. Its surrounded by lush rolling hillsides, that support a thriving dairy industry. one of the worl'ds largest dairy factories provides the main source of employment in Malanda and is supported by 190 local dairy farmers. There is also a huge theatre in Malanda which began in the early 1920's and is still in use today.
Yesterday we had lunch in the Tully Falls Hotel with Peter and Erica, Robin and Pauline. It was a great meal (definitely worth going there again). The Tully Falls Hotel is the highest Pub in QLD. and sits on the highest point within Ravenshoe.There is one other pub but it sits further down the hill. After lunch we came back here to have coffee out on the verandah. All in all it was a lovely day.
That's about it for now
Love to one and all
Ken and Lyn
PS Sorry folks but I meant to add some photos before I posted this blog so the news is a bit old. Photoes will be with the next blog.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
QLD floods
Dear Family and Friends
The old year has gone and the new one is well on its way with 50% of Qld currently under flood and the wet season only just begun. It feels quite strange and in some ways quite emotional to see places that we have recently been to under water. The big bull at the large roundabout as you enter Rockhampton is all that's visible of that intersection. We called in to have lunch there so we don't know the city well but we took a short drive around the town seeing the river and thinking we will come back at some time. Imagining it under water is hard but the TV brings the reality of it home very quickly as to how bad things are there and every where else that has been affected by the floods. We continue to get the tropical rain but not every day and we have had a couple of nights where it has rained continuously. The ground is quite soggy underfoot and we have had to lay bricks and make a pathway to get from the van to a path ed area as it was getting too boggy and wet.
We have been busy mowing the three acres while Robin and Pauline are away and it is certainly growing very quickly. By the time you finish it's time to go back and start again. Ken says you can see the grass growing it's that quick.
Yesterday we went with Peter and Erica specifically to see Barron Falls which is near Cairns and not far from Kuranda where we took the train ride up and the cable car down. When we first saw them it was just a small waterfall, nothing you would say was outstanding and then recently I was looking through a tourist book and they showed a picture taken in the wet season and I thought we should go back and see it again. This time we drove and Erica and Peter came along for the drive. And it was well worth the drive and the hot muggy weather. This time it was spectacular and even Peter and Erica had never seen it with this much water going over it. So we took photos and you can see for yourself the difference. It hardly looks like the same set of falls.
We drove home via Mareeba and had a great lunch at the Ant Hill Hotel for just $10 each.
Today I went and had morning with a retired Major from the Atherton Salvation Army as we have a similar interest in sewing. It was a lovely morning hearing about her life as a missionary in Africa.
I have spoken to Pauline and it looks like they will come home Saturday and fly to Nambour as there is no way they will get their motor home through the flood waters. It could be many weeks till it will be reopened and then major repairs need to happen as there are craters left where the water has washed away the road.
We are stranded here ourselves but it is a nice place to be. If we were needed by the kids at all we would have to fly down as it is the only way to get from here to there.
Leanne and Tim are coming up toward the end of January for thee days and we are so looking forward to seeing them. I can't wait.
That's about it for me for now
love to one and all and God bless
Ken and Lyn
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