Mr E whisked me away.
Early Wednesday morning we packed the car and headed north. First stop Mission Beach for lunch and a walk along the beach...
...before travelling further north to Cairns for a relaxing evening in a waterfront motel.
We wandered the foreshore and Marina till night settled over the city...
...then sampled some delicious Asian meals at a sidewalk cafe. I savoured a bowl of Korean Bulgogi and steamed rice, whilst Mr E devoured a large plate of Pad Thai...
The next morning after a stroll along the Esplanade for coffee and exercise we packed the car again and headed further north along the ocean road to the tourist mecca of Port Douglas.
It's a bright and relaxed resort town, filled with colour.
Mr E spent time in this unusual art gallery...
We were gone within an hour and back on the road, but this time heading west up the winding mountain roads to the Atherton Tablelands. We stopped to take photos as we drove higher up the mountain, snapping photos looking down onto Port Douglas...
There are 90 hairpin turns in a 30klm stretch of the mountain road, but the view along the way is breathtaking...
Lunchtime arrived and having depleted our supplies of fruit we took a detour to the tiny town of Yungaburra and it's humble fare at the town pub. We love old towns!
Famished, we ordered childhood comfort foods - bangers & mash for me, and rissoles and mash for my beloved - both served with lashings of gravy and fresh veg.
Back on the road again the rain, which had been threatening all morning, came down at last...
In between the rain showers we stopped to take photos, though the wind buffeted the cameras with its strong mountain gusts!
Millaa Millaa is a very small, and extremely beautiful dairy town - lush and green...
Treasures of nature along the side of the road...
Down the other side of the mountain we continued our journey, but now we headed south towards home, still 400 kilometres away.
Being adventurers by nature, we couldn't resist taking another detour when we noticed the "Misty Mountains" sign which led into a very narrow rainforest track. Forgetting that we weren't in our trusty old 4WD, and only had the road sedan this trip, onward we trekked, and it was very obvious why these were named the Misty Mountains....
Would we find dwarves, elves or hobbits??
The track was only wide enough for one car as the left side of the 'road' was a sheer drop to the forest floor below, but onward we ventured...
We stopped wherever we felt the road was wide enough for us to venture out into the mud and go exploring. Baby staghorn...
Creek with a miniature waterfall...
Mr E is standing by the side of the sheer edged track, under the very top of a palm tree which starts it's life way down below on the forest floor...
Night was closing in, we had no phone reception or water, and the track only headed in one direction.
The road got muddier and even more slippery, so we knew we needed to turn back and find the highway again. Mr E is an excellent driver and as soon as he felt there was enough width to the track he carefully turned the car, avoiding the muddy leaf soaked cliff edge, and we spent the next 30 minutes in constant rain retracing our steps and disciplining ourselves not to stop again for more photos.
One day we'll return with the 4WD and forge further ahead.
Hours later we pulled into the driveway at home, tired, exhilarated, and refreshed.
I asked my beloved as our heads hit the pillow, "Where to next?"
Expect the unexpected. How cool is that?
hugs
14 comments:
90 hairpin bends and 30kms! sounds like an awesome road for cycling! I also like the look and sound of the misty mountains, its been a while since I have been out 4x4ing but I love travelling with you and your hubby up north via your blog
What an awesome 2 days!! The pics are amazing Jenny! And the food....yummmm :)
Thank you for sharing your adventure. Lovely pictures.
I love your adventures. The photos are awesome. I love the see your country. I love all the pictures of the buildings when you post them. The architectural details are so charming and old fashioned looking compared to where I live.
I've never been further north than Brisbane so it was delightful to see these pictures of the north
Such gorgeous photos. I'm hoping to head nth to cairns from Melbourne on Thursday as long as these kids get better. My aunt has lived in Kuranda and now the tablelands door 45 years. Such a pretty part of the world. Look forward to your next trip.
Deve ter sido um passeio maravilhoso! Aproveite! bjsssss
Oh Jenny, you tell such a wonderful tale and illustrate it beautifully. I realized it was time to take Mr. C. on a little adventure. Should you ever get to the US...come to Minnesota and we will take you and Mr. E exploring around Lake Superior. No mountains, but some of the same beauty you describe. Thank you for giving of your time to share your journey. Julie
The foregoing post was from me...not anonymous :-)
Julie, that would be wonderful...and you never know what God has in our future, do you?!
awesome Jenny,thankyou for sharing.xx
Thank you Jenny another scenic trip shared, great photos, brings up fond memories of our three or four trips to Cairns being taken to those beautiful places by our dear Cairns friends, all except Misty Mountain, in fact it is around this time that we have flown up there for the past three years but not this year. We also have stayed at a motel on the Esplanade, it is a great place for a holiday especially this time of year, weather vastly different to what we are experiencing this weekend here in Sydney winter is here but lovely sunny today, Sat. Very refreshing for you to have found a balance in your life, and rewarding by the look and sound of things. Have a wonderful creative weekend, Judithann :-)
Thank you for sharing your adventure with us! Beautiful photos of beautiful scenery!
The balance is life giving, Judithann. xx
Post a Comment