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Day 16 Monday July 7th
Chillagoe to Granite Gorge (near Mareeba) (150km)
After much debate we decided that we would move on today. First of all though, we took a look at some of the limestone caves for which this area is known. We decided against a guided cave tour.....having seen similar caves before.... but enjoyed a drive out of town some 15km in the direction from which we had come, to look at the 'Archways' caves, which could be accessed without a guide. We were the only people out there and we enjoyed the rock formations and the caves too. There was also some Aboriginal rock art to look at. We then had a short detour to look at the abandoned township of Mungana....literally just ruins. Curiosity took us down a narrow track, which ended in a locked gate and no convenient turn around point! We did, however, manage to turn our vehicle and trailer around by going off into the bush between conveniently placed trees!! In future, we will remember to obey our usual rule of walking down a track first to see if there is a turn around point!
We headed out of Chillagoe by 11am and stopped for an early lunch at Eureka creek near Petford. Then we stopped in Dimbulah where we could get a strong phone and WiFi signal, so checked online for availability in the NP we had identified as a possible camp for tonight. FULLY BOOKED!!! So, we found another camp site called Granite Gorge, near Mareeba, which looked interesting. We phoned, and they had space. Excellent. The road from Dimbulah to Mareeba left the bush surroundings behind and passed through mango orchards and sugar cane plantations. Very different scenery indeed.
We had a short stop in Mareeba for some supplies and then on to Granite Gorge. This is a pleasant area, with crowded powered sites, but spacious un-powered sites,(which we have), fire pits, a river safe for swimming,(we didn't), walking tracks, and the big draw card...especially for families......lots and lots of cute rock wallabies. (The amenities leave a lot to be desired though....think we might do without a shower!!!).
After setting up, we had a look around and identified a spot for sunset drinks! We collected some firewood and chatted to some other campers who arrived with a Tvan. (It transpired that they had also been on the Gulflander train the same day as us!).
Sunset was not spectacular tonight, but it was nice sitting on the warm granite rocks watching the sun go down, with a glass of wine! And also watching the wallabies.
Back at camp we lit our fire and cooked some steak and vegetables. After a very warm day, it became quite cool quite quickly.
We are heading to the coast tomorrow .....it will definitely be busy!!!
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