Rain Rain Go Away... We're Going To Mackay Today!

That's right.... RAIN! For those that know us you will be familiar that nearly everywhere we go it rains... well this is no different. The weather turned miserable at Kurrimine Beach so we decided to head for Mackay to stay with friends Chris & Shantelle for a few days. I was sad to miss a stopover at Bowen but we have spent alot of time on the coast between Cairns and Mackay so it wasn't anything we haven't seen before.

We arrived in Mackay... still raining and had an enjoyable few days catching up with friends, watching TV for the first time since we left and enjoying staying in a house during the bad weather. THANKS Chris & Shantelle!

Not long though and the weather improved and it was time to leave "Home" and continue south down the coast! Next stop Byfield National Park.

KING REEF - KURRIMINE BEACH

Finally... we made it to King Reef, a place we had planned to be our first stop of the journey! Better late than never!

A short drive from Paronella Park and just north of Mission Beach, lays a tiny picturesque town on the Great Barrier Reef. We decided to give the caravan park a miss when we found a small, basic and more affordable council run camping area right on the water... beautiful! The weather wasn't the best, a bit windy to hit the reef in our small tinny, but there was plenty of beach to run the dogs and an inlet to throw a line and "TRY" for some mud crab!

The reef is just 300 metres from the shore here, the closest it comes to the coast, boats can only be launched at high tide and by tractor as the water is extremely shallow for hundreds of metres offshore. We did explore the coastline briefly in the tinny... we didn't find the awesome fishing spot we were after though... and the only fish we caught was the gar fish that jumped right into our boat! The wind started to blow and we ventured back to dry ground.... If only the weather was better for our stay... the locals all headed out one one fine day, they seem to know the spot to go!

With no luck at the reef we decided to hide from the wind and launch the boat into the inlet. Ben was so excited that today was his day and he was going to catch a mangrove jack! It was all I had heard about for the last few days. Can you imagine the look on his face when I caught the only 2 keepers. I really did feel terrible for him.... no really... i did! At least we had fish on the table for dinner! (And i had a great time catching them.)

NOTE TO SELF: Beautiful place...next time tell the wind to bugger off.... don't let Krystle catch all the fish and ask the locals how to get to the reef fishing spot!

Ben's Mangrove Jack.......

Krystle's Mangrove Jack!!!

Tropical Jam - Paronella Park - Finally A Recipe

This blog was meant to be incorporating recipes from our travels... remember! Finally, sitting starring at me at Paronella Park gift shop was a bright orange scroll of paper and a sign screaming at me like Vegas saying "Paronella Park Special Jam Recipe". It was exciting, i had no idea what kind of jam the recipe was for until I purchased the scroll.

I haven't had the chance to make this recipe on my travels, jam making wasn't too high on my list. So Please, If you ever try it let me know how it goes. Enjoy!

TROPICAL JAM

Ingredients:

2.25kg Diced firm Paw Paw

750g Tin Pineapple - drained weight

250g Crystallized Ginger

175ml Lemon Juice

1.75kg Sugar

Method:

Crush pineapple and chop ginger in a food processor.

Place diced paw paw, ginger and lemon juice into a large saucepan and cook slowly for 1-2 hours until fruit is soft.

Place sugar into the ingredients and cook on medium for a further 10-15 mins or until thick.

Watch for burning. Place into warmed bottles and seal.

Flying Fish Point To Paronella Park

We weren't south bound for long. Just a short drive south of Cairns we reached our next stop over, Flying Fish Point. It was the name that drew us in really. Neither of us had visited the small coastal town before and the thought of fresh fish and mud crab were way too tempting.

Can you imagine our disappointment when we didn't catch any fish or crabs!! We didn't try very hard though... let's blame it on the windy weather. Casting off the beach I put up a good fight with something that snapped me off right at the edge of the sand but that's as close as we got.

The town itself was very small and peaceful. The caravan park added a nice touch by placing their fallen coconuts in a basket for guests to eat. This kept Ben busy for a while, still keen to be the provider! Even Bear loved eating the coconut.

However, with no fish and windy weather we decided to pack up camp and head for Paronella Park. Wow, Wow & Wow!

Friends of ours highly recommended a visit to Paronella Park, (thankyou Chris & Shantelle) and being something we have driven passed many times before there was no way I was missing it again.

Once the home of Jose Paronella and a venue he first open to the public in 1935, the words to describe the park are MAGICAL & INSPIRING. The certainly didn't call him a dreamer for nothing. The history in the castle like structures, waterfall, homestead and hydro power plant are incredible and truly make you realise that with hard work we can truly achieve anything and create something beautiful. I will let you read about the park in more detail at www.paronellapark.com.au

We chose to camp at Paronella Park for the night so we could experience the day and night tours. I would highly recommend staying for the night tour if you have time. The facilities are basic but the staff extremely helpful, dog friendly and well worth seeing the grounds lit up at night.

Check out the pics!

Breaking open the coconut at our campsite, Flying Fish Point.

My, What a lovely set of coconuts!

The one that got away.

Paronella Park, Grand Staircase 1930's.

Waterfall, Picnic Area and Bridge, Paronella Park.

Refreshment Rooms by Night, Paronella Park. AMAZING!

Refreshment Rooms by Day. Paronella Park.

On To Cairns....

On to Cairns for a 3 night stay at Lake Placid Caravan Park.... the park facilities were great and in a beautiful quiet location out of the city, dog friendly and a great place to station ourselves while we explore the city.

I wish we could say the same about Cairns itself though. We were so in love with the surrounding areas of the Atherton Tablelands, the northern beaches of Palm Cove and Port Douglas, and  even further north  to mor rural surroundings... the city itself however didn't leave such a lasting impression.

We didn't get up to too much for a few days in Cairns, caught up on some blog, paid bills, did some shopping... all that fun stuff. The disappointment came from our visits into the city for dinner and to explore the hugely advertised "Night Markets". At risk of sounding extremely judgemental and racist, ever stall and most city shops were owned and operated by asian persons hounding you outside every shop to come in and buy from them. We wanted to go to a nice Asian restaurant for dinner but left because the waitresses stand out on the street trying to convince and pressure you into eating in their restaurant. I was not so much unhappy about the lack of Aussies providing services, but more the fact that all of this was very unaustralian! It was shocking that people are flying into our country and this is what that are seeing and it wasn't one bit Australian at all!

So now i have that off my chest.... time to head north to beautiful Palm Cove for a night of romance and luxury. Bring it on!! Our first night out of the camper and it really was beautiful. We stayed at Peppers Beach Club Palm Cove, and were gladly upgraded to a penthouse spa room for our honeymoon! Without a doubt i always feel totally relaxed when i visit Palm Cove!

It was a bit windy for us to try a spot of fishing off the jetty, but that didn't stop alot of people. We couldn't believe a group of young local lads that had a home made trolley that carried their rods, large ice box and a sound system. It was an awesome invention and probably the highlight of the trip for Ben so far!!

Feeling like a special treat we asked the locals where best to have dinner. On both occasions we asked we got the same answer "The Beach Almond" so the decision was made. What a laid back friendly atmosphere, the service was brilliant and the food exciting! The spring rolls and pork belly entree left us wanting more and never wanting to leave...you know its good when you eat super slow to make the delicious sensation last longer! I would highly recommend a meal at "The Beach Almond" on your next visit, even Ben was impressed. We couldn't eat all night though and forced ourselves to move on to take a relaxing walk on the beach before retiring to our balcony spa! (Now I'm rubbing it in!)

As much as i love Palm Cove, we did have to leave and we were excited to be leaving Cairns and starting our southbound journey. There was one more thing we had to do before we left though. The MINJIN BUNJY SWING. OMG - It really didn't look very scary at all from the ground, i can't believe i was contemplating doing a bunjy jump instead because it didn't look adventurous enough. Ha ha ha. Well, up Ben and I went together in our harness... up and up and up and up... they winch you about 40 metres into the canopy of the rainforest's i think. Then the light went green and it was time for me to pull the cord. I must have been white as a ghost, Ben was even scared and my heart was pounding out of my chest. I couldn't believe i had the courage to pull the cord that would result in us plunging towards the earth and swinging through the forest at up to 300km/h. Ahhhhhhhh. What a rush... it really was worth it, such a high and i was extremely proud of myself for pulling that cord!! Yahoo!

Pepper's Beach Club Resort & Spa - Palm Cove

Local Lads Fishing Trolley!

The Beach Almond - Thumbs Up!

Minjin Bunjy Swing.... Yahoo!

The Coffee Works - Mareeba

Ok.... so with all apologies, in between work and play, it's time to get this blog updated.

After a restless night sleep and disappointing stay at Granite Gorge Camping Ground we were bound for Cairns but not without a stop at the recently improved COFFEE WORKS! I wasn't quite sure what to expect, deceiving from the outside, a plain shed structure in the industrial area of Mareeba, neither of us connoisseurs of coffee, but my curiosity forbid me to drive right by.

OMG - Never judge a book by its cover! The saying could never have rang truer. Gallo Dairyland was impressive and very hard to beat but Coffee Works was right up there with them. I was quickly falling more and more in love with the Atherton Tablelands and drawing inspiration for my own future business ventures.

Entering Coffee Works we were greeted with bright coloured steel statues (all available for purchase), equally bright and chirpy staff and so much to look at! Gratefully, a very knowledgeable and friendly staff  member approached us and explained the options of browsing the gift shop or taking the tasting experience. From memory i think full price was $15 pp but we had a $5pp discount coupon... i really am becoming a coupon queen. The tasting experience was definitely worthwhile and so much so that once again i found myself in a place i never wanted to leave.

You would never know you were in a shed in the middle of an industrial estate... in a way i felt i had been transported to Byron Bay or Bangalow. The atmosphere alone was worth bottling. The $15 experience was inclusive of alot, not just a look around. We quickly stuck our stickers to our chest and our host walked us through to the tasting area to explain the procedure. The room was filled with numerous urns of hot coffee, both Australian and World varieties, milk, tea and to my surprise... more chocolate. Our host handed us a cup and explained that we are free to drink and try as many varieties of coffee and eat as much chocolate as desired! Had i died and gone to heaven? She then explained that when we are reading we could continue through to the coffee museum, onto the coffee roasting and packaging shed, through to the gift shop, coffee shop and chocolate shop. Lucky there was no rush, and the best thing was that we were then left to ourselves to take our time, and stay as long or little as we liked!

On to the coffee, i hoped we weren't planning on sleeping tonight. I think we could have driven for days. Different flavours of chocolate pieced where available including chilli, coconut, white, dark, some others i can't remember and a very interesting Lime and Cracked Pepper Chocolate? I can see you screwing your nose up, but truly it was very nice... not something you could eat a block of, but definitely something intriguing to serve with coffee to dinner guests.

The museum was amazing, at the entrance to yet another shed we picked up our handheld radio's. Very cleverly each item in the museum was numbered and on entering that number into the radio, you heard a detailed explanation of the item, what it did, what year it was used, what country etc. Highly valuable as some of the items where over 100 years old and very unfamiliar. I never new coffee was so highly regarded so many years ago. There were thousands of artifacts, all very interesting, and 6 individually themed booths. On a whole the layout of the museum was very well thought out, interactive, interesting and exciting... none of which i had ever associated with a museum previously.

Through to the amazing gift shop, one of those places you feel like you're exploring and seeing something new everytime you look, and then yet again, like a shining light from heaven, another chocolatier and shop. Although i demonstrated great willpower and walked away with nothing, both Ben and I had consumed enough coffee and chocolate in the tasting to last a lifetime... and there was nothing stopping us all day going back to the free stuff!

Being November, not long until Christmas, the chocolate Christmas trees were very impressive. I snuck in a quick photo and can't wait to make them one Christmas. Exploring there craftsmanship and detail they look incredible but would be achievable!

Just like Gallo Dairyland, Ben had to drag me kicking and screaming to leave this wonderful place. Do It! I had forgotten what good service was until now.

The Atherton Tablelands

It’s been a long time coming I know, but there is no way I could forget the Atherton Tablelands. With rolling green hills, farmland, fresh produce and gourmet food.... of course this is the favourite place we have visited so far!

Having packed up early at Koombaloomba Dam we had plenty of daylight ahead of us to explore. Mungali Creek Dairy! Mungali Creek is an organic dairy and from all the advertising and signs we had seen I was looking forward to tasting an array of unique cheeses but instead I was extremely disappointed. Just a small country shop, you would miss it if you blinked. Expecting more inside we were eventually offered a taste of 2 cheeses and 2 yoghurts... that’s it! Not quite satisfied and looking for some lunch we decided to share a farmer’s plate of bread, cheeses and chutney. Once again disappointing.... a small plate to share, mostly salad greens, 2 small blobs of cheese and some chutney. I must say though, as disappointing this visit was.. The chutney... amazing, but surprise surprise, they had run out and I couldn’t buy any. So back in the car, still hungry and craving more cheese we were back on the road and heading to Gallo Dairyland!

Stopping in at the Tarzali smokehouse we picked up some Crocodile jerky. I must say I’m not a fan, Ben didn’t mind it though. I have enjoyed fresh croc before but the jerky has a funny leather like texture. So still not satisfied.... on to Gallo Dairyland.

Wow, Wow and Wow! Gallo Dairyland could definitely earn the title of Gallo Wonderland! Walking into the modern facility I had entered heaven. Ben had no idea what he was in for. To my right was a large cabinet full of cheese, including 13 of their own. Another cabinet with a selection of yoghurts, another with gelato. Then like I was drawn to a radiant bright light... another cabinet... full of delicate chocolates made onsite by their local choclatier.

Looking through a large glass window we watched the melted chocolate flowing through the fountains, then on to the cheese makers room where you can view the local cheeses being made. Unfortunately for us the cheesemaker and chocolatier had finished for the day when we arrived, but there workplace was just as interesting.

Still hungry for some lunch we returned to the cafe, tasted an array of cheese and ordered our cheese plate. Yum Yum Yum, this is what I had been expecting all morning and you’ll see from Ben’s pic that we thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s not all about food though, I learnt alot of interesting facts while I was indulging on that cheese plate.

Did you know that Gallo Dairyland milk approx 500 cows TWICE a day. Each cow produces approx 20 litres of milk a day, and it takes 5.5 litres of water to produce 1 litre of milk! To my calculation, that means each cow must consume approx 110 litres of water a day and Gallo Dairyland produce approx 10,000 litres of milk a day! Wow.

Purchasing some chocolates for the road (Ben didn’t take very nicely to the chilli chocolate) we headed outside to watch the modern day milking of the cows. I truly never wanted to leave this place and encourage everyone to visit. As it promises on their website “a visit to Gallo Dairyland is not only informative, it is fascinating and tasty”.

Although I could ramble on about Gallo Dairyland for hours Ben did eventually drag me away. Somehow I couldn’t convince him to set up the camper in their car park? We hit the road and pulled up at Granite Gorge Caravan Park, 12km west of Mareeba, for the night.

I wish I could be as enthusiastic about Granite Gorge Caravan Park as  I was about Gallo but I can’t. I wouldn’t recommend it as a place to camp, beautiful but poorly managed and expensive for the basic facilities.

Atherton Tablelands – Fantastic, Beautiful, Interesting, Tasty. Can’t wait to go back!

P.S  We also stopped at the curtain fig tree, amazing!



Croc Jerky




Gallo Dairyland




Tablelands Windfarm




Gallo Dairyland - Modern Day Milking




Krystle under the Curtain Fig Tree