Kings Around Oz: Karumba to Atherton

Well we have covered some country since the last Blog. We spent 3 days in Karumba where everyone goes to catch a fish. Well, everyone was there to catch a fish but unfortunately for us we were unable to catch one. The boat ramp was quite an amazing site with cars and boat trailers everywhere. Glen and Haydan tried their luck off the beach but the fish were not biting. Due to the lack of fish we decided to go out for fish and chips instead and we ate some of the best fish and chips while we watched the sun set over the Norman River. We then left Karumba and started travelling across what is known as the Savannah Way. We stopped in at Croydon and Georgetown which were sleepy little towns that were rich in heritage and history. Just near Georgetown we found a great camp that was once a bustling mining town that even had 3 pubs and a bank. Now all that remains is a chimney from the smelter and a dam that used to supply the town with water. The kids loved getting back to the bush where we made some damper and toasted marshmallows on the fire. Along the way we also did a tour at the Undara Lava Tubes. These are caves that were created when the volcano called Undara erupted and the lava flowed out. As the lava flowed out the top cooled down and formed a crust but the lava kept flowing underneath which is what created the tunnel. Over time parts of the tunnel collapsed, this what allows you to go through the tubes or caves. It was quite interesting. The next day we stopped off at the Innot Hot Springs where hot (and I mean hot) water comes out of the ground. It blends in with the river so some parts were too hot to stand in, others were like a bath and other spots were cold. It was quite amazing to see nature at work here. The next stop for the day was the Millstream Falls. This is Australia's widest waterfall. This was also the site of a WWII training camp and we did the heritage walk that showed what was left of the camp. We then made our way to Ravenshoe which is the highest town in Queensland. The kids loved going through the visitors centre that had a rainforest display. The part they liked best was the nocturnal display where they could look for animals using torches. We were going to stay here the night but when the guy at the visitors centre told us it was 0 degrees when he got to work we opted out. The night before it got down to 6 degrees inside the caravan (which means it was probably 3 or 4 degrees outside). That was cold enough for us so we headed for Atherton. We had some rather cold nights on the this stretch so all our winter woolies have had a good workout.