Thursday 18th June 2009 COOKTOWN
It was the normal procedure for departure. Up at 7 breakfast, showered, packed up, and hitched up and on the road just after 9am. The journey being about 350 klms would make our arrival there at about 2.30pm. That’s taking into account stops for coffee and lunch in the rest areas and for fuel. We are averaging about 7-8 klms per Litre so with a tank holding 60 Litres we can usually do about 430 klms. However To be on the safe side we always fill up when a quarter tank is showing. We do have the capacity to carry an additional 20 litres on the trailer but haven’t done so as yet, mainly so as not to increase the towing weight.
The trip took us up past the same route from a couple of days ago however instead of turning into Port Douglas we headed for Mossman and then had to back track south westerly so as to be able to join route 81 (The Mulligan Highway)for Cooktown at Mount Molley and up through Mount Carbine. It was a climb up a twisting road over the Great Dividing Range.
Mount Molloy is a small picturesque village at the edge of the tableland area and a thriving mining town in its early years supplying coal for the Chillagoe smelters. Remnants of these mining years can still be seen throughout the town. However cattle and fruit growing are the main industries now. At Mount Carbine Wolframite was mined and the open cut mine can also still be seen. Here cattle are now the main business. The Palmer River dissects the Mulligan Highway where the hills were invaded during the gold rush days. It was here in 1872 an Irishman named Mulligan found the “River of Gold”
Once over the tablelands we came down into the Lakeland Downs region which is developing into a farming region. This area is also expanding its coffee, bananas, peanuts and exotic fruits. We continued on past Black Mountain and the Anan River into Cooktown.
We checked into the Orchid Travellers Park and set up. With all down to quite an organised procedure we were through in no time. We decided to walk through the town and down to the Marina and where Captain Cook beached the Endeavour Bark on June 17th 1770. They had just celebrated the re-enactment the week before on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. Pity we missed it. A beautiful evening though the Northeast Trade winds certainly blow this time of the year which keeps the temperature down. We walked many fine restaurants along the river front which all looked pretty good. Continued on reading all the plaques, statures, memorials etc for Captain Cook. We found the Milbi Wall (The story Wall) built by the Gungarde Aboriginal Corporation to told a good story about the local people and how they reacted to the arrival of these strange like people who they thought were their dead ancestors coming to revisit them.
It was with that we made our way back to our trailer for dinner and a good night’s rest, so we can get out and about again tomorrow.
It was the normal procedure for departure. Up at 7 breakfast, showered, packed up, and hitched up and on the road just after 9am. The journey being about 350 klms would make our arrival there at about 2.30pm. That’s taking into account stops for coffee and lunch in the rest areas and for fuel. We are averaging about 7-8 klms per Litre so with a tank holding 60 Litres we can usually do about 430 klms. However To be on the safe side we always fill up when a quarter tank is showing. We do have the capacity to carry an additional 20 litres on the trailer but haven’t done so as yet, mainly so as not to increase the towing weight.
The trip took us up past the same route from a couple of days ago however instead of turning into Port Douglas we headed for Mossman and then had to back track south westerly so as to be able to join route 81 (The Mulligan Highway)for Cooktown at Mount Molley and up through Mount Carbine. It was a climb up a twisting road over the Great Dividing Range.
Mount Molloy is a small picturesque village at the edge of the tableland area and a thriving mining town in its early years supplying coal for the Chillagoe smelters. Remnants of these mining years can still be seen throughout the town. However cattle and fruit growing are the main industries now. At Mount Carbine Wolframite was mined and the open cut mine can also still be seen. Here cattle are now the main business. The Palmer River dissects the Mulligan Highway where the hills were invaded during the gold rush days. It was here in 1872 an Irishman named Mulligan found the “River of Gold”
Once over the tablelands we came down into the Lakeland Downs region which is developing into a farming region. This area is also expanding its coffee, bananas, peanuts and exotic fruits. We continued on past Black Mountain and the Anan River into Cooktown.
We checked into the Orchid Travellers Park and set up. With all down to quite an organised procedure we were through in no time. We decided to walk through the town and down to the Marina and where Captain Cook beached the Endeavour Bark on June 17th 1770. They had just celebrated the re-enactment the week before on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. Pity we missed it. A beautiful evening though the Northeast Trade winds certainly blow this time of the year which keeps the temperature down. We walked many fine restaurants along the river front which all looked pretty good. Continued on reading all the plaques, statures, memorials etc for Captain Cook. We found the Milbi Wall (The story Wall) built by the Gungarde Aboriginal Corporation to told a good story about the local people and how they reacted to the arrival of these strange like people who they thought were their dead ancestors coming to revisit them.
It was with that we made our way back to our trailer for dinner and a good night’s rest, so we can get out and about again tomorrow.
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