And on to Cape York

What's that on the river bank...?

That will be a crocodile!

At The Lions Den.

Black Mountain

Looking north from the lighthouse at Archer point

The Coen pub!

Our first damper.

We spent 4 nights staying with Alan in the Daintree, enjoying his hospitality, the view, the bath, the outdoor shower and even some television. We had a meal of freshly caught wild boar, smoked, and served with local yams. The girls tried soursop and persimmons. We had a great day out on the Barrier Reef, with lots of snorkelling. Spotted many colourful fish, including Parrot Fish and some Sea Turtles. The giant clams were also a hit. Leaving the Daintree, we stealed ourselves for the Bloomfield track, a notoriously treacherous dirt road from Cape Tribulation, over the Bloomfield river and onto Cooktown. The road only opened a few days ago, as the causeway at the Bloomfield had been washed away. We were told we could only cross at low tide, so we had a small window to make the river. The Bloomfield is about 34kms from Cape Tribulation, but due to the conditions took 2 ½ hours. Some sections of the road are incredibly steep, with a gradient of perhaps 30 degrees. Russ had to engage the low 4wd for those sections and we slowly ascended the ranges. It is a very beautiful part of the world, with fan palms, lawyer cane and magnificent views of the ocean and the forest. We saw a crocodile sunning itself on the river bank just out of Wujal Wujal. Stopped at the famous Lions Den Hotel for a beer, and then on to Cooktown. Stopped at Black Mountain which are two huge mountains made of granite covered in a black lichen. Cooktown is situated on the mouth of the Endeavour River, where remnants of the gold rush can be seen in the number of old pubs lining the main street. Captain Cook had to pull in here to mend the Endeavour after running aground on the reef off Cape Tribulation. We stayed out of town at Archer Point, camping just off the beach. There had been a recent crocodile sighting so we stayed away from the water. Had fun exploring and beachcombing, finding lots of matchbox beans and fantastic shells. Arieh had a turn driving as we headed to Laura where we walked to some rock painting sites. This area is unique in it’s depiction of Quinkins, which are spirits. We will head back this way when we attend the Laura Dance festival in a few weeks. From Laura we headed to Coen, which is where we are currently camped beside a picturesque creek. Again the road conditions have been challenging, and made more so by the trucks and roadtrains, who do not move over or stop. This caused some minor anxiety in the backseat and some damage to the trailer electrics. We have spent the day relaxing, swimming and yarning with the locals. The girls are yabbying, lots of local families are camped nearby fishing. The local kids are being more successful at catching yabbies than us, they use a snorkel mask and a spear! Russ is reading under a tree and Arieh is playing with the fire. We made damper this morning, which was very yummy when served with Golden Syrup. Arieh spotted snake number nine...a File Snake. They are water snakes and we have seen it swimming on the creek bed. The locals told us they can deliver a serious bite. One of the families we talked to, referred to Russ as the Old Fella! Much amusement from us! Then they called to me “hey old girl…”! Fair enough I thought. So here we are, half way up Cape York. We will head to Moreton Telegraph Station tomorrow and then on to Bamaga. The real adventure has begun!