Welcome to the tropics (finally!)

National park-kinda week in the wet tropics of northern Queensland, Australia

After crossing over to the tropics I had a very long 700km drive up to Townsville, which would be my starting point for my tropical adventure.

Townsville

Magnetic island on the right, just in Townsville bay

Townsville is quite a big city and my last stop before my tropical wanderings. As I didn’t need to stock up majorly I merely drove into the city to head straight for Castle Hill which promised me stunning views all around the city and coastline (obviously I had Castle Hill by Ed Sheeran booming away from the stereo all the way up). It sure was stunning up there, the drive was one to squeeze your bum in every sharp turn trying to avoid all the people bravely hiking up, but so worth it.
I had thought to sleep up there, but as there were huge signs stating penalties I wasn’t in the mood to receive nor pay I made my way back down after a walk around to soak in more of that glorious sunshine and the views.

Google maps
= best friend

I ended up staying the night about 30k out of town at Bluewater park, with about two dozen other campers/backpackers and grey nomads haha. 

You know you’re well and truly in the tropics when you have to lave the back door open (with a mozzie net ofc) to sleep. So here I finally took the time to sort out some kind of plan as to how the following week would look like.
Obviously Australia being Australia, nothing’s just 10min away from each other lol. But I'm quite happy to announce right now that I managed to see and do everything I wanted to (and more!). Just another friendly reminder that if you want something you've just got to get out and get it done. 

Anyway, waking up to a soft sunrise followed by the dazzling sun the next day I was on the road by 9 again. Off to my first stop, the Wallaman falls. Not before doing a quick pitstop at the big mango in Bowen, obviously couldn't miss that !

Bluewater park

Big mango at Bowen

Girringun National Park

Wallaman

Stay casso-wary folks 🤣
God I crack myself up sometimes 

About an hour off the highway you’ll find this absolutely stunner of a waterfall. I couldn’t have asked for more to start the day. The 50k drive to the waterfall from Ingham is beautiful. Driving up to the mountain, passing a few tiny towns, a couple cattle grids and consequently having to slow down/stop for the cattle chilling on the road, testing the emergency breaks and getting a heart attack from a wallaby that decided to cross the road right when I approached, some more hairpin bends and stunning views up the range and then of course the last leg through the cassowary infested national park leads to the well worth it viewing platform and start of some hiking trails around the falls and the national park.

Wallaman falls

Cardwell pools

Next stop was a bit of a spontaneous decision, I’d found this name during a random browse of the “Australia” instagram page. As it was just a quick 10min from the highway I decided to say 'hey ho, let’s go!' to it. And thank god I did!

Cardwell pools

How extraordinary is the colour of that water ???! Thank you ground-minerals 😍
A quick change into my swimmers, down the steps and into the gloriously blue water! It was pretty cold, don’t get me wrong (as it’s steadily flowing spring water) but very nice once you got in properly as usual (and because it was hot and sweaty outside, as usual too).
The pools are just outside the charming little town of Cardwell which is the perfect place to stop for a stretch of the legs along Victoria street, which is also the highway but has a seaside promenade, a beautiful rest area and an abundance of cafes and bakeries and restaurants for all kinds of cravings. 

I had a picnic lunch at the pools which has a grassy bit and a picnic table or two.

(Remember to leave no trace in national parks!)

With a tummy full of roasted chicken with aioli on ciabata (a perfect "on the road" lunch, incidentally which I (we) discovered road tripping Portugal two years previously), I headed off to my next destination of the day.

Which was to be Tully Gorge national park.

Tully Gorge National park

Tully Gorge

Nr°14 or 11 ?  either way it's along that road

Tully gorge national park is pretty easy accessible with the one road leading into (and out again) from Tully. So 39km down the (conveniently named) Tully gorge road you’ll find yourself surrounded with national park after kilometres of banana plantations with stunning backdrops.

Driving through Tully gorge you might notice some big numbers painted on the road, and if you’re really observant (unlike me lol) you’ll notice pretty quickly the numbers add up and are always conveniently placed at entrances to places to see such as a waterfall, a lookout, a camping ground or one of the many jump-off points to get in the river.

The Tully river provides some of the country's best Wilde water rafting opportunities, as well as kayaking.

 
Side note: the water is croc infested as well as having a very strong current
(hence the great rafting duhuh),

 so don’t go paddling/swimming about (on your own).

Anyway, I pulled up at the campsite thinking about spending the night in this beautiful place and went for a walk around. Walking toward the water I met a man who was kayaking the river with (I think) his son and about 5 kids who were learning.
He suggested I should definitely camp there to be able to fully enjoy the national park and then went on to tell me about this beautiful little waterfall at number 14.

I ended up not camping there because it was high season and I didn’t have a camping permit nor did I have cell reception to buy one, but I did head up the road and explored the nr 14 turn off as told by locals.

Needless to say I had the best afternoon stopping every- and anywhere up and back down the road letting my eyes feast on the beauty before me around every bend.

By half past 5 the sun was setting and I had set up camp at Feluga, another free camp I found thanks to Wikicamps.

I spend the evening talking to my neighbours, an Israeli couple who met in the army and were now road tripping and exploring life, just like me.  Great full for such a great day and the new friends I had made I went to bed just before the heavens opened up on us and we were treated to a tropical rainstorm throughout most of the night. Well not quite a storm as it wasn't rain season, but it rained enough for the grassy field we were camped on to go swamp-y in the morning. Always fun to start your day with the thrill of 'shall I get stuck or not' 😄

Waking up to the fresh, cool morning air I swampt around to have brekkie and try to get everything as dry and clean as possible before packing up and heading northwards again toward the very famous Millaa Millaa falls.

Feluga hotel free campground

Instead of just finding the Millaa Millaa falls, as I drove up the Palmerston hwy from just past Innisfail, I got treated by a sign stating “tourist drive waterfall circuit”. Naturally I slammed on the breaks and followed the sign heading down Theresa creek rd. 

Ellinjaa

Ellinjaa falls

This country simply does not cease to disappoint nor amaze as I drove up and down again through hill-y country to not just find the famous Millaa Millaa falls at the very end of the drive, but found myself visiting the Ellinjaa falls as well as the Zillie falls before topping it off with the Millaa Millaa falls.

So Ellinjaa falls has a short walking track to the bottom of the falls where you could easily take a dip (given the weather's warm enough because the water is quite freezing haha). When walking down I crossed a party of 3 but otherwise had the whole thing all to myself. 

Right so apparently there's a viewing platform at the bottom of the Zillie falls too, so if you get out there and find it, let me know because I didn't and a couple who came back from the little path leading from the top platform said there wasn't anything down that track. 

Another beautiful waterfall nonetheless !

Zillie falls

Millaa Millaa falls

IG (<) vs. reality (^)

East coastin'

I left Mallacoota in high spirits, plan was to go up north and find a job with horses again. And so I did. after another epic roadtrip. 

This post is going to be mostly photos because there's just so much I want to share and not that much to talk about it. I never drove longer than 2 to 3 hours a day and stopped everywhere I felt like it. Chasing lighthouses and beaches alike. 

So sit back and enjoy the views I would say.

First stop after 'coota was Mimosa rocks national park, recommended to me by my host family. I spent the night on one of the camping spots there and woke up early to see the sun rise for the very last time in 2018. It was quite worth it to wake up at 4:30 in the morning. 

4:39 am, 31 of Dec 2018

4:57 am

5:15 am

5:07 am

big oll' stingray casually swimming by to catch anything
dropped by the fishers on the docks

After starting my last day of the year well, I headed up for a pancake brekkie in Bermagui (random little fishing town where I drove though and got hungry) to arrive in Narooma. 

Australia Rock

Not that I had planned on visiting Narooma but turns out Narooma is home to the infamous 'Australia Rock'.  A nice walk across the inlet I found a beautiful view point, seals sleeping and playing around at the bar crossing and also: Australia rock. 

Fun fact: 

my picture sucks and you can't really see it because it's not the big rock sticking out that is supposed to look like Aus, it's the hole in the middle that looks like the outlining of Aus. story is that it was created by accident by a ship that was tied to the rock with large chains to prevent it from drifting off during a storm.

Dalmeny, another random spot I thought was pretty

I spent New Years eve in a YHA in Batemans Bay. Arrived in the early afternoon checked into the hostel and drove around a bit to find somewhere to chill. Thing was that the weather wasn't very nice. kind of chilly, very windy and rainy every now and then. So I just ended up having an ice cream and walking around random shops for the afternoon. 

In the evening I had a couple of drinks with some guys I met at the hostel. Went back into town for chips and prawns for dinner and back again to the hostel where we had a couple more drinks, danced, laughed and I was pretty much in bed by quarter to 12. 

As I fell asleep I could hear the fireworks signalling the new year. 

Next day I drove up to the Royal national park, just under Sydney. I drove to this national park because it was another place I had already been. Being the first day of the year of course everybody had just about the same idea as me, which was to drive to the beach and have a chill afternoon there. 4 years ago I had passed through and slept in the park only a couple weeks after I was there now, but of course with the school holidays still going it was absolutely packed. After driving around for at least half an hour to find a place to leave my car I found a spot and headed to the beach. The water was icy cold but the sun was hot as ever so I spent the rest of my first day in 2019 lazy on the beach with a good book and some snacks. By night time the park emptied and I was able to sleep in (almost) the exact same spot as I had done (almost) exactly 4 years ago. It was quite cool. 

Bundeena

Jan 2nd I drove again a couple hours north. this time stopping in Norah head, spending the afternoon chilling on the beach as per usual. To go explore the lighthouse the following morning. 

This is when I decided to go wherever the next lighthouse would be.

Jenny Dixon reserve

Norah head lighthouse

What followed was a day of old familiar sights I chased down all day. First up was Hawks nest and its massive sand dunes. Followed by spending the night in Seal Rocks. 

Now 4 years ago I just stopped by here, I didn't even go to the lighthouse (can you imagine ?!!). So now I was very happy to have gotten a second chance at exploring this little bay better. 

These fairy lights are possibly the best thing I bought for Nala

morning ocean and mountain views are most likely my fav

Seal rocks

These are the moment I wish I had the knowledge (and car)
to go 4WD'ing on the beach

Sugarloaf Point lighthouse, Seal Rocks

And so I arrived at my home for now, Bellrowan Valley. A good half an hour west from Port Macquarie I found myself in Aussie bushland surrounded with horses once again.

I stayed at Bellrowan for two weeks, at that point my funds were getting drastically low and I had to find a paid job fast. 

Anyhow, those two weeks were great. Hot, sweaty and cut off from the world but surrounded and working with horses every day. 

I found this wonderful trail riding company through HelpX once again so I worked for my food and accommodation. 

For me there is almost no greater feeling than working with horses. Connecting, teaching and learning (from) them is what I live to do. And that was exactly what I was able to do there, training the greens one to cope with life, getting miles done with the not-so-green ones, assisting on guided tours, living for the horses in short. 

With a beer and icy-pop on the side obvs.

Tinker in front left and Apollo in the back right grumpy
because he wasn't getting all the attention to himself :p

having a little moment with Tinker before our ride

So a good two weeks later I was off again, up the coast in search of a job. I had decided to try my luck in Byron Bay, another one of those places I kind of went to but didn't really see nor experience.

Tacking point lighthouse, Port Macquarie

Me being me, I obviously took it pretty chilled and drove up in a couple of days. Chasing beautiful beaches and lighthouses along the way where and wherever I could.

two hours later... Smoky cape lighthouse, Arakoon

another night spent next to the beach in South West Rocks

Coffs Harbour beachin'

  

Fun fact about Coffs, last time I stopped here I was pouring down rain and had been raining for a couple of days so all the parks were absolutely swamped. So it was (yet again) refreshing to see the place same same but different after all that time.

Getting woken up by rowdy kids on the streets at 2 in the morning sucks, waking up with the sunrise from my comfy bed isn't so much.

When in Coffs.....
you go visit the big banana

And then when in Ballina,
you go see the big prawn

Next up: BRYON BAY, YAAAAAY

Can you tell I'm really stoked to have finally gotten to the point where I can write about life in Byron?! Well, I am.

As I'm writing this in real time, I just left Byron a couple of hours ago. Headed to the next new adventure tomorrow. Meaning I've got a good 12 hours to kind of fill you in with most of my Byron adventures such as chasing waterfalls and daily life working two jobs.

xoxo Liz