Mareeba, Mareeba – sounds like something Speedy Gonzalez would say – Endelay Andelay – Mareeba, Mareeba.
I hadn’t planned to stop at Mareeba – I’d been here just after Atherton – remember – I’d drunk coffee at the Coffee Works?? Unfortunately, there was an issue with handbrake on the ute – something I’d picked up on the Cape – so I’d need to be getting this fixed before I went any further.
Went I was planning my assault on the Cape & getting back towards the west, I was quite annoyed that I would have to come back down as far east as I did – instead of being able to cut through to the west somewhere – there are roads & tracks all over that area – but apart from it being either private property or aboriginal land – there’s also the matter of being able to cross the Mitchell River – apparently quite impossible to the west. But I now have to admit that by the time I’d got back down off the Cape, I was quite happy to drive along some sealed “easy” type roads for a while and not to have to tackle the wild roads to the west.
So, I rang Mareeba Toyota on Saturday morning and the blokey said “just bring it in first thing Monday and they’ll fit you in”. Why I listen to these blokes is beyond me – its never as easy as they make it out to be!!
Anyway, I then had the weekend to kill in Mareeba – and since I’d done the Coffee Works and didn’t want to do any more coffee and wasn’t interested in the Mango Liquer place – I was a bit at a loss for what to do. I drove past the council caravan park in town and after being out of towns and caravan parks for the last few weeks, didn’t think I’d like it there too much. Luckily, in driving around I saw another sign to “Granite Gorge”. So, after looking it up in one of my camping books, I decided that would be a good place to be for the weekend – instead of in the town caravan park (& cheaper too!!). Granite Gorge is about 12 kms out of Mareeba – has a little caravan/camp area and this (SURPRISE SURPRISE) Granite Gorge. The gorge has huge big rocks & stones – great for walking through – if you are a GIANT!! I walked a little way into it – but found the rocks too big for me – I sat down on my bum at one stage because I thought I’d be able to reach the rock below it from there – and I was left dangling – my feet were about another foot from the next rock. Slid down on my bum in the end!!! So – wasn’t really that much fun – but an interesting place to see. They are also home to the Mareeba Rock Wallaby – now whilst this does sound more like the name of an American Grid Iron Team – it is actually a very little wallaby – apparently found nowhere else in the country except around Mareeba (and Undara I found out later – but that’s not very far away). So, as they have been doing for 25+ years – they feed the wallabies at this place – and the wallabies know it too – everytime a person comes near – they’re there trying to get food out of you – they even fight each other for who is going to eat from the human’s hand. Once got a little bit excited when I was feeding them and actually bit me!!! It didn’t break the skin – but it did hurt. So after that I just threw the feed on the ground for them. (I think I was very patient in the fact I didn’t just throw the whole lot – in the bag – AT them!!)
Othere than that it was a quiet w/e – I washed my car when I got there Saturday arvo – took me ages as the thing was filthy from the dust from up the top – it looked like a totally different vehicle when I’d finished cleaning it.
So, back into town Monday morning, to the Toyota place & of course – they were flat out & couldn’t fit me in!! They sent me to another place – & he couldn’t do it to later in the day eitehr. So went back to Toyota with a sad, poor, poor me face & they agreed to have a look at it. So had to leave it there for a few hours – walked around the shops of Mareeba, had lunch and then luckily it was done. I ‘d also tried to get a wheel alignment done too – but the only place that could do it that day could only do it when the vehicle was in at Toyota.
So, leaving Mareeba behind I drove through to Atherton & was lucky enough to find someone to do the wheel alignment for me – I really do like Atherton!!!
From there, I was determined to free camp for the night. I couldn’t find the one near Atherton but I kept going & found one just south of Ravenshoe. I came over the hill & it looked like a caravan park – about 25+ vans and vehicles there – so I thought it would be nice & safe. It was. They just had a toilet there – but that’s all I really needed. And, for the record, the toilet was OK!!
So, spent Sat 27 & Sun 28 August at Granite Gorge & Monday 29 free camp near Ravenshoe.
margiecrimmins 