17:15.960 S  145:28.724 E

ATHERTON TABLE LANDS – QUEENSLAND

1^ST August 2007

We drove up through the hinter-land of Cairns to the Table-lands

Very fertile dairy country, amongst other crops such as

Peanuts, maize, beans, tea, coffee, potatoes and lots of fruit, such as citrus and mangoes and bananas.

Lakes and waterfall,s national [parks and state forests, small villages and busy rural centres abound.

Nonindigenous Australians came here in 1870s searching for gold and tin.  Roads and railways were built, and logging and farming became the primary industries.  The regions traditional owners, the Ngadjonji tribe met the intrusion with resistance.

This is the famous 350 year old strangler curtain fig tree in the national park near Yungaburra

This farm is also in Yungaburra, but rather dilapidated!

Which is situated on a huge man-made lake Tinaroo created for the Barron River hydroelectric power scheme.  We had swiss food in the Swiss-Italian restaurant, including sauwerkraut and wurst!

Near Mareeba, we visited by recommendation the Italian owned Gold Coffee plantation

Coffee maker, Bruno Maloberti, 82 yrs. Old is still running his wonderful coffee plantation, after 25 years of hard work, with his wife and daughter only to help him! He’s heat sealing his freshly ground Arabica coffee here, before giving us a tour

Bruno explains the whole procedure of coffee growing, beginning from the red beans in his hand to the 100 year old roasting machine he imported from Italy, which he still  uses at the end!

3^rd AUGUST – Driving North to Port Douglas along the picturesque Captain Cook Highway

Great beaches for swimming and fishing

The Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary at Port Douglas

For breakfast with the birds was a great highlight of this region

The red-winged parrot, Eclectus parrot, black-necked stork and rainbow lorikeet met us with pleasure!

Under a huge aviary canopy where a full English breakfast was served as if in a 4 star hotel, alongside

The  birds coming in to feed at their own tables and from the fish thrown into the pondwater for them

Imagine the noise from all the birds captured within this massive aviary at feeding time! Specially with the noise from all the ducks, wading herons and squaking parrots.  Thankfully the tuneful assortment of pigeons made a softer sound on the ears!

The Koala enjoys a tickle, David not sure about the olive python on his neck, and Valerie’s sizing down to the Emu.