Cardwell and the Cassowary Coast

Time to park the old red Ute under cover and take a break from driving. Andrew remembered Cardwell as a picturesque little place not as busy as Mission Beach ( up the road )! It IS a picturesque little place with gorgeous views to Hitchinbrook Island. Here although we were cold , we were able to dodge some rain, drink some margaritas, walk and just relax ( isn’t that what holidays are about?? ). Except if you are woken up by the Curly Curlew Call. Anyone who has heard this bird shrill in the dead of night knows what I’m talking about here. Like a piercing continuous screeching at 12 am, 1 am, 2 am and finally maybe stopped around 3 am or were we so dog tired that we blocked it out and fitfully slept!
Surrounding this area is sugar cane country. Stretching almost 6km out to sea from Lucinda is the Offshore Sugar loading jetty. We did go for a drive to check it out. Apparently longest jetty in the southern hemisphere. I’m sure it’s an amazing engineering feat!
From sugar cane country we drive high into the world heritage listed rainforest country. On this drive, lazy cattle sleep on roads and give way to bush turkeys darting into thickets and lush forests hiding the elusive cassowary ( which sadly we didn’t see).
Wallaman Falls are the highest, permanent, single-drop waterfall in Australia. This is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, home to some of the oldest rainforests on earth and many endangered plants and animals. It literally takes ones breath away when you see it and I could not resist the temptation to walk down it ( the walk back up is a killer ) and it was worth every step. Just spectacular.
A quick stop for a beer at the pub with no beer and check out the inspirational mosaic mural. 42 metres of it.Read more