2 June 2022
Being based at Mission Beach it’s only 70km to Cardwell which is the closest town to Ingham which was our most northern point for our caravan trip last year. So today we drove south, firstly stopping at Tully and then on to Cardwell so we have now completed the Queensland coast from Brisbane to Cairns and beyond to the Daintree. The Cardwell shire which includes Tully is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area and Tully, Innisfail and Babinda vie for the town to receive the most rainfall in Australia each year. The big gumboot seems appropriate to acknowledge this.
The gumboot stands 7.9 metres high which represents the record yearly rainfall of 7900ml in 1950.
The wet weather moulds the industry of the town and the Tully Sugar Mill is prominent as you drive in to the town off the highway. We were surprised that the sugar season has started already. Glenn spoke to a guy who said it usually starts on June 20 and runs to November but the crop is so good this year they have started a month early.
After a short walk in town we drove 40km further south to our destination of Cardwell. While a lot of towns are a little inland from the ocean, Cardwell lies directly on the Coral Sea which also means it scored a direct hit from Cyclone Yasi in 2011 and the tidal surge that followed the cyclone. Businesses have rebuilt and the foreshore is a credit to this small town. We were able to easily park under a large shady tree to take in the wonderful views north to the jetty and south to Hinchinbrook Island.
A wide path meanders along the foreshore and we walked along to Bagu on the Foreshore, an Aboriginal art installation.
Next is a tribute to the jetties of Cardwell in respect to the town being the first port in Far North Queensland.
Across the road is a small historical museum and the Bush Telegraph Office, shipped here in kit form in 1870 and nailed together. This building has withstood termites and the might of cyclones.
It was time for lunch so how we could we not try the Seaview Deli Cafe with thick crab sandwiches for Glenn and local caught barramundi for me.
Tomorrow we head to Paronella Park for our last day and night and then fly home on Saturday.
aworld2see 