The literature we picked up in Agnes Waters mentioned that the best place to see a platypus is Eungella National Park. Along the drive, Sara found a free campsite in Gargett – excellent! The drive inland to the park was really neat. For miles there was nothing but sugarcane lining the roads. Sporadically there are narrow gauge railway crossings for the “Cane Trains” that weave through the fields.
After spending a night in the tiny town of Gargette, we stopped in Finch Hatton to find a shop that specializes in rainforest scuba diving. We drove through the town twice but didn’t see anything so we stopped at the only open store for directions. We missed it because it’s apparently in someone’s house! Unfortunately nobody was home so no rainforest scuba for us.
Flying foxes on Pine Grove walk
We continued on to Eungella. In the town, we saw an i-spot sign which led us to a map on the side of the road. The map listed out a few walks varying in lengths. We decided to make a loop first down Pine Grove to the short Sky Window then back on the Cedar Grove walk. As we started down the trail, we heard what sounded like kids playing at the school. The noise morphed into loud screeching… this can’t be a sound kids make. We seemed to be surrounded by the noise but had no idea where it was coming from. Sara looked up and immediately saw the source of the noise – hundreds of “Flying-Fox” bats! They were loud and restless. Some were even flying around and hopping from branch to branch. It was eerie – almost like we were in a prehistoric age with the dinosaurs. Later along the trail, a brightly colored leech attached to Sara’s ankle… what is this place?
After escaping Jurassic park, we drove to the tamer section of the forest to try to get a glimpse of a platypus. These are elusive creatures – usually only active at dusk and dawn. We were an hour early for prime viewing but gave it a go anyway. There is a nicely built viewing platform with informative signs on the platypus that we read while waiting. We didn’t have to wait long – on the far side of the creek we saw a tiny creature swimming and diving for food. We found the elusive platypus! It was much smaller then we both expected and hard to see clearly, but Sara was able to snag a few pictures of this cute creature.
It was still early afternoon when we were done with the national park. We decided to relax the rest of the day in Eungella at a Caravan Park that had great views of the valley below.
In the morning, we drove down into the valley and made our way to a different section of Eungella National Park, the Finch Hatton Gorge. On the way, we stopped by the scuba shop one last time, but it was still closed – guess they aren’t getting our tourist dollars! The road to the gorge was a bit unnerving. Instead of building bridges over the streams the road just goes through the stream. There are depth markers on either side so you know how deep the water is. Luckily for us, water levels were low and our big camper didn’t have any trouble.
The gorge itself was much more popular then we both expected. There was a nice walk through the forest to two separate viewing and swimming areas. The second half of the walk was beautiful – as it followed the gorge, we could catch glimpses of waterfalls. The whole gorge was full of beautiful crystal clear pools connected by cascading waterfalls.
There were several people lounging at the lowest pool when we arrived. After snagging a few picture, we continued to the furthest pool. When we arrived, it was quiet with only one other couple enjoying the scenery. The water was a bit cold for swimming so instead we climbed up the falls a bit and took in the beauty. As we were leaving, we noticed everyone from the bottom pool had arrived and we’re now relaxing here. To me, it felt like they were all dogs or cats moving from room to room with long naps in between.
For the rest of the day, Sara and I headed back into civilization and relaxed at the free public pool in Mackay. That night, we found a free campsite at the beach. Finally a neat campsite that was also free! When we arrived, the tide was low and there were many people going for evening walks on the exposed tidal flats. The beach seemed to stretch out to the horizon! With drinks in hand, Sara and I walked the beach as the sun faded behind the palms.
Tomorrow we head to Cape Hillsboro National Park where we will hopefully see some Kangaroos!
Freedom camping at Carmila Beach - it was raining so we kept driving north and plan to stop again on our way south
Carmila Beach
Flying foxes on Pine Grove walk
Flying foxes on Pine Grove walk
Tree Arch on Pine Grove walk
Freedom camping at Far Beach in Mackay
Turtle at Broken River
Explorers Haven Campsite in Eungella
View from campsite in Eungella
Sunset at Eungella
Araluen Cascades
Waterfalls cascading into pools along Finch Hatton Creek
Wheel of Fire at Finch Hatton Gorge
Wheel of Fire at Finch Hatton Gorge
Moon over Far Beach
Low tide at Far Beach
View from RV at Far Beach
Far Beach with the tide a little higher
Fun to read.
We’re trying to figure out sunset or sunrise to see kangaroos.
beautiful pictures..and great catch on the platypus!