Riding Down Under - Tropical Cairns Australia

[MacDoc]

Across the Daintree in the morning ...full day of interesting riding. ?️
Very smooth ride up - almost no traffic even on the ferry and got off first as is custom and zilch on the way to Cape Tribulation

One kangaroo - likely a wallby scampered across..no cassowaries tho they inhabit the area. Just a gorgeous cool 29 ( for here ) sunny day with almost no wind tho something came through last night littering branches and some sizeable on the way up. Hard to see in the dappled sunlight. KLR smoothed over the speed bumps on the north side of the ferry. Will go a tad further north then head back doing some photography on the way. The new sunglasses are almost too dark. Stopped for tea and salmon wrap. Possible iced coffee on the agenda at Mossman but I'll see how the butt and shoulder are hanging in.

 

[MacDoc]

Ran out of steam 40 km from home so wings and lemon lime and bitters break at Ellic beach.

Neck is sore - wondering if lighter convertible in order but trying not to spend money. If I sell my C3 in Canada I might spring for something here.
Reviewing some earlier photos and this popped up. Going into my top photos album, Flowers are so nice to photograph....they don't flit about. ?

and a lovely epiphyte which are everywhere living off air and water with a tree for support. Often a dozen huge ones in some large trees.

Love the long empty beaches north of the Daintree tho of course there is crocodile risk ...not called salties without reason and have been found far out to sea. One took a tourist in waist deep water near here tho at night which was a foolish time to go wading.

Cow Bay usually is mostly deserted as above .....Not so this day...... school holidays and 1/2 price flights by Qantas had lots of tourists out and families.
A quick ferry ride

and into more remote coastal rain forest.

small tinnie fishing expedition..amusing watching them manhandle into the water. Where is DAD!!!!???

Much huffing and puffing and switching lift positions later

 

[MacDoc]

So nice to ride in cooler weather. 28 with mixed clouds and sun. Picked up a 14L tank bag making carrying the photo gear much easier and room for swim trunks and towel and chain lube in the top case.
Might allow some longer days and for sure room for fishing gear.
I'd love to catch a barramundi - hard fighting fish that tastes wonderful.

And they grow big

No Cookies | The Cairns Post

No Cookies | The Cairns Post

www.cairnspost.com.au

Chased by a very odiferous and large garbage hauler ( worst ever to get caught behind one on a hot day coming up the range road. ) So coaxed the the KLR to 110 kph to stay in front. Old mule happy with a small oil top off and chain lube.

 

[MacDoc]

Cooktown next I think ... an overnighter and take the fishing gear. Lunch at Lakeland and there are some bird watching locations on the way.
Just have to dodge loose cattle that wander the road.
There is a coastal route by way of Cape Trib but not for my current skill set given the river crossings.

There is also the Creb track.

The CREB Track | Tropical North Queensland

The CREB Track is one of the country's most challenging 4WD adventures, traversing spectacular rainforest from the Daintree to Cooktown.

www.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au

Sigh ...wet season won't let go.

Going north no problem ...always showers and a sweet tailwind.
Coming back too wet and 20-30 kph headwinds.
Will wait til we get back from our road trip in Gippsland starting the 29th.

 

[MacDoc]

Yup wet season struck back ...over 2" of rain already today and more to come tomorrow.

Instead I had a nice lunch with Jude's Mum and sister at Kewarra Beach.
gorgeous setting on the Pacific filled with palms, paper bark trees ( think birchbark ) and loads of Kookaburras.





The rain is welcome as it fills the fresh water lakes nearby to last through the upcoming dry.
Up to 4" and continuing ...expecting a gator to swim up the back yard.

 

[MacDoc]

Good grief...nudging 16" of rain in 72 hours. Backyard lagoon reminds me of my first year here a decade ago. The dog is giving us the evil eye about going out and peed on the rug yesterday..
?
fun wow

sitting and spinning right over us - right hand side accumulation since 9 am. To while away the time I'm reading about the 1927 MIssissipi flood

 

[MacDoc]

16" in the last 48 hours and it's still raining. That's on top of the weekend rain. - and it will rain all week by the looks of the coastal trough. It clears up a couple days AFTER we head south for 10 days. Cool temps are nice tho and rain good for sleep.
Getting a bit old ...looks like Saturday maybe I get out come hell or ..... ?

 

[MacDoc]

Well it stopped raining for the moment.

Roads cut, rivers overflow as Far North Queensland braces for more heavy rainfall

A trough off the coast is dumping rain on Far North Queensland, cutting roads and forcing the council to close some parks and camp sites.

www.abc.net.au

weird cyclonic pattern
but more rain forecast and heavier tomorrow afternoon
..morning ride I think to Mossman - see the debris

 

[DownUnder]

Cyclone/monsoon rain is amazingly different to what people in canada experience. You can't really describe what 16-30" of rain falling in a short period is like, or what 2 weeks of straight nonstop rain is like. Here I can work outdoors in the rain and not really get wet.. in Oz you run from your car to the front door and you can look/feel like you fell in a pool.

Hope it clears up for you mate.

 

[MacDoc]

Yep - very common to see people pull their shoes off and bare foot it to car sometimes in water to their knees.

Rain took a small break today and now back tho lighter.

Went out with friends to trivia. Nice to see people enjoying themselves. Our group came second and a $60 meal voucher for the effort and a good fund raiser for rescue dog support
Our house mates on the right.



20 teams and it was noisy - Salt House is right on the harbour -
so good to see people out and living a normal life.

 

[MacDoc]

Could have gone riding as the rain held off but my hip was so sore from perching on stools at trivia thought I'd wait. Instead
walked down to the bowls club for their excellent $10 fish & chips & salad. Brought the umbrella but no need.
All prices in Australia include tax and there is no tipping. Healthy portions too.
Had enough from this to bring home some chips for the pooch

Had a superb feed of kangaroo there one evening. Very much like a sirloin tip but less fat and far better for the environment

 

[MacDoc]

Anzac day tomorrow. Big deal in Australia. 5 am service then a breakfast.
Riding unlikely The rain, the rain...no dawn service but I think breakfast will proceed. Riding? not so much.

 

[MacDoc]

still showers but managed to get to the Bowls Club for lunch without needing the umbrella. we got 3" last night.
Steak chips and salad for $10 and they ask how I'd like it. High hopes given house mates yesterday. ?️

eyes bigger than stomach moment...cured myself of steak lust for a bit /Asked for medium rare got medium but even our inhouse used to be a chef said hers yesterday was excellent.
Hi praise for a $10 all in meal I could barely finish. All of the steak, most of the salad a few fries and I was stuffed. Got a repeat on the mushroom gravy.
Lots of locals coming in for take away....you can't cook that at home here in Australia for $10. Chef figures 250 gm.

 

[MacDoc]

Finally getting out for a ride. 25c and mix sun and clouds
Nice ride up to Mossman tho dark to the north ...nice tailwind so comfie ride and quiet ...little traffic...
Ride back will be less nice with a stiff headwind tho nothing hectic 20kph and lots of headlands breaking it up....just makes the earphones work harder. In return should be sunnier ?. Really comfie temperature and felt good to be back riding tho forgot to close the choke until the bike coughed politely and reminded me.?

 

[MacDoc]

FFS

Giving partner evil eye.?

 

[MacDoc]

Melbourne far too much like Toronto ...even with smog. Glad to escape. Yes it was 8 ?
Then socked in by fog so late start. Hit a great cafe for brekkie since we skipped supper the night before.

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Because we took a detour to hit 90 mile beach we had to pass by it again and grabbed coffee and a light lunch. Spent too much on food so it was $3 frozen pasta meal for supper.?

Heading here tomorrow for a 3 night stay in the area.

Touring The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme - The Jindy Inn - 3.5 Star Motel In Jindabyne

When many people think of The Snowy Mountains, they think of endless outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, horse riding and water skiing. And it is true that Kosciuszko National […]

www.jindyinn.com.au

Looking forward to this ...I recall as kid following the Snowy River project which at the time was one of the wonders of the engineering world...turning a big river around inside a mountain, pointing it out the other side of the mountain range and producing both tons of hydro electricity and irrigating a huge area.

The Snowy Scheme - Snowy Hydro

The Scheme was completed on time and under budget, which is relatively unheard of today! In the 25 years it took to build, 80km of aqueducts, 140km of tunnels, 16 dams, 7 power stations and 2000km of roads were constructed. Because 98% of The Scheme is underground, there was a lot of tunnelling, often through solid granite, which meant that the work was dirty, wet, noisy, smelly and dangerous. 121 men died on The Scheme, and many say that there were more unreported deaths.

Many of these men were new Australians. Because Australia did not have the expertise at the time for such an ambitious project, many companies from Europe were approached to tender for various parts of the construction. Over 25 years, more than 100,000 men from over 30 different countries worked on The Scheme.

 

[MacDoc]

Melbourne far too much like Toronto ...even with smog. Glad to escape. Yes it was 8 ?
Then socked in by fog so late start. Hit a great cafe for brekkie since we skipped supper the night before.

REDD CATT, Sale - Updated 2023 Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Redd Catt, Sale: See 245 unbiased reviews of Redd Catt, rated 4.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #1 of 48 restaurants in Sale.

www.tripadvisor.com.au

Because we took a detour to hit 90 mile beach we had to pass by it again and grabbed coffee and a light lunch. Spent too much on food so it was $3 frozen pasta meal for supper.?

Heading here tomorrow for a 3 night stay in the area.

Touring The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme - The Jindy Inn - 3.5 Star Motel In Jindabyne

When many people think of The Snowy Mountains, they think of endless outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, horse riding and water skiing. And it is true that Kosciuszko National […]

www.jindyinn.com.au

Looking forward to this ...I recall as kid following the Snowy River project which at the time was one of the wonders of the engineering world...turning a big river around inside a mountain, pointing it out the other side of the mountain range and producing both tons of hydro electricity and irrigating a huge area.

The Snowy Scheme - Snowy Hydro

Described as one of the civil engineering wonders of the modern world, the Snowy Scheme consists of eight power stations, 16 major dams, 80 kilometres of aqueducts and 145 kilometres of interconnected tunnels. POWER STATIONS The Snowy Scheme consists of eight hydro power stations*, including two...

www.snowyhydro.com.au

 

[MacDoc]

Settled in Cooma to tour the Snowy River area for a couple of days. Had a chance to photo some pelicans today. More to come

 

[MacDoc]

Will fill in the Gippsland section.
First off pavement ride in 2 years....or more. KLR is the correct mule. Looped Lake Tinaroo...part paved part good gravel ...some washboard and a few run off ridges to negotiate. Bounced my waterbottle out on one pothole - didn’t go back for it ….laughed as I’d just changed it for a fresh one where I took the pics and the pavement started a KM later,
Long day 10.30 am to 5 pm - the lake loop was about 40 km - half on dirt
Twice running the Gillies which is tiring in itself. 260 turns in 19 km
Felt good tho a bit concered with front tire wear.

Nice spot - whole ride is pretty much rain forest.

 

[MacDoc]

At some point the KLR will die and thinking about the replacement. With a spare battery pack this might be the ticket
Australian made. 0% financing for 24 months,.. $8990 Aus ...200 km range, 1 hour charge time to 80%,
Oops misread it ...the long range one is $17k - however the 100 km range is $10k - with 100 kph. Partner likes it too.

NKD | Overview

Fonzarelli NKD - Agile handling and a lightweight, compact build, allows the rider to control the electrifying torque curve of the bike, making it perfect for cutting through the urban jungle.

www.fonzmoto.com

Came across this too

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Like the seating position. So many innovative approaches. This one shifts

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