Granny’s Gap Year - Charters Towers to Atherton, May 2023

Описание: Leaving Charters Towers, we negotiated the Great inland Way towards Harveys Range. We stopped at the rest area which was developed to tell the history of Harvey’s Range Road. This historic area is well signposted and beautifully presents stories of pioneers and road travel through this region in the 1890’s.
How great it was to have a bush camp near a huge dam. We were entertained by the Brahman cattle coming to drink, dingoes howling during the dark, a massive star filled night and curious emus checking on us in the morning.
We decided to head to Cobbold Gorge, so we travelled through to Einasleigh and the amazing Copperfield Gorge.
Into the historic township of Forsayth, we visited the museum and read displays, which indicated a bustling history.
The Forsayth Pub is a mixture of businesses….. and is the place to come for groceries, meals, gossip, beers, coffee and cake.
Cobbold Gorge is Queensland’s youngest gorge, set amongst an ancient landscape. Over the last 17 million years, movement in the earth’s crust and torrential wet seasons have spilled torrents of water through the narrow fractures, creating deep gorges and permanent springs.
To protect this fragile environment, access to Cobbold Gorge is by guided tours only. The tours provide visitors with an insight to an ancient geological story, a chance to meet a Johnstone River Crocodile and an introduction to the bush tucker in the area.
Cobbold Village continues to develop with walks, tours, helicopter rides and Australia’s first fully glass bridge, installed in 2019.
Having explored the Gorge, we set off again and passed through the small town of Georgetown. Taking the “Georgetown Walk” we followed a placarded trail which visits the old buildings and gives details of their prior use.
Finding Pinnarendi Station Stay on Wiki camps, we thoroughly enjoyed our evening there…enjoying bush walks amongst the horses and cows, and a scrumptious breakfast.
A short jump to Innot Springs and we were bathing in a selection of six pools of varying temperatures, accessible from the Caravan Park. A nature stroll along the river takes you to the discharge point of the natural hot springs, where the water can be 75 deg C.
Just outside of Ravenshoe, we came across the Windy Hill Wind Farm. This is Queensland’s largest wind farm with 20 windmills producing enough power for 3500 homes.
With picturesque waterfalls, lakes and national parks, the Atherton Tablelands is nature at its best. As we continued through the small towns of the Ravenshoe, Herberton, Atherton and Tonga …we ensured we always had time to stop for coffee, have a poke around a museum or cemetery, or stroll through the backstreets of a town to learn what makes these small communities tick.