Geoffrey Cartner
CARAVAN
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QUEENSLAND’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT OUTLET FOR
ACCESSORIES, REPAIRS & SPARE PARTS. We specialise in an extensive range of caravan, camping, motorhome, 4WD, gas, electric and DC portable refrigerators, air conditioners and associated products. RACQ Selected and Suncorp Recommended Insurance Repairers. Full installation facilities – guaranteed best prices.
Geoffrey Cartner
Geoffrey Cartner
CARAVAN, MOTORHOME & 4WD Clockwise from far left: James Cook Historical Museum. View from Grassy Hill where Europeans first saw a kangaroo. Black Mountain: what mythological secrets does it hold? Ask a local for directions to Trevethan Creek Falls.
The Quinkin Cultural Centre at Laura offers tours of Aboriginal rock art sites. The Split Rock site is beside the road just south of Laura and was fascinating. One could take a month to really explore this area so it was a bit rushed in one day. I was a great fan of Ion Idriess when I was young. He was a prolific Australian author that travelled and wrote extensively about prospecting for gold and tin in the Bloomfield area. So I just had to go there and see it for myself. A four-wheel-drive is essential for the trip and it shouldn’t be attempted after rain. There are many points of interest to experience on the drive to the Bloomfield River. Black Mountain is an enormous pile of huge boulders t went y-six kilometres from Cooktown and features prominently in Aboriginal mythology. A number of stories and urban myths about people, and even herds of cattle, entering the rock cavities never to be seen again abound. A stop off to the iconic and historic Lions Den Hotel on the banks of the Little Annan River is mandatory to soak up the atmosphere. The hotel, built in 1875, is a prime example of bush architecture and has a campground. Access to the Lions Den Hotel is open to all vehicles. Further south the road passes through the Cedar Bay National Park best known for a police raid on a hippie commune in 1976. The town of Ayton, with a general store and
camping ground, is in Weary Bay; so named because the sailors towing the Endeavour in row boats from where it struck the reef to what is now Cooktown were exhausted by the time they got there! A short drive from Ayton is the pristine waters of the Bloomfield River and the Aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal where you can fish and enjoy the beauty of the river. As a reward for the long drive, take a short walk to the Bloomfield falls – truly beautiful. If you prefer to bush camp rather than use a caravan park, try Archer Point, the site of a failed agricultural experiment. Grain grown at Lakeland Downs was to be shipped out from Archer Point, but the only thing left of this venture now is the ruins of a wharf. The camping area is huge, but the prime spots are protected from the south-easterly trade winds that often blow at up to thirty knots. Here, the reef comes right to the shore and, if you have a boat, there is an offshore island nearby to try your luck fishing. Cooktown was a veritable visitor’s feast. We visited both museums; craft shops and galleries that feature local art; and hidden waterfalls. We went fishing; four-wheel-driving and so much more. A visit to Cooktown should be on every Australian’s list of places to see. Take the trip, go soon, you won’t be disappointed.
We service, repair and stock spare parts for these brands.
(07) 3209 5044
www.caravanservices.com.au 4/68–72 Perrin Drive Underwood Q 4119
info@caravanservices.com.au
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