Yorso Good

The weather was fine, I had a couple of weeks off and so did Ian.  There was only one place to go - Low Isles (again).  Well, we never tire of it.  It has every ingredient of Tropical Paradise.

Besides, Ian has been working on Yorso (see Yorso Vain/Stupid in "The Great White Hunter Strikes Again" http://winkali.blogspot.com/2012/08/great-white-hunter-strikes-again.html

Having lightened up the steering, tried a few variations on his pulley systems and gathered up new determination, we headed out in an ideal breeze.

After careful balancing of sails and fingers crossed, we handed the steering over to Yorso. . . . . and off he went, all by himself.

Ian sits and relaxes while Yorso does the work

Yorso didn't know what the fuss was all about.  He could have done this for us last year when we headed out on our trip.  There was no need to have stayed up day and night tending the helm till we were exhausted.  All we had to do was lighten things up a bit and he would have done the rest.

Oh well, better late than never.  This makes places like Lord Howe Is and New Zealand a possibility after all.

Now that knew we had Yorso on the team, we sailed back to Low Isles and re-anchored.  

Now it was time to try out my new flippers, goggles and underwater camera.  

"Oh no", you say, "before it was all the bird photos, now it's going to be fish photos".

Well, I tried but I think that birds are a lot easier.  With the current and waves bobbing me about, all I could do was hope that the lens was pointing in the direction of my subject when I pressed the shutter.

After a while, I started to get the hang of capturing stationary objects.

Now, I'm not as conversant with the names of things at the bottom of the ocean as I am with creatures of the air but I do know that the object on the left is a very nice piece of pink coral.

After I managed to photograph the coral, I headed for something more tricky - something that moved.  I located this lovely blue starfish as it slowly made its way across its coral surrounds.  I didn't actually see it move, but I know for a fact that they do.




Then, I mastered the art of photographing fish as they darted in and out among the coral.  How did I do this?  First of all, I located large schools of fish.  Then I pointed the camera in their direction and pressed the shutter like crazy before they all swam away.  As you can see, I managed to get the last few stragglers. 

A lucky snap on the right.  The rare little stripey fish swims into view just as I was getting a photo of the coral.

Then best of all, just when Ian thinks he's safe from my prying lens, I catch him under water.

THE END

The Gulf, Cape York and Moreton Telegraph Station

The dry season is the busy season in the tropics.  Thoughts turn to warmth and sunshine when the first hint of frost appears in our southern latitudes and Queensland usually springs to mind.

Now when you want to be sure of warm weather, it pays to go to north Queensland because Brissy and the Gold coast can have their fair share of winter chills.

I have now done three Gulf Tours and two Cape York Tours, with one more Cape York Tour to go. 

I have stopped promising blog photos to my passengers as I forget all the details by the time I get round to writing them.  

I made the following movie clip on my first Gulf Tour in June, so this is for my passengers in June.

Ian helped out at Moreton Telegraph Station doing boat tours on the Wenlock River, as the previous coxswain made a sudden departure due to family emergency.  

Ian (centre standing) cautiously navigates between shallow sandbanks on the Wenlock

Navigating the river was tricky as a 'dry' wet season caused a low water level much earlier than usual.  

There were usually a couple of trustworthy residents of the Wenlock River to show to admiring tourists.

This Azure Kingfisher looked particularly spectacular as he flashed his electric blue from branch to branch as he zig-zagged his way up the river.

                                                    A territorial Shining Flycatcher lets everyone know that this is his branch and to go and find your own flies somewhere else.      

                                                                  

Ian drove to Moreton, accompanied by 'Pete, the Plumber', who was also going to Moreton to help out for a few weeks.  He was promised lots of lazy days, relaxing and fishing for the numerous Barramundi which abounded in the Wenlock.  All he had to do was a tiny bit of work in return for his food and lodging. All Ian had to do was help Pete when he wasn't driving the boat.

After 2 weeks, Pete finally managed to do a bit of fishing.  He caught a Barra, among other things.

I returned from my Gulf trip and booked a flight to Moreton.  I would spend my two weeks off taking photos, while Ian worked.

Moreton airstrip boasts a no-frills terminal for the budget conscious. The mail plane comes once a week and you can even mail people to and from there.

A Yellow Honeyeater  picks some fruit and catches it

  

Moreton always has an abundance of wildlife, especially birds.  This kept me occupied while Ian was working.  I never get tired of stalking these Red-winged Parrots as they try and feed in the grass undisturbed.  This one eyed me off suspiciously. . . . 

unlike this Black-backed Butcherbird who showed off his grasshopper.

Ian did manage to get a couple of days off while I was there.  We went exploring around some nearby lagoons.  Ian had found this amazing tree a few days before I got to Moreton.  It turns out to be a Weeping Tea Tree.  

Melaleucas being friendly with the lagoon. 

A White-faced Heron poses for a photograph.

The day is done.  We have a cup of tea before retiring to our Safari Tent accommodation.

After a few weeks Ian and I drive  back to Cairns. The Wenlock is down to a trickle and boat cruises are finished for the year.  I have to do my next trip.  

Pete left a couple of days before us.  Fishing was getting too dangerous and nobody was willing to unhook his crocodiles for him.

The crocodile he caught in the movie clip was unhurt and managed to free itself.

Meanwhile, Ian builds a boat

While I've been galavanting over Cape York, Ian had a bit of time on his hands between jobs, to build a new tender for Winkali.

He had been looking to buy a cheap little tender, just to take us over to her mooring and back so we wouldn't have to dismount our inflatable dinghy from the davits (a frame at the back of the boat for transporting your dinghy).

Now it's harder to buy a cheap dinghy than it is to sell one!

So - Ian decided to build his own tender. This wasn't the first tender he built, but this one he had to build for two :)

After reading up on some useful techniques, he came up with a design and put it all together and this is what he came up with.

 A little beauty!  Lots of room for me AND the luggage, stable and easy to row too!

The Return from Cape York

After farewelling my first tour group for the season, it was time to welcome the return group.  I didn't make the mistake of telling this group it never rains at this time of the year.

Judith castes a lovely reflection as she stands at the 'Tip' in the sunshine

After the 'Tip' we continued to Somerset and the sun followed on.  

Kay rested at the old well which is hidden behind the mangroves (look out for crocodiles)

The Somerset beach.

A bit of amusement occurred at Moreton when I tried on 2 occassions to enter the wrong tent.  Red faced I tried to make a hasty retreat from the gentleman's tent.  "Are you OK asked a concerned voice from behind another tent."  "No", I said, "the zip's stuck".
Wrong thing to say!


 While my group were doing a Weipa Mine Tour, I did a few tour guide related chores, then waited at Albatross Bay for their tour to finish.

There is usually some interesting bird activity going on and today wasn't any different.

I watched this Egret doing some fishing, using an unusual tactic - he seemed to be listening for the fish.





Then I got too close -  and yes, he flew away.  Funny thing though, he kept his neck outstretched for the first few wing flaps till he kinked it in true Egret style.  He looks all neck and legs here.

Then I found this Striated Heron fishing using a different style. 

                 This was a more concentrated killer look.

And it worked.  A fish in the beak is worth two in the sea.

We headed down the Cape and called in to the Batavia Gold Fields ruins.  In the early part of the 19th century, there was gold in them thar hills.  Heavy machinery was brought in to crush the gold bearing rock in order to extract it.  It took teams of 60+ bullocks to drag the machinery in and many months to get it there.  When the gold ran out, the machinery stayed put to slowly rust away.

 



Some of the old machinery from the gold mines.  The Batavia Fields had several ups and downs in the search for gold and was finally given up on around WWII.

 Helen contemplates the feasibility of repairing this vehicle, while Judith looks sceptical.  No-one has ever worked out exactly what make this vehicle is but one smart remark suggested that it was an Oztours bus (gotten lost). 

Now during this tour, as in most others, there is usually at least one person who really wants to see a crocodile.  The chances of seeing one are inversely proportional to the degree of wanting to see one.

I didn't like the chances.  There was one glimmer of high possibility.  Musgrave!

A couple of 'freshies' might have been put there on purpose

After arriving at Musgrave and putting our gear in 'the right rooms', we headed down to the billabong.

Nah, they weren't there - at first glance.  Then someone spotted a little snout.  Hooray, it was there.  OK, not a 'saltie' but very photogenic with the still water providing a reverse image below the croc.

There is always a good show of flowers in the gardens of the Musgrave Telegraph Station.  I was happy to get a shot of these late blooming Cooktown Orchids.












We were getting close to the end of our trip with Lakefield National Park being the next on our agenda.  I made everyone get up and packed early as there is a lot to see on this leg.


There is an area in Lakefield called Nifold Plain.  There are no trees at all over a large area, only magnetic termite mounds.  This gives the are an eerie moonscape feeling.

A Brown Falcon watches us from his guide-post perch.  

Lilies abound in the many waterholes throughout the Park.  On the right is the tiny Snowflake Lily which can be easily overlooked till pointed out.  The petals 'zip' together when the flower is submerged under water.

There is an enormous lagoon called Red Lily Lagoon which is completely dominated by these beautiful red Lotus Lilies Nelumbo nucifera .  









These Scarlett Gums can be found along the southern end of Lakefield along Battlecamp Road.  They grow across northern Australia and in a small area between Cooktown and Laura.  

Our last stop before Cooktown was Isabella Falls.  I waited patiently for a car to cross the causeway for my next photo.  Soon I was rewarded with an obliging driver who wanted to know how fast I wanted him to go.  "It's up to you", I said.  "If you want an action photo with water spraying everywhere, go fast.  If you want a nice photo  with a reflection, go fast."

The driver was a man, so he went fast!  

                            The following movie goes for 1m:39s 

Cape York - It never rains in the dry season

 I have just returned from my first tour to Cape York.  Nerves were working overtime as I haven't done a tour since leaving Oztours 3 seasons ago.  It was good to be back and I had 13 eager people to show off the Cape to.

I'll do a series of blogs on my Oztours travels this year with a few highlights each trip.

First day was from Cairns to Cooktown via the Bloomfield Track.  This controversial track was made in The Daintree Rainforest during 1983/84.  Protesters did their best to prevent this track going through.  Although the track finished up going through, the publicity highlighted drew the attention of scientific interest as well as that of the rest of the world. This ancient forest is now protected by World Heritage listing which was granted in 1988 as a result of the track and hence the protesters. 






Picturesque Woobadda Creek. a great place to stop and stretch our legs and take a few pikkies.

The Lions Den is a hotel named after a tin mine which was situated on a hill opposite.  The owner of the mine named it after a young stow-away named Daniel who was working for him.  One day when Daniel was sitting at the entrance to the mine, it reminded the owner of the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den.





The first night was spent at the Seaview Hotel in Cooktown.  We had the luxury of phone reception, electricity, TV and an ensuite all at the same time.  This isn't always possible on the Cape as there are very few towns and a limited number of places that have accommodation. 

Cape York Peninsular is almost the size of  Victoria. Tourism, mining and cattle stations are the main industries.  The beauty and remoteness of the pristine landscape and varied ecosystems draws more people to this area each year.  I was astounded at the road and accommodation improvements made during my 3 year absence. 

After leaving Cooktown the following day, we made our way to Lakefield National Park.  Our first stop was Isabella Falls.  

An interest feature along the way is the Old Laura Homestead which was run as a cattle station to provide meat to the miners of the Palmer river gold rush in the late 1800s.  

A rusted relic of bygone days, waits patiently amid old buildings for its final slow demise.

The pristine Wenlock forms a  corridor from east to west and brings with it a number of rare and unusual flora and fauna.  It is also home to many rare marine species, some of which are awaiting discovery yet.

Some of the cattle stations supplement their incomes by providing a few tourist comforts for the weary traveller.  






Palm Cockatoos are Australia's largest cockatoo.  They can only be found on Cape York Peninsular north of Princess Charlotte Bay.  They have large red cheek patches and long curved crest feather which distinguish them from their smaller cousins, the Black Cockatoos.  Their powerful beaks are able to crack the hard nuts of Pandanus.  They are usually found in rainforest and margins adjoining eucalypts, often following the corridors of riverine rainforest.


We were treated to a grand floor (tree) show by the iconic Palm Cockatoos at Bramwell.  I took a million photos.  Here are 3 of them.

This young brolga which was rehabilitating in a nearby paddock, gave me the opportunity to get a nice closeup.  They are usually not so obliging.





While others were enjoying a dip at Fruit Bat Falls, I stood guard protecting them from the numerous carnivorous plants which lurked in the area, waiting for some unsuspecting victim.

Pitcher Plants

Sundews

A new ferry returns my passengers from their Thursday Island trip to Seisia.

The following day, we go to "the Tip".  One more tick off the bucket list!

The following movie goes for 4.17mins and is 52.7mb.  

I will try to do a blog on each trip with different features each time.  As I will be away much of the time, some of these won't be done till the end of my season, mid Sept.  I now have to rush and do some speed research on a new trip for me to the Gulf.  I hope my passengers are as excited as I am to be doing this trip.

Unanswered questions - sometimes a question comes up during the trip that I can't find the answer to.  

Tony - the name of the shrub with the yellow flower which grows profusely at Kennedys Lost Camp in Heathlands is the Yellow Tea Tree (Neofabricia myrtifolia)