Far North Queensland: from Gordonvale to Innisfail, Australia

Photos from the Real AUSTRALIA

The Cassowary Coast: from Gordonvale to Innisfail

The Gillies Highway leads down from the Atherton Tablelands to the sugar town of Gordonvale, 24 km south of Cairns, offering great views on the way to Walsh's Pyramid, the 922 m high landmark conical hill, referred to as "Djarragun", the mound of Djarruga, the scrub hen, by the Yidinyji-Malanbarra people, the traditional Aboriginal owners. The hill dominates the landscape and offers panoramic views after a steep climb, that is attempted en masse in August at the yearly "Great Pyramid Race" from Gordonvale, at its feet. The distance of 12 km, including the almost 1 km climb, has been completed in 80 minutes! Nearby is Behana Gorge, offering great walks along Behana Creek with many pools and rapids and a decent waterfall.

The sugar town of Babinda, 35 km south of Gordonvale, was settled from 1880; Mt Bartle Frere, Queensland's highest mountain at 1622 m looms behind it. Babinda Creek comes down from this mountain and flows through the Boulders Wilderness Reserve, 6.5 km from the town. The Babinda Boulders have been weathered by the constant high volume of water. And a 17 km drive from Babinda leads to Bramston Beach, with its Pacific Park picnic area and a caravan park and campground. Between here and the highway is Eubenangee Swamp, a National Park with lowland gallery rainforest combined with freshwater wetlands, an important habitat for many birds.

Innisfail is 26 km south of Babinda, a town at the junction of the South and North Johnstone rivers, and is surrounded by banana farms and sugarcane plantations. The road along the Johnstone River to Flying Fish Point continues north through stands of rainforest to Ella Bay, a seemingly endless golden beach and National Park. And about 15 km south west of Innisfail, on Mena Creek, is the curious Paronella Park, a Spanish-style castle in the rainforest, built in the 1930s by a Catalan immigrant, Jose Paronella. Although now weathered and covered in moss, it can be visited and offers walks through bamboo stands and views of the creek. There is a tea house in the old castle too.

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