Mengajar di Indonesia: The Tablelands

On boxing day we packed up the truck with some gear and headed to the Tablelands for a day of exploring and a night of camping.

The first stop was Lake Eacham, which was quite crowded. We took a little walk around the crater lake, and read lots of posters with information about the wildlife and how the lake formed. At one point I was pretty sure I saw a kangaroo rat, but couldn't be sure. We did see some birds and some turtles. The next point was the Curtain Gum Tree. I was interested to read that it started as one tree and a seed was planted into the top of it and grew down. It became so heavy that the tree fell over onto another tree and then roots and vines began to grow all around it. The tree really does look like a curtain. We also stopped nearby to look a a lake that is home to a platypus family, and we might have seen the head of one, but can't be sure.

Curtain Fig Tree

Atherton was a little city near the lake we were staying at and we stopped to have a look. The majority of the shops were closed as it was boxing day, but I did manage to pick up a beach ball. I was slightly creeped out because Atherton felt a lot like a smaller version of my hometown, mostly because there seemed to be one main street with lots of little shops and bars along it.

After we wandered around the closed shops in Atherton, we headed to Lake Tinaroo and went for a swim. I have to admit I love swimming in freshwater in comparison to salt water. I hate the sticky feeling the salt leaves behind. After Matt paddled me around on his lifesaving board and I laid on my new Aussie thong floatie for a bit we got out of the water and had a beer, which was quickly followed by a walk to see the nearby dam.

Lake Tinaroo

This dam provides water sources to the greater Cairns area and creates energy for some 1600 households. The lake it creates also isn't a bad place for boats to come and fish, people to participate in water sports, or just to relax.

The dam and lake

Matt showed me where the waterline used to be and where we ended up camping was originally an island. Let's just say wet season has been quite dry this year. We cooked up a delicious dinner of sausages and leftover Christmas veggies, and had another beer or two. After dinner we got to work setting up our room for the night which was a mattress in the back of the truck and a sleeping bag, as well as a small tarp cover. We were able to watch all the other cars leave and then looked at the stars for a bit before passing out. I woke up and had to pee in the middle of the night which made me angry until I saw the sky. It was so dark and you could see all the stars. I woke Matt up and we grabbed the chairs so we could sit and watch them for a bit before heading back to bed. The next morning we cooked up some eggs and sausages and bacon and hash browns and I indulged in my last beer before we headed out. It wouldn't be camping without a breakfast beer after all....

Look at this cutie cooking up some dinner

On the way home we stopped at a local ice cream shop, and in a city called Kuranda. This is definitely a tourist city, with many random attractions and markets. We walked around the markets for a bit and had a burger for lunch and then headed to Barron Falls. There was a short walk from the parking area and though the falls weren't flowing as much as they normally are (again, its been a dry wet season) it was still a nice way to spend our time.