Day18. 2nd November Cooktown to Innisfail

Woke after restful sleep, enjoying a proper bed in a cool room.

Last night on our return from Jackey Jackey Herb and spice Thai restaurant, I noticed a very funky looking cafe that will open at 6am Monday morning. Be still my beating heart.....

So obviously this is our first port of call this morning for breakfast and real coffee.

Served to us by a lovely Estonian lady who owns the business and has been doing it very tough during Covid, in fact only re opening recently.

Working on her own at present because she can’t find anyone to work, this has been a pretty constant theme wherever we have been.

Our plan is to start heading south today but not before being tourists in Cooktown. Sadly the James Cook museum is closed Mondays ( of course) 

So after breakfast we toddled across the road to the James cook statue, the cannon, Queen Elizabeth steps. Then drove along the esplanade to the jetty and water park. Money has been spent here as it looks great and very welcoming. 

We drive up to the lookout called Grassy hill to enjoy the spectacular views that we know will be up top.

It’s a short but pretty steep drive. Very windy up top and the views did not disappoint. 

Back to sea level. Re fueled the car and inflated the tyres back to a more reasonable pressure and headed out of Cooktown.

We followed the Bloomfield Road that takes you through some beautiful landscape, through the township of Rossville. A suburb with intriguing letter boxes, sadly I didn’t photograph. The locals use microwave oven, lawn mower catcher, old propane cylinders beautifully decorated and painted. Very entertaining.

We arrive at the very intriguing Black mountain national park . This is the tip of a granite dome that over time has been reduced to boulders. There is also some superstition surrounding the area, loud calls or noises at night ( possibly rocks shifting) planes allegedly avoid flying over it. Not sure about all that but it’s pretty spectacular to look at.

Not far away is the lions den hotel, we came across this pub by accident all those years ago and have never forgotten. It was a small pub then and covered with writing, memorabilia and photos.

Now it is double the size, pool table, broken coffee machine and the availability of camp sites. Ahh, progress i guess.

One highlight was the presence of a cow, bull and a very old camel that hung around the fence across the road. They are waiting to be fed the mangoes that fall from the tree outside the pub. I am completely captivated.

On our way again and Bloomfield road turns into Bloomfield track. 4WD only.

This is a spectacular 32 km drive through to Cape Tribulation. Some very, very steep ups and downs and we fondly remember being in our old truck and sliding backwards down one of the hills. ( no people or cars injured in that incident) 

We also crossed the Bloomfield river on a lovely big bridge, beside the bridge is the broken floodway that we used to cross at low tide all those years ago, more progress (less challenge)

Arrive in cape tribulation and head down to walk along the beach and stare at the water that we can’t swim in.

Having said that, there are 3 people snorkelling there and we decide to move on in case we witness something we don’t want to.

Driving through the beautiful Daintree until we cross the Daintree river on a ferry very similar to the one we crossed the Jardine.

We spend the rest of the afternoon driving along the Captain Cook highway, hugging the coastline and being overwhelmed by the amazing scenery.

We arrived in Innisfail to stay the night. We are staying at the Innisfail City Motel, a delightfully quirky motel run by a delightfully quirky old fella.

We talk plants and he gives me a small one to take home with me.

Dinner at the Crown Hotel and then home for aircon, shower , fan and bed.