Ravenshoe to Cairns to Chillagoe ( includes Mt Mulligan)

Hello all
Since my last post I have moved around a lot but not done much, the reason being rain and more rain. I have driven past waterfalls and tourist attractions searching for somewhere dry, I will double back on a lot of these places when the weather clears. I don't want to take photos of a muddy waterfall.

After a rainy cold night at the Ravenshoe Railway Reserve Camping area I headed down the hill towards Cairns, only to find still more rain. A day in Cairns chasing up a few things, I decided North might be drier...........wrong, after four or so hours of reasonable weather the skies opened again.

Curtain Fig at Yungaburra

Curtain Fig

As I drove along Captain Cook Drive towards Port Douglas the weather broke for a short while.

looking south towards Cairns

 After a quick look at Palm Cove, which looked beautiful, I will return when the weather clears, I arrived at Port Douglas for my biggest shock of the trip so far................the first Caravan Park I pulled into didn't even temp me to stop........in the entry around the round about and straight out again..............talk about jammed in like sardines! The second looked better, $48 per night I was quoted (single) in shock I told them I would rather drive back to Cairns and book into one of the many $55 per night Motels I had just driven past rather than pay $48 for a patch of muddy grass and a power point. Port Douglas, in my opinion over rated and overpriced, so I moved on to Mossman.
After climbing the hill again, and a couple of nights at Kerribee Rodeo Grounds at Mareeba for $15/night powered, I headed for Mt Mulligan Station as the weather slowly cleared.

first view of Mt Mulligan

I am glad I made this detour, a magnificent campsite at the Wier at Mt Mulligan Station (map note says closed - this is wrong) and I found the ruins at Mt Mulligan mine fascinating.

Mt mulligan Mine ruin

Mt Mulligan was a coal mining town from 1910 until 19 September 1921 when an underground explosion killed 75 miners (all the miners in the town). The mine closed, but reopened in 1923 and continued in production until 1957.

Mt Mulligan Mine

The Mount Mulligan mine disaster occurred on 19 September 1921. A series of expolsions in the local coal mine audible as much as 30 km away, rocked the close-knit community
Seventy-five workers were killed by the disaster which is the third worst coal mining accident  in Australia in terms of human lives lost. Four of the dead had been at the mouth of the pit at the time of the explosion. Only eleven of the bodies were found. The disaster affected people in cities and towns all over the country.

Mt Mulligan Mine

In it's heyday Mt Mulligan had a population of over 300 and boasted multiple Hotels and even a Billiard Hall.

 

Mt Mulligan Mine

After checking out the Mine Site I headed off to set up camp at Mt Mulligan Station, what a little piece of paradise this place is...........

Mt Mulligan campground

view from camp at Mt Mulligan

camp at Mt Mulligan

the view from camp Mt Mulligan

Leaving Mt Mulligan I headed along the Burke Development Road to Chillagoe, once a thriving mining town for a range of minerals but is now reduced to a small zinc mine and some marble quarries.

old Government Battery at Chillagoe

 Over the next few days I plan to head back to Cairns, to meet my nephew, and head off towards Cape York and the Tip, the most Northerly point on the Australian mainland. I just hope the weather starts to behave.............
Bye for now.