Cardwell from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Continuing south along the Queensland coast from South Mission Beach, Ken reaches the town of Cardwell. Receiving pretty much the full force of Cyclone Yasi a few months ago, it then got flooded out. Twice.
But, although there’s some way to go – noticeable more so than for other settlements – people are getting back on their feet. Campsite open. Colin a very welcoming host. Seen a few cyclists pass his way. About seventy or so a year he reckoned.
"No snags" she said. A little disappointed. "Not one". Prince William, it seemed, had skipped the sausages – snags – cooking on the barbeque when he’d visited Tully the previous day. Part of his flying visit – quite literally – to some of the Queensland communities worst hit by Cyclone Yasi a few months earlier.
I’d deliberately stayed away. Don’t do crowds. Besides, he’d come to meet Queenslanders. Not yours truly. However tempting a free snag or two might be for a hungry cyclist. But I did get the chance to give him a wave on the day. Eight minutes to three. Three Black Hawk helicopters. "V" formation. Heading north.
Face down in a ditch. Rain stinging the back of my neck. My trusty steed laying next to me. We’d been caught in the open. An intense tropical storm. Swiftly upon us. Swirling winds. Frequent lightening. Deafening thunderclaps.
I’d been counting the seconds between flashes and the booms. Three. Then two. Heart of the storm now within a kilometre. Dangerously exposed. No choice but to take cover. Quickly dismounting. Dragging my steed on to the verge, laying her on her side. Throwing myself beside her.
"Had I seen many Asians in Sydney?" he enquired. No, not really, I’d replied. Cautiously. Explained it’d been just a brief stopover before flying north to Cairns. He thought Brisbane, Queensland’s Capital, to be full of err shall we say pretty despicable types. The sort you’d definitely want to keep away from your children.
I’d been warned by the van park manager that my fellow camper was a little strange. She was being polite. Downright weird. His tight shorts a lifestyle choice. Made me nervous. Wondered if he suspected. A firm believer in extra-sensory perception – ESP. With an encyclopedic knowledge of Australia’s wild camping rules and regulations.
Misson Beach from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken reaches the small seaside town of Mission Beach, on the north Queensland coast. Badly hit a few months ago by Cyclone Yasi. But quickly getting back on its feet. For all the earlier devastation, featuring one of the best campsites so far.
South Mission Beach from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken travels a little further err south that’d be, from Mission Beach to South Mission Beach. Another seaside community recovering from Cyclone Yasi a few months ago. And one a bit closer to the eye of the storm.
Stumbled on a small tourist information centre on the outskirts of Innisfail. My concerns about road closures to the south – floods mostly – quickly allayed. Main highway re-opened earlier in the day. And a chance to ascertain which of the cyclone hit coastal settlements were accessible. Mission Beach. Keen to welcome visitors. Help resurrect the local economy.
Explained I was very aware of the devastation wrought on places like Mission Beach. Didn’t want to gape. Seeking to capitalise on the misfortune of others. Rather, to report. To inform. Sensing these were communities you’d want to visit. Not out of pity but admiration. For their stoicism. And if I could help dispel a few myths, so much the better.
Larrys Lot from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken describes his favourite indoor stop so far in Queensland. Bit quirky. But right up his street…
If there’s two things I admire about Queenslanders it’s their stoicism. And humour. The damage – entire roof ripped off part of a petrol station – the result of Cyclone Yasi a few months ago.
Millaa Millaa. Small cafe. Ushered in by its warm, homely appearance. Table by the window a fine vantage point to watch the comings and goings. Respite from yet another deluge. Twenty feet of rain the previous year.
I’d thought historic Herberton the previous day to have genuine charm. But Millaa Millaa seemed more authentic. A few similar wooden clad buildings, corrugated iron roofs, pastel shades. But somehow less chance it might have been spruced up a bit for tourists.
This time the main street a short distance from the highway down to the coast. And wider. Frontier feel. Half an eye out for prospecting types.
