The top of Australia

The Cape is so beautiful - rivers slow and cool running though vaulted canopies of tropical rainforest, coconut and pandanus palms, eucalypts, sandalwood, frangipani, bush/beach almonds and so many other tree species, lush grasses of every imaginable colour of green and brown growing metres high, dragon flies from red through almost every colour to startling blue, butterflies as big as small birds - one species we watched for ages vivid black, green, yellow and red with the female black, silver, cream and red. David Attenborough, when he visited the area, said he would select these to go in his ‘Ark’. We visited as many of the Cape’s secluded and idyllic beaches as we could get to safely - wandering among sponges, coral, cuttlefish and pumice, tried to have a conversation with a ‘hippie’ camped on the beach but he seemed only to be able to manage a babble of psychedelic phrases, scraped vines from old graves stones to read about early explorers in the area. We took a ferry to lazy friendly Thursday Island where we lunched at Australia’s most northern pub and where we were personally serenaded with a welcome song in TI and English by a darling old man (90 odd). He, Seaman Dan, had been a pearl diver in Australia's north and Indian Ocean islands all his life. We've gazed at dazzling sunsets, coastlines rimmed by mangroves, water so clear and beautiful but too deadly to dip into. And the Tip - yes we made it by foot after walking along the beach, passing a small forest of mangroves with a wary eye out for large moving objects with big teeth! and clambering over high rocks.  About 1K later we arrived at the very tippy tip of the continent and were greeted by a huge sail fish leaping high out of the water in a welcoming salute as well as by a large green turtle who popped his head up to say hello. Lindsay explored an alternative way back from the Tip which ran us into the water and impassable rocks (for me at least) so we had to climb up a rock face to find a different route.  Hard work and nerve ranking for me but we made it and then clambered down on to the sand and the receding tide once again keeping a careful eye out for crocs. A real buzz experience!  And to top it off we saw a few palm cockatoos. 

The list of wonders goes on and on. Camping in bush settings and being woken by the maniacal song of the gorgeous blue-winged kookaburras and the thud of horses clomping around the van.  There are so many free grazing/wild horses at Pajinka 'owned' by the local indigenous. They (the horses!) are as sleek and fat as seals and simply beautiful.  One day (while camped at Loyalty Beach) we watch a few of them jostling to get under the sprinkler.  Really!  One totally hogged it standing over it with his mouth open to catch the water and then letting it play over his chest and shoulders. The others slurped at the tap and tried to push him off to get a turn, he didn't give ground but copped a few bites for being unfriendly.  Hilarious to watch. But all things come to an end and all too soon it was time for us to leave.