It is situated less than 5km from Ravenshoe (Queensland’s highest town) on the Atherton Tablelands in Australia’s tropical north, or… as the sign below points out:

• 718km as the crow flies from Mt Isa
• 1,376km from Alice Springs in the red centre
• 1,704km from Coober Pedy in South Australia, or
• 1,780km from Darwin in the Northern Territory

The Millstream Valley was created more than 3 million years ago when the 300 million year old rhyolites & granites were eroded forming an ancient landscape of rugged hills and deep valleys.

Between 3 and 1.2 million years ago Windy Hill, near Ravenshoe (where the wind turbines now stand) was created by a basalt volcano, (as seen in the diagram above) and it is this weathered black basalt rock that has created the rich agricultural soils of the Ravenshoe area.

Periodic volcanic eruptions poured 3 lava flows into the rivers partly filling Millstream and other ancient valleys.

The oldest of these flows forms the base of the falls today and the youngest flows (1.24 million years old) form the upper slopes of the valley (where the car park is now situated).

 As each lava flow cooled, the contractions formed vertical cracks and produced columns, which are visible in the cliffs and rock surfaces above the falls.

Erosion by the river then cut through the lava flow layers and cooling columns creating this sharp drop over which the water today cascades.

As the area is in the rain shadow of the eastern dividing ranges, the woodland here is dry and open and so dominated by eucalypts. A contrast to the rainforest that can be seen only kilometres away.

The walk down from the carpark at the top of the valley edge (where there is a picnic area and compost toilet) is via a paved narrow track that steadily descends through this open forest past beautiful eucalypt trees, some of which have glorious tactile trunks shedding their bark.

While the walk down is the easy part -

The climb back up afterwards is worth the effort!

I hadn’t heard a lot about these falls – And unless you’re familiar with their name it would be easy to drive right past the brown national park sign that simply points to Millstream Falls off the Kennedy Highway – So if you’re driving that way, keep your eyes peeled!

Have you already been there?

Or what is the largest or widest or highest waterfall you’ve seen?

one not only hopes to see, but expects to see.

Like classic Australian road signs not encountered in other parts of the world…

…and their introduced farming livestock

And hints of an outback way of life reflected by little signs such as this ‘hutch’ placed on the roadside at drive-way’s end…

…where essentials can be deposited by passing services (if they’re not too far out of town) including the odd letter if they have a roadside mail delivery (RMD) address.

Then there’s the iconic turning, churning water windmills that creak and clank as they pump the outback’s precious liquid gold up to the surface to sustain the lives of farmed species unused to Australia’s dry conditions.

But… there’s nothing more iconic than the native kangaroo and emu, which holding up the Australian coat of arms are part of Australia’s national emblem.

No Australia road trip is complete without a kangaroo and/or emu sighting!

The above coat of arms has been in use in Australia since 1912.

The red kangaroo to the left, and emu to the right, support a central shield that depicts the badges of each modern Australian State ~

NSW, Victoria and Queensland (from left to right along the top line) and South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania (along the bottom line)

The seven pointed ‘Commonwealth Star’ sitting above the shield represents the six states (in the shield), with the seventh point representing the combined Territories (NT & ACT).

We spotted these two kangaroos at Undara Lava Tubes on the Atherton Tablelands – Notice the joey feet sticking out of the pouch of the one on the left

There are over 60 different species of kangaroo ranging in size from 0.5kg (1 lb) to 90kg (200lbs).

This mother and joey were enjoying some shade, again at Undara Lava Tubes.

All kangaroos are macropods, meaning ‘great-footed’ and belong to the Macropodoidea family.

The Macropodoidea family includes kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, pademelons, tree-kangaroos and forest wallabies.

The Potoroinae (potoroid) family of kangaroos includes the smaller potoroo, bettong and rat-kangaroo.

The main difference between a kangaroo and a wallaby is it’s size.

This kangaroo was keeping an eye out while her joey took a drink from the creek at Innot Hot Springs, up on the Atherton Tablelands.

Kangaroos are herbivorous, eating a range of plant life. They are marsupials meaning the females give birth to a relatively immature young (just a few centimetres long), which crawls into her front pouch and attaches to one of her four teats where the young ‘joey’ is raised. When large enough to venture out, the young will still return to the pouch for nourishment, warmth and protection until mature enough to be totally independent.

Emus are the third largest bird in the world after the ostrich and cassowary, reaching up to 2 metres (6’6″). They are flightless.

When it comes to breeding the male and female make a ground nest of grass and twigs where the female lays between 5 and 20 eggs  but then leaves the inncubation and rearing in its entirety to the male.

We spotted this emu and his chick north of Charter Towers, when we were heading up towards the Atherton Tablelands.

The male emu will seldom leave the nest for 8 to 10 weeks during incubation, and after the chicks have hatched the young can remain with their father until they become sexually mature at about 18 months.

All photos above were taken on our recent road-trip from the red centre to the Atherton Tablelands where we happily saw these beautiful kangaroos and emus!

Have you seen Australia’s emblematic natives in the wild?

Do tell in the comments below

…we turned left at Charters Towers (135 km short of hitting the east coast) in tropical north Queensland

and entered the lush green world of the Atherton Tablelands.

 What a different landscape!

Malanda, our destination, is synonymous with milk and cheese, and when you see this verdant landscape, it oozes contented cows.

In 1908 John English (the Malanda Hotel’s first publican) along with James Emerson saw the district’s dairy potential and herded over 1,000 cattle, 2,000 km from northern NSW to Malanda ~ Only half made the arduous journey that took over sixteen months, but from those that did survive, the local dairy industry was established and by 1919 Malanda had it’s own butter factory.

Malanda township was officially established in 1911 (just over 100 years ago) when the railway from Cairns arrived. It had crept its way up the range reaching Kuranda in 1890, Mareeba in 1893 and Atherton in 1903. (The line was sadly closed in 1964.)

While James English founded Malanda pub it was his wife Catherine and daughter Mary that ran the pub. Mary’s husband Jack Hanrahan bought the pub from James in 1923, but in 1976 it was repurchased by Tom English, the grandson of the original owner and is now run by his son, Michael and grandson, Jeffrey.

It was officially opened on Boxing Day 19011 ~

Below is a photo from this auspicious day.

“Most of the revellers came on a special train from Cairns. They enjoyed the wood chops and sports during the day, then they danced on the balcony all night. At 8am the next day, they caught the train back to Cairns.”

Walking under the verandah down the main street, this is the view you get through the open windows of where people can take a refreshing drink.

From the inside, you can imagine kicking back whilst striking up conversations with people you know as they pass running errands or picking up supplies.

As you walk inside the Malanda Hotel, you feel little has changed since it opened. You are greeted by a magnificent staircase made from local silky oak milled at the Malanda sawmill.  There is a claim that with the stunning timber ballroom and staircase that the Malanda Hotel is Australia’s largest wooden structure!

The original stained glass doors off to the right lead you into the ‘Commercial Room’.

In commemoration of the opening of Malanda as a township in 1911 a picnic was held at the beautiful Malanda Falls.

Today, little has changed other than the road that now goes over a bridge.

 Have you ventured up onto the Atherton Tablelands?

Where did you go? What did you see?

Or is it still on the ‘One Day’ list?

Tagged by RedNomaOz of Amazing Australian Adventures to take part in HostelBookers 7 Super Shots travel blogging game.

If you had to sum up your most amazing travel experiences in just seven photos, could you do it?

Well…

No!

Travel is about experiences and one photo rarely tells the whole story, so in a few cases I’ve had to cheat and post two

• A photo that…takes my breath away

• A photo that…tells a story

Our trip to the Red Centre simply summarised on a single sheet

• A photo that…makes my mouth water

 …and did I mention the marsh mallows?

• A photo that…makes me laugh or smile

There has to be a bit of toilet humour on a camping trip with three sisters

• A photo that…makes me dream

• A photo that…makes me think

An upside-down rainbow!

Doesn’t that make you think?

• A photo that…I am most proud of (aka my worthy of National Geographic shot)

Why?

It’s not the deadline itself. The finish line is where all the glory happens – and it’s time for celebration.

But if you have a deadline, you also have to start. And that’s the wriggle worthy part. Where the true discomfort lays ~

It’s the start-line

~ more than the dead-line.

The start-line is where procrastination frequently raises its head. And it’s a disappointing fact that procrastination can trump enthusiasm.

I’ve had a product that I’ve been contemplating for ages [insert: forever] but have creatively avoided its commencement since the idea first came to mind.

Starting is complex… but this week I did it

Always a good sign when the vegemite jar for cleaning paint brushes is discoloured

So what brought this turnaround about?

Well first – Why is it that some things are so much harder to start than others?

Unless one’s going on a picnic (or holiday) the greater the perceived unpleasantness that the task (eg housework), project (eg work) or regime (eg diet, fitness) is likely to invoke, the more likely the task will be put off for another day –

But it’s all relative (and procrastination works in mysterious ways). I have a friend who’d clean the oven rather than start a Uni assignment – but without the Uni assignment, you wouldn’t have caught her dead cleaning!

The level and success of one’s creative avoidance tactics are relative to the anticipated discomfort (physical or emotional) that starting will ensue.

Ideas, whilst cocooned in our heads are perfect in every detail. Our creative genius is sheltered from criticism. Once exposed to the real world, ideas must live up to the vulgarities of saleability and potential ridicule.

Keeping ideas tucked away in the annals of one’s brain, making only fleeting forays into the real world via words (aka ‘I’ve got this brilliant idea’) is the way many ideas like to remain ~ safe and untainted from the rigours of reality.

So starting work on a new untested product, even where there’s palpable excitement for its introduction into the market, is inevitably overshadowed by a flickering of fear.

“This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:

“that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.”

W.H Murray

In Murray’s case it was putting down the money to book his sailing passage to Bombay from where the 1951 Scottish Himalayan expedition was to set out. With an immoveable date fixed on the calendar the commitment to meet the deadline was set in stone.

I’m unfailingly impressed by the commitment of Olympians to their training regimes. But it is the deadline of heats, the outcome of which determines whether they get funnelled through the rounds, which forces them to maintain momentum and so lead them triumphantly to the rostrum.

For me, it was setting an immoveable deadline (booking an International flight) that got me to initiate these long awaited layouts for our new Journey Jotter.

While fear of failure can hold us back, fear of failing to complete in a time-frame can also force us forward. When it comes to deadlines fear is our ally as it gets us not only to the starting line, but off the starting blocks.

Deadlines are lifesavers, because

How do *you* cajole yourself into starting?

Do share in the comments below

Long and seemingly endless, they’re bordered by an expanse of bush vegetation that imperceptibly changes until there’s a sudden realisation you’re driving through a different vegetation zone.

(More endless outback road images can be had in my Barkly Tablelands post )

Some might call the landscape monotonous, but sitting back at the wheel of your vehicle of choice, free of any manic city traffic, it’s an amazing experience taking in the immense vast nothingness that lies ahead of you… falls away beside you… and disappears over that conquered horizon behind you…

*sigh*

Until, that is, when glancing up at your rear view mirror to enjoy that disappearing horizon line you’re confronted by the sight of…

this monster looming down on you.

Its only a truck, (you tell yourself) but it approaches like a tornado, feeling as though its tearing up the tarmac as it travels at the max, which for road trains in NSW, Qld & SA is 90 kph.

You on the other-hand are trundling along at 80 kph to take in the scenery and soak up the view ~ He’s at work, you’re at play.

There’s a bristling when next glancing up at the mirror -

Is he maybe trying to tell you something?

Can he seriously get any closer without joining you in your cab?

Pulling a 6 berth motor-home over onto an outback gravel shoulder at 80 kph isn’t really an option, and applying the breaks (to slow down sufficiently to tackle this manoeuvre)  doesn’t seem like too good an idea either, with 100 tons of rolling stock sitting on your tail :/

So you focus on the road ahead to keep steady.

Gripping the steering wheel to hold the vehicle firm, you’re suddenly aware of a sucking sensation.

A feeling that the steering wheel is being taken over by a demon fighting with you to veer the vehicle into the opposite lane where out of the driver’s window the passing road monster has pulled level

Hanging on for dear life, you withstand the vortex that desperately tries to suck you into their space with mere centimetres separating you, as you both thunder at what feels like break-neck speed, when…

relief!

Phew! He’s gone

With white knuckles regaining some colour, you settle back to enjoy the view that lies ahead of you… falls away beside you… and disappears over that conquered horizon behind you…

While road monsters are found in some states of America, Mexico and Canada (known as  Long Combination Vehicles ~ LCVs), Australia has the largest legal limit – some topping 200 tonnes, although 80 – 120 tons is the norm. Some have up to four trailers, reaching 55 metres in length.

Rivalry in Australia for driving the longest road train started in…

• 1989, when a trucker by the name of  ’Buddo’ pulled a record 12 trailers. in Winton, Queensland.
• In 1993, ‘Plugger’ took that record with 16 trailers,.
• Surpassed by a Darwin driver pulling a 21 trailer rig extending 315 metres (1,033 ft)
• In 1999, Greg Marley of Merredin, WA made it into the Guinness Book of Records driving 8 km (5 miles) with a rig 45 trailers long, weighing 603 tons.
• In 2000, Steven Matthews drove 8 kms in Kalgoorlie, WA with a road train made up of 79 trailers, measuring over 1,000 meters (1km) long weighing over 1,000 tons.
• In 2003, the record was taken in NSW by an 87 trailer rig.
• In 2004 the record returned to Kalgoorlie, WA when 117 trailers, 1,445 m (4,741 ft) long was pulled 1,500 m (4,921 ft).
• In 2004, the record was broken by a group from Queensland pulling 120 trailers a distance of about 100 metres (328 ft).
• But in 2006 70-year-old John Atkinson pulled 112 semi-trailers, weighing  1,300 tons, 1,474 metres (4,837 ft) long, for 100 metres (328 feet) in Clifton, Qld taking the current record for the longest road train(multiple loaded trailers) ever pulled with a single prime mover.

Road trains are most commonly used for transporting livestock, fuel and mineral ores . 

They’ve played a significant role in the economic development of Australia’s remote areas where communities rely on being able to ship produce out to mainstream markets, whilst receiving regular supplies in to replenish stocks of food and basics.

Road trains are descendants of the old steam traction engines.

Designed to pull multiple wagons, steam traction engines were used in military manoeuvres as early as the Crimea war (1853 – 1856).

But it was not until the 1940′s that the South Australian Government introduced a fleet of 8 wheeled military trucks, pulling two or three 6 metre (20 foot) trailers to transport freight and supplies to the Northern Territory, taking over from the Afghan camels that had been operating the desert route since the late 1800′s.

Photo from the National Road Transport Hall of Fame, Alice Springs

Australian Kurt Johansson, (pictured above in 2005) is recognized as the inventor of today’s road train.

The story goes that having transported 20 stud bulls to an outback property the station owner posed the problem of how to transport 100 cattle, five times the quantity, back out.

Inspired by the tracking ability of the SA government’s military wagons Kurt Johansson developed a system that had steering wheels on each trailer making them easier to manoeuvre the narrow bush tracks and creek crossings.

The Diamond T980 Kurt developed was called ‘Bertha’ and is now housed in the National Road Transport Hall of Fame in Alice Springs.

Photo from the National Road Transport Hall of Fame

Opened in 1995 the National Road Transport Hall of Fame‘s charter is to show the vehicles “as they were in their working lives, including the crude modifications and adaptations that “bush mechanics and engineers” had to undertake to ensure they could perform in Australia’s harsh working environment.”

Viewing their collection of outback monsters is a must when in Alice Springs.

But it still doesn’t make passing them any easier!

Is it just me being wussy?

Do you feel intimidated by these road monsters?

Do share your road train monster moments in the comments below

In 1907 Charters Towers was proclaimed a city.

Today, about 8,000 people call Charters Towers home

(Charters Towers is 1,350km/850miles north west of Brisbane; 135km/85 miles inland from Townsville).

The story goes that on Christmas eve 1871 Jupiter Mossman, a 12 year old aboriginal boy was out with Hugh Mosman and two other prospectors when a flash of lightening caused their horses to bolt. Jupiter found not only their horses but a nugget of gold at Towers Hill.

Charters Towers 130 years ago

The gold in this region proved to be double the grade to that found in the Victorian goldfields and 75% more than the WA goldfields.

• By 1892, 217,000 ounces of gold was being extracted per year
• By 1899 300,000 ounces of gold
• Between the years 1872 – 1917 200 tonnes of gold had been mined.

 

In the 1890′s it was connected to the outside world via three telegraph calls a day, five days a week!

Situated at the intersection of Mosman and Gill Streets it was at the heart of the town’s financial district.

The Charters Towers Stock Exchange operated for 26 years until diminishing gold returns and a decline in population saw its closure in 1916.

 

 

Today, the stockbrokers offices have been converted into shops.

And an assay mining museum created for the town’s new focus – tourists.

 

The D.S & Co building (below) was occupied by Fossey’s until 1996 when Fossey’s and Target merged so the building now displays a slightly incongruous combination of a 21st century brand logo with early 20th century typography advertising the shops wares (or should that be wears!)

Wares for sale: “Variety Girlswear, Hosiery, Babywear, Boyswear, Underwear, Mens wear, Manchester, Footwear, Ladies Fashions”

A close up under the awning reveals Target’s shop-front with art-deco glass decoration forming a frieze along the top of the window.

 

More modest buildings now house cute boutiques with classic Australian bull-nosed corrugated awnings.

In the centre of Gill Street is the Charters Towers Post Office that was built in 1892.

I love the old photograph (below) taken in the early 1900′s showing the same street ‘alive’ with horse drawn carts and some of the first automobiles.

While the Post Office was built in 1892 the Clock Tower wasn’t added until six years later when it was imported from England in 1898.

Although mining is still a part of Charters Towers’ life, with the aid of modern extraction methods, the huge surrounding Dalrymple Shire is primarily cattle country.

 

There is a hint of irony that just as the Stock Exchange back in the 1890′s needed to be connected to the outside world by telegraph to support the mining industry, that the modern day outback outfitter (pictured below) needs to be connected with the outside world via their website.

 

Having driven for days across the Barkly Tablelands (in the camperbus pictured above) seeing only the occasional distant homestead…

It was a surprise driving into Charters Towers 1,400km/870 Miles from the Three-ways junction off the north/south Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory, to find such an established old ‘city’ in this northern region of Queensland.

If you’re feeling tempted to visit but need an excuse, in the last week of April and first week in May, Charters Towers holds its annual ‘Ten Days in the Towers’ festival.

The historic town comes to life with a mixture of line dancing, bush poetry, talent quests and historic tours, as well as two country music festivals – the All Australian Jamboree and the Charters Towers Country Music Festival – where music can be heard wafting from the town’s many bars and venues, while buskers entertain passers-by on the streets of the central business district.

 

 Have you been to Charters Towers?

Were you surprised by its Victorian heritage?

Where have you witnessed some classic Australian Victorian architecture?

Do share in the comments below -