May - June 2019 Various

Set for Mission Beach trip. Doe's, Belgian Gardens, Townsville.

iPhone 6 Plus image.

Looking towards Dunk Island.

Mission Beach.

iPhone image.

"Climbing into the Sky."

Two birds on a tree in Mareeba are possibly thinking "There is an easier way to reach those heights!" Mareeba has long been a major centre for hot air ballooning. The company there has the largest fleet of hot air balloons in Australia. 30 minute flights start around 6:30 a.m. and take in the picturesque landscape of the Atherton Tablelands.

On the road to Cooktown. Mt. Carbine lies ahead.

Mt. Carbine en route to Cooktown.

Lakeland Roadhouse.

Doe with her $4.50! ice cream.

Lakeland Roadhouse en route to Cooktown.

Black Mountain. Seen from the highway. This a just a small section of the range. It lies 26 km south of Cooktown

Black Mountain is an impressive mountain range of massive granite boulders formed by rapid cooling during its formation and exposure to atmospheric elements like rain and dramatic temperature drops after the blackness absorbs so much daytime heat. The colour relates to surface coatings of various elements and black lichen. Many local stories tell of people, as well as horses and whole mobs of cattle, disappearing into the labyrinth of rocks, never to be seen again. Beneath the outer boulders lies a maze of passages and chambers - enticing to explorers of unusual places, or those wishing to hide away from pursuers. In the inky dark interior, sheer drops, pockets of bad air or unexpected encounters with snakes or bats could easily cause disorientation, panic and injury to those who intrude into that eerie underworld. Disappearance stories: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/…/the-mysterious-black-moun…/ For the Kuku-Yulanji people it is a focus of several Dreamtime stories. See: https://www.abc.net.au/…/mysterious-black-mountain/10067072…

Closer shot of the boulders. Beneath them lies a labyrinth of more boulders, passages, caves and sheer drops.

Black Mountain.

We tourists kept a respectful distance, heeding the wishes of the Kuku-Yulanji people. And we certainly weren't going to mess with this mountain, considering what we already knew of it.

Mouth of Endeavour River, Cooktown.

'Warning: Falling People."

Saw a lot of these road-side signs on our travels. Slowed down when we saw them. Falling people could do a fair bit of damage to the vehicle I suppose. Not sure if slowing would help much though if they landed on us.

Rosie at Archer Point.

iPhone 6 Plus image.

Archer Point, descending from light house.

iPhone 6 Plus image.

Archer Point from lighthouse track.

iPhone 6 Plus image.

Archer Point.

Dramatic coastline just south of Cooktown. iPhone 6 Plus image.

Archer Point via Cooktown.

Some dramatic coastline up this way. 4WD recommended for area access and for exploring some interesting tracks in the area. This scene was photographed looking south from near the point's lighthouse. Free camping is available in the middle bay area.

Archer Point, south of Cooktown.

More of the dramatic coastline up Cooktown way. 4WD recommended for area access and for exploring some interesting tracks in the area.

Ladies and Bruces, It's wattle season!

As the First Bruce from the Philosophy Department at the University of Woolloomooloo declared to his professorial philosopher mates (all conveniently named Bruce) at a faculty meeting back in 1970: "This here's the wattle, the emblem of our land. You can stick it in a bottle, you can hold it in your hand." (Original image captured at Archer Point via Cooktown and painted using my variation of Ink Sketch brushes in Photoshop CC 2019. Python Bruces: https://youtu.be/PtgKkifJ0Pw )

Trevathan Falls via Cooktown. Doe enjoying a warming cup of soup.

iPhone 6 Plus image.

Grouper Feeding, Cook's Landing, Cooktown.

Bob's Lookout, Mulligan Highway, Desailly, North Queensland..

Returning south via the inland route from Cooktown. Panorama of 10 vertical images stitched in Photoshop CC 2019 and edited with Nik Collection 2 - Tonal Control.