Today was always going to be an odd day as my time in Australia is growing to an end and will be my last night here at Gibson Road.

The day was slow to start with a coffee or two and a read of the last chapter of my book. Then a cooked breakfast and shower led to the start of the afternoon. If we were going to do stuff then it was now or never as we had a BBQ to attend at 5pm.

So into the ute and off down the road towards Josephine Falls. When we arrived there were a few Brits around a couple of rented VW camper vans. I remember thinking to myself “I hope they’re on their way out”.

We strolled up a Tarmac path curving through native rain forest until the path presented a fork. We took the lower pool to start with and it was lovely. The constant sound of the waterfall laid an auditory backdrop to one of the most crystal clear waterfalls I think I have seen.

I clambered over a few rocks to get a better angle for some photos leaving only Wendy at the shores edge. Having taken the shots I turned to see half a dozen Brits having deserted their vans unpacking beers, stripping to swimmers and heading noisily for the water. You can’t beat Brits abroad, especially when they’re having fun.

We continued on up to see the mid section and the top pool, leaving the Brits to enjoy. Unfortunately these two higher sections suffered from health and safety overkill. Whilst we could enjoy the view there was no clambering over rocks or feeling the cold water rushing over your feet.

With the sights and sounds of Josephine experienced it was time to head for the ute and move on to Babinda Boulders, a place with Aboriginal legend and a ghost similar to a siren that woos men to a watery grave.

I didn’t see any ghosts, although I was quite tired upon leaving which may have been from fighting of the siren. What I did see we’re huge boulders lining the water course. They were pitted with with quite large cylindrical holes. It was clear to see this could be a dangerous place in the rainy season however it had a natural beauty, a tranquility amongst the rushing waters. It was, like Josephine Falls, quite a peaceful place away from the tourists.

Time was rushing our lazy day and it was soon time to head home with a few photo calls on the way. Once we had booked our accommodation for tomorrow and I had finally declared myself veggie to Qantas it was time to move for the BBQ.

The BBQ turned out to be nothing of the sort. It was a 3 course meal that was way over the top and, although excellent food, I ended up eating far too much of the wrong type of food. I think I put on half a dozen kilos in a couple of hours!

The evening was good but had to be cut short as I needed to get back and pack my suitcase. We are off to Yungaburra market tomorrow and then staying over in Cairns ready for my early morning trip to Bangkok. I will be sad to leave here but I’m keen to experience Thailand. As they say, when one door closes another one opens.

This area of Australia is not what the stereotypical images lodged in my brain had led me to expect. Much of the low lying land has been cleared for agriculture. This is a big farming area of Australia with the main crops at the moment being sugar cane and bananas. There are also mango and paw paw trees but they are out of season. There are railway tracks everywhere for the cane train and they just cross the road when they need to. Sometimes there are flashing lights warning you to stop, other times there is a sign say look for trains. At night when sitting out on the deck having a beer you can often see the orange flashing light of the cane train piercing the blackness of the night.

In stark contrast to this farming landscape are the surrounding hills and mountains, covered by native rainforest. The house that is currently home sits on land once cleared for farming and is flanked to the sides and rear by such rain forest. The sounds are quite amazing with a constant buzz from cricket type bugs and then the squares of the birds, the noisiest being a pair of kookaburras who periodically let us know they are still there with a loud, shrill laugh. There is also a kingfisher (a same family as the kookaburra) who sometimes visits of an evening.

The other main visual feature here are the creeks. They are everywhere, every one has a name and a road sign telling you. Although the creeks look crystal clear and some even have fairly deep pools, swimming is not a good idea. The Australian Salty or estuarine crocodile live in most creeks, estuaries and even the sea so donning your budgie smugglers and diving in is not a good idea.

One of the most striking things here for me is the sunrise and sunset. I’m not sure if it’s the time of year or the location but the sun rises and sets quickly. Seeing a warm, orange sun sinking behind the tropical trees coating the mountainous skyline is quite beautiful. The same goes for the sunrise although as the sun rises it illuminates a layer of thick milky-white mist covering the floor of the lower areas.

Other features that stand out are the numerous fruit stalls at the side of the road. As you pull in you see a range of fruit on offer with the prices clearly displayed, but no-one to pay. Instead there is a small metal box attached to the stand into which you post your payment. Now that’s what I call trust. Can’t see it taking off in the UK somehow!

And then there is the road signs. Road signs for everything from speed limits and dips in the road to wildlife crossings, bus routes and slippery surfaces. But they are constant. The Australian highways department must spend a fortune on signage.

The two main towns near here are Mena Creek and Innisfail. Mena Creek is probably what I would call a village except the term village doesn’t exist here. It has a pub and a couple of shops. I haven’t been in the shops but I’m sure you can buy your bait and ice here if you want. The pub is ok for a couple of tinnies and a veggie snack.

Innisfail is more what I would call a town and is built on the Johnston river. There is a main street with shops and cafes, a small harbour on the river with varying sizes of boats and quite a large residential area. Oh and I mustn’t forget, it also has a library of which I have been given thefull tour, access all areas!

Innisfail seems a little run down and is probably suffering from the two major cyclones, Larry and Yasi. Certainly those whom I have spoken to do not regard the town as a hive of cultural activity. But it has a beautiful side. Driving up into the hills the residential housing continues and when the top is reached it becomes plain to see why people live up here. The views out over the Johnston river and the sprawling town are amazing. The rooftops of the houses look like umbrellas scattered in haphazard rows amongst the vegetation with the river swelling and curling through them, seemingly at will.

And driving down to the estuary revealed sights equally spectacular with a mix of rainforest, mangroves, beaches and the wide mouth of the Johnston river pouring into the sea. There were a few small boats on the water and a group of three or four people casting a fishing net off the side of a jetty ramp. Otherwise the view was empty of human interference and quite serene.

Leaving Mareeba we headed for Kuranda and what a contrast. Kuranda was basically a hippy settlement until they realised they could become businessmen and make money. The town is thriving with loads of shops and cafes, is beautifully maintained and has a really nice atmosphere. There is a lot of really good art and craft stuff about including a co-operative art centre, probably a remnant from the hippy era. Evan better than that were the pancakes and coffee I had for breakfast. Certainly hit the spot.

After spending a good hour or so wandering round the new market, the old market and past the train station to the river Barron it was time to leave the Tablelands and move onto the next stop, Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure just outside Cairns.

Well Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure was pretty amazing. I was a little apprehensive as I don’t like zoos and it sounded a little too touristy. And it was touristy but well worth the visit. Apart from crocs there were snakes, spiders, kangaroos, wombats and monitor lizards. Once we had wandered round and seen everything else we strolled round the part with crocs. The first one I walked past I thought was plastic until it moved, which made me move even though there was a double fence in between us! 5m of croc weighing in at over a tonne is quite scary close up!

Then came the boat ride. Our guide and the star of the star of the show was Jason. Playing the stereotypical Aussie he steered and joked his way out into the lagoon with a boat full of people. As we moved through the lagoon Jason pointed out mounds of leaves which were croc nests. To control numbers in this enclosed lagoon the staff collect the eggs from the nests in what he described as the most hardcore easter egg hunt on the planet!

Stopping mid water and with a chicken head tied to a long pole the crocs began to gather by the side of the boat and jump to get the food. They raised a good metre out of the water and slapped their jaws, just missing the meal but giving us a fabulous photo opportunity! The sound of the jaws snapping shut was pretty chilling and seeing these creatures so close was pretty awesome. I was glad for the safety glass separating us.

After a few jumps on either side of the bus we returned to dry land just in time for the ‘attack show’, again featuring Jason.

With tiered seating around a small area of water no more than 6 meters round the show began. Into the arena walked Jason and began stamping his feet in the water. Crocs can sense vibration and sure enough Bart (odd name for a croc I know) surfaced. Then with a chunk of meat on a rope the show began. Tossing the meat in front of the croc it attacked and in an instant the meat was firmly locked in its jaws. Slowly the croc sank into the water, drowning its quarry. With a few tugs on the rope Bart surfaced and after a couple more tugs Bart showed us the death roll. A 360 degree roll designed to break off extremities such as limbs leaving the croc only with the meat in it’s jaws.

Next came the hand feeding. Mad. How Jason has all his limbs left I don’t know. He was in the water, bare-foot, holding a chunk of what looked like a tuna fish. The croc chased him across the water and launched at the meat, which he got. Jason let go just in time and made it to safety complete with all his limbs in tact. It takes a certain type of person to do this kind of thing and, at times like this, I’m glad I work in a library!

To fund the business Hartley’s also operate a crocodile farm supplying the top-end fashion designers with 3 year old croc skins for bags, belts, purses, shoes etc. This side of the business is not so good but while people will pay silly amounts of money for croc skin I guess farming is better than hunting wild crocs. Maybe.