Sunday 23 January - Despite gale force winds and blinding rain overnight, the morning dawned bright and clear. The news was good, though the tropical low had formed into a category 1 cyclone; it was heading out to sea and taking the rain with it; a perfect scenario for continuing north and then west.
Chillagoe – Tucked in the arms of many strange rocky outcrops and located on the edges of a pretty creek, the town appeared to be one of those sleepy country towns where not much happens. Having pitched the tent and pumped up the bed, we took up our Eco Lodge hosts suggestion and drove to the town’s main street for the Railway Hotel (pub) happy hour. During the hours of 6.30 and 7.30pm, there would be free pizza and an opportunity to role the dice to get a free beer. The freebee
didn’t cover Apple Cider! Supporting the local clubs we bought a couple of raffle tickets and took the time to chat with the locals lining the bar. We learned from the publican that the last 12 years had seen a change in the numbers of people frequenting the pub, that it was getting increasingly more difficult to find staff and that they often closed their doors before 9pm instead of the good old days of midnight. A semi-local fella named Gordon spent his time living between Mareeba and Chillagoe. He had been very keen on yatching in his younger years but, decided a change was needed. He hadn’t given up the boats altogether. He reckons he had a boat tied to the front post of his house just in case the area decided to become an inland sea again just like it was 40 Million years ago!
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