Our first stop in Mareeba was Coffeeworks. It costs $19 pp entry (or $14 pp if you have a brochure that offers the $5 pp discount). The entrance fee covers all the coffee, tea, eating chocolate and liqueurs tastings you want as well as a coffee and tea making museum. Barbara even managed to run into an ex work colleague.
Coffee bean and cocoa pod:
We obviously hadn't overdosed on coffee because we went up to Skybury to try their brew and to buy red pawpaw and lady finger bananas for the amazingly low price of $2 a kilo.
By now we had more than enough caffeine in our systems to last out the day so we called into the Mareeba Wetlands Reserve which is noted for its Gouldian Finch breeding program:
The locals living near the wetlands obviously have a sense of humour:
After a brief lunch break in Mareeba, we decided to visit the Granite Gorge Nature Park. This must be privately owned as an entrance fee is charged if you want to do the walks. We decided on the short walk for $7.50 pp. I foolishly thought it would be easy! Much of the walk was a scramble over large granite boulders or sliding up and down steep granite inclines on my backside. Barbara managed most of it on two feet but had to use the sit down technique once or twice. It was seriously hard work - but the landscape was dramatic and I felt as if I had achieved something (making it out in one piece with an unbroken camera)! The park has many rock wallabys which are obviously well used to people as you could get very close to take pictures. They'll hug your leg if they think you have food.
Look for me on top of the rock by finding my red handbag - walking up this rock was one of the easier parts of the walk:
Barbara Attenborough:
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