Chillagoe Caving

Today we went on the second of the two Billy Tea tours out of Cairns. Our main reason for taking the tour was to see the Chillagoe Caves, so the other stops were a bonus.

The first stop was Mareeba Wetlands. We had visited here when we were based on the Tablelands for 5 days but it was good to go back early in the day. This time we went on the boat over the lagoon. Whilst bird life is still scarce on the lagoon, we were lucky enough to spot a Jabiru and black swans. The light was lovely in the morning and caught the jewel-like water droplets on the lily pads.

Instead of taking the bitumen to Chillagoe, we went on the Douglas Track part of the way. This was the route the miners took back in the 1800's and is definitely 4WD only. Once we returned to the main road, we came across a sign which looks like it warns about car eating cows:

We had seen these signs throughout grazing country in the north and this was the first time we could pull up to get a photo.

Chillagoe used to have 10,000 people in its mining heyday but is now home to 250. The pub has corrugated external walls and beautiful rainforest timber floors. The bar is made of Chillagoe marble. There are a couple of old Queenslanders in good condition in town as well. We were told that Chillagoe marble is the best in the world and a large percentage of production is exported to Italy in 30 tonne blocks.

The Chillagoe Cave we entered was the Royal Arch Cave - the name coming from a rock formation in the limestone tower which looks like Queen Victoria:

You can only enter the caves with a National Park guide. Our tour lasted an hour and was worth the visit. It was easy going to access and walk through the caves, although there was one low, tight spot which I thought my shoulders would never get through.

We entered 4 large chambers, some of which had light pouring through overhead. The caves are not lit and National Parks provide torches - making the tour seem more adventurous.

Chillagoe's mining history is evident at the heritage listed copper smelter ruins.

We had time for a visit to Mt Uncle Distillery near Mareeba on our way home. The coffee was good and their honey vodka good enough that I bought a bottle. The vodka is almost healthy - no grains were used in its making so it is gluten free. The distillery boasted the biggest flock of peacocks I've ever seen as well as donkeys, goats and a couple of alpacas.

Tomorrow we'll wander through Cairns and Rusty's Markets.