CHILLAGOE

We were really glad that we decided to visit Chillagoe. It is a very pleasant little village and the people at “The Hub” which is the local information centre were extremely helpful and friendly. We booked into the rodeo grounds where there are basic toilets and a “Donkey” for hot water. The grounds are beside a lovely little creek which proved a lovely place for a walk. There are several different cave systems that can be explored in Chillagoe, some guided and some not. We had opted to see the Donna Cave which has the most steps down and up but it is not really too strenuous. As we have seen quite a few caves in Aust. including in Tassie, Jenolan caves and those at Yanchep, WA, we were not really expecting too much but we were pleasantly surprised as there were some really interesting features in the caves and the ranger Fred did a great job of explaining it all.

Formation which gives Donna Cave its name is seen as you enter the cave.

We also visited the Hanging Rock which was a pleasant little hike through the unusual rock formations that are visible all around Chillagoe.

Highlight of our visit though would have to be our visit to Tom Prior, the local BP agent and Ford fanatic. What a delightful man Tom was and he certainly loves a chat. His knowledge of Ford and the vehicles in his collection was truly amazing as was the collection itself. Tom obviously has a great talent with motors which is evident when he starts up some very old machinery, even using a crank handle for one of the trucks. Even if you aren’t interested in motors or cars, Tom’s generosity and enthusiasm is contagious. We truly enjoyed our time with him and could have stayed longer but we let Tom go when three other guys arrived for the tour. Tom’s eyes lit up again as soon as he started talking to them. What an incredible old bloke he is and what a treasure.

Other enjoyable activities in Chillagoe included a visit to the spring-fed swimming hole for a dip and a stroll around the local cemetery which is very well maintained and a source of very interesting information about the local history. The old smelter is also interesting but unfortunately you cannot stroll around the ruins as you once could as asbestos has been discovered in the area and it is now fenced off. You can only view the ruins from a distance. So if you are tossing up whether to visit Chillagoe we would highly recommend it.

From Chillagoe we headed up the Burke Developmental Road and turned off toward Mt Mulgrave. We spent two lovely nights on the Mitchell River where we caught our first cherabin (freshwater prawns). We did plan to go through to Palmer River Roadhouse but local sources told us there was a steep jump-up coming out of the Palmer River and the road to Mitchell Falls was blocked so we headed back to Mareeba, only to discover a shattered rear windscreen which we had to get repaired in Mareeba before leaving heading off again.

Our camp on the Mitchell River