Ingham Qld July 22 2015

Ingham Qld July 22 2015

Unfortunately, there was no other option than to do the 60km trek back up to Ingham today: we felt that we should really go to the TYTO Wetlands. We started out the back because that's where the sign pointed us, and well, due to lack of rain this year, the wetlands are almost dry and not really at their best. We wandered around the well made paths and tracks, trying to find the birds that were laughing their heads off from the trees and shrubs. This is a great setup for birdies but we struggle to actually see the silly things! On our way back two big ones surprised us by flying up out of one of the lagoons right in front of us, how could we miss? Then we had the unusual sight of a wallaby with a willy wagtail on its back, I had no idea they did this.

 TYTO Wetlands. Ingham Qld

 TYTO Wetlands. Ingham Qld

 TYTO Wetlands. Ingham Qld

 TYTO Wetlands. Ingham Qld

 TYTO Wetlands. Ingham Qld

Water lily pad. TYTO Wetlands. Ingham Qld

 TYTO Wetlands. Ingham Qld

Hitching a ride. TYTO Wetlands. Ingham Qld

It was getting late, after 1pm, and so we made our way back past the RV free camp, up toward the information centre, looking for the cafe. And then we saw what the TYTO fuss was all about: they have lots more wetlands, full of water and surrounded by lush green lawns and elevated walkways all over the place. We had to cross from the info place to the cafe along this walkway, along the way we saw waterlilies galore, some jacana (i thought they only lived in Kakadu) and heaps of other big white birds, and ducks galore. But then judy spotted the blue kingfisher, just sitting on the rail and despite its small size and our distance we managed to get a few shots.

 TYTO Wetlands. Ingham Qld

Blue kingfisher. TYTO Wetlands. Ingham Qld

We found the Tiddaliks restaurant, which is part of the complex and boardwalk and overlooks one of the lagoons. We both had a delightful lunch, certainly exceeded our expectations of cafe food.

After a bit more of a wander about we headed toward the coast to Lucinda, mainly because i wanted to see the sugar loading jetty, reputed to be 5.8km long, so long that the engineers had to factor in the curvature of the earth's surface so that the distant end stayed at the same height relative to the water.

Cane loading jetty. Lucinda Qld

I was particularly taken by the pelicans sitting atop the poles that normally hold the stinger net up. One pole had a gull sitting on it, but big bully pelican saw it off quick smart!

Pelicans-on-posts. Lucinda Qld

Lucinda seems like a nice little town, certainly the people jammed into the van park must think so as they tend to come and stay for 3 months at a time, mostly so they can go fishing. We had a look through the park, and were amused by the number of Curlews roaming about.

Curlews in caravan park. Lucinda Qld

I had to take one last snap on the way back: we came to a level crossing just at the same time the cane trade was lumbering down. This is the local industry in acton.

Cane train. Lucinda Qld