Judy & Brian Tour Oz: Rollingstone Qld July 21, 2015

Rollingstone Qld July 21, 2015

Not far from where we are in Rollingstone is the Paluma Range NP, which has a couple of creeks and waterholes billed as being Townsville summer playground - mainly because it's considered 'safe' from crocodiles, although no one will every give a guarantee.

Paluma is a tiny town at the top of the Mt Spec (860metres), just why its there I have no idea. Its miles from anywhere and at the top of a 22km long narrow, twisty climb. The town itself looks half-dead, the pub for instance, promises to be open on Saturday afternoons and stay open until 8pm if more than six people are in attendance. The road itself, is a piece of work, built basically by hand in the 1930s by labourers lucky enough to get onto the governments work creation scheme during the depression.

Half way up, the road crosses the Little Crystal Creek with a Roman style stone bridge. There is a small waterfall and a small, fairly cool waterhole in which a few people could swim in the heat of summer.

Brian trying not to take a swim. Little Crystal Creek Qld

Little Crystal Creek Qld

Judy getting some snaps. Little Crystal Creek Qld

Back down at sea level and around the road a bit is Big Crystal Creek, with a much bigger waterhole and some rock slides they use like slides when the creek gets a bit of a flow on.

Brian getting serious - finally found the 'auto' setting! Big Crystal Creek Qld

Big Crystal Creek Qld

We took lunch at the Frosty Mango, the shop attached to a fruit orchid just up the road from Crystal Creek. The mango ice-cream was fantastic.

The Frosty Mango. Crystal Creek Qld

We ventured a bit further north to look at the Jourama Falls, but it's a fair hike from the car park and we'd had enough fun already so we headed back to the park.

I took a stroll along the beach to the north and took some snaps. The beach here has a rock shelf formed from stones and there are the start of mangroves growing in it. The beauty is spoiled somewhat as there are some houses whose land comes right through to the beach, and they have set up what I can only describe as tawdry beer gardens.

Heres a mix of the things I came across:

Fishos. Rollingstone Beach Qld

Rollingstone Beach Qld

Coral. Rollingstone Beach Qld

Rollingstone Beach Qld

I wasn't going to do this as it might seen by some to be a bit negative, but here are some more snaps of the garbage on the beach that the rest of the van park refers to as 'paradise' :