Road Trip

After picking up Harrison the Red Devil, I jump onto the Bruce Highway and am given a guard of honour by the locally grown sugar cane as I begin my road trip to Adelaide. The sugar cane changes as the Bruce Highway cuts its way through the steamy, dreamy Wooroonooran National Park, which brims with stunning natural spectacles. Helpfully, the roadside signs keep me informed when I pass Queensland's highest peak (Mt. Bartle Frere, 1622m), dramatic waterfalls, tangled rainforest and swimming holes.

Further south, as I approach Innisfail, the guard changes again. This time from rainforest to bananas. Here the roadside markers tell the story of how the local community managed to break a Guinness World Record that had remained unbeaten for twenty-nine years. As I travel along the 'banana split way', I get a sense of just how long the record-breaking banana split is and how many bananas were used in the delicious 8.04 kilometre-long dessert.

Sunshine, rainbows and gourmet grub give me the perfect reason to leave the Bruce Highway and take a break at the lavender landmark, the Bingil Bay Cafe. To fight off the post-food-nap, I take a walk along Mission Beach, where the rainforest meets the sea. Despite having Australia's highest density of cassowaries, I was (not) fortunate enough to see one of the gardeners of the rainforest.

With the sun sinking close to the horizon, I head for the majestic Wallaman Falls; at 305m, it is the longest single-drop waterfall in Australia to enjoy the sunset. As I drive along the quiet backroads at dusk, the locals - hundreds of wild wallabies - are out in force.

Darkness has set in, so it was time to find a bed for the night. The closest town is Ingham and when I drive through, I see a sign for Lees Hotel... Well, I had to stay there! Especially when I discover that Lees Hotel is the only Hotel in Queensland with official Iconic status. The poem that inspired the iconic Australian hit 'Pub With No Beer' (1957) was written here after American soldiers drank the place dry. Fortunately, there is plenty of beer tonight!

Distance: 392.0 km