Mossman 2. (Including Cane Toad hunting).

We are still camping at the Sugar Mill in Mossman. Steve is still truck driving, they have now started to fetch the cane from the tablelands, which means longer and more scenic drives to Mareeba & Atherton.  I am also working as a house keeper(or room attendant as they call it in Queensland) at the Cayman Villa's & The Meridian Apartments (Port Douglas).
Steve also took me for a drive up the range (Mt Molloy) where the truck roll over was (see last blog). The pictures were taken from the look out a little way down, now I understand why the trucks have trouble not crossing the white lines and every car we saw couldn't stay on the correct side of the road either.  There are 86 bends on this steep range, which is an 8klm stretch of road.

This is Mossman from the lookout.

 

The Topography.

 

Steve at the look out, Mt Molloy.

 

The coast from Mt Molloy.

 

SOooooooo pretty.

 

One of these????

 

These are Pied Imperial Pigeon's eating the berries in our garden.

 

Then there are these????

 

 

Now some pictures of my handy work.........

 

One bed roomed apartment at Meridian.

 

The view from the balcony.

 

The balcony with Jacuzzi in the corner.

 

Does this Sparkle?? Very similar to my kitchen, I just pretend I have a home for a few hours!!!!

 

A studio at the Meridian.

 

This is The Cayman Villa's 3 bed roomed apartment.

 

Master bedroom with large on suite & balcony.

 

 

Just a couple of snaps of the Sugar Mill.......

 

Full steam ahead.

 

I just love the Sugar Cain Trains, so cute!!

 

A carriage of Sugar Cane waiting to be empty & crushed.

 

 

So for our UK audience Cane Toads are venomous, a pest and kill many of our native animals, birds, reptiles etc.

Cain Toads - are native to America and were brought in to FNQ (Far North Queensland) in 1935, about 3000 were released into the wild, to eat the sugar cane beetle, unfortunately these beetles live at the top of the cane and the toad lives at the bottom, so that didn't work!! 

Ct venom is a mix of toxins that primarily affects the functioning of the heart. This toxin is present throughout the ct's body & is secreted as a milky liquid from the parotoid glands located over the toads shoulders.  Envenomation is painful but rarely deadly to humans.  Humans have died from eating ct's or their eggs!!

The life span of ct is 5 - 10 years.  (Not in our garden). 

The group name is Knot or Nest.

When fully grown they weigh 1.4kg (3lbs).

Today they have spread from FNQ over to Western Australia, they thrive in this environment and now there are millions of them.  People are encouraged to kill them and dispose of them.  They also make a lot of noise hopping round the garden at night, when we are trying to sleep.  So Steve got his fish spare gun out and on the first night killed 12 and last night got 8!!!  It's definitely quieter at night!!!!

 

 

Steve Cane toad hunting in the garden.

 

Spared Cain toads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mossman Mill 1.

Here we are still free camping at the Sugar Cane Mill.  Here is some more information. 
Last week one of the trucks hit some over head power lines 22000V...that's really not good!
This week....  Each truck has two drivers one on days & on the other on nights.  Steve was on truck 84, however his buddy rolled their truck coming down the range (Mt Molloy) last night!!  It all happens here.........

Truck 84 on it's side.

 

Truck 84.

 

A few hours later, the truck from the Tablelands which brings products to the Mossman Mill, was at the back of the mill and because of the camber and being wet, slipped off the road!!!!

 

Whoops!!!

 

Crush figures for week 17.

 Mossman mill crushed 22,785 tonnes this was on a 4 day week, due to the public holiday.  The factory has now produced 468,894 tonnes for the season so far.  Mossman mill is very interesting as tourist can drive around the mill grounds, in between the trucks & trains and no1 bat's an eyelid.  There are do gooders, who do not want the trucks up the range picking up the sugar Cane, they follow the trucks up & down the steep descent's just in case they cross a white line and take a picture!!

 

As the wet season is upon us, we have gone all out and spend $20 on a new tarp for over the kitchen, as we didn't bring the awning this time!!

 

The mill breaks down frequently. Sometime when it starts up again it covers the valley in smoke!! Do not fear as when the mill finishes the season this year, it is to under go a massive upgrade to the factory.  Contracts have been awarded for the $4.4 million capital works. 

 

 

I had the day off today, so took a walk around our garden......

 

Jack Fruit.

 

Mango's.

 

Ginger Plant.

 

A pretty pink flower.

 

A pretty red flower.

 

A Macadamia tree.

 

A Macadamia nut of the tree. (Which comes in a shell, like a conker shell).

 

Paw Paw tree.

 

A Pepper bush.

 

We have about 6 Banana tree's,with fruit on them!!

 

Palm Trees.

 

A pretty bush.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daintree Village.

Below are some pictures of our camp for a few weeks, now I (Dee) have also got myself a job. So on what might be our last day off together for a few weeks, we decided to take a drive to the Daintree village.  It was a lovely pretty drive and made for a few hours of entertainment, how ever if you missed it on your way by, you haven't actually missed much.

The view from our garden.(Mossman Gorge).

 

Home for a few weeks.

 

Mossman Gorge.

 

Steve with a big Barra!!

 

Steve in a café at Daintree Village....waiting for lunch!!

 

The hills around Daintree Village - look at the cattle in the frame!!

 

The Daintree river and stunning hills.

 

A beach just south of Daintree.

 

The other end of the beach.

 

Sugar Cane fields with pretty hills and this is Steve's office for a few weeks!!

 

Look how the cloud changed in seconds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Innisfail to Mossman.

Leaving Cairns behind we arrive in Innisfail.  A rather large town with lush green tropical hills on one side, sugar cane everywhere you look and the river on the other side.
Once here Steve finds work as a truck driver for Qube (owned by P&O). Once Steve has done his induction, we head north back to Cairns and finally to Mossman. Mossman is 14klm further north that the up market Port Douglas. Here we have set up home for 5 weeks or so, while Steve drives the Sugar Cane trucks. We have free camping, with power, water & on suite and we could move in to the house if we wanted to. Unless we start getting rain, we will stay in the Camper.
Mossman is a small town, the people are friendly and it is extremely pretty.

Innisfail seems all about Bananas & Sugar Cane.

 

Our camp site at Innisfail - Oh what lovely lawns we have!!

 

Does everyone know how much I love kookaburras?

 

Sooooooo cute!!!

 

As we left Innisfail, we had a heavy shower of rain... it was so exciting!! 

 

 

Ok some information about Sugar Cane. Trucks carry between 20 to 24 tonne and a trains pulls about 700 tonne!!! Trucks only go where there is no train track. For every 8 tonne of sugar cane crushed, you get approximately 1 tonne of sugar.  The spin off from sugar before  it is crystallised & spun is called molasses and this is used for all sorts, animal feed, fertiliser etc. When the sugar is crushed and taken out of the cane, the cane is then re-used as fuel to power the steamer.  It takes 8 hours from crushing the cane to getting the end product of sugar.  Mossman is the oldest & smallest mill in Queensland and it is the only one that still operates steam equipment. 

Sugar cane can be left in the field for 2 or 3 years as it sends down creepers.  Also sugar cane can still be processed after the field has be burnt.

What a SWEET story!!!!

 

 

Steve driving on the weigh bridge with 20 to 24 tonne of sugar cane.(43.5 Gross weight)

 

Steve in his truck with Sam his trainer.

 

Sugar Cane Mill.

 

Steve leaving the yard & waving!!!

 

Steve get your hands on the wheel!! 

 

One of the engines shunting around.