20210625 OLD Ingham to Mission Beach

25-06-2012  We stopped at a roadhouse Scotty told Des about to speak to an old work mate of his but he wasn't their so we drove onto Ingham for supplies.  I didn't find Ingham interesting I took photos of there mural's and left looking for the Seymour Hotel.

When I was about 11 yrs travelling up north with my Aunty and Uncle, I remembered a Hotel we stayed at which belonged to my my Aunty's Father, Rex Johnson but I couldn't remember where it was.  After phoning my Uncle it was just out of Ingham and it's called the Seymore Hotel, I remembered it was surrounded by cane in the middle of nowhere so I Googled Seymour Hotel and found it was on Halifax Rd in Bemerside.  The nav didn't recognise Bemerside, we asked someone for direction, do you know the Seymour Hotel?  No I don’t know that one, then I mentioned Bemerside, Arr not many people go there, she gave us instruction and we eventually found it.

Built in 1903, the original hotel burnt down in 1928 and was rebuilt as a two storey concrete building in 1929.  The pub has an interesting history and a number of colourful publicans including Tom Claffey.

The back of the hotel and the long cement tank on the left of the photo was once a water tank.  My uncle told me the palm trees were planted by him and I, but the publican said there was nothing there when they took over 25 years ago and she planted them.

In the 1930s, Claffey made troublemakers box his daughter using special gloves, with the daughter always winning!

The walls are covered with much memorabilia, I couldn't reconise the bar inside but the publican said the bar went across the front, they changed the layout to fit in the pool table.

Beer prices in the hotel today it would have been interesting to see what they were in 1967 which was about the time my Aunty and Uncle took me there with there three children Shane (knuckle head) and Brett (fat boy) and Wally (mouse) were there nick names. 

In the floods of 1967, over 2m of water flowed through the bottom rooms of the hotel, so many locals took refuge on the upper floor where drinks service was maintained.

25-06-2012 Driving through Cardwell and Tully where cyclone Yasi destroyed the towns, my son Kenny and I drove through about a year ago and the devastation was still very real, but today the towns have recovered with little of the damage shown.

 This building and a few tarps covering roofs is the only reminder of a town once destroyed.

What an unusual name for a winery, Des seams interested in the murdering more than the winery, now why would that be.

 

Stopped at Innisfail and were going to camp the night but the park was full, so I took some pic and headed off.

The original inhabitants were the five societies of the mamu people, following migratory lifestyles in the rainforest, and moving along the river in string-bark canoes, among these, “The Cassowary Tribe”. The first incursion came in 1872 survivors of the shipwreck “Maria” arrived on the coast near the Johnstone River.

 

A walk along the beach and a few snaps shoots before leaving this lovely but wet coast.

An interesting contraption, it’s a Sling Shoot believe it or not.

The hideaway township of Mission Beach is surrounded by a lush backdrop of World Heritage wet tropical rainforest and white sandy beaches. There are signs for cassowary crossing but I am yet to see one.

Mission Beach has some of the most picturesque beaches along the east coast of Australia stretching 14 kl in all. 

It is the closest mainland access to the Great Barrier Reef with Dunk and Bedarra island just 7 min offshore.  Since the cyclone the ferry has stopped travelling to Dunk Island and one of the locals said there is no discount for the locals so no one goes there.