Mossman Gorge

Saturday 10th November 2012

Had a good nights sleep and was greeted in the morning by some mysterious bird calls. Headed out to the car park at around 6.15am. Cloud was everywhere with no hint as to where the sun would be. It is going to be very difficult to gauge the best spot to setup all the gear. With the eclipse so early in the morning the tree line is going to dictate where I watch it from. I suspect a lot of people would head to the beach but with all the gear I need to be closer to where I can have the gear.

I too a series of photos from various locations in the car park then headed towards the beach access. It was at this stage I glimpsed the first hint of direct sun. The spot which I have noted is a short walk from the hotel so the option is definitely there.

Headed towards the beach which was only about a 5-10 minute walk. The beach is long and flat and there were a few people out walking. I then spotted what looked to a lady paddle boarding with a dog. Walked back to the hotel and got in the car and head down to Port Douglas shops. It is a very nice area with the majority of shops focused on one street. It was quite early still, just after 7am so had to search for a place to ge a coffee. Grabbed a mocha and toasted banana bread. Caught up on some news before walking up and down the main strip.

Did a bit of a drive around trying to to spot places to watch the eclipse from there were a we spots that looked promising but will have to wait for a clear morning to be sure.

Around midday I decided to go for a drive up to Mossman. It is only 20km from Port Douglas and is not a large town. Appears to be famous for its gorge and they have worked hard to come up with a visitor centre and a shuttle bus system to drop people off. This appears to allow more people to visit as the car parking available at the gorge would have been small compared to that of the visitor centre.

Elevated walk ways allow you to move through the rain forest easily and offering spectacular views. The gorge itself was very beautiful with massive boulders with water crashing over them. There were plenty of people swimming  but kept on walking around the bush walk loop. Heard lots of exotic birds and saw a black snake on the 45 minute loop before boarding the bus back down to the visitor centre.

Had a nice lunch at the visitor centre before heading out for another drive and then back to Port Douglas to pick up some groceries and then finally back to the hotel. Watched some TV through a haze of static.

Hoping for clearer skies in the morning.