Ravenshoe and Almaden - September 2020
We left Charters Towers early and headed north on the Gregory Development Road, making a breakfast stop at Bluewater Springs, population: 2. Turns out half the population at least, is a bit stern at this hour. We ordered a toasted cheese sandwich and read the numerous rules pasted around the shop while waiting for it to be cooked. I am sure there was one stating no smiling before 10:00, but it was well hidden.
Next stop was Greenvale, a former nickel mining settlement about 210 kilometres north of Charters Towers. It was just on opening time, so we had to have a beer in the Three Rivers Hotel, made famous by Slim Dusty., who sang about this hotel, his favourite watering hole in a song of the same name penned by Stan Coster. The publican, obviously not related to the lady at Bluewater Springs, cheerily answered Reg’s multitude of questions about the area.
We made Ravenshoe by early afternoon, a lovely town bigger than we expected, but seems most things close at 2:00 - coffee shops, tourist info centre, bakery, etc. Not to worry - the pubs were open. We booked into Queensland’s highest hotel, another interesting old Australian pub experience. We had an old world room, opening onto the verandah, with the bathroom down the hall. Dinner in the lovingly restored dining room was delicious.
We hit the road early next morning, enjoying the cool change. Sunrise was beautiful over the tableland. The drive to Mareeba ranged through undulating farmland and tunnels of dark rainforest canopies. A breakfast stop at the Mareeba Deli and Wellbeing Cafe was a highlight. The small, unassuming entrance opened into an Aladdin’s cave of gastronomical delights. We lingered way too long, drooling over all the delights on display, heavily influenced by Italian origins. We purchased a few goodies to take for road snacks and enjoyed a gourmet Ciabata roll ( it was difficult to choose between the 15 varieties on offer) and an excellent coffee before departing. It was difficult dragging Reg out by his feet kicking and screaming, but we finally continued on our way.
The drive to Dimbulah on the “Wheelbarrow Way” was through fertile countryside, lush with orchards and crops - sugarcane, mangoes, bananas, pawpaws, avocados, and more. Then the countryside gave way to drier scrub. The road was fully sealed all the way to Almaden, where we had booked into the old railway hotel for the night.
This is another historically interesting town for me as my grandfather taught here for eight years and my father and his siblings went to school and roamed the surrounds between 1936 and 1943.
Almaden, population 30, once had over 1,000 construction workers gathered for the building of the Etheridge line. It began as a rough and rowdy railway town in 1900 and was named Almaden after a mining town in Spain, which also gave its name to a town in the vineyard district of California. These are reputed to be the only three Almadens in the world - mine, wine and train line reasons for existence. At its height our Qld Almaden was an important station in the sprawling railway system, handling ore trains from Forsayth on the Etheridge goldfield and traffic between Chillagoe and Cairns. It was also a link for the hauling of coal from Mt Mulligan to feed the furnaces of the Chillagoe smelter.
The Savannahlander train now passes through twice a week, with an overnight stay at the pub on the way out.
Almaden, population 30, once had over 1,000 construction workers gathered for the building of the Etheridge line. It began as a rough and rowdy railway town in 1900 and was named Almaden after a mining town in Spain, which also gave its name to a town in the vineyard district of California. These are reputed to be the only three Almadens in the world - mine, wine and train line reasons for existence. At its height our Qld Almaden was an important station in the sprawling railway system, handling ore trains from Forsayth on the Etheridge goldfield and traffic between Chillagoe and Cairns. It was also a link for the hauling of coal from Mt Mulligan to feed the furnaces of the Chillagoe smelter.
The Savannahlander train now passes through twice a week, with an overnight stay at the pub on the way out.
We now know over half the locals having met them at the pub, or by asking for directions and help. Someone knew someone who had a key because they were looking after someone else’s property that used to be the school, but is now a camping area on an honour system. I love the trust of the outback. We were shown through the old, new school and had many questions answered, and poked around the old, old school ourselves.
After soaking up the history, we enjoyed a hearty meal, a few drinks, and the quiet serenity of evening falling on the pub veranda before retiring for the night. Tomorrow we head to Chillagoe.
After soaking up the history, we enjoyed a hearty meal, a few drinks, and the quiet serenity of evening falling on the pub veranda before retiring for the night. Tomorrow we head to Chillagoe.