Sunrise Today...

Bloomfield Queensland

Bloomfield is a small community. Bloomfield is a town in the Shire of Cook and a coastal locality which is split between the Shire of Cook and the Shire of Douglas in Queensland, Australia. The town and locality are named after the Bloomfield River There is a general Store, a library open 3 days a week, a community centre and 2 Caravan parks. There are also a few springs and waterholes crossing the road where the locals can swim without fear of meeting a crocodile. Although Bloomfield (15°56′00″S 145°20′30″E) is officially the population centre, in practice, there is little there apart from the school. Most of the development is in Ayton, on the northern bank of the Bloomfield River near its mouth

There are two boat Ramps. I was happily walking the loading area when I was told a crocodile had bitten a woman here a week ago and to be careful. I went back to the top and sat at the picnic table where a local had just caught a fish. Its a very beautiful spot to catch a fish. You can launch a boat from here or book a tour from Wujal Wujal

Wujal Wujal Falls Queensland

The Bloomfield Falls (Aboriginal: Wujal Wujal is a cascade waterfall on the Bloomfield River near Cape Tribulation, close to Wujal Wujal, that is located in the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Daintree National Park in Queensland, Australia. The traditional custodians of the land surrounding the Bloomfield Falls are the Indigenous Australian Kuku Yalanji clan. Access to the waterfall is provided via the Bloomfield Track, south of Cooktown. In the wet season it is not possible to visit the falls

It had been a week with no rain so it was time to visit the Wujal Wujal Falls. We parked in the parking area. There are two tracks….one created path which we went on, and we returned by walking on the dried river bed full of great rocks following the river.

Wujal Wujal is the local Kuku-Yalanji clan name meaning ‘many falls‘, highlighting the many sacred waterfalls in their landscape. https://www.queensland.com/au/en/places-to-see/destination-information/p-5aaa33f0f47bff6b37873491-wujal-wujal

There is the Art Gallery and a cafe, currently closed, and just down the road past the bridge and road to Daintree, is the Community Garden. The town is further down the main road and there is a Community Hall, a general store and the Council offices.

Bana Yirriji Art Centre is located in Wujal Wujal Community, Far North Queensland. The Centre opened in 2011 and is situated alongside the spectacular Bloomfield River, and is a short walk (1.5kms) from the famous Wujal Wujal Falls.

Bana Yirriji Art Centre represents artists from the Yalanji, Nyungkul and Jalunji clan groups. Bama (local people) have had a long history of artistic expression, including ceremonial body painting, weavings made from local plants, rainforest shields and weaponry decorated with clan designs using earth pigments.

Bana Yirriji Art Centre supplies artists with professional quality art materials and runs a studio space. All artworks sold come with an artwork certificate and artist biography.

The Bana Yirriji Art Centre gallery is open to visitors. Admission Free

Morning Walk

I walked down past the bridge looking for the sunrise but too many trees. I came back and walked Endeavor River as far as I could and back. Its a beautiful walk…Last week the water was above the 2m mark today you can walk along the river bed.

Endeavor River in the evening

Now that there has been no rain for 4 days, the river has settled into three parts….2 fast flowing areas, the left safer than the right which houses a crocodile in the deep section upriver. The third is the rocky shore with a puddle of warm water. There are lots of rocks in this area. I found some deep red jasper and some other rocks I have yet to identify.

The bridge was a rickety wooden slatted bridge, but it has now been rebuilt. The roads…Poison Creek road on one side of the river and Jensens Crossing Road on the other side, has been rebuilt with bitumen and now has a steady stream of traffic. The river is fast flowing and you could take a boat from here to Cooktown.

Sunrise 11 March

There is a magic in a sunrise and a sunset. The sky changes in color and creates an experience that absorbs the watcher, Behind this field of green the sun sets almost apologetically for staining the sky.

When insect wings are glistening in the beam
Of the low sun, and mountain-tops are bright,
Oh, let me, by the crystal valley-stream,
Wander amid the mild and mellow light;
And while the barn owl pipes his evening lay,
Give me one lonely hour to hymn the setting day.

A Walk at Sunset by William Cullen Bryant

Cooktown Waterfront

Finally a day with no rain but the humidity was still high and I sat on a bench outside Lions Kiosk, which was closed, and sweated in the heat. I drove up to the wharf and decided to go and find the CWA building and their Linen sale. I did not buy anything as it was mostly old and shabby and did not suit my needs, but others did not feel the same…they were buying boxfuls of old motel discarded sheets and blankets.

The wharf at Cooks Landing was translucent and not a ripple broke the surface of the water. It is a very beautiful location.

Sunset Today at Cooktown

Finally the rain stopped and I was able to walk up Jensens Crossing road in Cooktown to see a sunset over Mount Cook.

Endeavor River Cooktown

The Endeavour River, inclusive of the Endeavour River Right Branch, the Endeavour River South Branch, and the Endeavour River North Branch, is a river system located on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia. Wikipedia

Length: 140 km

Cooktown’s Endeavour River is the site where Lieutenant James Cook repaired his ship, Endeavour, after damaging it on the reefs off Cape Tribulation in 1770. James Cook, RN named the river in 1770 after he was forced to beach his ship, HMS Endeavour, for repairs in the river mouth, after damaging it on Endeavour Reef. The Endeavour River is one of two major rivers in the Cooktown area. The Endeavour River originates in the mountains north-west of Cooktown, while the Annan River starts in the mountains to the south-west.

Goanna in the road

He was walking across the road just past the airfield at Laura, and I stopped the car to take a photo. He barely acknowledged my presence, gave me a disdainful look and went off into the scrub at the side of the road.

Goanna, predatory lizards, are often quite large, with sharp teeth and claws. The largest is the Perentie, which can grow over 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in length.

Around 30 species of goanna are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous reptiles ranges greatly in size and fills several ecological niches. The goanna features prominently in Aboriginal mythology and Australian folklore. Being predatory lizards, goannas are often quite large, or at least bulky, with sharp teeth and claws. Like most lizards, goannas lay eggs. Most lay eggs in a nest or burrow, but some species lay their eggs inside termite mounds. This offers protection and incubation; additionally, the termites may provide a meal for the young as they hatch. Unlike some other species of lizards, goannas do not have the ability to regrow limbs or tails.