If you want a great drive west of Mareeba

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just us - 30 Jan 2007 05:04 GMT

We just did a 3 day bike ride through the Lappa Junction Railtrail which is
just the most scenic and fantastic road. I dont know if I would recommend it
at the moment as the creek was rather high but if you are ever out that way
and have a day to kill, check out the Lappa Rail Trail - superb :) It is not
a serious 4wd road, any blind Freddy could do it in a 4wd, but the history
surrounding the whole area is incredible.
http://www.geocities.com/kathyandstevek/lappa.html
Kathy

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Blue Heeler - 30 Jan 2007 06:27 GMT

> , but the history surrounding the whole area is
> incredible. http://www.geocities.com/kathyandstevek/lappa.html Kathy

I love that whole area Kathy.
20 years ago I walked nearly all of the old railbeds tracign the rail
network put in place by Moffat.

My favourite story about Lappa Junction is that apparently Mt Mulligan,
Chillagoe and to an extent Irvinebank, tried to be a little "family
friedly", hence the strategic importance of Lappa.

The single guys from Mt Mulligan, Chillagoe (and all the mines
between), along with the Tin miners from Irvinebnk, Stannery Hills etc
used to all borrow pump cars on a Friday night and congregate at Lappa,
usually a huge fistfight would ensue and the winning team laid claim to
the services of the whores for the remainder of the evening.
--

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just us - 30 Jan 2007 08:41 GMT

We love the area too. Thank god hubby and his mate didnt know about the
whores lol or they would have joked all night! Another terrific old rail
line is the one from Boonmoo to Stannary Hills. We have walked that as it is
impossible to drive. We took 3 days to walk it, checking out the gorges,
side creeks etc on the way. Also the line from the Gladstone Mine (or
Stannary Hills dam) to Rocky Bluffs that is well worth the effort also.
Have you driven from Stannary Hills dam to Rocky Bluffs? That can be done,
there are some really great 4wd sections, not for the faint hearted but
getable.
Kathy

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Blue Heeler - 31 Jan 2007 21:55 GMT

> We love the area too. Thank god hubby and his mate didnt know about
> the whores lol or they would have joked all night!

Few do, it does not fit the sanitised view of history that the (mostly
female) modern Far north historians would like us to see.

> Another terrific
> old rail line is the one from Boonmoo to Stannary Hills.

I've actually walked most of the Moffat era railway lines - even got
shot at by the drug farmers who had a hydroponic "farm" set up in one
of the tunnels.

> We have
> walked that as it is impossible to drive. We took 3 days to walk it,
> checking out the gorges, side creeks etc on the way.

There was one of the lines I walked where the natural line of a
waterfall was such that in the wet season it would have projected out
past te railbed like a curtain. I always wanted to go back after rain,
but the experience touched on above kind of de-tuned my interest in
walkign old rail beds on my own....

> Also the line
> from the Gladstone Mine (or Stannary Hills dam) to Rocky Bluffs that
> is well worth the effort also. Have you driven from Stannary Hills
> dam to Rocky Bluffs?

Pretty sure I have - but more than 20 years ago. I remember it being
fairly "challenging" then, not sure I'd have the skills - or the
vehicle - to try that one now.

--

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Jimington - 30 Jan 2007 08:14 GMT

>We just did a 3 day bike ride through the Lappa Junction Railtrail which is
>just the most scenic and fantastic road. I dont know if I would recommend it
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>http://www.geocities.com/kathyandstevek/lappa.html
>Kathy

Great little write up. I should plan a little trip on it in the near
future, hopefully when that creek is down a bit.

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