Ravenshoe

We have passed a hand painted sign along the road many times this week: "Ravenshoe Market This Sunday".  So this morning we went and had a look, and came away with some fresh vegetables and a big bag of second hand books.

Afterwards Arthur and I went for a little walk down to the Millstream, which runs at the bottom of our camping ground.  We sat very quietly, hoping in vain for a glimpse of some platypus.  We did see many small honeyeaters in the weeping bottle brush growing beside the water. They weren't easy to catch on camera, though- they flit about so quickly!

Weeping Bottlebrush bushes line the banks of the Millstream.

white faced honeyeater

I also managed to collect a tick.  Fortunately I felt it tickling my neck before it had a chance to start feeding...

Paralysis tick http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixodes_holocyclus

After lunch we went back into Ravenshoe to catch the steam train to nearby Tumoulin. 

This sign reminds me of a conversation we had with two ladies from Brisbane, who said they hadn't been sure whether to pronounce the name of the town as "Raven's hoe" or "raven shoe"... but warned us not to say the latter as the aboriginal people would NOT be happy. ?? 

  

It was a pleasant, relaxing way to see some of the surrounding countryside.  VERY relaxing, in fact...

 Poor little man... as I was typing this he woke, crying out that his ear hurt.  I eventually got him settled again and he's sleeping peacefully, but an earache is no fun!  We're heading up to Port Douglas tomorrow;  I hope there's a good doctor there, in case we need to get him some antibiotics.