It was only a short 2 hour drive from Atherton to Mission Beach and it started through the tablelands and we were treated to beautiful views of the lush rainforest covered hills intermixed with the fertile farmlands. It was quite a spectacular drive and made us realise how much more exploring there was still to do in the area.
As we descended the 850m from the tablelands to the sea level the road twisted through some amazing rainforest before we levelled out into sugar cane fields and it was not long before we pulled out of the cane fields and took a right onto the Bruce Highway which essentially was our road home (although we were still 1500km north of the Sunshine Coast).
We had decided to spend our last stop before we returned to Home Hill and the family wedding at Mission Beach. We had always enjoyed the atmosphere there and the beach at Mission is somehow quite special. We thought we would say at a different campsite to the ones we had stayed at previously but soon after arrival we quickly decided we wouldn’t stay at that campsite again. It was definitely a retirement village with all the vans packed so tightly in together. It didn’t bother us too much as we spent most of our time on the beach and exploring the small town.
Mission Beach the last time we were there had no backpackers and just the grey nomads. This meant that there wasn’t much going on as the grey nomads aren’t really known for their free spending shall we say. The re emergence of the back packer and younger crowd (even we would fall within that second bracket) has meant that a few new restaurants and bars had opened up and there was quite a buzz about the place.
We enjoyed pizzas and beers at a local brewery but our favourite was a place called Laundro Lounge which was a laundromat combined with a bar that served sushi. It was definitely fun and the food and drink was great!! It was a perfect place to spend our last night on the road.
Our last hike on the road was also pretty special. The last time we were here we weren’t able to do it as Griff wasn’t up for long walks. This time there was no stopping us so we headed off to South Mission beach and walked along the beach and the headland for about 6km and the views of the coastline and the Islands just off shore were amazing. It was also amazing that even though it was really the only hike to do in the area we only passed half a dozen other people.
We also had a great time hanging out with Jon and Cherry two friends of ours who had moved from the Sunshine Coast up to Mission Beach. It was definitely good having their local knowledge and it was a shame we couldn’t stay and catch up for longer.
This was the end of our trip really as our next stop was to be Home Hill for Mark (our nephew) and Sophie’s wedding and then after that we were heading back to Brisbane.
While the main focus of this trip was the Larapinta trail the journey there and back was also amazing particularly for me the trip along the dirt roads of the Savannah way. It was fantastic to have had a taste of that area of the Northern Territory and I can see us making a return there to do some further exploring.
Obviously though the highlight of the trip was its main focus and the 230km of the Larapinta trail. While it was certainly hard at times the overwhelming feeling was so positive and the views and experience of hiking solid for 17 days is definitely something we will never forget. While we might not jump straight into such a long hike we are certainly thinking of doing a few multi day hikes when we are back in Brisbane, certainly excited and looking forward to spending a few weeks in a city and in an apartment. T