Hi Rick,
Using the SatNAV to compute the road distance, you were 21.4km further up the
Mulligan than we were.
Looking at Google Earth, I see you found a nice clearing just south of the Maitlands
Downs turnoff.
We drove just a few km north of the centerline to look for a good spot before doubling
back to a track we spotted that would get us off the road and that would not be
blocked by hills or trees. We ended up at S16.416763° E144.761884°
Such a pity that chance didn't provide the opportunity to hook up. I would have
really enjoyed the chat.
One thing is for sure. The more Mai and I look at other people's photos the more
we realize how lucky we were to get such beautifully clear skies where we were.
It was the right place at the right time.
On the Monday morning after a night of heavy rain, we got up at 5:15, walked down
to the beach at Palm Cove and saw that it was cloudy. You would have seen totality
by the scarcest of margins.
We were staying up on the Palm Cove headland and had wonderful panoramic
views over the ocean and up the coast.
On the Tuesday morning, all I had to do is raise my head two inches from the pillow
as I could then see this panoramic view from bed. One look at how lousy the
weather was way out at sea was enough for me to just put my head back
on the pillow.
So when Andrew Murrell telephoned later that morning and reported that Petra had
said on her Facebook page that it was clear at Mt Carbine (thanks Petra!), I knew
what we had to do! It was a case of "head west young man".
We packed ham and cheese rolls for dinner that night in case we ended up a long
way from civilization. Mind you my teenage niece's face lit up when Andrew
Murrell and his wife Miriam said they were driving back to Mt Carbine pub for dinner
and said they had a spare seat in the car.
Vehicles went roaring past on the Mulligan all night. Some were no doubt regular Cooktown
traffic but as the hours rolled on, the sound of ever faster tyres gave one a sense
that many were desperately seeking clear skies at the last moment.
