The aftermath of Yasi: Cardwell

      We decided a few days after the cyclone, still without power that camping might be a good idea, as would a trip up to where the eye of the storm passed in Tulley. So after laying my carpets out to dry we set out in the afternoon (arvo) to go on an adventure!

             We set off up the A1 (Bruce Highway) with the intention of camping at Wallaman Falls
for the night before heading the rest of the way up to Tulley. Neither of us had been to Wallaman before so naturally we got a little lost once we got out into the back roads. We found our way though and ran into a farmer on a four-wheeler who told us we probably couldn't get to the falls because of all of the downed trees. That didn't deter us, we carried on. We did come across some trees in the road but my trusty leatherman tools sawed right through them and on we went. Then came the cattle, all hanging out on the road and with them, their manure, which was being flung like splatter paint all over my car. It smelled like something was burning as it would heat up on the muffler underneath.

                                 You see these signs on Bruce Highway up the coast towards Cairns.


          We came across a low water crossing that had a creek running over it. Robbie got out to check the depth and what was ahead. We did this ofcourse by the light of my headlights. He came back and concluded we would need to turn around as there were several large trees in the road past the creek. We went to start the car and nothing. We ran the battery down and therefor sealed where we would be setting up camp that night.

            Always the creative chef, Robbie made his "roadside special".

The next day Robbie walked  6k and happened to run into a farmer named "mouse" that jumped the car. That was lucky, we were 20k in at the base of the mountain so had he not just happened to see him coming out of his drive, he would have had a very long walk ahead of him.

              We stopped along the way to Tulley to take pictures of the destruction. This whole thing collapsed on four cars, the pillars that held it up flew straight through two of the cars. That is some serious wind to do that and we hadn't even gotten to Cardwell.

This shed fell ontop and crushed this 18-wheeler

 

The fella that lives here was in the doorway looking into what is now, his very exposed livingroom

  This was just outside of Hinchinbrook marina where several yachts were destroyed. That's a refrigerator that got blow across the highway.

Banana plantations were flattened

             It speaks volumes as to what you are about to see that the sign directing you there was flattened too

                                                This was an inn we saw as we drove into Cardwell

                                         Roofs blown off and trees without leaves, this is only the beginning....

 The army was sent out to help with the cleanup and assist in any rescues, here they are all lined up next to a cane field.