Recently I came across the opportunity to do something that I have wanted to do my whole life and do it in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I have been told that I will be doing wildlife caring since I started at the RSPCA but I’ve done little of that in comparison to the other duties I seem to be picking up. Then three weeks ago I was finally given an assignment. I was to complete my wildlife training, get my permits and go to the Atherton Tablelands and run a wildlife rehabilitation centre while the owner goes through hip surgery and recovers. Wow what an opportunity! So I’ve gotten the initial training done, applied for permits and set off to interview with Harry the owner of Eagle’s Nest in Ravenshoe.
I knew this would be an adventure but I had no idea how much. Ravenshoe is about four and a half hours from Townsville up the coast and a bit inland. It’s the highest elevation town in all of Queensland. Of course, in perfect fashion I set off at dark. Normally this would be fine but as I learned that evening, it is a really terrible idea to travel great distances across varying terrain with heaps of nocturnal wildlife about. I didn’t realize that kangaroos can’t be seen on the side of the road like deer and that you can’t rely on their eye shine to detect them.
I was cruising along just north of Cardwell munching on some sour belts (lollies) and out of no where a roo came bounding across the highway. I nearly peed myself. I did as I was told and hit the brakes (instead of swerving) and luckily it was just at the edge of my headlights and made it across unscathed. There really is no telling when they will appear, you can be fully alert with hands at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel and still nail one of these guys. It’s scary. After surviving that I gave up doing anything that left only one hand on the wheel. I was fine until some jackhole with unnecessarily bright lights didn’t dim his headlights and forced me to look down to avoid being blinded. When I looked up I saw what could have been a stick but felt like a snake as I ran it over. I was pretty sad but it got worse. As I turned off to head inland I came around some pretty sharp corners and was slowing my speed to read the road signs so I wasn’t even going the speed limit and came around a blind corner and saw what looked like an owl on the street and with no time to react just hit the brakes. Not soon enough however. I nailed it. I stopped and spun around to see if I could somehow save it if it was still alive and discovered it wasn’t an owl I hit but a Tawny Frogmouth. I have held these babies in my hands and hand fed them. It just killed me that I had done this. The frogmouth didn’t suffer, it was an instant kill and I moved it to the side of the road and said a prayer. The image of it in the road will haunt me though. It’s so clear in my memory yet I had so little time to react. The feathers on it’s head, blowing in the wind as it looked around as they do, they look just like muppet babies. I KILLED A MUPPET BABY!!!! With that I vowed not to travel distances like this in the dark.
I continued inland on Palmerston highway and over mountains and drove through clouds for what seemed like an eternity. The scrubby bush turned into rainforest then mountains then back down into a valley and back into eucalyptus country again. It’s truly magical. I stayed at Possum Valley just outside of Millaa Millaa. I was getting close to my destination and turned onto a gravel road, this looked like a ranch in the Texas Hill Country to me. Cows, long grass, hills, cattle guards (cattle grids) and then WHAM, rainforest.
It’s so weird, I was cruising along feeling at home and then I went over a cattle grid and suddenly I had to switch to 4WD and drop it into 1st gear. A steep drop down with only enough space for my car completely surrounded by thick World Heritage listed rainforest. It was like I was on the magical mystery tour, it went on for ages then a sharp turn left and through a creek and I arrive at my destination. I had a three bedroom cabin on a creek in the middle of nowhere, smack dab in the centre of a rainforest all to myself AND I could have my dog there.
This place is magical, with the full moon overhead it subtly illuminates the whole forest and light dances on the water as frogs thump and crickets strum and lovely melody to sleep by. Rosa LOVED the ability to explore such a new environment and learned very quickly to leave ducks alone as they will attack. Every cell in me started to sing there. I felt a humming from deep within that resonated with the environment around me.
Mornings in Possum Valley are just as lovely as the nights, the vast cacophony of sounds and bird calls. I recorded a bit of it outside my window and as I did so a Lewen's honeyeater landed on the sill right next to my hand. I just stayed still and looked at it, it looked at me and we sat for a bit, then it flew off. Amazing. I never want to leave. It’s so quiet, and by quiet I mean, devoid of noisy humans. Perfect really.
