For the second day, we decided to join Cooktown Tour for a day trip to the Quinkans country. It is a full day tour (about 8 hours) that includes a visit to the Isabella Falls, Battlecamp Track, Horseshoe Lagoon, Old Laura Homestead, Laura Split Rock Aboriginal Art Gallery, Lakelands Downs, Black Mountains Flora and fauna on the way. Picnic lunch being included.

What a program! And all this in one day. Well, in fact it is too much for a day but this is what is usually happening when you do not have much time to dedicate to a region.

The tour is starting by a stop to one of the local bakery where you can order your sandwiches for the lunch. Then, before leaving Cooktown, a quick visit up to Grassy Hill for a little bit of history.

On the road to Laura we are making a short detour on the coastal road linking Cooktown to Cape Tribulation to visit the Lions Den Hotel. An amazing place offering safari style accommodation in the Rainforest.

The next stop is at the Black Mountain National Park that is in fact a giant pile of black granite boulders. The black appearance being created by a blue-green algae. Aboriginal legends are also associated to the place. Nothing, special, just a stop at the lookout, something we already did in our way to Cooktown.

Most of the road to Laura is unsealed and from Lakeland it is really only suitable for 4WD vehicles. Lakeland is the next rest stop. An opportunity for a refreshment and a possibility to taste and/or to buy a sample of the locally produced Laura Valley Coffee.

We are finally reaching the 'Split Rock' area (located just before Laura). It is one of hundreds of rock art sites in the region known as the Quinkans country. The 'Quinkans' are in fact Aboriginal Spirits, some are good and some are bad. The walk from the car park to the Split Rock takes about half an hour.

Due to the limited time we had we did it at the end of the morning, not the best time of the day as it was quite hot, our guide was walking quite fast and as a consequence, I should say that we did not really enjoyed it.

Anyway, it was the opportunity to see some of the Quinkan figures. We were a little bit disappointed by the ones we saw. After seeing some aboriginal painting in Arnhemland we found these ones less impressive. Also, we did not receive much information from our guide. An alternative could be perhaps to visit the same place with an aboriginal guide that will undoubtedly talk more about the local legends. It could make a difference and make the visit more interesting.

After this visit, a short drive brought us to Laura where we stopped at the picnic area just the time to eat our sandwiches.

Time now to drive up to The Old Laura Station. An historical site that gives the opportunity to understand how people were leaving not so long time ago and how hard it was. From there we are following the Battle Camp Track within the Lakefield National Park. I can of course not say that we visited the park. It is the Queensland's second largest flora and fauna reserve and it is of course impossible to visit it in only two or three hours.

Anyway, following some 4WD tracks we reached places such as the Isabella Falls, Horseshoe Lagoon, ... Even if the park is known to have a very prolific bird and wildlife, at the time we visited it was quite limited. The park is also a key area for the estuarine crocodile conservation.

By the end of the afternoon we are back at the caravan park, happy to take a shower and have a rest before going out for dinner.

On the third day morning, it is with some regrets that we are leaving Cooktown after a last chat with Mary & John, our host at the Cooktown Caravan Park. Our stay at this place was a real pleasure and my only wish is to be able to go back there before things are changing too much.

My final word will be an advise. If you want to visit Cooktown and still find its unique atmosphere, try to do it quickly before the road works are completed. This will probably mark the beginning of the changes.