We drove into Ayr to meet with a council member. It was especially poignant that we started the meeting with the playing of the national anthems of both countries. We learned about how important the sugar cane industry is to this area. Burdekin Shire produces an abundance of sugar for the area and the world. We also learned that many of the farms no longer burn off the cane, but because of the moisture in Burdekin’s cane, the farmers there still burn it off.
We also drove over the Burdekin Bridge, known as the Silver Link. It’s a pretty unique structure. It crosses the Burdekin River.
After lunch, we headed up to the farm stay in Ravenshoe. The name might be different from what was on the itinerary. We had a switch in locations once we arrived.
The drive took about 4 ½ hours and took us up into the mountains. Before we arrived we were treated to the a most magnificent sunset of crimsons, gold and purple.
We are staying at Woodleigh Farm, owned by Kate and Peter Waddell. It is 42,000 acres and they have 2,500 cattle. It is run mostly by family members.
After dinner we went into one of the side fields to do some star-gazing. The Southern Cross was clearly visible, and we saw a couple of shooting stars, too! Then we headed to the camp fire for ghost stories. Seems one of the earlier owners of the farm, Uncle John, is sometimes seen around the property. He’s buried right outside my sleeping quarters. (I’m thrilled.)
The delegates are becoming quite adept at cleaning up after themselves. Many of the places we’ve eaten have had them scrape and stack their plates. Here at the farm, they also have to lightly wash and rinse the plates, too. (A great skill for them to continue at home!)
The delegates are sleeping in huge tents that they call marquees. There is one for the girls and one for the boys. It’s expected to get down to 36 degrees tonight, so they’ll be bundled up well.
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