Mareeba

This morning we did as we usually do when in a new town while travelling - went to the Visitor Information Centre here in Mareeba. Apart from gathering some great information about things to do and see in Mareeba (coffee and tea plantations, wineries, chocolate factories etc) we spent ages looking through the Historical Museum attached to the centre. What a fabulous collection! We found ourselves walking through the history of the tobacco industry in Mareeba, a hospital rail carriage, school, blacksmith's forge and a small village of shops and old stores. Really helpful staff and a great venue.
The afternoon saw us travel out to the Jabiru Wetlands area. What a lovely, peaceful place. The centre (at left) has all the usual facilities and a breeding area for the Gouldian finch - such a beautiful little bird. We took a boat ride around the lake and found out that all the lakes there are man-made. Apparently the left over water from the irrigation canals used to just flow into a creek, so an environmental group built these lakes, which are now homes to a myriad of birds and fish. They are only between 3 and 6m deep.
We thought the guide was raising the level of his electric motor to avoid the bottom of the lake - we thought it was the bottom of the lake we were looking at. It was however algae which rises to the surface as the water gets warmer. Great for the black swans which feed off it wherever it is close enough to the surface.

Let sleeping ducks lie because if you lie down with ducks you'll wake up with quackers!