GoRV - Digital Magazine Issue #92 | Page 93

RV TRAVEL
Finch Hatton Falls .
Eungella Pub .
Today , Finch Hatton is the gateway to the gorge and Eungella NP , but it was established in the early 1900s by cane growers and timber-getters . The railway constructed a line into the Pioneer Valley in 1918 to Cattle Creek , but since the closure of the mill , Finch Hatton is now a sleepy tourist town .
Further west , up the steep Clarke Range , is the sleepy town of Eungella , with its historical pub , amazing lookouts , nature walks and rich cultural history . Prior to European settlement , two nomadic Aboriginal tribes lived in the lush area , the Biria and Wiri tribes of the Birri-Gubba people .
Eungella is perched high above the head of the Pioneer Valley and is known by the Aboriginal people as ‘ the land of the cloud ’, probably due to its near-700m elevation . The views at any of the lookouts are simple stunning . You ’ ll see volcanic peaks , plugs , the rich valley below , right out to the Mackay coastline . The cool mountain streams throughout Eungella are a popular spot for spotting platypuses – they can be spotted either around the town or at Broken River , which has boardwalks and viewing platforms along the creek .
RED CEDAR AND ALLUVIAL GOLD
Eungella NP is full of high peaks . In 1878 , European settlers made expeditions to the 1232m-high summit of Mt Dalrymple , not long after the first gold prospectors and red cedar-getters arrived in the area .
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