Behind the city of Cairns is nestled a mountain range, so the urban sprawl is having to spread north and south of the city area. Just over the mountains  is a World Heritage listed area called the Wet Tropics. The Wet Tropics starts north of Townsville going right up near Cooktown and it is some of the most amazing forest that I've had the privelge to see. And to think that it was there all along as I was growing up.

We ventured up that way today with the local homeschooling group, and for me the drive was hair-raising! The Morris Road hugs the mountain range for about 8 or so kilometres, slowly raising until we go up and over the mountain range to the other side..... so for most of the drive to our main destination, Copperlode Dam, we could look out over the side of the range onto the habour and city of Cairns.

At the start of the drive up

 There are no barriers on this road! so it was 40km all the way, yes indeed! We talked about those earlier people who created the road and the difficulties they faced. Then when we got over the other side we talked about the early explorers and the hardships THEY faced making their way through. Morris Road is named after the man who looked into Cairns' future and saw a need for an alternative water supply to the Freshwater Creek that was being use and one other souce. He was the one who put forward this area for a dam down the track. That was back in the 1930s. Copperlode Dam was finished around the mid-seventies.

A small section of the lake, the dam is to the right off the photo. This is the view that us parents had as we drank our cuppas and enjoyed Devonshire Tea!

The children played and explored nearby.