The weather had certainly improved on our last day at Lake Cootharaba and after lunch Allthego set off on the short loop walk to Mill Point. About 5.5 km, say an hour or so. Homealone remained behind for some quiet time.

Mill Point is where, in the mid late 1800s, there was a saw mill on the shores of the lake. Timber felled in the Hinterland was transported there to be cut and barged down the Noosa river and then by sea to Brisbane.

Some 60 families lived here in very basic accomodation. The Mill closed in 1898 and the area was given over to dairy and cattle growing. Allthego diverted down another track a kilometre to the old cemetery, a grassy patch surrounded by forest.

No headstones or burial mounds, but a memorial rock engraved with the names of those buried there. A quiet place to reflect on the times.

The grazing stopped in 1973 when the area became a national park. National Parks has done a lot of revegetation work and the area is reverting slowly to its former state. Still a lot of weeds and pests. There are some big stands of paperbarks beside the track.

All that remains of the old mill is a rusting boiler and some pipes being consumed by vegetation. Some fence posts and rails can be seen in amongst the trees. A brick chimney and stone steps are all that remain of a dairy building.

The diversion to the cemetery and the reading of the information boards has turned the one hour stroll into a two and a bit wander. Some perspiration and thirst had also been worked up and back in camp CootharaBAR called for a cold Amber ale before dinner.

We now head off for Rainbow Beach, one of the gateways to Fraser Island.