Surprise #3:  Much of the road was either unpaved or only partially paved.  Roadkill was so abundant that for a time we thought the only kangaroos we would see would be dead ones.

 

Outside of Malanda was the Curtain Fig.  Stopping at the Curtain Fig is basically the Australian version of stopping at the Giant Ball of Twine - there is no real reason to do it, but you'll regret it if you don't.   There are strangler figs all over Australia (fig trees that germinate in a host tree,  with roots that grow down and wrap around the host tree until it is dead).  This is a strangler fig on steroids.