Last Night.

Yeowh, our last night on the road and boy, what a night!
We could have gone home today, but we chose to stay one more night.
After some heavy showers last night, the morning was wet, but it seemed to be clearing this morning.
We paid our extra night's fees at the office, (we're staying at Arakoon State Recreation Area), and then explored the ruins of Trial Bay Goal.  We have visited the goal in past years, and under more favourable weather conditions, so in many ways, there was not the excitement and awe of a first visit to the complex.  Despite this, we still found a lot to explore because during our previous visit we had not discovered the coastal treasures around the goal.
There's a little kiosk at the top of the hill, just above where we've camped, and after loitering around the bays, beaches and rocky foreshore, marvelling at the countless whales, we retreated for morning coffee.  After gorging ourselves on naughty food, as well as coffee, we walked up an even bigger hill to investigate the Powder Magazine, then made our way back down to the camp ground.
At around  two o'clock, after more whale watching, we returned to our tent for lunch, which consisted of lots of bits and pieces as we attempt to clean out our 'larder',   It wasn't long before it was raining steadily and now at nine o'clock, it's still raining.  We haven't left the tent since lunch, except for short walks to the ablution block and to wash dishes.
Honey Pie made scrambled eggs for dinner, with the fresh eggs gifted to us by his brother in Grafton.  He added some chopped vegetables and grated cheese for a quick meal cooked on a gas stove with which the wind played havoc.
The wind has picked up somewhat too.  It wouldn't be so bad if it was just rain.  I don't like the wind.  So I'm predicting that it's going to be a long night.
I'm reading an autobiography at the moment, Yeager, General Chuck Yeager, that is, so I think I will be reading his story in record time if the wind keeps us awake.

One Photograph!!!!

Yes, this is all I've got.  One photograph since we left Byron Bay!!  Why?
Deleted. Format Card? Yes.  Oh no, wrong card!!!  Stop! stop! Too late!  All gone!
My Honey Pie is now Attila the Hun!  But what's the point of getting angry?  They're gone, for good.
Four days with Andrew's brother and sister-in-law and Sophie the dog - gone!
A night out at Coffs Harbour with two of Andrew's brothers and sisters-in-law - gone!
Spectacular sunset over the ocean - gone!

Goodbye Byron!

Another perfect day.  This morning we said goodbye to Byron Bay.  Leaving Byron was reminiscent of our departure from Broome.  Sad to be leaving.

We couldn't resist one last visit to the lighthouse before departing and what should have been a twenty minute stop turned out to be an hour, two hours...whales, whales, and more whales.  Glorious. Coffee and cake (yes I had affogato) right at the top of Cape Byron.  What a view...I could have stayed forever.

After leaving Byron we had lunch at Ballina, more whales there...yummy lunch, I had vegetarian.

Arrived at Andrew's brother and his wife's house mid afternoon.  Sophie the golden Labrador was there to greet us too. 

We were treated to a barbeque dinner and had a good natter, getting to bed quite late tonight.

Tallow Beach

This is where the crazy hang gliders take off.

Byron Bay Lighthouse, Cape Byron.  Down there in that ocean is where all the whales are.

Julian Rocks

Oh Perfect Day

We had to move our car - and of course our tent, this morning, as we have booked one more night at the caravan park but our spot is not available tonight.  So change of scenery, two or three spots further along.
Despite this we still managed to do a lot more walking today
Everything is so close here.  We meet up with one of "The Boys" at Byron Beach Cafe.  Great catch up!  Food at the cafe is good, but can be a bit expensive.  Paid eight dollars fifty for an affogato. (The ONLY way I drink coffee). Great scones and jam for six dollars fifty. Great view, great weather, great company.
Drove out to Banksia Drive to visit art and craft shops and found a great crystal wholesaler called Heart of the Earth.  Went away with more gifts.  While we were there we heard about the issues concerning the locals, especially the condition of local roads.  As we drove out of Byron Bay, we were shocked to see kilometres of backed up traffic coming in!  The Ewingsdale Road is land locked on either side because of protected land.  Weekends and holidays sees traffic along the road into Byron Bay backed up for kilometres. The construction of a new entertainment centre threatens to further add to the dilemma. Lots of solutions but no one willing to give up their prime piece of real estate to solve the problem.
Maybe I've changed my mind about this being the best place to live in Australia.  Pity the poor locals.  But I remember when the Blue Mountains was similar and people that lived along the Great Western Highway wouldn't dare leave their house on the weekend.
Walked along Belongil Beach and Clarke's Beach. Phew, are the calf muscles aching!
Erosion on Belongil Beach is a sorry sight to see...sand bags keep the waves at bay but for how long?
Finally went for a walk through town, visited the Red Ginger store where I picked up a you beaut sauce jug. Also purchased fifty grams of star anise for two dollars fifty. Lots of lovely gift shops in Byron, with lots of unique gifts.
Finished off the day with dinner from FishHeads sitting on Main Beach, listening to the local drummers as the sun set.

W is for Walking

Oh, and for whale!
We have so far travelled around twenty five thousand kilometres on our journey and hardly seen a whale. (One I think, near Kalbarri).
Then, less than a thousand kilometres from home and suddenly the whales are countless!!!  In Byron Bay the best place to do a bit of whale spotting has to be at Cape Byron, at the lighthouse.
And how did we get from Clarke's Beach to the lighthouse?  Yes, that's right, we walked. And walked and walked.

Two whales, spotted off Cape Byron.
I was so excited to see countless whales heading in BOTH directions. Some slow coaches are still heading north while some are already heading south.
The first whale we saw was just metres from the coast, and spotted by a keen bunch of school children on excursion to the lighthouse.  Obviously, their eyesight is much better than mine.


Isn't the weather just brilliant?  Here's Honey Pie, posing for me in front of Byron Bay Lighthouse.

Millionaire's Row (Watego Beach). I reckon this must be the best place in Australia to live (apart from the Blue Mountains).  Pity I've left my run too late!!! 

Spotted this adventurous little fellow on our walk down from Cape Byron.
In broad daylight, he came out of hiding, had his fill of ants, and ventured back to his hiding place, completely ignoring passers by.
A local woman stopped to view the sight and eagerly told us about the python she found hanging about in her garden yesterday. 


After our coastal walk, we ventured up to the Top Shop for lunch.  I think this is the first time I've actually had trouble eating all my meal.  Besides huge servings, the food here is fresh and the menu is healthy and varied, and the prices reasonable.
Dinner tonight consisted of canned soup, stretched out with a bit of coconut milk and a portion of leftovers.  Yum!
I'd just like to add too, that Clarkes Beach Holiday Park has got it right for its campers!!  Well done!!!
Slap bang in the middle of the camp ground, the best camp kitchen yet, wow.  And they even provided power points to charge mobile telephones and laptops!  No signs here saying that charging mobile telephones etcetera is not permitted! 
Our camp site was less than fifty metres from the camp kitchen.  The site itself was well protected from the coastal weather and even though we couldn't actually see the ocean from our tent, it was a short walk to Clarke's Beach.
The ablution block was okay, but a new block is being constructed even as I write this.  Love this place.
Oh, and we're staying another night.
Tomorrow we hope to meet up with one half of Mark and Mal.  The last we saw of Mark and Mal was in  Wyndham. They have been back in Byron for around three weeks now, hard at work.

New South Wales, Here We Come

We left Brisbane this morning, no wait, no, it was afternoon!!  Surprise, surprise.  With our son, we had late breakfast, or was it lunch?  Brunch then - at Mark's favourite coffee shop, Le Cabin, in Paddington.  The weather lent itself to a soy hot chocolate, (I do get tired of herbal teas) and some yummy toasted delights.  Afterwards, dropped into my favourite 'eco' shop in Paddington, Biome, to top up on my "natural" lip stick and a gift or two.
Then, bye bye Brisbane and we leave behind a cloudy threatening sky, crossing the border at 1.27 p.m. arriving in Byron Bay early enough to walk into town.
The weather is clear but we're not sure if the Queensland grey skies are following so we've booked into Clarke's Beach  Holiday Park for one night only.

Stairway to Heaven

After another relaxed start to the day, and one of Mark's famous fry ups for breakfast, we decide that the weather is just perfect for a return trip to Maleny and surrounds.

Our son Mark, is trigger happy today, that is with the camera, which is lucky for the two of us!

He is definitely behaving like a small child most of the day and takes endless photographs, much to our annoyance.  Although he takes lost of great landscape shots, the camera seems to be in our faces a lot of the time too!!!!  I'll save those photographs for another page.

It's been good to spend time with our son.  This time, rather than spending lots of time around Brisbane itself we have managed to get out a little bit more and I'm enjoying seeing some of the sights further afield.

We spent more time enjoying the view over the Glasshouse Mountains.  Although the Sunshine Coast isn't that far away, we didn't have enough time to visit the coast today.  This only gives us another good reason to return to the area in years to come.

We enjoyed a morning tea of Dutch Honey Cake (if you haven't tried this toasted and spread with butter, you must!).  Honey Pie brewed coffee on the portable gas stove and I had a herbal tea.

Some kilometres further north we found ourselves at Kondalilla National Park and it's time for lunch, which we have on a picnic bench accompanied by a variety of birds, but namely the brush turkeys.

After more brewed coffee for the guys and a variety of cold meats, cheeses and crusty bread, we're ready for a walk to Kondalilla Falls.

Only one of the sets of steps on the Kondalilla Circuit Walk.

Kondalilla Falls, translates to 'rushing waters' in Aboriginal.

Unless you're going to Heaven, what goes up must come down!  A hard lesson we've learned on this trip. 

Kondalilla National Park is located in the Blackall Ranges, near the quaint village of Montville, which is a destination in itself (another trip? Another year maybe?)
I love the lacy look of the trees here, you can click on the image to enlarge it!


Well, this is one occasion when we didn't heed the signs, and left starting our walk too late...it was dark by the time we arrived back at the car.  Naughty.
Tomorrow we leave Brisbane and head closer to home.
We aim to make it to Byron Bay tomorrow.  Can't wait.  I just love Byron Bay but have never spent more than a few hours in the town.  This time we plan to stay for three nights.

V Is For Haute Couture.

Sorry, can't show you any photographs of the astounding exhibition of Valentino's magnificent gowns at the exhibition we went to at Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) Brisbane.  No photographs allowed!
The detail, the cut of the fabric, the colours, the silk, SILK, SILK AND MORE SILK.

Afterwards we did a short tour of  the Multiple Choice exhibition, also on at the GoMA.
A quick lunch at across the way and rushed home so that we could visit Honey Pie's nephews who have relocated from the Clarence River region to Brisbane for work and university.
By the time we arrived at their home, the weather was foul again!
Enjoyed a good catch-up and while Andrew and one of the boys had brewed coffee I had a cup of tea with yummy nibbles.

Glasshouse Mountains

I am almost ashamed to admit that we didn't arrive at Maleny until after three o'clock this afternoon!
As you can imagine, this didn't leave us much time for sightseeing, or for having afternoon coffee!
But then, isn't this what holidays are all about?  Sometimes, it's good to simply relax and do things at a slower pace.  The sun was almost setting before we got to see the magnificent Glasshouse Mountains from McCarthy's Lookout so we vowed to be back within the next day or so, depending on the weather.

This photograph of Gardner's Falls was taken after sunset.  

Of course we drove home to Brisbane after dark and I experimented with the camera to take photographs of the traffic along the Bruce Highway.

Here Comes The Rain Again

As you can see from the photographs, the weather in Brisbane was not great on Friday.  Nonetheless, we managed to get out of the house, yesterday, at around three o'clock after one of Mark's famous fry-ups.
A walk through Fortitude Valley was extended with a walk along the Brisbane River to arrive at New Farm for coffee and macaroons at Mark's favourite French Patisserie; Choquette's.
Today was another lazy day with what should have been an all day outing to Mount Glorious and Wivenhoe Dam around the D'aguilar National Park and Ranges area.  We never quite got to Mount Glorious but we had a nice drive around the area, stopping at Wivenhoe Dam, the lake and Wivenhoe Outlook.  We had a yummy lunch on the way up the ranges, sitting in a nice dining room with a log fire.  Yes, it was that cold.

Wivenhoe Lake

Moving Right Along!

Click on image to enlarge.
A beautiful and inquisitive bird joined us for morning tea at Clermont.
Piano up a tree!
Our camp site at Roma, and the stunning bottle tree at sunset, Roma.
When we woke in Roma on Tuesday morning, the temperature was 3.9oC.  Reality  bites! 
The Big Rig Tourist Park at Roma should be called the Big Heart Tourist Park!  I was very impressed with their generosity in providing the best camp kitchen I have used so far on this trip.  Not only was everything a camper could wish for provided in the kitchen but it was also kept spotlessly clean.  
The ablution block wasn't bad either.
The camping area was a bit tight, but we did get the last spot available for the night!

Toowoomba, a place of contrasts.
We had lunch with our friends, who used to live in the Blue Mountains, in Toowoomba.  They took us to the perfect little cafe, The Gourmet Gypsy, for lunch.  Our type of food...it was 'real' food, slow cooked!
They kindly drove us around the town, taking us to all the best spots, saving us a lot of time as we are not familiar with the area.
We have never been to Toowoomba before.  It's in the 'mountains', the air was crisp, the sky cloudless, and the spring flowers already bursting.
The two of us were dressed in summer outfits, I guess our core body temperature is still tuned in to the northern weather and a few locals commented on our attire. 

Lake Dyer at dawn Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday night, it only took us fifty minutes, in the dark, to find the caravan and camp ground at the Lake Dyer which is near Laidley (Lockyer Valley).  And that's using the GPS!!
A second night's camping was available for free, but don't have the time to spend another night. 
We took it easy Wednesday morning (5.6oC), and wandered down to the lake, which was shrouded in mist.  By the time we were ready to leave, it had cleared and a beautiful day was in the making.
I slept most of the way to Ipswich, in fact, I can't tell you a great deal about the scenery since leaving Townsville because I've spent a lot of time sleeping, while Honey Pie's been driving.  I have been feeling very tired.
In Ipswich, we stopped long enough to have lunch and wander through some of the seemingly endless array of opportunity shops.
Wednesday night saw us at Newmarket Gardens Caravan Park, just four kilometre outside Brisbane City.  Here we were greeted with the unexpected helpfulness of friendly staff and a great ablution block.  The camp sites each had a tiled area to set up on. Very civilised indeed.  
Can't believe we've had two great caravan parks in a row.  Finally getting value for money.
We had a bit of time to play with on Wednesday afternoon so made our way up to the shops after setting up the tent.  We found nothing out of the ordinary but at least we had a bit of a walk.
Thursday morning is a little warmer at 12.9oC, and it's not long before we're knocking on our son's front door just two kilometres west of Brisbane's central business district.  Oh no, we woke him up, when he'd only crawled into bed at five in the morning, because of an extra shift at work!
Sorry!

Car Up A Tree

Last night, we camped at Saunders Park, Saunders Beach, about twenty kilometres out of Townsville.

We decided to camp there rather than in Townsville itself thinking that it would be a nicer spot to camp.

The park was ninety nine percent full when we arrived early in the afternoon but we managed to find a nice spot away from all the other campers/caravaners in a little alcove type area at the start of the driveway.

We went for a walk along the beach after we'd set up.

After dinner we were enjoying a quite sojourn just after dark, marvelling at the fireflies (I've never seen fireflies  before), conversing with the possums, and then we were disturbed by a very loud party at the other end of the park.

Suddenly and with absolutely no warning, a four wheel drive truck came speeding, in reverse, straight for our camp spot.

In a panic, and in shock, I sprung out of my chair, expecting the truck to slam into the front of our vehicle.  Once more, luck was on our side and a straggly little eucalyptus sapling became jammed beneath the truck's back bumper bar, its back wheels about a metre off the ground.

The driver continued to rev the car motor, fortunately, the car remained stationary.

What to do?  All I could think of was to sound the horn of our car because it was obvious the driver had no idea we were parked behind.  In fact, it turned out that the driver was so blind drunk or stoned she had no idea of anything.

To cut a long story short, expletives flew back and forth all night, between the driver and her partner, someone called the police, but to no avail. The car was jammed up the tree and stuck there good and proper. 

Against the advice of the police officers, the car was eventually pulled out and we had a peaceful night after all!

Thank God everyone was safe.

This morning we drove to Townsville.  We bought some fruit and vegetables at the markets and then drove around for forty five minutes looking for public toilets!  Found some at The Strand.

What great facilities at The Strand.  Had some coffee and cake there too and went for a short walk before heading off again, towards Charters Towers, then continued travelling along  the Gregory Developmental Road.
Tonight, we're camped at Belyando Crossing Roadhouse, where we're preparing for a chilly night!
We have a few kilometres to travel over the next two days.
Plans have been made to catch up with some friends in Toowoomba on Tuesday afternoon, so we will need to travel about a thousand kilometres by Tuesday lunch to achieve that deadline.

Water sports at The Strand, Townsville.

The kids just loved this water equipment.  A huge bucket filled with water which tipped out over the kids.  Great fun!

I just love this photograph.  It well and truly reflects what The Strand is all about, spending time with loved ones!  
Behind these two, the parkland was a-buzz with hundreds of people yet they looked like they were miles away from anyone! 

Mena Creek

Woke to a misty, birdsong filled morning, camped under the trees, in a secluded part of Paronella Park Camp Ground.
I was eager to try and spot a platypus in Mena Creek, so before breakfast, at around six thirty, Andrew and I  went for a walk down to the creek.
Well, we took lots of photographs, went to the special spot where platypus are supposed to be plentiful, saw none (surprise, surprise), but spotted countless fish, eels and turtles then returned to our camp site for breakfast.
We packed up our tent, as we were not staying another night, and parked the car in the car park.
We returned to Paronella Park to investigate the grounds a little more before taking a walk up to Mena Creek Village (but since it's Saturday, it was mostly closed), before heading off south, to Townsville.

This is the cottage where the Paronella Family lived.  It is now a small museum.

Paronella Castle

Paronella Castle, in its heyday, boasted a movie theatre, tennis courts, a 'love tunnel' (now inhabited by micro-bats), countless walks, a ball room, a children's playground, spectacular waterfalls and a hydro-electric generator (just renovated and back in operation).

Today Mena Creek is alive with fish, eels, turtles and the ever elusive platypus.

Dare to be Different

Paronella Park.

At Paronella Park, everything is taken care of, even umbrellas for the sun or the rain!

The entry fee into Paronella Park includes a day tour, a night tour, one night's free camping and twelve months re-entry into the park.

Paronella Park is a MUST DO if travelling in the Innisfail area.
The above two photographs were taken on the night tour.

Mr Paronella and his family planted seven thousand trees at the park, including this avenue of Kauri Pines which is now over seventy years old.  Luckily, the avenue escaped damage during Cyclone Larry, but not so lucky were some of the major buildings.


In the early part of the twentieth century, Mr Paronella had a dream to build his own castle, but for other people's enjoyment.
He left Spain to fulfill his dream in a small town in North Queensland called Mena Creek and built his castle alongside Mena Creek and the falls.  He and his family lived in a small cottage on the property.  Every structure at Paronella Park has Jose Paronella hand print on it, literally!

Art Deco

Innisfail

Woke to another beautifully sunny day this morning.  When our car was packed once more, we had morning tea with my sister and brother in law before we said our good byes.
I can't believe that the last three weeks have sped by so quickly.
Mixed feelings about our departure.
Our first stop is Innisfail, which was devastated during Cyclone Larry.  This town has certainly risen from the ashes, as it were.
Many buildings were damaged in 2006 and as we walked through the central business district, we witnessed many tradesmen still carrying out major repairs on offices etcetera.
The good news is that buildings damaged during the cyclone have been restored in the Art Deco style of the town's architectural heritage.
The brilliant blue sky complemented the colourful architecture.
Also visited the Chinese Temple which reflects one aspect of the multicultural influence of the sugarcane town.

We found a shady spot by the river to enjoy the lunch my sister had packed for us before we left Innisfail for Mena Creek.