O'Reilly's - Lamington National Park

25 - 28 February 2015

After a short lunch stop and some grocery shopping in Dalby we programmed the GPS (otherwise known as "the  Crazy Woman") and headed towards Toowoomba. The closer we came to the city, the more traffic we encountered. We passed through Toowoomba, and then found ourselves on  the motorway towards Brisbane. So far so good.  We left one Motorway and joined another headed for the Gold Coast. We seemed  to be on the right track. Leaving the motorway we drove through what we supposed was "hinterland" finally arriving at the small village of Canungra.

The view from our room was often enhanced by colourful parrots on the handrail.

A quick check at the  visitor centre that we were on the right road - the Crazy Woman didn't know where O'Reilly's  was - and then on for the last 30 km up the range. What a drive it was!  There was a bit of everything on this road - unfenced so cattle roaming, single lane, hairpin bends, blind corners and steep climbs -  it was quite  beautiful  scenery I but not a drive I would want to do too often, and definitely not suitable if you are towing a caravan or camper trailer. I am a very cautious driver so it was a very slow trip.

Once we arrived we were greeted warmly and given all the information we needed for our three night stay. Our package included breakfast, morning and afternoon tea, as well as early morning bird walks. After our long journey we opted for a casual meal in the upstairs bar - sharing a pizza - and an early night.

Birds will even visit you in your room.

We rose early on Thursday morning and joined the group for the 6.45am bird walk. Our guide Glen was very knowledgeable as well as entertaining. He introduced us to many of the local residents. Most of those in the group were carrying good cameras, so Mick was in good company. The walk took over an hour so we were all ready for breakfast when we returned. Breakfast was available in the dining room and it was fantastic - hot and cold buffet (with eggs cooked to order), pancakes, pastries, fruit and a variety of breads for toasting. Definitely worth lingering over.

Red-browed Finch.

Male Regent Bowerbird, the logo of O'Reilly's.

Male Satin Bowerbird

Wonga Pigeon

After breakfast we headed out for a short walk along the path we had traveled on earlier. We spent a little while exploring and the headed in for morning tea of coffee and cake. Out again and we checked out the nearby National Park camping ground. We made sandwiches for lunch even though we didn't really need any more food and then went out again on the walk to "Mick's Lookout" and part way to the Wishing Tree. These two walks are only available to house guests of O'Reilly's.

The wishing tree. There was nothing to wish for, I was already there.

Australian Logrunner

The morning dawned overcast and misty- typical rainforest weather. We decided to join the bird walk again, and there was a  different guide this time. The walk and highlights were the same, but the commentary slightly different. Once again, very informative and entertaining. After another hearty breakfast we headed back to the Booyong walk, along the canopy walk and then looped back. along the border walk. This is a very pleasant and easy walk-but beware the slippery boards  after rain.

The canopy walk. Where I spotted the Rose Robin.

Crimson Rosellas are common but that doesn't make an encounter any less special.

The, normally shy, Eastern Whipbirds are are given small treats by the guides at O'Reilly's.

Eastern Yellow Robin.

So that's where all the pens get to! Satin Bowerbird at his bower. This bower was once filmed by David Attenborough.

White-browed Scrubwren

Yellow-throated Scrubwren

After morning tea (yes, they feed you very well here) we set off for the 'Wishing Tree' and beyond. This track proceeds steadily downhill  until you eventually reach the creek. We decided to keep going and come back via the loop - but that may not have been the best idea. The walking track was well marked and very picturesque but the walk back along the road was very long and steep. It had us huffing and puffing and making lots of stops along the way.

Land Mullet. These skinks can grow to 60cm long. This one was close to that.

Red-necked Pademelon.

Bassian Thrush. Both the above were taken close to the door of our room.

On our final morning. Mick joined the bird walk again while I did some packing up. Again there was a different guide, and so a slightly different experience. It really is a good idea to go out each morning. Another lovely breakfast and we were off again - heading for Girraween National Park.

Miles (Qld)

24 - 25 February 2015

We left Lake Maraboon and decided to again see how far we could get before we stopped for the night. Our first pit-stop was Springsure for fuel, then morning tea at Rolleston and lunch at Injune. We continued on towards Roma and then turned off at Yuleba to check out a camp spot we had read about - Judd's Lagoon. Just out of town, it looked like a nice spot but we decided not to stay as it was still early and very hot. We pushed on and called into the Tourist Information Centre in Miles. The knowledgeable local provided information on a couple of nice places to stay and we decided on Columboola Country Caravan and Camping Park - about 30 km out of town.

On our arrival we were greeted by a very friendly host who informed us that we could camp anywhere we wanted (great) and suggested a spot by the creek (even better) and that we were the only ones camping there that night (fantastic). We usually set up a fairly extensive camp, with tables, chairs, tent, awning and lots of other stuff, but this time we tried a minimalist approach - tent, chairs and make use of the shade from the trees and the picnic table near our camp spot.

View from camp.

Water reflects rock, rock reflects water.

After dinner we walked up to the recreation room and watched some television - a bit of a treat when you are camping. Even though it had been in the mid-thirties all day, the temperature was much milder overnight.

Up early for breakfast and we began to pack up the camp - and then our day became very interesting. Mick yelled some obscenities and held up his hand while he applied pressure to his middle finger - he had dropped the brand new, very sharp knife while washing up, and had instinctively reached out to catch it. Very bad move! He had taken quite a slice along the length of the top half of his finger. I'm a teacher not a medico but even I could see that he needed medical attention so I packed up the rest of the camp (it was then I discovered I could pull down, and pack up, the tent on my own), loaded the car and we headed off to the next town - Chinchilla.

Apostlebird taken with injured right hand. I couldn't leave with no pics!

The staff at the hospital were great and 12 stitches and a tetanus injection later, and we were ready to hit the road again. Now, it was fairly obvious that this injury to the middle finger on the right hand of a right-handed man was going to cause some serious difficulty when setting up, and packing up camp so we made the decision to forego our planned visit to Bunya Mountains National Park, and head straight to O'Reilly's near Lamington National Park. We had planned to stay there anyway so it seemed sensible to head there at this point in time.

The finger ten days later as I wait to have the stitches removed.

We stopped for a picnic lunch in Dalby and rang ahead to book a room - securing a very good "Summer Sale" deal.

Lake Maraboon - Fairbairn Dam (near Emerald Qld)

23 - 24 February 2015

The Lake

We had been planning this trip for some time with our main destination Tasmania. Our eldest daughter has just moved to Devonport and the plan is to be there in time to celebrate her 21st birthday. We're still tent camping but have bought a new car - a Toyota Prado so we have 4WD to be able to do some more serious (but not extreme) exploring. We considered all the things we wanted to do along the way, organised friends to look after the house and picked our departure date - and then along came Cyclone Marcia which crossed the coast near Yeppoon on Friday 20 February. That in itself was not a problem for us - but the resulting flooding south of Rockhampton and the significant areas affected by cyclone damage (including loss of power and telecommunications) meant that we had to revise our plans.

So... we headed from Townsville on Monday morning, taking the inland route through Charters Towers, Belyando Crossing and Clermont. The weather was horrendous - a legacy of the cyclonic activity creating a "doldrum" of extremely high temperatures. We decided to go as far as we could on the first day in the hope that the further south we went, the cooler it would get - but we were wrong! As we drove through Emerald at 4.30pm the temperature was 40 degrees (Celcius) - there would be no camping tonight! We made our way out to Lake Maraboon (Fairbairn Dam) and checked into a cabin at the caravan park. The air conditioner struggled to lower the inside temperature so we adjourned for a late afternoon swim in the pool which was, thankfully, cooler than we had expected.

Apostlebird, hoping for a hand out on the cabin deck.

Laughing Kookaburra

One of many Rainbow Lorikeets on the railing of the deck.

There were lots of birds around and at one stage 10 rainbow lorikeets landed on the verandah at once - quite a sight. Before we left, we drove down to the lake front to have a look around - it looks like a nice spot and one for a future, longer visit.

Yungaburra - Atherton Tablelands

29 January to 1 February 2015

We arrived in Malanda at about lunch time and the heat was oppressive - mid thirties and certainly not what you expect up here. Usually the temperature on the Atherton Tablelands, even at the height of summer, is markedly cooler than on the coast. We spent a few minutes in each of the two op-shops then into the supermarket for supplies and over to Yungaburra. We had opted to return to another favourite spot - Bushland Cottages. We have stayed there quite a few times before and always enjoy the surroundings. There are two cottages - we had Birdwing (2 bedroom) situated just on the edge of Yungaburra village, with a large deck looking out onto the bushland that slopes down to Petersen Creek. The cottage is well appointed with just about everything you could need.

The deck

Not a great angle. On each visit, Yellow-eyed Cuckoo-shrikes were seen in a fig tree at Lake Eacham.

Because of the heat we decided to head over to Lake Eacham after lunch and a rest. A swim in the lake was the perfect way to spend the afternoon. There were lots of people there, but it didn't feel crowded - there was plenty of space for everyone. On the way home we took a detour down to Lake Tinaroo (Tinaroo Dam) to look for a Ruff that has been reported there - without any luck.

The beautiful Lake Eacham.

Little Pied Cormorant at Platypus Park

On Friday morning we headed off early - before 8.00am and called into Lake Eacham for a quick photo opportunity with some Yellow-eyed Cuckoo-shrikes that Mick had spotted the day before, then over to Atherton and a stop at Platypus Park, then some serious bird spotting at Hasties Swamp. While we were there Mick met a fellow birder who told him exactly where to find the Ruff at Lake Tinaroo. We also spotted the platypus, but didn't get a photo this time. It's unusual to see one during the day - they are supposed to be nocturnal, but we have actually seen quite a few in the day time.

We stopped in Atherton to have a coffee, buy beer and fill up with petrol, then back over to Tinaroo for another - unsuccessful - look for the bird. Lunch at home, an afternoon nap and then back over to Lake Eacham for another swim. A few clouds were starting to build, and even though it was still hot, there was the promise of rain.




We opted for dinner at The Lake Eacham Hotel (otherwise known as the Yungaburra Pub). Good pub meals at reasonable prices, in a beautiful old building with lots of interesting photos and old world charm. There are several pubs like this one on the tablelands that still reflect their former glory.

Australasian Pipit Lake Tinaroo.

A welcome afternoon storm cooled things down but our planned walk along Petersen Creek had to wait until morning. The walking track and surrounds are well maintained and constantly improved thanks to an active, hard working local land care group. The occasional song of a Shrike-thrush cut through the all pervasive, pulsating buzz of countless cicadas singing from the gums above us. We strolled down the track to a swimming hole below some little rapids and watched dragonflies patrol and then rest on rocks in the stream bed.

There are supposed to be Tree Kangaroos along this walk but we have never been lucky enough to see one. There is always plenty of other wildlife to see if you are quiet and patient. We saw Eastern Yellow Robin, Pied Monarch, Dusky Honeyeater and Varied Triller along with Water Dragons and a snake that slithered away into the creek well ahead of us.

Red-rumped Swallow, one of the targets of the trip, better than nothing!

Juvenile Olive-backed Oriole.

Grey Teal at Hasties Swamp.

There are plenty of places to stop and take in the serenity.

Stuck in a spider web.

Cicada shell on one of the many picnic tables along the walk.

This Goanna eyed us suspiciously as we passed.

This is probably the well disguised nest of a Monarch.

An unusual fungi growing from the base of a tree along the track.

What a racket these make! The sound of summer in the bush.

On Saturday morning, after our walk along Petersen Creek, we drove over to Malanda to the Nerada Tea Visitor Centre. Despite being regular visitors to the Tablelands (Mick for over 50 years) we had never visited Nerada, so we had it on the must do list. The brochure we had indicated the centre was open every day of the week. Wrong! A sign at the turn-off announced that the centre would be closed for the month of February - no problem it was only 31 January, so off we went. A pleasant drive of about 10km through rolling hills and we arrived - only to find another sign about the February closure, and another stating "closed Saturday and Sunday". Bugger! I checked their website later and it does show the new trading hours - but no mention of the February closure. We picked up more supplies and headed back to the cottage. A rainy afternoon cooled the temperature slightly and also restricted the birdwatching somewhat.

Before we headed for home on Sunday morning we had one last look for the elusive Ruff and spotted a platypus instead.  Back down the Palmerston Highway with a stop in Cardwell and lunch in Ingham, then home.

The last morning and still no Ruff. Pacific Black Duck.

Buff-banded Rail by the road on the way to the lake.

Golden-headed Cisticola