21 – 22 March 2019
We set off from Flat Rock near Ballina and headed north up the highway towards Brisbane. We had intended to stay at Tamborine Mountain and had a smooth run up the motorways but struck some difficulty finding the right road up the mountain. A number of roads are not suitable for towing and on one you are actually prohibited from taking a trailer. We eventually found one that was suitable for us (although I wouldn’t tow a caravan that way) and made our way to the caravan park. Unfortunately it wasn’t what we expected - the welcome was indifferent and the site we were give was a dried mud puddle with a large pile of dirt in the corner. We opted to move on so drove back down the mountain – on the road we should have taken going up – and headed north-west away from the coast.
We drove through some nice little towns, but eventually settled on Kingaroy. As we were only looking for an overnight stop we wanted to get as far as we could and Kingaroy was perfect for us. We found a small and very friendly caravan park close to town. We are always conscious, and sometimes a little anxious, about the weather especially in south-east Queensland which is famous for its destructive storms. We watched one in the distance, glad that we had travelled as far as we had.
In the morning we set of again with Cania Gorge in our sights.
Cania Gorge
22 – 24 March 2019
We’ve had Cania Gorge on the list for some time and this time the timing and weather were on our side. We stopped along the way for coffee in Mundubbera and again in Monto, then turned off the highway for Cania Gorge. There is no camping in the national park but there are two caravan parks – one near the northern entrance and one near the southern entrance. We chose the southern one because of its proximity to most of the walks. The caravan park is ideally situated in a bush setting on the edge of a creek, with gorge walls beyond. It wasn’t crowded when we arrived so we were able to take our pick of available spots. It was a very hot afternoon so we were grateful for the swimming pool and some shade.
 |
| Restless Flycatcher. I got out the binoculars more than the camera here so only one bird shot. |
We decided on an early morning walk to avoid the worst of the heat and chose the 3.2 return, grade 3, Dripping Rock and The Overhang walk. This walk starts at the southern end of the picnic area, a short drive (or walk if you are feeling energetic) from the caravan park. It winds through eucalypt woodland and dry rainforest before leading to the base of Dripping Rock, then continues on to The Overhang. We found the walk fairly easy and enjoyed a short rest in the shade when we reached The Overhang. There are lots of walking options in this part of the park, but we settled on just this one. Had it not been so hot, and had we been staying for a few more nights, we would definitely have done more walking. An afternoon swim was another welcome relief from the heat and a great way to relax after our walk.
 |
| Across from Dripping Rock. |
 |
| The Overhang. |
 |
| A skink enjoying the cool shade of the overhang. |
Eungella National Park
24 – 26 March 2019
We decided to make Broken River within Eungella National Park our last stop before home, but weren’t sure whether we could make it in one day. We prefer to only drive for about 4 hours each day but decided we would head off and see how we far we could get. Driving north along an inland route we stopped for lunch at Dululu, then we headed down the range to Rockhampton. Once you reach Rocky there is not much until Sarina and Mackay. the “Marlborough Stretch” is a notoriously long and boring drive. There is a caravan park and picnic area at Clareview but not much else along the way. Once we reached Sarina we decided to press on to Eungella. We stopped to book our campsite – Queensland National Parks has an online booking system for most campgrounds. We booked two nights and then headed through the back roads towards the Eungella Range.
Driving through the Pioneer Valley and up the range we noticed the recent (and very unusual) bushfires had left their mark. Rainforests are not usually subject to bushfires but a recent one had almost reached the top of the ridge. Such a sad sight to see. The Broken River campground is right on the edge of the river, adjacent to the main road. Although we arrived quite late in the day we were able to secure a spot right on the river bank. Broken River is well known as a good place to spot platypus, with a number of viewing platforms and spots along the river on the other side to the campground. We only needed to walk to the back of our camper trailer and set up our chairs to enjoy a great view of these beautiful creatures.
 |
| Great camp site! |
 |
| Our own platypus viewing area. |
We enjoyed a relaxing couple of days wandering along the pathways helping the other tourists spot platypus, and sharing in their excitement. This has long been a favourite spot of ours, but our first stay at the campground. We will definitely be back.
 |
| Eastern Yellow Robin, common and easily photographed. |
 |
| Red-browed Finch. |
 |
| Plenty of Blue Tigers about. |
 |
| Although not seen as easily as on some other trips there is little risk of missing out here. |
 |
| A common Green Tree Snake at the platypus viewing area. |
 |
| Green Tree Snake... I know it's not green |
 |
| We saw a stack of turtles. |
After being away from home for over 30 weeks we were looking forward to getting home. Stopping for lunch in Proserpine we were not prepared for the extreme heat and humidity we were returning to. We had expected that it would have cooled down somewhat. Maybe we were just feeling it more having been away for so long!
No comments:
Post a Comment