Almost Home–Queensland

Kingaroy
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.

 We headed off in the morning on to what turned out to be our final stop before home.


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!

Heading Home - Rainbow Beach and Eungella

Rainbow Beach

13 - 15 November 2017

We chose to stay at Rainbow Beach because of its proximity to Inskip Point. Inskip Point is a fabulous and very popular camping spot where we stayed at the start of the year. As well as a lovely beach and views to Fraser Island, there is also the potential for bird photography.

We stayed in a town house at Rainbow Beach and visited Inskip Point a couple of times without any success. Even so, it was nice wandering along the bush tracks and along the beaches. We spent a morning in Rainbow Beach township and enjoyed a short walk along the beach.

Caspian Terns out on the sand spit.

A pair of juvenile Brush Turkeys got my hopes up briefly. From the moment they hatch these cute chicks are on their own.

Inskip Point is supposed to be a good site for Black-breasted Button-quail. Finding and photographing them was the main purpose of our visit. Unfortunately there were none about... again. There were a good few Bar-tailed Godwits and terns out on the sand spit. Mick

On our departure from Rainbow Beach, we decided to take another detour to Tin Can Bay. As luck would have it we arrived just at the end of the dolphin feeding so we hung around and watched these beautiful creatures until they swam away. You have to pay to take part, but we didn't see anyone collecting money, probably because the activity was almost over.

Australian Humpback Dolphins are fed by volunteers. The Humpback inhabits rivers & estuaries.

Even a baby dolphin turns up.

From Tin Can Bay we made our way back to the Bruce Highway and north towards home. We reached Rockhampton mid-afternoon and decided it was too early to stop. After a break and refreshments we set off again and reached Clairview at about 6:00pm. We made this our overnight stop.

Our cabin was over priced and dreadful but the beach is pleasant.

 We had a short walk on the beach in the morning before heading off for Eungella.

Eungella

16 - 18 November 2017

Eungella has been a favourite spot for many years and we have visited quite a few times. The attraction is not only the birdwatching and rainforest, but the platypus. Apparently Broken River is the most reliable place on the planet to see these unique and fascinating creatures. Platypus were thought to be nocturnal but at Broken River you can often see them during the day as well as early morning and late afternoon. There are a number of viewing platforms along the river's edge with interpretive information, and you can also stand on the road bridge for a look. We spent most of our two days wandering along the walkways looking hopefully and were regularly rewarded.

Although we saw them a little less frequently this time, I think the conditions were better than on previous visits.

We did go for one short walk through the rainforest along part of the Granite Bend Circuit (1.6km, Class 3). We took a detour down to the creek which is part of the Clarke Range track (8.2km and Class 4 - definitely not for us) and spent some time enjoying the peace and tranquility, before heading back to the Granite Bend track. We retraced our steps instead of continuing on (we both thought we remembered the track getting a bit steeper further on) and then turned off again to complete the Rainforest Discovery Circuit (780m and Class 3). The tracks are very well marked, with maps signposted at all junctions so it is easy to make up your own walk as we did.

Despite their bright colours, Noisy Pittas can be very hard to see among the leaf litter.

A green Tree Snake sunning itself on the walking track.

Flowering Lillipillies along the river attract a variety of honeyeaters. Lewin's Honeyeater.

Dusky Honeyeater

Little Shrike-thrush.

Leaden Flycatcher

Female Cicadabird

Male Cicadabird

Fan-tailed Cuckoo

From Eungella it was on to home with a stop for coffee in Proserpine and lunch at the well resourced and maintained picnic area at Guthalungra.

The trip as shown on our Wikicamps Trip Planner

In summary:

1. We were away from home for 29 nights
2. We drove a total distance of 4333km
3. We stayed on 1 island, at 5 beachside towns and in the mountains at 4 places - from the rainforest to the reef in 12 different locations
4. We travelled through two states - Queensland and New South Wales
5. We visited 6 national parks (Mount Clunie, Tooloom Falls,  Nightcap/Whian Whian - NSW; Eungella, Mapleton Falls, Kondalilla - Qld)
6. We have now visited the most easterly spot on the Australian mainland (we have previously visited the most northerly and the most southerly in Tasmania. Just the most southerly on the mainland, and the most westerly to go)

Eungella

23 - 26 June

To celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary we decided on a short break to another of our favourite spots. Eungella is in the Mackay hinterland about 5 ½ hours from Townsville. It's often cold and wet so we headed to the Broken River Mountain Resort where we have stayed a number of times. The resort has self contained cabins and is just a short walk from the National Park platypus viewing platforms and walks.

View of the Pioneer Valley from the lookout at Eungella.

As usual we managed to drag the drive out to about 7 hours with stops for some op-shopping and lunch. We found a nice park in Proserpine just as you turn off the highway. The drive through the Pioneer Valley is pleasant and the steep climb up the range to Eungella is windy but the road is wide, and only about 5 kilometres. 

According to a couple of web sites, Eungella is an aboriginal word meaning 'mountains of mist' or 'land of clouds', same thing really... anyway you get the idea, it can get wet. It can also get very cold. This mountain catches the moisture gathered over the ocean by the prevailing south east winds. That's why there is a rainforest here. The forecast indicated that the mountain would live up to its name during our visit but we decided to book anyway. We'd take a chance that the weather would allow us to venture outside some of the time. Lucky we did, it was close to perfect!

This area is the northern range limit for the Regent Bowerbird (seen last visit) and southern limit for the Lesser Sooty Owl. Although the big draw card for birders is the Eungella Honeyeater there are plenty of other highlights. On the way back from seeing the Honeyeater, we spotted three Grey Goshawks! Eastern Yellow Robins are everywhere, Little and Grey Shrike-thrush are common, you could see Noisy Pitta or Bassian Thrush. Mick.
 

Christie spotted this young Noisy Pitta.

Lewin's Honeyeater

A pair of Eastern Yellow Robins have a tub.

Little Shrike-thrush

Dusky Moorhen

Once we had settled in to our cabin we went down for a walk to see the platypus. Platypus are supposed to be nocturnal but we have seen them here at all times of day. This trip was no exception. Within a few minutes we had spotted our first platypus. Visitors are almost guaranteed a sighting. Over the course of our visit we saw playtpus every time we walked to the river.

Top platypus viewing area.

Panorama from the bottom viewing area.

There are two viewing platforms, a spot under the bridge as well as from on the bridge that all allow good opportunities to see this unique creature. It's not so easy to photograph them as they don't stay on the surface for long, and there is often glare on the water. 

One of the stars of the Broken River show.

A pair of Azure Kingfishers patrolled the river and were seen regularly.

A tortoise catches some rays.

We spent Wednesday visiting the platypus and walking close to the resort. A small cafe attached to the visitor centre serves coffee, cake and meals. We enjoyed a coffee and chat with the new owner. 

There is a new National Park "bush camping" site just across the road from the resort. This would be a beautiful spot to camp as you can sit on the riverbank and watch the wildlife. As yet there are no toilet facilities at the campsite. Campers must walk the 200 metres across the bridge to the visitor centre. This didn't seem a problem for those who had set up camp there.

Around the edge of the day use area is a great place to look for birds.

New signage and art installations were being completed. These are scattered along the riverside walkways. The park is certainly looking good. Well done Queensland National Parks.

Red-browed Finch

Brown Thornbill

We splashed out and had dinner at the resort restaurant on Wednesday night. The meals were generously sized and the service good. Possums are fed out on the deck and happily posed for photos.

We headed out on Thursday morning to drive to the edge of the national park to a birding hotspot. The end of Chelman's Road is known to be a good spot for Eungella Honeyeaters. The road is mostly unsealed but in reasonable condition for most of the way. We stayed for most of the morning and Mick was rewarded with some good photos.

Eungella Honeyeater.

The ubiquitous Eastern Yellow Robin.

Eastern Whipbird having a sunbake.

Heading home on Friday we stopped in Proserpine and enjoyed lunch at the Cane Cutter Bistro in the Metropole Hotel .What a find! Lunch specials ranging from $8 to $14, as well as a regular menu. Meals were enormous and very tasty. Think we might make this a regular stop when travelling this way.