A walk along Beautiful, Burleigh Beach : Joining Jo’s Monday walking group

This is my street and that hi-rise is on the beach front, just one kilometre away. So join me as I hop on my bike to go down to the beach for my morning walk. Bring water, put on sunscreen and a hat it is hot and sunny.

Today is  a special day as it is the last Sunday of the month and that is the art and craft markets on the beach front.

Only a 5 minute ride (10 minutes if you walk) and now I tie the bike up. The beach is just the other side of the bushes, from here we will head south, next time we will go north.

I think I will wander around these markets, it is mostly local art and craft. I have never seen any Chinese or imported products here, great place to shop for gifts or Christmas presents. Be warned this could add an hour or more to the walk…

It’s a great venue under the shady Norfolk Pines and next to the beach catching all the sea breezes. They are very welcome as it is going to be hot day today.

Busking at an early age

He was quite good

Coffee stall is always busy

Maybe in this weather a cold drink is better

Want a biscuit to go with your drink?

Sausage sizzle, hot work for the Lions club.

Hats are necessary in this sun

These 2 ladies were having fun choosing.

Christmas decorations, already???

This brom had a $220 price tag!!!

Remember these old witches brooms?

Lights for kids rooms

How cute are these puppies

One cool chick!

Now how about getting your fortune told?

I actually bought one of these visors

That is my cup of iced tea waiting while I take a photo. It was delicious.

Still lots to see.

This group of Hare Krishnas passed by chanting and playing their instruments. Times have changed as a few years back they would all be in their orange cloaks with shaved heads…

This is Burleigh Beach, my local beach. It is very hot today and what better way to cool down, but you must swim between the flags as there can be very strong rips along this coast. Notice the surf life savers in their orange and yellow jackets.

That hill in the background is Burleigh Heads National Park and that’s where we will be walking round.

The surf rescue boat and team are ready for any emergencies, and the sea is very choppy today.

The board riders club are having competitions.

This is the surf club building, a great place to have a meal upstairs right on the water front. Downstairs you can have a coffee and a snack.

Further along is my favourite coffee hole in the wall. I think she has recognized me!

Notice all the seagulls on the scrounge?

This is the entrance to the National Park.

The tracks go round the hill in a figure of 8. The right hand track goes up the hill and is STEEP with lots of steps, quite a challenge. The left hand one goes round the bottom of the hill along the ocean. I am not very fit at the moment so we will go along the low track.

This gate is padlocked if the track is dangerous. You’ll see the rocks soon.

The day we arrived home a fire broke out on the hill and these gates were locked for a few days. I am interested to see how much damage was done.

10AM: A SENIOR ranger has revealed an illegal camp fire is thought to be behind a large blaze that engulfed Burleigh Headland overnight.

The fire began at about 6.30pm and burned well into the early hours of the morning.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service senior ranger Henry Waterman said about three quarters of the sloping headland had been burnt.( go to this link to see dramatic photos of the blaze)

How did these Pandanus survive?

The report was that three-quarter of the Park burnt, but in fact it was only a small section of the grass land, the bush was not effected.

These are the rocks that caused the concern. They have been like this the 16 years we have lived here and probably very much longer.

Between 20 and 23 million years ago, molten lava from numerous eruptions in this area spread in all directions, some flows reaching the present coastline at Burleigh headland. Slow cooling of the thick lava resulted in shrinkage and cracking into six-sided columns. Many slid and rolled to the water’s edge.

So let’s quickly and safely move on.

Round into the shady, cooler bush track

The 6 sided basalt columns line the track.

Round the other side of the hill we look over to the mouth of the Tallebudgera River. Beyond is Palm Beach and down to Coolangatta and over the border into New South Wales. The wind is whipping up the foam today. No surfers out here in these conditions.

Further along the river bank it is calmer. That bridge is the Goldcoast Highway, the major road south.

On the other side of the river is another surf club, they certainly have the best beach front positions.

This is the intersection of the 2 tracks, to go right it will be all up hill, straight ahead takes you to the Highway. I am feeling quite hot and so I think I will go back the way I came and leave the hill climb for another cooler day.

There’s the iconic hi-rise outline of Surfers Paradise on the horizon.

I think I will stop for a coffee and ice-cream at that little kiosk.

Hope you enjoyed your walk in the sun.

To enjoy more walks around the world visit Jo’s blog and join her for Monday morning rambles.

A journey into the dawn of time.

 

Where we are staying for this house sit, along the mid-north coast of NSW, the mountain scenery  is a spectacular backdrop to the pristine beaches along the coast. National Parks abound in this area. One in particular we have been told about is Dorrigo National Park along the “Waterfall Way”. The name alone tempts me to explore. So today with the sun shining we head inland.

It is a 65 kilometre drive from Nambucca Heads to Dorrigo and the road is a marvel of the grit and determination of the early road builders. It climbs and winds through narrow gorges cut from solid rock. In places the tight turns curl back on themselves. Then it will narrow to a one way cutting. It feels like driving a rally course and needs intense concentration. The spectacular scenery spreads away to the horizon.

As I squeeze past the oncoming traffic I catch a glimpse of this waterfall mistily cascading down the cliff face, we pull over to take a photo.

The rainforest towers above us.

It is lunchtime when we pull into Dorrigo the small timber settlement on the edge of the National Park.

This grand old hotel built in 1925 by Michael Feros, is heritage listed and is still owned by the Feros family. It is a classic example of Australian hotel architecture of the 1920s. The meals had been recommended and they were good, but HUGE. After seeing the size of other diners meals, we ordered one seafood platter to share. 4 Large calamari that just melted in the mouth, 4 super size prawns, 4 pieces of fish a heap of chips and a delicious fresh salad, that was supposed to be a meal for one! Needless to say we enjoyed it…

Next it was a short 2 kilometre detour along the road to the Dangar Falls.

It was a pleasant surprise to see so much water cascading over the escarpment as there has been no rain for weeks.

  This fertile area was once covered in forest and the giant red cedar was the king, but the timber industry of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s soon cleaned out this precious timber.

“Word quickly spread of the agricultural potential of the area’s deep basalt Soils, and with Government regulations requiring selectors to improve the value of their land, farmers immediately set to work to clear the scrub for pasture.

Rainforest clearing was backbreaking work. Trees were ringbarked or felled, and burnt in ‘great conflagrations’.

 “During the last twelve months it is estimated that fully 3,000 acres of timber have been committed to the flames so that at the present rate it will not be very long before the entire original scrub has disappeared.” (Agricultural Gazette, 1911).

The 1917 Guide to the Dorrigo Shire extolled the plateau as “an enormous area of splendid, delightfully, watered agricultural and dairying lands, upon which are many smiling homesteads and herds of well-bred cattle and adds “notwithstanding wanton destruction of enormous areas of timber, magnificent supplies yet remain for posterity”.

However, the luxuriance of the rainforest growth exaggerated the fertility of the underlying soils. Most of the valuable plant nutrients were derived from the rich and constantly recycled litter layer of the forest floor, and after forest clearing and subsequent burning,these nutrients were quickly depleted.

It was a hard life for early settlers, with distant markets and decreasing soil fertility offering poor returns. However, many were successful and dairying, beef cattle and logging are still major industries of Dorrigo today.”  (information from the Dorrigo community web site)

Leaving the fertile farmlands behind we drove on to the Rainforest centre.

This word brings to me the vision of an ancient land, with dinosaurs roaming through the rainforest. But this is the twenty-first century and fortunately remnants of these prehistoric rainforests have been preserved as National Parks.

This 75 metre long “Skywalk” takes you over the rainforest canopy to magnificent views to the distant mountains and on a clear day as far as the ocean.

After seeing life from a bird’s eye view it is now time to go down to ground level.

Another board walk takes us down into the bowels of the rainforest.

As we walk through this heritage listed park the track winds through the luxuriant tropical vegetation. Trees, with large buttress roots,  tower above us, palms fight for space as thick woody vines encircle every thing. Epiphytes and ferns are also common and add a profusion of multi-layered confusion.

This describes the atmosphere so well. Much better words than I could ever think of to describe how it feels, with the rustle of the wind and the abundant call of birds and, surprisingly, no one else on the track, it felt as though we had been transported back to the start of time.

There is so much more to see in this spectacular area and I make a mental note that we will come back again and follow this “Water Fall Way” right along its 165 kilometre length from the ocean at Coffs Harbour to Armidale on the New England tablelands.

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This is my contribution to “Jo’s Monday Walk”.

Tree Tuesday : Mt Field National Park

 

Swamp gum towering to 90 metres

Jack dwarfed by the swamp gum

The fog enveloped us as we drove along the Derwent Valley, the rich, fertile agricultural area. The road followed the banks of the Derwent River and the brochures extolled the views. None of the scenery could be seen today. We briefly stopped at New Norfolk, found a café to have a pie and coffee to warm us up, then back into the car and pushed on for Mt Field assuring ourselves that misty photos would be atmospheric.

Mt Field National Park is one of Tasmania’s most loved national parks. The park has a wide variety of scenic features and wildlife and offers a great range of facilities for day visitors. Few other national parks in Australia offer such a diversity in vegetation, ranging from tall swamp gum forests and massive tree ferns at the base of the mountain, through rainforest along the Lake Dobson Road, to alpine vegetation at the higher elevations.

Five minutes before we turned into the interpretation centre the fog lifted and the sun bathed the area in its golden light. How lucky we are.

No misty, atmospheric photos but we were walking through a land of majestic giants, tree ferns added their unique presence and moss and lichen draped and dripped over every thing. Being winter and quite cool we had this awe-inspiring place to our selves. The sign said it would be a 25 minute round walk to the water fall. We took an hour…

So come with us to walk among the giants of the tree world. Listen to the dripping of moisture, the song of birds and the rustling of the leaves. Smell the distinctive musty smell of decay and marvel at natures beauty.

Walking among the tall trees

Strange shapes draped in moss

Moss drapes all the branches

A fallen giant

Moss covered giants

Fungus

Tall trees walk

Towering tree ferns Dicksonia Antartica

Fungus

Inquisitive wallaby

 

Mount Field is the location of what must be the most photographed waterfall in Tasmania – Russell Falls. Its three elegant tiers, framed by lush vegetation, have attracted visitors for well over a hundred years.

In 1885 Russell Falls became Tasmania’s first nature reserve, while Mount Field was declared a national park in 1916.

With very little rain falling for a long time the falls were only a delicate version of what they must be in a rainy season, but surrounded by the tree ferns and vegetation they made a beautiful picture.

Russell Falls

Further up the mountain is Lake Dobson and the alpine region but that will have to wait for another visit. The sun is on the horizon and time to head back home.

Some sun, some showers, misty mountains and majestic trees…

My daughter arrived from New Zealand and amazingly it stopped raining, so we decided it would be the perfect time to drive up to the hinterland, (the green behind the gold). After weeks of rain the waterfalls will be in full flow. As we left home the sun tentatively peeped out from behind it’s mask of clouds. So with thermos filled and camera primed we headed for the hills. It is only a 30 minute drive up a steep and winding road to reach the mysterious, green-shrouded world of the rainforest that is Springbrook National Park. The sun flits in and out of the clouds as we drive along. Stopping at the lookouts we gaze across the treetops to the distant, tiny, misty shapes of the Goldcoast nestled along the ocean.

Looking across the Lamington Range.

This is the water catchment area for the Hinze Dam that supplies the Goldcoast and surrounding areas with water for domestic use.

Can you see the Goldcoast shrouded in mist?

As a heavy shower sweeps through we stop at the general store and café in the small Springbrook settlement. Six English tourists are just finishing their lunch and the café owner tells us it has rained for 38 days and this is the most customers she has had call in for lunch since the rain started.

We ate the last 3 pies she had in the pie warmer…

Many of the tracks are closed, but the lookouts are open. The rain has stopped again and the sun struggles out as we stop at the Purling Brook falls lookout.

Purling Brook falls

Normally you can walk down to the base of these falls, approximately a 4 kilometre circuit, but if you look carefully you will see the track at the base of the waterfall has been washed away. We will have to come back again when the track is repaired. It is still a spectacular view as it thundered over the escarpment. This is the next stop. A light drizzle is falling and the trees are dripping with moisture, but we came prepared with our umbrellas. It is a magical walk through the rainforest. The undergrowth is thick with ferns and vines hang from the branches. The green is so vivid and the leaves shine.

Strings of palm seeds

The track to the Best of all lookout

Track to “best of all look-out”

The rain is now beating down and a cold wind whistles through the trees, the temperature drops and I feel I am a thousand miles away from the tropical glitz and glamour of the Goldcoast. Then I turn a corner and I stop dead in my tracks and gaze in awe at these ancient giants of the forest. I have never seen such majestic trees. They just ooze character and command your respect and attention. Covered in moss and lichen they have stood here for hundreds of years. This is one of the few places on earth that they still survive.

Antarctic Beech

Knobbly moss covered trunk of Antarctic Beech

Roots of the Antarctic Beech

One more lookout but it is now raining steadily. We drive to the Canyon Lookout. Time to break out the thermos for a cuppa and biscuit. Give the rain time to pass. Suddenly there is a slight break in the rain, so it is over to the lookout, a quick photo and then back into the car and head for home.

Twin Falls

Again the track to the base of the falls has been washed away. The walk down is quite spectacular as at one point you pass behind the twin falls. Definitely “I will be back” (now where have I heard that before?) As we drive down from the mountain the rain once more clears and we decide on one more interesting stop…

(to be continued)…..

New year. New format. New me???? (Well maybe not new me)

I am loving having a cable internet connection, it is SO fast.

It is hot outside, so what better thing to do than explore the WordPress options. Have you had a browse through them lately? The number of theme options is mind-boggling. I am a Pisces and one of their characteristics is indecision, procrastination, inability to make up my mind…

 I have travelled and been blogging for over 3 years now and thought it was time for a change, a new look, a new direction. What better time to start than at the beginning of a new year. Well over an hour later this is what I decided on.

For the next 3-4 months I will be at home. It is too hot for me to travel and stay in Matilda. That will not stop me exploring, as this area of Australia is a tourist hot-spot. So I will venture out, camera in hand, and show you some of the beauty and interesting things in the South-east corner of Queensland.

The new header is the beach I call home, Burleigh Beach on the Goldcoast. In the distance is Burleigh Heads National Park.

Burleigh Heads National Park walking track

In the coming days I will take you for a walk around this cool, shady and historical bush area in the very centre of Burleigh.

Walking in the clouds

Matilda has her big test I took her almost 1000 metres into the clouds of Paluma Range. It will be 18 kilometres of steep, narrow, winding road, I hope her transplants can stand the pressure…

Ok Matilda you can do it…

It sure looks stormy

The destination is the small, historic village of Paluma, nestled at the top of the Paluma Range, in the lush, tropical rainforest of the wet tropics region. (click on link to learn more about this area)

The road twists and turns but is not as steep as I feared and good old Matilda takes it in her stride or should I say wheel turn and does it in style, top gear all the way.

On the way up I stop at Little Crystal Creek. A popular swimming hole and also famous for the heritage listed, masonry stone arched bridge built-in the depression years at the same time as the road was put through. All built with pick and shovel and manual labour.

Times were tough

Little Crystal Creek and the heritage bridge

Little Crystal Creek, caught in mid-flight

Three young German tourists were loving the water, but I watched horrified as they did back flips into the creek.

As we turn a corner, almost at the top, we suddenly come into low cloud shrouding the top of the range in wispy, mist-like strands that envelope us in another dimension. Carefully I negotiate the last few bends and when I see a sign pointing to McClellands lookout I pull into the car park and find a shady spot to leave Matilda to recuperate while I take a walk to the lookout. It is a total white-out. I am above the clouds.

We made it, almost 1000 metres

The 3 kilometre walk through the rainforest is a magical journey. Vines and strangler figs clutch and clamber around and through the rainforest trees as they fade into the mist. Standing still I can hear the drip of water and the rustle of leaves, bird song spirals through the air and the staccato call of the whip bird reverberates over-head.

Rainforest in the mist

Fallen giant

Another strangler fig

Strangler fig taking over

Paluma

The track has been badly eroded by recent rainfall and floods and I pass a group of 4 Aboriginal rangers repairing it. They had a sad story of this government putting off all the admin staff creating confusion among the workers with no one to coördinate them.

This shows the boggy track

Trailer load of sand for the track

Back in Matilda I stop in the sleepy little village of Paluma, population 20. I am lucky, today is the day volunteers open the community hall and display a historic collection of photos depicting the history of this interesting hamlet in the hills. From tin mining to logging then during world war 2 fifty American troops manned a secret radar post in the area.

Terry the volunteer manning the display advised me to drive further along the road to see the stand of eucalyptus grandis. It just capped off a perfect day of exploration in this unique world heritage listed rainforest.

Eucalyptus grandis

Eucalyptus grandis shrouded in mist

To stand among these towering giants, on your own, is an overwhelming feeling of appreciation of the pure breathtaking beauty of nature. The air is still and filled with the song of birds.

It is now time to head back down the mountain.

Hope he keeps to his side of the road

I feel like a rally driver. I could feel the tension in my shoulders and arms, the complete attention on the road as it swoops and swirls round bend after bend. An occasional glimpse from the corner of my eye at the descending landscape. A silent prayer that no approaching driver is inconsiderately driving too wide around the on coming corners.

Finally we pop out onto the Bruce Highway and into the slow-moving streams of traffic as they crawl through the road works.

After the peaceful, cool, relaxed atmosphere of the mountain I can feel the heat and humidity building, so decide to pull into Toomulla Beach, a free camp spot right on the beach front and away from the sound and smell of the highway.

My confidence in Matilda is fully restored so now we can head south for home….

Magnetic termite mounds, natures survivers

Magnetic termite mound

One last post about Litchfield National Park and this is to show you the amazing magnetic termite mounds. These are nature’s answer to surviving in this very hot tropical climate. Every termite mound in this area is built facing magnetic north and long and thin along the north/south axis. This is to minimise the exposure to the sun.

How amazing, they must have a built-in compass. Click on the link above for more photos and information.

Same magnetic termite mound

 

Magnetic termite mounds

 

When seen on mass the first thing that springs to mind is “they look like a graveyard”… The mounds in the park had a board walk past them and were fenced off, you could not get up close and personal. The ones I photographed with Jack alongside where on the dirt road before we entered the National Park area so we were pleased we had stopped for the photo-op when it presented itself.

Well that is our Top End odyssey. The temperatures are into the top 30’s and the build up is starting, it will soon be the wet, humid, cyclone season so time for us to head out. It has been a very interesting stay up here…

Litchfield National Park

82 km back road in, 30 km unsealed

After 3 days at Tumbling Waters Holiday Park we continued a further 82 kilometres into Litchfield National Park, 30 kilometres of this road was unsealed and very dusty.

This National Park is very different to Kakadu, where Kakadu was mainly flood plain and savannah land and a large part of it burnt bush, this park was smaller and on an escarpment. It was a wonderland of waterfalls, cascading streams, palms, monsoon forest, rocky headlands and woodland areas. It is visually more interesting, lush and scenic than Kakadu. We spent 3 days exploring this national Park. Scrambling over rocky paths leading to the top of the waterfalls. Cooling down in the plunge pools at the bottom of the falls after the hot walk. Strolling along the well maintained crazy paving as it wound through woodland areas, following rippling, cascading streams through the tropical monsoon forest pockets.

Tropical monsoon forest area

Shady Creek walk

Tumbling waters of Shady Creek walk

Cascades

Crazy paving path through the woodlands

The first night we decided to camp at Wangi Falls camp ground, a basic bush camp maintained by the parks and wildlife organisation, $6-60 per person. After a satisfying day of walking, swimming and taking lots of photos we pulled into the camp ground. What a surprise it was full, in fact it was crowded. The Safari camp ground was 5 kilometres along the road, it was a commercially run camp and charged $25 for unpowered site, $35 for powered site, so we booked in on the unpowered, that is where we stayed the night.

Next day it was more exploring of the remaining walks and waterfalls. Florence falls was very popular and had lots of people swimming and cooling off in it. I went in also, I am not a confident swimmer and have a phobia about my head going under water, so it was with great caution, hanging onto rocky outcrops, that I lowered myself in. The rocks were very slippery and when a rather large fish came over and nibbled my leg I decided that was enough cooling off for me…

Wangi Falls walk to top of waterfall

Wangi Falls

Tolmer Falls

Florence Falls

 

The last waterfall was the Buley Rockholes and this area also had a basic bush camp. At 4pm when we drove in it only had one other camper there. So we set the van up and then went for a walk along the stream to the rockholes. It was breathtaking beautiful with rippling cascades of water falling from level to level over the rocks. No one else was in the small plunge pool at the bottom of the last cascade. Jack was quickly in and splashing around under the small waterfall. It looked such an inviting and small pool that Jack persuaded me to come in. It was heaven, not deep, no slippery rocks, no splashing and jumping children, no fishes, I eventually picked up the courage, with Jack’s help, to sit under the small waterfall, it was like a bubbling spa refreshing my body.

It was a full moon that night and as we lay in the van we could hear dingoes howling in the distance.

Next morning we went back with our cameras to catch that magical early morning light.

Buley Rockholes

 

Can you see Jack?

 

That’s me feeling very brave….

 

 

 

 

Poor Matilda is feeling sick….

Oh dear look at those dirt roads Matilda

 

Poor Matilda covered in red dust as another vehicle rushes by…

We have been bush again, this time 3 days in the beautiful Litchfield National Park. More on that later because first I have to tell you that our faithful Matilda is not feeling very well. She has struggled into Katherine. Each hill has been a slow drag, dropping back to 50-60 kph. Other vehicles tailgate us in their impatience to speed by. Down hill it was a desperate rush getting up to 80-90 kph before the next tortured climb.

We felt every kilometre for her. If I tried to accelerate her engine would roar but her weary wheels could not respond. The kilometres painfully passed, 40, 30, 20. Finally we limped into Katherine. It was 4pm, good old Matilda had brought us 250 kilometres. But it is Saturday, this is rural Australia and mechanics only work 5 days, every where is shut.

So finding a good campground with grassy sites, shady trees, a pool to cool down in, a bar/bistro with entertainment, plenty of water, and NO mosquitoes. We have settled in for the weekend. On Monday we will take Matilda for her diagnosis.

In the meantime I can do the laundry, relax, swim, relax some more, and let you, all my faithful followers, know what we have done for the past 2 weeks.

I really appreciate the fact that you take time to read the posts and make comments. Please forgive me if I do not reply straight away as often we do not have internet connection. For the same reason the posts are a couple of weeks behind and not posted in “real-time”. So the next episode will take you back to when we left Kakadu and headed toward Darwin….

 

 

 

 

 

The best till last…Ubbir…

Late afternoon and the light is beautiful

This is our last day in Kakadu National Park. we have taken a week slowly absorbing the diversity and culture of this unique place. This morning had been spent cruising along the East Alligator River now it is late afternoon and we are walking up to view more rock art in the Ubbir site. The light is at that magical golden time that surrounds the landscape in an aura of magic.

Sandstone rock outliers, the art is on the top corner behind the tree

Rock art high up. How did they do it?

This rock art is attributed to the “Mimi’s” or spirits of Aboriginal Dreamtime as it is so high it would be impossible to reach for normal beings.

The outliers are cool and would be a special place in the heat of summer. Many of the drawings around here are of food and animals. Drawings are often layered on top of older drawings and show the archeologists the changing nature and culture over the years.

Photos cannot capture the magnificence of these places

High on top of the rock out crops looking toward Arnhem land escarpment

Finally we reach the top and can lookout over to Arnhem land where we had been on the morning cruise. It had been a rocky climb, at times on hands and knees, and as it was getting close to sunset we decided we would not stay for the evening show of the sunset as it would be a difficult climb down for us.

It was now we realized why we had been almost on our own as we climbed to the top, because, as we went down, we were passed by hundreds of people on the way up to watch the sunset. This is one of the major highlights of kakadu and all the bus tours organize to have their customers there at that time.

Here are a few of the thoughts from Aboriginal elders that were on boards around the park. It nicely sums up what is “Kakadu”…..

This is a very good reason why National Parks and World Heritage sites are needed