Competition for the Great Ocean Road

We had a fabulous time on the remarkable Fraser Island, a very large sand island, 120 km's long and 20 km's wide. Over time fresh water lakes developed at the top of huge sand dunes (from rainwater) so there are both crystal clear lakes and subtropical rainforests on the island but all based on sand with the only bit of rock being at the north end of the island. The purest form of dingos (wolf family) also roam the island, never having the chance to cross-breed with dogs which has happened on the mainland. Only four-wheel drive vehicles are allowed on the ferry over to the island so we elected for a two day tour to let someone else do the driving. It was a good decision and made for a very relaxing trip since the inland sand roads were very narrow with deep tire ruts. We chose a 30 person bus for the trip rather than a 4x4 and that also worked out since many of the smaller vehicles had to make several attempts climbing sand dune roads and some inexperienced drivers got stuck in the sand. We also moved along much faster and the other trucks got out of our way. Speed limits of 80 km/hr were posted on the beach but our machine often exceed those limits, driving close to the water's edge where the sand was firmer. It was a blast.

On our first day we spent time at Lake McKenzie where we had a freshwater swim and exfoliated our skin with the surrounding silica sand. Then it was off to Central Station, a former logging camp that was shut down in 1991 when the island was given a World Heritage listing. The stop also included a rainforest walk in Pine Valley where we encountered a 1,000 year old satinay tree that took six people to get their arms around it. After that we did a 5 km loop walk to Lake Wabby which had steep sand banks allowing people to run down the hill and jump into the sandy-bottomed lake. During the walk to the lake we crossed the Hammerstone Sandblow, a large expanse of sand (2 km`s long) which has blown over top of the ground cover and is moving east to west at a pace of one metre a year. We then returned to the Eurong Resort where I took my bathing suit off for the first time all day, and we had a nice dinner later that evening.

Our second day was spent almost entirely on 75 Mile Beach and we covered most of it on our bus making frequent stops along the way. When the tide was in our driver (and guide) had to wait sometimes for the ocean water to recede before continuing on. On other occasions he drove through the shallower waves. Our first stop was at the 1935 Maheno shipwreck, the rusted skeleton of a 500 passenger ocean liner which is slowly disappearing into the sand at the water's edge. The Coloured Sands (caused by oxidization) and a walk to the top of Indian Head for some fantastic views was next. After that we went to the Champagne Pools at the north end of the island for a dip in some sandy ocean pools where some reef rocks protected us from the wild surf but not from the spray and rush of water when larger waves came crashing onto the rock barrier. We had lunch on the beach before heading over to Eli Creek and it`s crystal clear water where we could walk upstream along a boardwalk and then float back to the ocean using the strong current to propel us.

During our ferry ride back to the mainland we watched a beautiful sunset, making for a perfect ending to our wonderful trip.  

Inland two-way road with some small tire ruts

Ocean highway and landing strip for Air Fraser

Dingo - more dangerous than they look

Lake Wabby - great place for a swim or to use the natural sun-lounger

The SS Maheno, grounded since 1935 and too deep in sand to be removed

The view from Indian Head - and our coastal highway

Champagne Pools - we spent an hour cooling off

A relaxing finish to our Fraser Island trip

History Lessons

While driving into Mackay I noticed a sign saying that the Races were being run that day and, after spotting very large racetracks in many small towns along the way in Australia but never any racing going on, I was intrigued. We pulled into the Mackay Turf Club in the late afternoon to find that there were two races left on the card. They had a small grandstand with less then two hundred people watching but the races were also being simulcast to a much larger betting audience. Both horses that I bet on crossed the finish line first but since they were all running the wrong way around the track I wasn't sure if my horses came first or finished dead last......they cashed my tickets though so our 45 minute sidetrack resulted in a quick $100 profit. Watching the horses run clockwise around the track also helped me understand better why one of our previously owned Ponytrail Stables standardbreds, born Down Under, never mastered the North American system of running counter-clockwise around the racetrack. We must feed them the same though.....our horse didn't have any trouble in that regard (as we noticed on our monthly bill).

The next day we continued driving south to Rockhampton, Australia's beef capitol (still no match for Alberta), and accidentally returned to a Caravan Park that we didn't like the first time through when we were heading north. Our memories clicked in as soon as we had paid for a site and drove past the front gate. Perhaps we are not as sharp as we used to be. In any event, our reason for stopping was to take advantage of the many activities taking place the next morning celebrating ANZAC Day which is their version of Remembrance Day for us. The Parade and Civic Service by the riverfront were attended by many of the locals. April 25^th was selected to honour the 35,000 Australian and New Zealand forces that perished while trying to land on the beaches of Galipoli in Turkey, similar to our Normandy experience. The surviving veterans of the older wars (WWII, Korean, Vietnam) are shrinking but their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were part of the parade wearing medals earned by their forebearers. It was a good time to pause and reflect how fortunate we have been in our lives to have not had to make those difficult decisions.

With almost all of the businesses closed for the day, and in every other town and city, we decided to drive several hundred kilometres inland to visit Carnarvon National Park which we had heard many good things about. The 15 km hike that we did was exceptional. The main trail followed the creek at the bottom of the gorge with 7 different rock-hop crossings and white cliff walls above us. There was plenty of vegetation around us providing much appreciated shade on a sunny 25C day. We made side trips to the Art Gallery (over 2,000 Aboriginal engravings, stencils and paintings on the rock walls), Ward's Canyon (world's largest ferns and amazing stream colours caused by oxidization), the Amphitheatre (a 60 metre deep chamber carved by water with towering stone walls) and the Moss Garden (water from the top of the canyon seeping through the sandstone and dripping off the moss-laden walls). Ranger Fred, an Aboriginal descendant, filled us in on the meanings of the canyon wall art and the stories it told about his ancestors. Together with the superb views, it made the long drive from the coast well worth the effort.

We are now back on the east coast in Hervey Bay. It was raining on our previous visit so we postponed our two day trip over to sandy Fraser Island which we will embark upon tomorrow.  

April 25 ANZAC Day Parade in Rockhampton

Elementary school boys 'marching' in the parade

Not sure if this school group were sad because of the war casualties or unhappy wearing their uniforms

Carnarvon NP - one of many creek crossing points

Ward's Canyon

Amazing colours in the shallow, crystal clear creek

Art Gallery - ancient Aboriginal stencil art

Moss Garden in Carnarvon NP

Resume Update ---- "Crew Member on a World Class Ocean Sail Racing Boat"

......I might be embellishing that a little bit. The sailboat we chose for our 2 day cruise around the Whitsunday Islands is a legendary racing boat, Siska, 23 metres long, that twice won the Sydney-to-Hobart Ocean Race and many other international races. I helped trim the sail (OK, awning) and hoist the jib.....35 years later.

We drove to Airlie Beach (in between Cairns and Brisbane) because we knew they had several opportunities to sail around the Whitsunday Islands which is part of the Great Barrier Reef. During two days of perfect weather, we were actually praying for more wind so that the sails could go up, and it happened twice for several hours, making it a highlight of the trip along with Whitehaven Beach. There was lots of marine life but it was not as crazy-good (less spectacular coral) as the Outer Reef. There were 20 passengers and 3 crew members (other than myself)...........18 of them were in the 20-30 year old range........that leaves 2 people in the 60 and over category. This group couldn't party as hard as our friends....so we fit right in :-) We did two snorkelling trips while we were on the boat. There were still colourful fish and coral but it wasn't as superb as we saw last week.....other than Elvis, a 4 foot Maori Wrasse who was friendly and swam close to us. Cruising through the islands was a treat. It looked a lot like Northern Ontario above the water (interesting trees, rock and bays (no habitation) but the colour of the water and the everything below made it special over here. They gave us the senior suite on the Siska which was at the very front of the boat and the only spot without bunk beds......it was a little tight but turned out to be the best “suite” on board. Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island might be the best beach I have ever been on (keep in mind my memory is not increasing). It has pure silica sand which has the consistency of very fine grains and non-reflective materials which is never too hot and similar to walking in soft butter when you are near the shoreline. While walking in knee-deep water we spotted a 3 foot shark and several small sting rays. It was a good 2 day trip and when the sails were up it was a very peaceful adventure.

Prior to our second GBR tour we spent some time in the Ingham area, driving west to Gurringum NP and the Wallaman Falls, at 268 metres the longest single-drop waterfall in Australia. The hike to the base was a workout and the constant mist spray at the bottom was nice but the swim in the rock pool at the top was totally refreshing. The bandicoots, small possum-like creatures, seemed more comfortable than we were,walking around our campfire that evening.......we resolved it peacefully.

Tomorrow we will drive inland to another National Park before continuing our journey south along the east coast.

Siska - our Whitsundays sailbosat

raising the main sail

our evening sky

Whitehaven Beach - pure silica sand

wish I had my sand wedge and a golf ball

Rhonda's dream boat........does that mean separate bedrooms???

Wallaman Falls - 268 metre drop

The Great (Awesome) Barrier Reef

Following two days in the Port Douglas area where we had a good time with our Cottonwood friends (Lorne & Sharon) exploring the Daintree Rainforest and the Mossman Gorge, we drove south to Cairns where we had booked our Great Barrier Reef tour. The company we chose used a catamaran that held 30 passengers which was our preference rather than the larger boats that resulted in more people being in the water. Following the 50 km trip to the Outer Reef we spent over 4 hours snorkeling at two different reef spots (Michaelmas Cay and Hastings Reef). We had a glorious time. It was a beautiful sunny day with very little wind, providing ideal conditions. The varied types and colours of the coral made for spectacular viewing, superior to anything we had ever seen before. There were also lots of tropical fish (big & small), some large sea turtles and our favourite, the giant clams.....they were 5 feet long with a sandy tone on the outside but with bright vibrant colours (purple, green, blue) when opened up which most of them were. The starfish were also colourful. But the brilliant coral was the overall highlight of our excursion. The fun-loving staff on the boat, who were also very safety conscious, took some underwater photos for the group and then posted them on the web for us to retrieve which was a nice feature. We will go back out to the GBR for another visit during our travels down the coast.

Yesterday we did a short rainforest walk to see the Babinda Boulders, large granite rocks smoothed over by the rapidly moving water. Then we did another walk to the Josephine Falls where there was a swimming hole at the bottom of the falls. After watching the younger crowd going down a 20 foot rock water slide into the pool and not harming their bodies, I even gave it a go myself (several times). It was a lot of fun and refreshing on another 30C day. Our favourite water hole so far, especially with the waterfall in the background and some nice smooth rocks to relax on.

Today we will continue driving slowly down the coast with a planned stop at Wallaman Falls where we will hike out to the longest single-drop falls in Australia (300 metres).

In our fashionable stinger suits (jellyfish protection)

The amazing coral

Our snorkel group with our guide (follow the tube)

More lovely coral

One of the sea turtles we saw

Giant clam but mostly closed.......we saw many more that were more open and colourful

Josephine Falls (background) and water slide into the swimming hole

Waterfall Circuit

On our way back to the east coast we encountered numerous waterfalls in the Tablelands region, including a nice loop drive near Millaa Millaa named the Waterfalls Circuit with three of them close to the road. The recent rains have added to the water flow, making these worthwhile stops along the way. The Barron Falls were another highlight in Kuranda.......the gorge is stopover point for the scenic railway trip from Cairns and the skytrain (a long gondola ride).
Prior to our waterfall excursions we took in a few other interesting activities. The first was a tour through the Capricorn Caves, some dry caves popular for weddings and bats (hopefully not at the same time). Another was our time in Charters Towers, an old gold mining town inland from Townsville where we ventured to try and escape the coastal rains. While there we visited the Agnes Battery, the original mill where the miners' gold ore was processed. We had a fun and informative time with Malcolm, a volunteer guide who has spent most of his life in the mining industry and had plenty of stories to tell. The Innot Hot Springs, attached to our campground, provided 5 different pools of varying heat and one cold pool.......the water felt good but the whole facility is in need of some TLC.
Two days ago we arrived in Cairns and found a wonderful Caravan Park to stay at....nice, clean and well looked after. While looking for a place to watch the Masters.......difficult when the 'live' broadcast starts at 4 am........we discovered that the TV in our open-air camp kitchen was showing it on a local channel which was a fortunate find for us. With play ending before 10 am it didn't disrupt our daily activities. Yesterday we walked around the harbour in Cairns, a very pretty area with park area along the shore for a couple of kilometres and a huge pool that was crowded with the 30C heat and humidity. After having a seaside lunch we drove over to the Crystal Cascades where a series of small waterfalls created numerous swimming holes and rock slides. We passed on the rock slides and 10 metre jumps but we did pick one pool for a refreshing dip.
Today we are driving one hour north up the coast to Port Douglas where we will hook up with some Cottonwood friends (Lorne & Sharon) who are also vacationing over here. We will spend the day with them exploring the Daintree Rainforest and the Mossman Gorge.

Charters Towers - Venus Battery tour with our personal guide, Malcolm

Ellinjaa Falls on the Waterfalls Circuit

Malanda - Curtain Fig Tree

Kuranda - Barron Falls

Cairns - shoreline park public pool

Crystal Cascades - 10 metre jump

Looking for the real Sunshine Coast

Since arriving on the east coast we have had more than our fair share of rain. It has not been constant rain, but the intermittent showers which have been forecast every day have put a damper on trying any decent hiking activity or booking any snorkeling trips out to the south end of the Great Barrier Reef where the sea has been a little rough lately. The area has already suffered from early year floods and there is a lot of road work going on to repair damage caused by the overflowing rivers. The water levels have subsided but the region deserves a sunny break more than we do. Fortunately for us, we will be returning through this area again when we return south from Cairns so we will get another opportunity to visit some of the spots we have bypassed or hurried through, making good use of our time.

When we were in Brisbane we had a wonderful 2 day visit with Amy (Rhonda's niece) and Darren (who was born here). We attended their wedding in Mexico at the beginning of the year, so it was nice to spend time with them again in their habitat. Darren took us on a night driving tour of Brisbane with a stop at Mount Coot-tha which overlooks the city. The next day Amy played tour guide, taking us to a few of her favourite places north of the city......the Glass House Mountains (kiln shaped hills), a rainforest walk, and a hike and swim at Kondalilla Falls. While there Amy grilled some kangaroo steaks for us and they were done to perfection (very lean meat and slightly gamey so it needs to be lightly cooked). They were great hosts and we will see them one more time when we pass through Brisbane next month (returning a few items that they lent to us).

Driving north along the coast we moved quickly through the Sunshine Coast due to the rain. We did make a couple of stops on the Fraser Coast at Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, and Bargara where we had an informative visit to the Mon Repos Turtle Conservation Park. The nightly programs to watch the hatching sea turtles make the journey from their shore nests to the ocean, ended one week ago but a ranger told us if we hung around long enough we might see some tardy ones make their way out but we had no luck in that regard. At Tannum Beach we stumbled upon a Saturday night market at a beachfront park, several hundred metres from our Caravan Park. There was 'live' music along with many food and craft stalls so we spent the evening enjoying the festivities, arriving back at our site just before the rain started again.

We are now on the Capricorn Coast. The Tropic of Capricorn runs right through Rockhampton where we stayed last night and spent part of the evening with some Australian travellers (our age) who gave us some good tips on places to visit north of here. A bottle of port we had purchased and some dark chocolate disappeared while we talked. Today we went to the Koorana Crocodile Farm where we learned all about salt water crocodiles, the largest and most dangerous (to humans). They currently have over 4,000 of them on their farm. We witnessed a baby croc breaking out of it's eggshell, held a small 3 year old (with it's mouth taped shut) and watched some chicken carcasses being fed to the largest crocodiles (15-20 feet long) in their breeding pens. We won't be swimming in any murky river deltas as we head further north where they are more common!

Darren & Amy (with Ella & Molly)

The swimming hole above Kondalilla Falls

Tannum Beach - Night Market and concert

Baby Salt Water Crocodile - just hatched

Ready for dinner

Full Moon Happenings

Continuing north along the interior of New South Wales, life is becoming stranger and stranger. We found another deserted campground in Boonoo Boonoo National Park........for some particular reason, pronounced “Bunna Bunnoo”........allowing for another totally quiet evening and lovely campfire. We did a short walk out to the nice falls (210 metre drop) and the next day hiked out to the top of Bald Rock (another nearby NP), which is supposed to be the largest exposed granite rock in the Southern Hemisphere. It was a nice relatively easy walk to the top with a good view and a much steeper decline, but I'm not sure it would rank anywhere near the top of the largest granite monoliths in Canada.

With an extra day in hand before our upcoming day at the BluesFest, we decided to play a round of golf (unusual for us on our overseas trips) at the local Tenterfield G.C. which came highly recommended. Here is how the conversation went at the front desk:

How much would it be to play a round of golf & do you have a time to fit us into?

• It is $25 per person and you can go out whenever you would like.

OK, great. We would like to rent come clubs.

• No problem, we will bring you up two sets. No charge (they were knock-offs but they were new and in a brand new golf bag).

OK, then we would like pull carts.

• No problem, they are right our the door on your left. No charge.

OK, then I need to purchase some golf balls (as you can see we came totally unprepared).

• No problem, you will find some in the golf bag along with some tees (slightly used but unscratched Titleists, Calloways and Bridgestones).

I was about to ask if a 6-pack on ice was also included in the $25 pp charge but figured I should settle for the current deal while it was on the table! The golf course was lovely, we played in 3.5 hours, and other than the mental strain of converting metre distances to yardages, it was a delightful time at a bargain price.

The next day we stopped in to Border Ranges NP. A cyclone had ripped through there in February, and they were still cleaning up the mess. Half of the hiking trails remained closed and one of the side roads we wanted to take was still covered with fallen trees (see picture). The view at the end of The Pinnacle hike offered gorgeous views of Mount Warning and the ancient volcano caldera which is now actively farmed.

And then it got really strange as we arrived in Nimbin, the Happy Capitol of Australia, a true hippie town, although it is a poor man's version of Salt Spring Island in our minds. People (locals and visitors) seemed very apprehensive whenever cameras were visible so very few pictures are taken around here. As a result, what happens in Nimbin, stays in Nimbin (more so than Las Vegas), and everyone seems to like it that way. It was a good place to chill for a couple of days but that was enough.

Two days ago we arrived in Byron Bay, a normally busy beachfront paradise, but even more overcrowded right now due to the BluesFest. We found a last minute cancel site in a Caravan Park (previously all parks had been booked for many kilometres around). While the music festival was going on just outside of town, there were several bars with 'live' bands to entertain those that were not going to BluesFest. Two different people suggested the Beach Hotel where Lisa Hunt was playing and it turned out to be an excellent tip. A former southern U.S. singer who now lives here and performs once a month drew a huge crowd of close to 1,000 people packing the pub and she rocked. We were there for 3 hours before taking the 10 minute walk back to our campsite for a late dinner.

Yesterday we went to the final day of the BluesFest where the headline performers included Paul Simon, Bonnie Raitt and the Zach Brown Band, among several others that we know and a few more that we discovered during the all day event taking place at multiple stages. We set up our chairs in the morning at the large Main Stage tent (great acoustics, overflowing in the evening with over 10,000 people squeezed in and around) We spent most of the day there, periodically catching performances at some of the other stages. The vibe was good, the music was great and there were 40 food and drink stalls to keep us nourished. Not as eco-friendly as the Calgary Folk Festival and a really strange no-alcohol policy at the festival campground (requiring us to find a storage area for our van wine at the last minute), but otherwise it was well organized. Zac, Bonnie and Paul were all superb,backed up by incredibly talented musicians. We had pre-booked a campsite at the festival site so we were able to enjoy the entire day.

Today we will drive north along the east coast beaches to Brisbane where we will spend a few days.

Boonoo Boonoo Falls

Bald Rock NP - slippery slope

Border Ranges NP - road closed due to cyclone debris

Nimbin

BluesFest - Zac Brown Band

Bonnie Raitt

Paul Simon