31st August to 14th September 2012

31^st August 2012

We packed up yet again and moved on to South Mission Beach, we stayed at North Mission Beach once before in a very basic caravan park whereas this one is really nice. It is only a few minute walk to the lovely beach, although there are still signs of cyclone Yasi, with views of Dunk Island a few kilometres out to sea.

2^nd September 2012

We took a casual drive around the Mission beach area to check out the other bays, beaches and couple of lookouts.

4^th September 2012

We went to the visitor centre in Mission Beach and did some tropical fruit tasting with about 12 different tropical fruits and then drove out to Lacey Creek and took the 1.1 km rainforest walk which is different to other rainforest.   On the way home we had a cassowary cross the road ahead of us and slowed to a stop to photograph it but some idiot raced past us and frightened it off so Merry only got one shot.  We took Foxy for a stroll along the beach for a bit of exercise and freedom as she is allowed off the leash.

11^th September 2012

Rather amazing but we haven’t done anything of significance in the last week with just the odd beach walk and socialising with the neighbours.  There are at least half a dozen couples that congregate here every year for about 3 months as the majority of them are into boats and fishing, which is about all there is to do.  The objective being to fill a freezer each with fish before leaving, but when you consider the number of times they come back empty handed, and the cost of the fuel in the process it makes you wonder whether there is a financial gain.  We took Foxy for a walk along the beach today to the end of the Wongaling Beach and beyond, about 1.5km each way and watched skydives, with passengers, come in to land on the beach.  It looks like good fun but costs over $300 a shot so we won’t be doing that.

14^th September 2012

The dull showery weather has cleared so we took advantage of the opportunity to finally visit Josephine Falls.  We passed the turn-off to these falls on several occasions in our travels between Innisfail and Cairns but we were always doing something else or it was raining.  We passed it when Richard, Jack and Rory were with us which is a real shame as there is an excellent swimming hole at the bottom of the final drop with a wet, smooth rock to slide down into the pool. 

There are three viewing platforms on the gradient beside the falls with the lower one offering additional steps to the water’s edge for swimmers.  The middle and top platforms do not have the extra steps as you era not allowed to swim in the larger pool at the base of the main fall.   The outgoing water is through a narrow gap between boulders and therefore fast and rough.  Also you never know what may come down with the water, such as tree.  These falls are a three tier arrangement and very impressive to the point of jockeying for first place on our most beautiful list.

18th July to 3rd August 2012

18^th July 2012

Richard and the kids took a long walk/clamber over the boulders beyond the wallaby feeding area in the morning to a waterfall and back in the morning and went swimming near the weir in the afternoon.  We did some shopping in Mareeba in an effect to keep up with the way food seems to evaporate with Ric and the kids around, but Barry mainly rested his foot which has developed a problem with the Achilles heel which has brought him to a standstill, hopefully temporarily.

19^th July 2012

Barry’s foot is better to the point that he can hobble short distances so didn’t go with Ric, Rory, Jack and Merry on the walk/clamber to the waterfall to show it to Merry.

20^th July 2012

We drove to Tinaroo Dam wall and then on around the Lake to the Cathedral Fig Tree and then stopped off at Lake Barrine for a picnic lunch.  We then moved on to Lake Eacham where they could have had a swim but chickened out as it was a pleasant but breezy day so took the hour plus walk around the lake whilst Barry continued resting his dodgy heel which is slowly improving.

21^st July 2012

Richard and the kids spent their last totally free day in the rocks and in the water hole plus feeding the turtles, birds and wallabies.

22^nd July 2012

We packed up the tent, etc in the morning and took Ric and the kids to Cairns airport to catch their flight out to Brisbane where they part, with the kids flying to Canberra and Ric flying to Perth.  We made our way back up the mountain to Mareeba were we will be remaining for a couple more days. Ric and the kids had made friends with the woman managing the campground and as a result chose not to charge us for the extra two days that we elected to stay here for.  That was accepted gratefully.

23^rd July 2012

As it is an overcast day with a cold breeze we chose to do the bulk of the remaining washing, cleaning and packing.  Barry’s foot problem is still improving so tomorrow could be the day to walk/clamber to the waterfall.

24^th July 2012

The weather is much warmer, no cold breeze, so we tackled the 2kms walk/clamber over the rocks where the kids would have been rock hopping.  For us it was a struggle but we survived and Barry’s foot doesn’t seem any the worse for it.  We only met one other group of three much younger people on the route so despite the number of people in the campsite, which seems to be very popular and includes day tripper and bus tours, it appears not too many get much beyond visiting and feeding the wallabies, which seems to be a big deal for overseas visitors.

25^th July 2012

We finalised the packing and moved off to the Daintree Rain Forests on Cape Tribulation with a stop in Mossman to do some final shopping to stock up for a week as there is only a small, expensive IGA store in the Cape.  The alternative is an 80km trip back to Mossman which would include having to use the ferry each time at $10 per return trip.  We then caught the ferry across the Daintree River and made for Lync-Haven Caravan Park which is quiet, restful and very dark at night with several rainforest walks available and there are several cruises available, either on the Daintree River or the Coopers Creek, to see the wildlife including Crocodiles.   We set up the camp and then discovered there is no Internet, no TV and very limited phone access.  In our case, we were able to set up our satellite dish on the other side of the road to where we are parked with the cable running across the ground so that the dish could see the sky through a gap in the tree tops at the correct angle, and elevation, and were able to watch TV.

27^th July 2012

The day started with a Cassowary visiting the campsite before we drove to the Daintree Rainforest Discovery Centre and enjoyed the walks and the view from the tree top tower, but unfortunately didn’t see any wildlife.  The entry fee for the Centre initially sounds a bit high but it includes the use of audio units with keyboards to type in the displayed numbers and then listen to the information related to that particular area, and also a booklet that you keep which costs $9.50 if bought separately, that contains a map of the site and explains the flora, fruit and poisoning effects of the fruit.   The entry fee is valid for a week which allows multiple visits if you so desire and is well worth the visit.  That took us up to lunch time so drove the short distance out to Cow Bay Beach and used one of the available tables for our picnic lunch prior to taking Foxy for a walk on the beach.  We then drove back to the ferry to find out the details of the river cruise which operates from the other side of the river.  We didn’t want to pay to use the ferry again so we phoned and booked for tomorrow and they collect us from a small landing beside the ferry docking point.  On the return journey we turned off to a lookout with view over the bay and then continued on to check out the details of the crocodile cruise on Coopers Creek.  This amounted to a phone call again which didn’t raise anybody but may have been returned later in the day but the reception wasn’t good enough to talk to anybody.  We drove on to Thornton Beach and took Foxy for another walk along the beach back the Creek estuary but staying well away from the water’s edge so as not to offer ourselves up to any crocs that may be lurking in the shallows.  On the way home we stopped, once whilst a Cassowary crossed the road a few cars ahead of us but by the time we got to it we only photographed the back end disappearing into the bush, and again at a roadside stall to purchase some locally grown Daintree Tea.

 28^th July 2012

As arranged, we met the solar driven cruise boat alongside the ferry and being the only passengers at this point we had the pick of the seating, and as luck would have it chose the right place, at the front on the correct side of the boat.  The boat cruised along one side of the river which was on the side of the boat that we had chosen so we had an uninterrupted view of the bank and the crocs that were sun baking there.  The passengers on the other side of the boat got the same on the way back but didn’t get to stop at each croc like we did on the outward trip.  

We saw four crocs from very young to quite huge plus a green frog and a Striated Heron, however, having seen crocs before it wasn’t a particularly enthralling trip for us but it was quite cheap, and the overseas visitors were obviously impressed.   We decided not to bother with the cruise on the Cooper Creek as that is another croc hunt in the mangroves.

29^th July 2012

As Barry started to take Foxy for her morning constitutional walk they left the caravan and  almost walk headlong into a cassowary with its chick walking past our bay, so retreated with Foxy who wanted to take it on, and grabbed his camera.  Merry extracted herself from her bed and hurriedly dressed and immerged with her camera in time to see them both retreat into the bush.  Barry was more successful with several good shots and some video.  This is the fourth Cassowary that we have seen since arriving in the Far North of Queensland despite the fact that their numbers have declined since cyclones Larry and Yasi.  The chick is old enough to have outgrown its striped appearance and now has a brown appearance, the equivalent to our teenage years, and has yet to turn black and develop a coloured neck and head.  After lunch we drove out to Jinbalda Boardwalk which is a 700 metre walk through the rainforest, however on arrival we found there is a second walk 2.7km long on a rough steep track, so naturally we took that walk which lived up to its description but offered little for photographs.  When it rejoined the boardwalk track we did that circuit also which didn’t offer much more other than a smooth surface to walk on.

30^th July 2012

Had a lazy morning but took the on-site rainforest walk and found some Penny Turtles and a spotted fish in the creek, but no cassowaries today.

31^st July 2012

We drove to the end of the bitumen and visited a look out of a bay and then did the 1.7km rainforest walk and then on the return trip stopped for a bought lunch and then walked another boardwalk out to the beach.  We continued the return trip with another stop at yet another boardwalk which was different to the previous ones, and diverted to the beach which turned out to be the same beach as before but further along it.  We then had another stop for another 1.2km boardwalk but this time through a swampy area and we were lucky enough to photo both male and female Shining Flycatchers.

 1^st August 2012

This was a big day out with a drive along the 30kms Bloomfield 4WD track to visit the Bloomfield waterfall.  The track is only classified 4WD only because the extra ground clearance is an advantage as there are five creek crossings to negotiate although not particularly deep at the moment.  Some patches were rough but in general quite reasonable and we never had the need to use 4WD, however we did require bottom gear on several occasions to get up the hills.  A couple of the severe hills have been concreted and are so steep you feel that the vehicle will tip over backwards and without the concrete road would need the use of the low range gears.  The final river crossing is across the Bloomfield River via a culvert type bridge that is waiting for repair and then turned upstream for a few hundred metres to the waterfall car park.  We had taken a chance and taken Foxy with us but there were no ‘No Dog’ signs so she got to walk with us.  The last part of the track involved rock hopping which she managed better than us most of the time. 

The waterfall is on the other side of the river, which you don’t go too close to as there are crocs in there, but you can get a good view of the Falls.  We parked up near the river crossing for our picnic lunch and then headed further northward towards Cooktown to the turn off to Hidden Falls which requires a half hour walk each way from the carpark.  It took us about 45 minutes each way as the last 500 metres is a clamber/climb scramble over boulders and includes a river crossing.  Foxy did very well considering how small she is but was helped on to a lot of boulders and carried some of the way including over the water crossing.  It was tough going but we made it and passed several minor waterfalls on the way.  On the way back we came to a T junction and looked for the pink ribbon indicators to guide the way which turned us to the right, which led us up a strenuous hill climb which neither of us remembered coming down but continued following the marker ribbons.  Eventually we gave it away and turned back and discovered the track we were on went to an old mine works, and that had we seen any pink ribbons to make us turn left we would have had a very short level walk to the carpark.  We estimate half an hour was wasted climbing the hill and back which was daylight time we would have preferred to use on the Bloomfield track but we did actually arrive home in daylight, but only just. 

2^nd August 2012

We re-visited the Discovery Centre to cover the part we missed as our entry fee entitled us to re-visit as many times as we like within 7 days of the original entry.  In the afternoon we started the packing up process ready to move out tomorrow.

3^rd August 2012

We started out with the intention of stopping at either Mossman or Port Douglas but as we approached Mossman we changed our minds again and took the long haul back up Mount Malloy and then headed north to Cooktown.  That was about a 300kms journey over several mountains that took nearly 5 hours including the lunch break, whereas the 4WD track would have got us there in about 2 hours but is far too rough for the caravan. The only bitumen road means heading 80kms south to Mossman before tackling Mt Malloy in a westerly direction almost half way back to Mareeba before heading north.

5th August to 25th August 2012

5^th August 2012

In the afternoon we walked through the Botanic gardens and took the path out to Finch Bay which was mainly steps either up or down over the coastal hills to the very pleasant beach.  The tide was well and truly out when we arrived there which gave Foxy plenty of room to explore whilst we walk the length of the beach.  The sand at the creek end of the beach was very soft and left very deep footprints making the walking hard work.  We returned to the visitor centre carpark via the gravel road which was no shorter, but without the steps. 

We then drove into town and took our tourist photos of the array of monuments along the bank of the Endeavour River before driving up the very steep winding hill to check out the lighthouse that provides a great view over the town and the river.  We decided to revisit the lighthouse as a morning trip because the sun was not helpful for photographs.  Apparently Captain Cook ran his ship the Endeavour aground in the Cape Tribulation area and after refloating the ship, came into the mouth of the river to do the necessary repairs.  When you look out to sea from the lighthouse, which was Cook’s lookout, one can see the same sandbars that he was faced with to get back out to sea, and forced him northward.  The lighthouse was built much later in his honour. In 1885 the town council sent a message to Brisbane requesting guns and ammunition plus an officer to protect the town from Russian invasion.  Brisbane sent one cannon, 3 cannon balls, 2 rifles and an officer.  Fortunately the invasion didn’t happen.

6^th August 2012

We did a walk through town and took a few more photos and included a drive out to view the jetty and then revisited the Lighthouse for a morning view of the town and river which now had the tide in.  In the afternoon we left Foxy at home and went to the Cook Museum which is worth the visit with plenty to see. 

7^th August 2012

We left Foxy at home once more and drove northwest for about 30kms on a combination of bitumen and gravel roads to the Endeavour Tourist Park where one obtains permission to walk through the private property to Endeavour Falls.  It obviously hasn’t rained for a while up here as there wasn’t a great amount of water in evidence so our photos don’t match the photos in the local literature that where obviously taken in the rainy season.  The same applies to the Isabella falls about 10kms further up the road but were still impressive as the road crosses the river via a ford beside the Falls.  Unfortunately on this trip, our 3 month old windscreen collected several stone chips and a crack.

8^th August 2012

In the morning we visited the Cemetery purely because it on the tourism listing but it did give an indication of the history and how tough life was in the 1800s in this area.  There is a 300 metre walk ay the back of the cemetery that leads to a Chinese shrine as there were a lot of Chinese in the area during the Gold rush days.  In the afternoon we returned to the Botanic garden and walked most of the way to Finch Bay again but turned off up the track to Cherry Tree Bay which is a secluded bay that can only be reached by foot.  It was a rough track with a lot of steps, some of which were quite high and difficult and littered with fallen leaves that made them slippery.  The bay is quite small with boulders adding to the picturesque view but still has the threat of crocodiles.  There is an alternative track that leads up to the lighthouse but added to the distance from the lighthouse back into town and out to the botanic gardens was not practical.  We returned the way we had come and combined with the cemetery walk would have been about 3.6kms for the day’s exercise.   Foxy did particularly well as most of the numerous steps required her to jump and must have used up a lot of energy as she waited to be lifted into the car which she can usually just manage since having the suspension raised to give us greater ground clearance under the body.

9^th August 2012

Another gruelling trip to a waterfall but this time heading back down the Bloomfield Track to Home Rule Resort were we obtained permission to pass through their land out to the waterfall.   The track was good for a while and then got rough and uphill and then became very rough following the pipeline that runs from the falls to the homestead, and included some very steep stretches. 

The end of the track revealed the best waterfall that we have seen in Queensland.  The main falls are a 4 tier arrangement with the top 2 tiers coming forward and the third tier sideways to the right and the fourth tier forward again into a pool, but by moving around the pool to our left as we look at the falls, another smaller stream of water also drops down 3 tiers before joining the bottom tier of the main falls.  From the pool the water drops through several minor falls before dropping into an almost sheer sided 4 metre granite crevasse to a lower pool, and the creek.  It is a really beautiful place in the middle of nowhere with only the sound of the water and birds which made it hard to leave, and the thought of the arduous return trip didn’t help.  It took us about 2 hours to complete the journey including the time taken to achieve all the photos we wanted.  We had our packed lunch in the car when we arrived back where we had parked it and then returned to Cooktown.  It was a bit too late in the day to turn off to Trevathon Falls as they are reportedly hard to find and we didn’t have time to search for them or the inclination for another long hike to reach them.  We accept the fact that we will not get to see every waterfall in the Queensland, just as we know we missed at least 2 in Tasmania.  At the moment we have visited 24 in Tassie and 39 in Queensland and know of several that we will not get to visit.

10^th August 2012

We packed up and moved back to Mossman where we were rather lucky to be able to get a bay at the second park we phoned.  The phone cover on the way was very spasmodic and we only made scratchy contact as we started the steep zigzag descent from the Tablelands.  The bay we are now in is tucked away in a corner but acceptable and the ablutions are good.

12^th August 2012

Although we were lucky to even get a bay in the park as they are very busy and the only other park that takes dogs had no vacancies at all, we have found that the corner we squeezed into has nowhere tp sensibly park all of the cars, and ours in particular.  This means that if are at home and any of the neighbours want to go out we have to play musical chairs with our cars.

13^th August 2012

Now that the weekend is over the park has thinned out a bit and we have moved to another bay which gives us much more room for the car as well.  This took most of the day with taking down the annex, dog fence, etc and then re-erecting it but should be worth it, although we now have some road noise but less noise from the local sugar cane mill.

15^th August 2012

We drove through to Port Douglas for some shopping and a quick look at the town which is very busy, tidy and tourist orientated with numerous resorts.  We will be returning for a more thorough look in the future as there is a lookout among other things to see.

17^th August 2012

We had some rest days including some rainy ones but today we achieved our main reason for stopping here, to visit the Mossman Gorge.  It involves parking in the large new carpark and passing through the ticket office where you acquire a return ticket for the shuttle bus that takes you about 2kms to the drop off point to start the 3.5kms walk with some of it alongside the boulder strewn river.  There are no waterfalls as such but plenty of rapids for photographs and a lot of rainforest with some elevated boardwalk towards the tree tops. 

The Gorge doesn’t compare with Karijini or Carnarvon Gorge, but it does have a fairly reasonable cafe in the new building with a very young garden.  Later in the afternoon we took Foxy out to Newell Beach for a walk along the beach.

21^st August 2012

We drove out to Daintree Village to see what its attractions are which didn’t amounted to much other than a very small, toured dedicated village with cafes, multiple river cruise options and a very good wood gallery with some beautiful, expensive items for sale.

23^rd August 2012

We took another trip into Port Douglas to do more a thorough inspection after checking out Cooya Beach on the way, but that was a copy of the other beaches in the area.   At the beginning of the road into port Douglas is the Wildlife Habitat combined with the visitor centre, and from there the road is lined with resorts, hotels and other accommodation until it turn left and continues as the main street through the town which has tree lined central median strip.   Other than the central shopping centre the rest of the retail outlets are all tourist orientated with a market feel sprinkled with pubs and food outlets.  We initially drove to the lookout which provided only a narrow view of the beach on the other side of the peninsula so we descended into Anzac Park where the Sunday Market is held and on into Rex Smeal Park at towards the end of the point.  This is the river estuary side of the peninsular which has the bank protected from rough seas with granite rocks, the smaller ones of which are used by the visitors to build an array of small cairns. 

In the park are The Old Court House and St Mary’s by the Sea, a non-denominational church originally built in 1880 which has a big attraction for weddings.  Instead of an altar, it has a large clear window showing the palm tree lined park with the ocean in the background.  We then drove to the other side of the point to the main ‘4 Mile Beach’ that appears to live up to its name.  From the town end of the beach we walked up a pathway to the top of the cliff for another view along the beach and then backtracked to the car as continuing would take us back into town, which was not an option.

24^th August 2012

We took a short trip out Hugland Art Glass to see the display of specimens produced by world acclaimed Glass blowers and confirm that their work is excellent but way too expensive for us, and not entirely practical other than purely as ornaments.  That tends to sum up art in nearly all forms.  On the way there we stopped at a WW2 bomb site. Apparently5  Japanese bombs were dropped on Queensland and this one in the middle of nowhere with only one house anywhere in sight.   It missed the house but one child was slightly injured by shrapnel.

25^th August 2012

Being a clear sunny day we drove through to Cairns predominantly to visit Yorkey’s Knob as it is mentioned on TV quite often, but did continued on to the Jayco caravan agency which to our surprise was closed on a Saturday of all days.  To get there from Mossman is a lovely twisty road with much of it being along the coastline with ocean views with a roadside lookout at one elevated point overlooking a sandy beach.  Most of the other beach area had been stony with rocky outcrops.  We drove into Yorkey’s Knob and strolled along the beachfront and up about 80 steps expecting there to be a lookout but that wasn’t to be, however, the top of the steps served the same purpose.  We retreated into the Cairns seafront area which is all parkland and had our picnic lunch before taking Foxy for another walk along the front to the area where dogs are prohibited.  Merry continued on into the Lagoon area which was supported by the weekend market while Barry and Foxy waited patiently in the shade.  We moved on to Clifton beach which also had steps up to a lookout which we took advantage of before heading for Palm Grove which had been recommended to us.  This allowed another walk along the seafront parkland strip with resorts and cappuccino strip on the other side of the road with large paperbark gum trees lining the road.  We walked to the jetty before retreating to the car and heading home along the coast road.

27th June to 17th July 2012

27^th June 2012

We had another trip into Mackay to have our car battery (main starter battery) replaced as the old one is showing distinct signs of being on its last legs and is about 4.5 years old so we can’t complain.  We went to Mackay in order to replace it with the same model AC Delco battery in the hope that it serves us as well as the last one.  Whilst in Mackay we also acquired a Digiframe scanner to make scanning easier without having to retrieve our scanner/printer from under our bed.  We can save it to a USB flash drive until we need to get the printer out.  When the printer/scanner dies we will buy a much smaller printer only which will make life a lot easier for storage in the caravan.

30^th June 2012

Barry assisted Mark and Jeane to unload a trailer full of pavers that they had been fortunate enough to get for nothing from someone they know in Salonika who simply wanted rid of them.

1^st July 2012

Barry assisted Mark and Jeane to collect two more trailer loads of pavers and unload in their garden.  Mark did a rough count of one trailer load which amounted to 360 so we estimate that they must have collected in excess of 1080 plus an extra four rows on the last trailer load that amounted to 48 plus 280 in the back of the ute.  All together we loaded and unloaded at least 1408 pavers.  Barry could be presented with the design and locations of where to lay the pavers when we return there in the last week of September to look after the place whilst they are on leave in Adelaide.

2^nd July 2012

We left Mark and Jeane’s place for the last time on this occasion and headed for Home Hill Comfort Stop where we stopped for 2 nights on our previous trip to the Atherton Tablelands. As we left we realised that the caravan brake’s control unit wasn’t working properly and was not seated in its cradle.   Barry re-seated the unit but it still didn’t register that the van was connected.  We decide to proceed cautiously and have an auto electrician check it out in Mackay  but were soon having to make a serious stopping event and nearly didn’t because the car brakes were trying to stop 5 tonnes instead of 2.5 tonnes with no help from the van brakes.  We pulled into a convenient parking area alongside a motel/bottle shop and Barry had another attempt at repair with some success.  It now operates the van brakes as designed but doesn’t indicate whether the caravan is connected or not.  The only people that could have messed with it are the Nissan mechanics in Mackay despite not having any reason to do so.  We have told them that we are not too pleased but haven’t had a reply yet.

3^rd July 2012

We left Home Hill and crossed the Burdekin River via the Silver Link Bridge which is quite a spectacular bridge, and headed for Innisfail.  We parked up for the day at the rest stop on the junction of the Bruce Highway and the Palmerston Highway in the exact same spot as on our stop here last year.  On the recommendation of the woman in the Visitors Centre we drove out to Flying Fish Point to the cafe for fish and chips but we can’t recommend it to others. We also noticed that one caravan tyre was looking rather soft so Barry pumped it up with the under bonnet compressor in the hope that was all that was needed.

4^th July 2012

We found the tyre completely flat this morning so Barry put the spare on and took the offending tyre into Innisfail where it was repaired and has now become our spare.  We then moved on to a Memorial Park free campsite 10kms north of Atherton and about 15kms from tomorrows destination Camping grounds at Granite Gorge near Mareeba where we will set up our van and the tent for Richard, Jack and Rory to join us again for their school holidays.  They fly into Cairns on Saturday which gives us a couple of days to sort everything out before they get here.

5^th July 2012

We found that up here on the Atherton Tablelands is very cold with a biting wind so have decided to rearrange our original idea of staying at Granite Gorge and moved back down to Innisfail which is significantly warmer.  The pump that moves our water from the tanks to the taps has decided to play up so we now have to find somewhere for spare parts or replacement as required

6^TH July 2012

Now that we are back in Innisfail it has chosen to rain which lives up to its nickname of Rain City but according to the weather reports it is raining everywhere along the coast.  After the rain stopped Barry removed the water pump and disassembled it to check the diaphragm and pressure switch but found nothing wrong, but at least he now knows how it works and what spares may be needed in the future.  He discovered that the water wasn’t getting to the pump because one air vent to the top of the tanks was blocked stopping air entering the tank.  If no air goes in then the water can’t come out but once he had cleared that everything worked okay.  It is unfortunate that the pump is mounted in a difficult access position under the bed.

7^th July 2012 collect them

We set up the tent and beds in readiness for Richard and the kids and in the afternoon drove to Cairns airport to collect them.  It rained for the whole of the return journey and into the night.

8^th July 2012

 It has rained all day and into the night again plus water is getting into the tent from below because of a puddle forming in the uneven concrete pad that we placed it on.

 9^th July 2012

During a slight break in the constant drizzle we moved the tent to another complete pad behind our van which has solved the water problem and also placed a large over the centre section of the tent and extended out over the doorway to provide a dry-ish area for them to remove their shoes before tramping mud into the tent.

10^th July 2012

We took a chance on the weather being slightly better elsewhere so packed a lunch and drove 146kms to Innot Hot Springs so that the kids could swim in warm water which kept them occupied for several hours.  On the way back we turned in to Millstream Falls and felt the volume of water going over the Falls was greater than when we last saw them after rain last year.  As we descended from the table lands past Millaa Millaa we were fortunate enough to have a Cassowary wander across the road ahead of us and wait long enough to have its photo taken.  It was the first time Richard and the kids had seen one in the wild, and our second time.  We heard on the news in the evening that Innisfail now holds the State record for the highest rainfall in July since records began with 145mm in the a 24 hour period.  That was achieved with rain all day followed by torrential rain all night.

11^th July 2012

Last night continued the rain pattern although reduced, and is still raining today.

12^th July 2012

The weather has cleared slightly which allowed Richard and the kids to go to the Innisfail Annual Show in the afternoon

13^th July2012

We drove through to Granite Gorge where we were supposed to be camping with Richard and the kids and they were suitably impressed and payed to stay there for the final week of the holiday despite having already paid for that week in Innisfail.  It would be most unusual if they refund any of the money.  On the way back to Innisfail we drove through Lake Eacham National park in the hope of seeing some Musky Rat Kangaroos without success but the Lake was impressive and we did find a Red Bellied Black Snake, and we also called into the Curtain Fig Tree.  On arrival back in the camp we took the tent down whilst it was dry, in readiness for the move in 2 days time.

14^th July 2012

Taking the tent down worked well as it is raining again today which inspired a couple of games of Tenpin Bowling and then made a start to pack up the campsite prior to tomorrow’s departure.  Much to our surprise the park owners did refund a sizeable amount of our payment covering the next week proving that some park owners are reasonable despite being business people.

15^th July 2012

We finalised the packing and moved up to the tablelands with a stop at Malanda for Breakfast in the Dairy/Visitor centre and then at the Malanda Falls before heading for Granite Gorge near Mareeba.  By the time the camp was set up it was getting late so we drove the long way round into Mareeba for a meal but managed to find the short way back.

16^th July 2012

We drove into Mareeba Visitor Centre to check out the Historical Walk that takes you through the coal mining period that ended with a gas explosion killing 74 people, and explained the building of Tinaroo Dam to form the Tinaroo Lake that we camped alongside when we were on the Tablelands last year.  It was built to irrigate the Tobacco industry that developed in the Mareeba area and now irrigates the sugar cane, mangoes and banana crops.  And also includes a small heritage village.

17^th July 2012

We drove out to Karanda for the kids to see the Barron Falls which unfortunately was not in full flow because they had not received as much rainfall as Innisfail, but was still good and had a train pull in at the viewing station as we arrived.  We then took them to another lookout with a view to Cairns and the coast before moving into the Karanda towns to visit the Butterfly Park.  After lunch in the town’s central park, Richard and the kids went to the Bird Park whilst we wandered through the Heritage Market before driving to the Wildlife Park but it was decided that it was far too expensive for the benefit of feeding a few Wallabies and Roos which we can do at Granite Gorge on a daily basis for no cost.

13th June to 26th June 2012

13^th June 2012

Our first leisurely day at Mark and Jeane’s allowed Barry the opportunity to do a few little jobs on the caravan and help Mark dig some post holes for a ‘sleeper’ wall to create tiers in the vegie garden.

15^th June 2012

We drove into Mackay to have our cracked windscreen replaced which was long overdue as it also had a couple of chips in it and was quite sandblasted which split up headlights and direct sunlight, but a crack appeared after being hit by a stone in Emerald.

17^th June 2012

Barry moved a load of rocks to the culvert in the driveway ready to help Mark build a stone wall up to the culvert buttress where the bank is being eroded away.  The cement mixer is electric so we will take our generator down the driveway to run it.

19^th June 2012

The car went in for its 120,000km service and bought some more LED lights for the caravan which has now completed the change of lights in all of the main fittings so now the 9 LEDs use 16 watts whereas the original Quartz Halogen lights used 54 watts if they are all on at the same time.  That rarely happens, as we usually only have the kitchen/dining area lights on so the draw on the battery will now only be 6 watts when we use the free camp sites with no power.  The LEDs are much brighter and brighter than the originals and give a white light rather than a yellowish light so the lighting is much improved despite the lower current draw. We collected the car in the afternoon and were informed that there are some jobs that needed doing that will cost about $2000 if we let them do it, so Barry well do much of it himself.

20^th June 2012

We rose early to visit the local Pathology clinic for our annual blood tests to keep a check on our progress.  After a late breakfast Barry helped Mark with the stonework wall under the culvert and at the end of the day it looked pretty good, which is more than we can say about the cement mixer that fell of the trailer on the way back to the house.

22^nd June 2012

Barry went with Mark to Mackay and bought replacement brake pads for our car which cost a total of $150 for both front and rear brakes whereas Nissan wanted $185 just for the front pads.  In the afternoon we both went with Mark to Sarina Golf Club for a round of golf. We both played extremely badly as a result of a year’s break since our last game, however, the course is a really good challenge and a good hard 5.5kms walk with several steep hills to negotiate.  We both ended up fairly exhausted with aching legs.

 23rd June 2012

Jeane went to a garage sale in Salonika and came home with a garden chair which Barry modified and fitted onto their ride on mow in place of the original uncomfortable broken down one.  The seat is now slightly higher, further back and has a high backrest and is much more comfortable and convenient for Jeane’s long legs.  Barry was going to replace the brake pads on the car but the weather wasn’t really good enough to do it outside as the car is too high to go into the garage.

24^th June 2012

Once again the weather isn’t suitable for working on the car as there is s biting cold wind along with persistent drizzle.

25^th June 2012

The wind has gone and by the afternoon the drizzle had stopped as well so Barry replaced the rear brake pads.  Once the first wheel and calliper were off it started drizzling again but the commitment had been made so Barry completed the job before coming inside completely soaked.

26^th June 2012

Once again the weather looked acceptable so Barry proceeded to replace the front brake pads but once again the weather turned sour and rained reasonably hard but again the commitment had been made and the job was finished even though the water that ran down from the house accumulated in a puddle right where Barry was working on the first wheel.  The rain eventually stopped whilst he did the second wheel and all brakes are now fitted with new pads with a total cost of $150 compared with Nissan’s quote of around $700 fitted.

26^th May 2012

The rain has gone but it is still cold.  We drove out to Brindabella Nursery Rose Gardens to see the gardens that weren’t exactly at its best but still colourful. 

We returned to the caravan for lunch and then left Foxy at home and visited the Cobb & Co Museum which is an excellent display of carriages of all shapes and size.  It also has a blacksmith school for interested folk to learn the skills of wrought iron work and a workshop actively making wooden wagon wheels and carriages.  From there we intended going to the Japanese Gardens attached to the University, but diverted for another photo opportunity at Picnic Point Lookout as it is a brighter day. 


 This achieved we departed for the Japanese Gardens which are really delightful but still not as good as the one in Dubbo.  There was an array of autumn colour from the deciduous trees and plenty of reflections in the Lake with its numerous bridges and Bonsai trees.

27^TH May 2012

Down to 3 degrees last night but we survived to enjoy a warm pleasant day with a drive to the infamous Wivenhoe Dam via Esk.  We stopped off at the Hampton Visitor centre for more information on the Dam and also stopped off at a Gus Beutels Lookout on the way.  We stopped at a park and had our picnic lunch in Esk after driving through the town to see if it had anything special to take a photo of but nothing showed. The Dam has picnic areas on both sides but neither offer descent views of the Dam wall or the slipway, and the view across the lake was very ordinary.  There was a sign to the slipway viewing area but it was barricaded off, so we assume it was damaged during the January floods. The dam is unlike the usual concave concrete wall as it is a rock embankment 2.3 metres long with concrete spillways through it.  It is designed to hold 1.16million megalitres of water for urban use and then has the capacity to hold a further 1.42 million megalitres of flood water to as a measure to stop Brisbane flooding.  Further upstream is Somerset Dam that also holds back flood water which has a controlled release to Wivenhoe Dam which has controlled release to maintain the Brisbane River. The Dam was completed 1984 as a result of previous floods and had been successful until the excessive rain during the 28 days prior to 6^th January which came close to the dam level which has built-in fuses that break out and let water through when the water reaches that height.   After that the wall is designed to collapse which would be interesting from a distance.  The trip to the Dam was not really worth the effort, or fuel, but was a pleasant drive circuitous drive through the Lockyer valley.  It also gave Foxy a short walk at both the Lookout and the Dam, which were both ‘No Dog’ areas so she enjoyed them all the more.

28th May 2012

On odd occasions, and only at night, the flick type tap on our kitchen sink leaks water across the work surface so Barry removed it and inspected the seals which appear to be okay but are nearly 3 years old and therefore must be worn to some extent.  We visited a Reece plumbing shop in the hope of acquiring a seal kit but being a no-name brand they couldn’t sensibly match it.  It was no pointless contacting Jayco as they change their fittings according to where they can find the best prices to keep their costs done. Consequently we bought a new tap that we know we can replace the seals in, which also has a slightly shorter swivel spout that is less intrusive over the sink.  We also bought a pair of braided hose extenders so Barry has re-routed the inlet hoses and moved the filter that goes to the drinks tap so that it and the inlet and outlet hose are all in one group which has provide much more storage space in the under sink cupboard.

29^th May 2012

We drove to the State Rose Gardens in Newtown Park which was not the best time for viewing roses but the general layout was good and still provoked a few photos as some of the roses were bravely hanging on.  We followed this up with the recommended heritage walk around the Newtown suburb which frankly was just a 40 minute walk past a lot of old houses.  The ones of note according to the literature were the ones in the worst state of repair with several that should be demolished.  We continued with a recommended drive to view more points of interest which also amounted to very little as most of the houses were in the middle of huge land blocks and screened by foliage so gave up and returned to the showgrounds.

31^st May 2012

We took a longer drive today to Dalby because the Navman was having a bad hair day but we did make it via a nondescript route through the middle of nothing.   We stopped in Dalby for more information from the Visitor Centre and then walked around the surrounding park and water feature before continuing on to the Bunya Mountains via Bell.  The road through the mountain national park was quite narrow and very twisty and steep inn places. And we eventually arrived at a parking area that offered a variety of walks with one offering several waterfalls.  We had Foxy with us so we didn’t do any of them plus the threat of rain was a put off as well but we have decided to move to the Kingeroy area when we leave Toowoomba and return for the Bunya Mountain Waterfall trip from there without Foxy.  We also decided to drive on to Perseverance Dam and Cressbrook Lake before heading home which would save another long trip.  The Dam was nothing to write about and the Lake only offered boating and picnic facilities which were not going to be used today because of the miserable weather.   The down side to this was the $2.50 per car entry fee for a quick look around, but during that time we did get some photos of kangaroos and deer which we have not seen in the wild before

1^st June 2012

This morning Barry walked up to one of the many venues within the showgrounds and took photos of numerous old motorbikes that apparently belonged to a collector whose family knew nothing about it.  Since his death they have found these bikes under cover in a shed and have put them up for auction in the showgrounds.  We both attended the auction towards its end and heard one bike sell for $35,000 and then watched the prize pickings sell for $160,000.  It was an Indian motorcycle that was successfully used to break the world land speed record in 1914 for under 1000cc sized engines.  It used a ‘V’ twin cylinder engine with 4 valves per cylinder, which in those days was a major engineering feat, and held the record for 40 years.  A plastic box about the size of a milk crate that was half full of Indian motorcycle literature sold for $750.

2^nd June 2012

The rain has returned along with some wind but the showground has provided some local entertainment with a model train exhibition that kept us occupied for more than 1.5 hours.  There was at least a dozen displays by both individuals and clubs and covered several rail gauges with some displays using several simultaneously  in mock mine sites, etc.  Our only complaint was that most of it depicted USA or UK scenarios rather than an Australian flavour.  The most impressive display that covered the largest area and also had the biggest gauge was created completely with Lego, and therefore the most colourful, and appealing to the kids.  There was also a small active display of Fair equipment, rather than trains, created with Meccano which also had a plea for more Meccano at any price as it is hard to find these days.   Some displays were replicas of specific railway stations along with same scale cars and buildings and one really clever display was of a London underground station.  Our estimate is that many of the displays would have cost many thousands of dollars to build, but most serious hobbies cost a fair bit of money.  Many of the train engines cost in excess of $200, then there is the cost of the carriages, track, trees, cars and buildings and the boards and trestles to build it on, and the space to do it.  One sideshow attraction that really impressed us was a guy drawing pictures on pieces of Pine wood by burning it on with a soldering iron and then sealing it with 2 pack epoxy resin.  Whilst it looked easy it would need a steady hand and lots of practise to achieve the shading that creates the sense of perspective, just as you would with a pencil, and it probably helps if you are naturally artistic.   We had intended walking around the city centre to photograph some of the attractive buildings but the weather has put a stop to that idea.

3^rd June 2012

We were supposed to move out today but this morning’s weather is no better than yesterday so have decided to enjoy the wet conditions here rather than somewhere else.  In the afternoon the weather improved well enough to take the city centre walk that we missed out on yesterday, which included the better architecture and parks.

4^th June 2012

The weather is now better than was forecast so we moved on to Kingaroy with a photo stop at Nanango and on to the small township of  Kumbia where we intended stopping for the night at a freebee park but when we arrived it was full and so was the local caravan park.  We backtracked 17km to another freebee place beside a river and settled for the night.  In the morning we returned to Kumbia which was now almost empty and set up the camp.  We then headed off to do the promised walk in the Bunya Mountains and called in at the resort/restaurant for lunch.   We chatted with some other people whilst eating our lunch and were told about an interesting church in Bell and when we returned to the car we decided visit this church instead of doing the walk as the temperature was very cold with a bitter wind.  It had been 3 degrees overnight.  On the way we stopped to admire the scenery a few times either at lookouts or simply by stopping in the road, and included one stop to try and capture a photo of a wedge tailed eagle in flight but without success.  When we arrived at Kumbia we realised it was the same place we had stopped at for lunch on our previous trip to the mountains but we hadn’t visited the church despite being impressed with the building as a funeral was in progress.  The building looks very similar to many small country churches but has been painted yellow and attracts attention and the inside has been decorated with biblical murals between the windows and behind the altar and present a beautiful visual delight even to non-believers like Barry.  There is also a really beautiful biblical garden attached to the church.

6^th June 2012

Last night the temperature was much better at 4 degrees plus the wind has gone so there is less chill factor.  We went back to the Bunya Mountains for a second attack at one or some of the walks despite finding on arrival that despite the warmer weather the mountain tops were still within the clouds making things a bit damp.  We tackled the Barkers Creek Lookout circuit which took us to the base of Paradise Falls and then on to the base of Little Falls followed by Big Falls and Barkers Lookout, the last two being a waste of time as the falls was a long way away across the other side of the valley, and the small amount of water that came over the falls made it hard to spot, and the lookout offered nothing.  There wasn’t a lot of water at any of the falls as being at the top of the mountain there isn’t much catchment area for them, and none were really long drops other than Big Falls, but they all had their individual appeal.   We also passed a few small un-named falls on the remaining circuit back to the car.  After that 5.2km walk we drove to the picnic area and had our lunch before setting off on the Scenic Circuit which took us to Tim Shea’s Falls and on to Pine Gorge Lookout which had a Power Station in the distance, and then on to Festoon Falls which was on a short offshoot track.  We then finished the 4km circuit back to the car and another cuppa before heading home. 

7^th June 2012

We packed up and headed in the general direction of Monto and eventually camped at Coominglah range rest area which is nothing special but free.

8^th June 2012

We moved on to Biloela with the intention of heading towards Rockhampton to join the Bruce Highway to Sarina to meet up with Mark and Jeane again before heading to the Atherton Tablelands again.  However, at Biloela we changed direction and made for Emerald but stopped at Rolleston as that is the nearest dog friendly Caravan Park to the Carnarvon Gorge despite being 100km away.

9^th June 2012

Because of the national park problem foxy was left at home whilst we drove to the Carnarvon Gorge and walked to the Moss Garden which is quite a picturesque area including a small waterfall.  To get there we had to cross the river via stepping stones twice and a third time to get back to the main track to continue on to Ward’s Canyon.  To get to this canyon required crossing the river on stepping stones another two times and several more kilometres but was well worth the effort.  The canyon is very beautiful and narrow with a small stream running through it to a small waterfall on the way in.  The return journey naturally required the two river crossings, plus the final crossing before reaching the carpark area.  The overall walk was about 10kms including quite a few steps both up and down.  The Carnarvon Gorge should be nearly as high on peoples’ agendas as the Karijini Gorges despite the remoteness of both and if possible spend about 3 days to see all there is.

10^th June 2012

We returned to Carnarvon Gorge to check out Baloon Cave which is really only an overhang with some interesting rock colouring and a small area of aboriginal art.  We moved on to Mickey Creek Gorge which is an off shoot prior to actually getting into Carnarvon Gorge which also has its own offshoot Warrumbah Gorge.  We walked along Mickey Creek Gorge as far as we could go, including several creek crossings, which was quite a way after the official track ended but it wasn’t particularly good.   We backtracked to the offshoot Gorge and again the official track ended within 600 metres but we continued on for quite a way with more water crossings until we came to the bit we really wanted to see.  Here the gorge became very narrow and difficult to pass along a narrow ledge whilst negotiating a bulging piece of rock from the side wall.  Barry’s legs wouldn’t fold up sufficiently to allow him to get past but Merry managed to progress for quite a way into the narrowing gorge until she could almost touch both sides simultaneously.   On our return to the car we headed homeward but stopped at a campsite with a restaurant for a late lunch but the pathetic lack of service and extreme pricing decided us to leave and go home for an early dinner.

11^th June 2012

Having given Carnarvon Gorge a pretty good going over, although the is more to see if you can walk the extra distance which really requires a stay at the campground or resort so you have the extra time to allow it.  We couldn’t do that because they don’t take dogs so we had to travel 100km each way from Rolleston which makes the amount of walking too short to reach the far end of the gorge.  With going back for a second trip to the offshoot gorges we were using up a lot of fuel but we got to see  a fair bit and managed about twelve stepping stone crossing without incident.  There were also three creek crossings to negotiate in order to get there and adding to the excitement and just after the first one is the remains of an American Dakota that crashed on the way from Darwin to Brisbane in an electrical storm killing 5 Americans and 14 Australian army and air force personnel.  We packed up and moved on to Emerald for a night prior to what should be the final push to Mark and Jeanne’s in Sarina.  We took a stroll round Emerald town centre to photograph the ‘Art work’ and railway station before strolling around the very ordinary Botanic Gardens alongside the river which is currently at a high level and fast flowing.

12^th June 2012

We started out on our push to Sarina with travel stop at the small town of Capella which was brought about by the memorial statue of the Light Horse brigade ‘emu’ Squad, so named because of the emu feather in their hats.  It has two large backing plates of steel with Horse riders cut out to let the light through, both slightly curved around the main 3 dimensional life size figure of horse and man standing together, all within a well kept circular garden which in turn was part of the park walk through the town.  Our next lunch stop was in a roadside rest area alongside a coal mine entrance before driving of the Sarina Range to Sarina and our destination for the day.  We could see immediately that Mark and Jeane have made some very significant improvements to their property with fencing across the vegie patch several more flower beds all edge with large diameter rope from the tugs that Mark works on.  Mark’s father had visited and built a small pond at the front of the house which attracts the birds.

9th may to 25th May 2012

9^th May 2012

We did some necessary shopping in the morning and drove 60 odd kilometres along the Cunningham Highway to see what the Cunningham Gap was all about.  However, we turned off a bit before we got there to check out Spicer’s Gap and the Governor’s Chair.  Both of these Gaps are chosen routes for the bullocks and carts to travel through the Great Dividing Range with Spicer’s Gap chosen to be the safer way.  Even then they had to drag tree trunks behind the carts to slow them down on the highly dangerous descents, whereas at the Cunningham Gap the carts had to be lowered on ropes.  Governor’s Chair was the name given to the rock at the edge of a sheer drop that provides a view out across the valley, rather than something to sit on.  A short distance before the abrupt end to this road is Moss’s Well which is a small watering point for those that need it but looks like a flooded hole in the ground at the moment.  A short way before that is a campground alongside a pioneer’s cemetery that now only contains a cairn in remembrance of the pioneers as the area was burnt out in a bushfire.   We returned to the main road and continued to the Cunningham Gap expecting a Gap such as the on the approach to Alice Springs but that didn’t happen, it is just regular road through the mountains with only the odd spot that allows a view over the valley, but with nowhere to stop to enjoy it, and therefore very disappointing.  There is a picnic area part way down the descent which offers a few long distance walks which didn’t take as it was getting too late.  At Spicer’s Gap and this picnic area the Bell birds were very evident with their bell like calls, but there so many of them all around us that it was impossible to determine where any individual bird was to try and spot it.

11^th May 2012

We rose earlier than usual by arrangement and headed for the Great Dividing Range again via Boonah which is an old German founded town with a tree line town centre which is a one way street to create parking space that that you still have to be lucky to obtain.  We did manage to grab one but had a fair walk back through the town to a pleasant cafe for morning cuppa and muffin.   We continued on to the Waterfall route which took us up a very steep winding road which bans trucks, buses and caravans, and as we found out was very sensible.  We stopped a Carr’s lookout for while and few other unofficial spots to admire the views and then reached Queen Mary waterfall carpark and picnic spot.  We had our picnic lunch in the picnic spot despite being slightly early for us, and chatted with another couple having their lunch.  There is a short walking circuit at these falls one takes you around the cliff top and has a lookout platform on the carpark side of the falls that has been allowed to become overgrown in front of the falls so that you only see a small amount of the outer surface of the water.  However, this is close to a bridge across the river that lets you view the falls on the other side with a clear view of the complete drop from a viewing platform.  There is a second longer walk from the carpark that takes you down to the base of the falls via steps and a zigzag track.  There is a bridge across the river at the base which is in line with the spray from the falls so is not the best spot to stop and admire, or photograph, them from but is the best view.  It was here that Merry’s camera informed her that the battery had decided to give up, so she climbed back up to the carpark for her spare battery and then back down again. 

This single drop waterfall is on the Condamine River which eventually joins the Murray River that finds the sea in South Australia.  After crossing the bridge the track is just a longer, gentler slope to the second lookout prior to crossing the bridge and the short walk back to the carpark.  Alongside this bridge is a short unofficial track beside the river to a rather pretty pool with mini-falls dropping into it.  As always we took the longer 2km walk via the base as we prefer to see the base of the falls if we can and enjoy the workout it provides, and we get to see as much as possible despite the hard work.

We moved on along the road to a roadside parking area with a viewing platform to look at Dagg’s Falls which were very similar to Queen Mary Falls in as much as it is also single drop and on the same river, but there was no way down to the base.  This only took a few minutes and we moved on to another parking area with picnic tables and BBQ facilities associated with Brown’s falls.  This involved walking through a tunnel under the road alongside the creek and proceeded along the track past a sign recommending this track for ‘able bodied persons only’ until you are forced to cross the creek via stepping stone with water flowing over most of them and very slippery.  We managed this with wet feet by almost crawling and moved on around a bend only to find we now had to cross back via more stepping stones.  This time we found a convenient, broken tree branch to use as a stave to steady us as we crossed in two short stages. 

As we progressed along the side of the creek we came across some small pretty falls and eventually another creek crossing for access to the main fall.  This crossing was easier but required a bit of clambering over rocks, as did the final approach to the clear view of the fall that involved a lot of mud due to the spray.  The creek was probably fuller a week or so ago after the rainy spell which probably caused the mud initially but we clambered around it.  The falls is also a single drop and would have looked even better straight after the rain but getting there would be pretty gruelling.  As it was, for us it was a challenge but was well worth the effort although Merry came out with a bruised knee on one leg and some small cuts on the rear of the other which we suspect came from a slight tangle with a vine with spiteful thorns on it. 

13^th May2012

We went to the Amberley RAAF base and visited the Heritage Museum which is free and opens on the second Sunday of each month, or by arrangement for small groups.  It is home to a Boston that has been completely restored after being recovered from a swamp in New Guinea.  There are 2 hangars the first of which houses the twin prop Boston bomber, several helicopters, the front of an F-111 with steps to present a view into the open cockpit and numerous piston engines.  All exhibits have been restored to virtually new condition by dedicated RAAF volunteers, or retained from new.  The other hangar is more up to date with a Canberra Bomber, several jet fighters including a complete F-111 and more engines of the jet turbine type, including one from an F-111.

Outside there is a twin prop Caribou A4-236 troop carrier with the back open to allow internal access to the uncomfortable seating, the stainless steel cable that the troops clip their parachute ripcords to as they jump plus a view into the cockpit, and a Sabre jet fighter that still bears the damage incurred when it hit power cables whilst on a low flying mission and four F-111s.  There were TV screens in several areas showing video of the various planes in action during their wartime environment and plenty of visual displays.  It took us about 1.5 hours to check it all out and it was an interesting experience, and they are working towards enlarging it as they are currently restoring more planes, etc.  It was free, but in the final analysis, and if we could choose to revisit any of the aviation museums that we have visited so far regardless of entry costs, it would be Darwin, Perth and then Amberley.   

15^th May 2012

Earlier in the year we visited Brisbane and the South Bank and were impressed with the amount of restoration that had been achieved since the flood.  We went back today see the finished job as the ‘Beach” was still being rebuilt along with some of the pathways.  We drove out to Rosewood train station ‘Park & Ride’ and caught the train to Ipswich where we changed trains to continue the journey to Roma Street station where we changed trains again to go to South Bank.  The 35 km journey took 2 hours which somewhat amazed us with the train stopping at every station which seems be about every kilometre.   We walked from the far end of South Bank where the maritime museum is through along the path with the arches of bougainvillea that seem like a guard of honour to the little cafe strip for a coffee.  We left there and headed   to the nearby road to post a birthday card and then turned back to the waterside walk and kids’ water play area.  After taking a few photos we moved on to ‘The Beach’ which was now completed and being a reasonably pleasant day had a good number of people in bather sunbathing and swimming.  The night time temperatures in Brisbane have been around 9 degrees with 25 degrees during the day and this was getting on towards mid day.  The night time temperature in Ipswich was 2 degrees and the coldest May night in 6 years with a prediction of 1 degree for tonight.  

The Beach is basically on open air pool with several pronounced areas of varying depths and surrounded by sand to represent a beach as Brisbane is slightly inland.  Like seaside beaches, this beach has permanent lifeguards on duty along with the yellow flags.  It appears to be reasonably popular now despite being the early stages of winter so it should be as crowded as Bondi Beach in the summer.   We continued on past the Ferris wheel and entertainment centre and crossed the river to the pedestrian Mall precinct to do a bit of shopping, and go to the visitors centre for a town map.  We had decided to catch the train back to Rosewood from Brisbane Central station rather than return to the South Bank station as we where now on the other side of the river.  The map was required to help us find the station but the woman in the centre directed us anyway, and with that information in mind wandered through arcades and squares for a look around as we meandered toward the station.  We arrived in the station in perfect time to catch a train just before it departed for Ipswich where we changed again with only a short wait, so the return journey was quite a lot quicker with only one train change.  We actually spent more time travelling on the trains than we spent in Brisbane but we achieved what we wanted to see.

18^th May 2012

We drove out to Cunningham’s lookout which faces westward towards the gap before driving to Cunningham’s Gap, and at the peak turned into a parking area which offered a look at Cunningham’s monument and a choice of a 3.5km, a 9.5km or 1.5km walk.  We took the 1.5 km walk that took us on a circuit via a lookout that faces eastward.  After the short but pleasant walk we drove down the western side of the mountain to a picnic area where we had lunch whilst listening to the ringing sounds of the bell birds which are actually Bell Miners.  We then moved on to Mooganah Dam which is an extremely picturesque spot with barbeque facilities and a kiosk and allows access over the dam wall to 3km walk each way in the national park to the top of the mountain. 

The dam wall is quite big although we have seen much bigger but is still impressive, and although the water was not flowing over the spillway there was a pipe through the wall with a valve that was at least partially open spraying water out into the river below.  The river level is kept up to a predetermined level by a weir about 0.5 km downstream which has a lower picnic area alongside the captive waterway.  We walked across the wall but didn’t do the mountain walk and then used the kiosk facility for something to go with our afternoon cuppa.  We then drove out to the lookout at Boonah that presents a great view out over the town and countryside.  The lookout is an attraction in its own right as it has an attractive foliage arch forming an entrance and includes a drinking fountain. 

21^st May 2012

We finalised the packing that we started yesterday and moved on to Warwick involving another trip along the Cunningham Highway and hauling the caravan over the Great Dividing Range.  The caravan park that we chose to stay at is our only option as it is the only one that allows dogs, and the road into it is at a lower level to the highway causing the bottom of the vans chassis to ground as we turned into it.  This dragged the pole carrier clamp backwards and destroyed the pole carrier bracket.  Fortunately we had a spare one so the afternoon was spent setting up the new camp and replacing the bracket instead of checking out the town.  The caravan park is very ordinary and as the road turned back to run parallel with the highway is subject to a lot of road noise, but fortunately we will only be here for a few days before heading northward for warmer temperatures.

22^nd May 2012

We drove down to the Condamine River to take a few photos of the river and the statues in the riverside park before moving on into the town centre and Visitor Centre for a heritage walk map. The river side has parkland on both sides with sports field behind that which is a change from the usual riverside properties hogging the view, but apparently the area is subject to significant flooding in the heavy rain period.   The town centre is very pleasant with tree lined streets which are beginning to change colour with the approach of winter.   There are also flower beds on all of the corners and roundabouts to compliment the tree colours and the sandstone buildings. 

The sandstone from the local quarry is hard sandstone and has a variety of attractive coloured bands running through it.  We did the town centre walk to see the sandstone buildings and then the outer walk for the outlying buildings, one of which used to be a convent and is now a stunning part of ‘Assumption School’.  We followed that up with a walk along one side of the river to the road bridge and along the other side back to the car, about 5kms all together.  To give us more time to enjoy the town we bought lunch at a coffee bar opposite the town park, and because all of the days’ activities allowed Foxy to enjoy them as well, we arrived back home with a happy, but weary dog.

23^rd May 2012

We packed up and moved out and joined the main road by exiting the caravan road on the wrong side of the road and turning to the right to avoid the hump that caused the damage on the way in.  We then called into a garage and took on a small amount of fuel but mainly to use the garage as a means of turning round to head for slightly warmer night time temperatures in Toowoomba  With being on the plateau  on the Great Dividing Range our barometer has changed from the high side of ‘Change’ (1016hpa) to well below ‘Stormy’ (950hpa) which should indicate a cyclone, despite there not being a cloud in the sky, so the atmospheric pressure has dropped considerably due to the extra height.  We are camping at the Toowoomba Showgrounds because it is the only place we can camp with a dog as all the regular caravan parks are ‘No pets’ but it is cheaper here so that is a slight bonus.  The ablution block is pretty ordinary so we will stick to our own ensuite and there is a reasonable view across a small lake.  The ground is on a two way slope which isn’t the best but manageable for a few days.

24^th May 2012

The night time temperature in Toowoomba are warmer but today the temperature is subdued by a bitter wind and we have been forced to put jumpers on for the first time in a long time.  We drove into town to the visitors centre for directions to several of the attractions that we have seen in their literature. 

We drove about 1km to Lake Annand which is an attractive man-made lake in the centre of a very pleasant park land with several bridges over the water and a variable height fountain at one end.  The trees in the park are starting to turn orange and red prior to dropping their leaves as it is that time of year and add colour to the scenery.  It was more sheltered in the park and we could remove our jumpers.  We then drove to Picnic Point Lookout that offers magnificent views of the Lockyer Valley where many lives were lost and townships destroyed during the floods.  There is a restaurant beside this lookout which was a convenient place, and time, for lunch which became our dinner as the meal was quite large.

25^th May 2012

The wind has dropped and given way to rain which is supposed to last all day but clear for the weekend