With the sun rising, Amy and I headed to El Questro Gorge whilst Lynda stayed behind with Jess.  Amy and I planned to conquer the big boulder at the half way point and carry on to Mic Micking Pool at the end of the gorge.

Half the fun is the 4WD track in.  Whilst not challenging it contains a deep water crossing and winds its way through the Kimberley’s distinct vegetation to the beginning of the gorge.  Starting the walk from the carpark it is a rocky scramble along the river bed to the halfway pool.  The gorge on this section narrows as it closes in on the halfway pool with sheer cliff faces rising up from beneath you.  It is a beautiful gorge to travel through which get prettier the further you travel into it.

Safely at the halfway pool we sat and pondered how to get past the big boulder blocking our track…it is true that many people fail the challenge of scaling the big boulder due to having to wade through waist deep water to access the boulder.  What this means is that when you reach the boulder you begin climbing it with wet feet…which is exactly what you don’t want on a smooth slippery steep surface.

Well with shoes off and back pack held high we headed out to the big boulder.  Then the challenge of how firstly to get out of the water onto the BB and then how to climb it!  I pushed Amy out of the water to a safe perching point, handed her the back pack and balanced the hiking boots precariously on the BB.  After a few attempts I was out of the water perched on the boulder with a handhold and very small foot hold for one foot, Amy just above me holding on…what next.  I somehow managed to get one boot on my foot to give me a bit of traction and then at full stretch, with a lot of good faith in my rather bleak foot hold pushed myself up and across to another landing.  A slight slip and I was gone!  Yes…made it, hold onto Amy with one hand so she could collect the boots and then I dragged her to my ledge.  From there we both put our boots on and made the rest of the climb easily.

Back on the trail we quickly covered the remaining 2klm of the trip despite warning and notes on how difficult the track was.  Sure, it was challenging in parts but mostly just a whole lot of good fun as you tackled the big boulder and then the big series of boulder strewn across the gorge, the climb up the side of the waterfall and then finally the climb up and into Mic Micking Pool.

At the pool you are in awe of nature’s beauty.  The pool is small but enclosed by narrow sheer cliffs above you and the waterfall at the far end of the crystal pool is amazing as it freefalls onto rocks below.  We quickly undressed and took a surprisingly warmish swim (in comparison to other pools in gorges) swimming out to the waterfall and sitting underneath it on natures well crafter lounge chair.  We swam and played for half and hour enjoying ourselves and having some great fun together.  Several photos followed before heading back.

We descended the gorge quickly back to the big boulder (BB) and again pondered on a plan of attack.  I decided on throwing the walking boots 20m to dry ground.  Three out of four boots landed safely with one of my boots taking a bad bounce and a slight dip in the pool…minor casualty.  We then slid down the BB to the pool below, Amy taking an involuntary slide towards the bottom of the BB and an uncontrolled splash into the pool below.  I managed to stay in control and therefore kept the back pack dry.  A quick swim followed and then we walked out the remaining part of the gorge back to the car.

In the end the 3 to 5 hour return (without a swim) turned out to be about 4 hours with 1 hour of sightseeing and swimming.  In fact the walk out took less than an hour with a swim.

Heading back to camp we spotted J & T who had walked some of the Amelia Gorge and we talked about tackling Moonshine Gorge in the afternoon.

That is what we did, I did the loop walk trail and everyone else bugged out at the last minute and walked in the reverse direction just to the swimming hole.

My walk took me up over the range with fabulous scenery down onto the gorge and surrounding range.  Once up on top you descended down to the halfway pool where you could take a swim.  I decided not to and finally bumped into the rest of the group coming the other way some 500m past the waterhole.  We all retraced our steps so that those who wished could take a swim.  We lounged around at the water hole for some time before heading back to the cars around 4:30pm.  Halfway back to the car park I noticed that Jeff was struggling with Banjo on his back so I relieved him of Banjo and carried him back to camp for Jeff.

What was interesting about this walk and gorge were the layered rock formations which were balanced on a 45 degree angle and towered above you.  The gorge was wide and open and the walking difficult but the rock formations were the highlight.  The water hole I could give a miss and I really believe walking only 1 klm into this gorge will place you in the most interesting section of the gorge.

The other interesting part of the gorge is the long 4WD track to the car park at the start of the gorge.  The track follows the El Questro Gorge track until after the deep water crossing.  It then branches right and continues for several klms as it weaves its way to Moonshine Gorge.  You travel through a few rocky sections and a couple of creek crossings before arriving at the carpark.

Back at camp after nightfall it was time for a shower and for me an early night.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

Leaving our overnight camp half way between Norseman and Esperance we headed South stopping for morning tea at Scadden where the kids played on a giant Fig Tree.  They are always great for climbing and the kids had  a ball.  We left Scadden and headed to Esperance arriving late morning and stopped in town to pick up food supplies.  Whilst in town we found a massive blow up water slide park and the kids started their negotiation with us.  The choice was easy in the end, you just can’t deny any kid such an experience – especially after being car bound whilst crossing the Nullabor over a few days.  The kids had an action packed hour whilst mum and dad caught up on the gossip phoning friends.

Our plan was to head out to Lucky Bay and camp out in the Cape Range National Park.  Cape Range National Park is about 50 klms East of Esperance and the beaches and bays around this area are magnificent.  Lucky Bay itself is has a very sheltered camp and beautiful beach that you can walk around the bay to the lookout and granite outcrops on the far side.  Camping is charged at applicable NP rates and during peak periods a caretaker is present.

We arrived mid afternoon at Lucky Bay, set up camp and took the kids boogie boarding in the small surf.  They had an awesome time and we also were able to watch some of the sunset before turning in for dinner.  This place is definitely special.

Next day we caught up on some schooling and headed to various lookouts and bays in the surrounding areas.  First up was Rossiter Bay (average really compared to others), next xxxx and then down to Le Grande Beach where we went for a drive along the beach towards Esperance.  The beach is like a highway with hard sand and no real need to let down tyres.  We enjoyed the 25 klms of beach driving before heading back to Hammer Head Pt on Le Grande beach where yu are sheltered from the ever persistent wind.  Here we swam and played in the sand for the rest of the afternoon.  Later that day when heading back past Frenchmans Peak on the way to Lucky Bay Joey Jess begged us to climb the peak like she had done so some 3 years previously.  We agreed we would tackle the peak the next day.

The main challenge today was to climb up Frenchmans Peak and at about 450m above sea level not a real tough challenge after climbing the peaks of mountains such as Mt Bogong at over 1,900m.  Saying that you still need to do some hard yards.  The climb took us about 40 mins to reach the summit where you are granted amazing views of the surrounding Le Grande NP and its many precious and beautiful bays.  It is only at the top of this peak that you really appreciate the beauty of this area, so take the time to climb Frenchman’s Peak and be amazed by the view.

The wind was blowing a gale today and at times you felt as though you were going to be blown right off the mountain (or better described as an enormous granite blob).  In fact both Urangatang Amy and Joey Jess were both blown off their feet a few times…so be warned, watch the wind, you are very exposed on this granite blob!

The rest of the day was spent on the beach at Lucky Bay.

On the road to Duke Orleans Bay and Warton Beach was the plan for today.  Warton Beach is located a further 60 klms East of Lucky Bay and represents the start of Cape Arid NP.  Warton Beach is a beautiful area and there is a caravan park there for those inclined, alternatively you can camp out in the Cape Arid NP.

We spent the day on the beaches at Little Warton Beach and Warton Beach.  They beauty about this area is there are so many little bays in the surrounding area that you can always find somewhere secluded that is sheltered from the prevailing breeze.  We spent the morning around Warton Beach which is just magical, other than being a very popular place for all of those staying at the caravan park.  Take a drive on Wharton Beach to the far side of the bay and follow the track off of the beach.  Exploring this area you will find Little Wharton Beach and some small absolutely stunning bays awesome for swimming, fishing and diving in.  Further down Little Wharton Beach you can follow an overgrown and scratchy track for 1 klm or so to some more even more secluded bays. 

A day out to Wharton Beach and Duke Orleans Bay is a must, so buckle up and explore what the area has to offer, you will have an amazing day out – guaranteed!!!

The next day we explored the area around Lucky Bay, walking up the beach to the lookout and beyond.  Once at the end of the beach you cross the small rocky headland and head up another small beach.  Again you cross over a small rocky headland and then up a beautiful small beach to some very peculiar looking granite boulders.  Here we stopped for a while enjoying the beautiful spot whilst the kids enjoyed swimming in the beach and playing around the boulders.  You can continue on from here along yet another small beach, small rocky headland and then to another beautiful secluded beach.  We didn’t because the kids were getting tired but we recommend that you go it was simply stunning.  We did plan to drive there in the boat but unfortunately the wind became stronger and stronger the longer we stayed.

Another day at Le Grande beach brought an end to our stay in the beautiful Le Grande NP.  It is a special place, often tainted by the aggressive, persistent wind, though forever remembered fondly for the remarkable and stunning white beaches and amazingly turquoise blue oceans.  Without a doubt the beaches in this place are the best beaches in Australia.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

Yes, I am back and its good to be back.  The trouble is we have been enjoying ourselves on the Eyre Peninsula so much that time to write and catch up has been too difficult.  We have been making the most of SA’s daylight saving and time zone with the sun setting around 9pm most evenings.  That doesn’t leave much time for writing.

When we touched base last we were heading through the flood waters around NSW.  In fact that became quite a challenge for us that I will update you on shortly.  In fact we almost got caught out several times and at one point thought we would be stuck in Brewarinna for Christmas.

Needless to say, we passed through Port Augusta on 18th December heading for the Eyre Peninsula.  Our plan was to spend some time in and aroundPort Lincoln and Coffin Bay.  We had picked out the beautiful sandy bays in this area to explore both on land and by boat.

Our experience has made us realise that the Eyre Peninsula, although a windy and sand blown place in most part has a few national treasures which should be on the list of all travellers to visit on their circum navigation of this great land of ours.  So here we go…

Passing through Port Augusta late in the day we planned to find some free camping for the night down the East coast of the Peninsula.  First we stoopped in at Wyhalla for dinner, before continuing on in the hope of reaching Tumbly Bay.  This didn’t happen and we found ourselves in a Rest Area for the night…which was strangely peaceful anyhow.

Up the next morning and we continued on to Tumbly Bay spendong a short time having a look with our main purpose of arriving in Port Lincon by lunch time.  Tumbly Bay was a beautiful stop and we penciled in another, visit again sometime in our notebook.  In fact we explored many small towns on the way through to Port Lincoln which were worth a visit for another trip before arriving in Port Lincoln itself which is by far the biggest town on the Eyre Peninsula.  Port Lincoln is the centre for the extensive farming lands and fishing (including oysters) industries of the Eyre Peninsula.

Getting a few supplies we then purchased a 2 month SA National Parks Pass and camping permit for $58.  Brilliant value for money…two months camping for an extra $24.  This beats QLD’s rampant government who want $21 per night plus vehicle permits.

We headed into the Lincoln National Park and the Surfleet Camping area which has just been completely revamped for caravans, camping trailerrs and motorhomes with level parking bays for all.  Some of the views from these spots is to die for.  In fact the biggest disappointment would have to be the lack of beach access for a dinghy which was probably about away. There were many camping spots in the Lincoln National Park.  We checked out Fishermans Bay and Tailors Landing before deciding on Surfleet Bay.

We spent three days and four nights here enjoying the nice beach and peaceful surroundings.  The vegetation is Australia’s own bush scrub which is common all along the South Coast with the jagged limestone cliffs.

After 3 days we moved onto our next destination of Coffin Bay, where we decided it would be home until the New Year.  Coffin Bay did not disappoint at all, in fact it became one of our most memorable places on our trip and certainly the pick of the spots on the Peninsula for boating, 4WDing and kiddy fun!  That we need to be part of my next post though…fishing calls!

The rain is back!  We have had two weeks of glorious weather so no complaints. 

We briefly stopped in at Bundaberg to get some fabrication completed on the van for an upcoming adventure…more on that later.  That completed it was time to move on down the coast.  Next stop was Burrum Heads NP.  Unfortunately the area looks beautiful but with it raining and having to move further down the coast we chose to pass through here with a stop for lunch right on the river mouth.  It surely looks like a future spot to explore.

On to Hervey Bay for a look now!  Hervey Bay turned out to be a big hub and not the quaint gateway to Fraser Island that I expected…what a shame.  We had a look along the coastline around Hervey Bay spotted Fraser Island and then moved on towards the Sunshine Coast.

We planned to steer away from the Bruce Highway (not a nice place to drive) and we headed for a camp ground called Log Dump Camping Ground inbetween Maryborough and Tin Can Bay.  It was getting late in the day and after travelling a long way looking for the campsite pulled off into a pine forest and found a secluded track to pull up stumps for the night.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

Next stop Cania Gorge, approx 250 klm inland from Bundaberg.

We left Dawson Creek Rest Area and headed for Cania Gorge arriving there around lunch time.  There is no free camping and/or National Park camping here so you have to stay in one of two caravan parks.  Being Big 4 members we stayed at the park closest to the Cania Dam.

During the rest of the afternoon we let the kids have some downtime using the playground, jumping pillow and swimming pool whilst Bushman Bud and Lovely Lynda had some relaxation time.

At five pm that evening the caravan park feeds the lorakeets and cockatoos and we headed to watch and join in the fun.  You get a handful of bird seed and can enjoy the birds close up as they balance on your fingers munching away.

After that we took a late evening sunset drive up to Lake Cania, which is another dam stocked with fresh water fish and Red Claw.  We drove up onto the lookout and watched the sun go down over the Lake.  What a great place for the boat enthusiast.  The lookout took in the surrounding gorge and dam and is well worth a visit – late in the evening is especially nice as you get all the colours reflecting off the sandstone cliffs in the late sun.

Back to camp, dinner and bed.

The next day we were ready to head of and explore Cania Gorge.  We travelled back down the main access road to the Cania Gorge picnic where the majority of the walks begin.

We decided on the Dripping Rock and Overhang walk, a combined return distance of about 3.5 klm on easy walking trails.  Dripping rock was kind of a mini Moss Garden and compared to Carnarvon Gorge is a low scale attraction.  Continuing onto the Overhang you are presented with a nice location to sit back for a while.  The Gorge here overhangs a considerable way over a small creek bed and is worth a visit.  We enjoyed this area and the kids had a great time playing in the small cave created by the overhang.

After the Overhang we headed up to Dragon Cave which was somewhat uneventful.  After that it was back to the caravan and point our way towards Bundaberg.

I sum up our Cania Gorge visit like this…we were spoilt having just visiting the Canarvon Gorge which is just spectacular…after that unless you find a really special place then it probably is not going to stack up.  Cania Gorge is a pretty place in its own right but for me not spectacular.

Leaving Cania Gorge we travelled through Kalpower on the way to Bundaberg.  This was mostly on very steep grade and winding rough gravel roads…the Kedron getting a severe work out as we passed through the very hilly ranges around Kalpower Forest and Recreation Area.

Eventually we arrived in Bundaberg late evening camping at the Bundaberg Port (which although listed in the Camps 5 book is no longer a free camping location and attracts a $1,800 fine if you stay there.  A security guard (nice one at that) very nicely moved us on.  Well done for being so good instead of the usually bloke who’s authority seems to have gone to their heads.

We eventually camped at Sharon Nature Reserve, a nice rest area, although a little noisy.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

What an awesome experience we had at the Canarvon Gorge located 100 kms South West of Rolleston in Central QLD.  One could be excused for saying an oasis in the middle of…well…nowhere.

We camped on the access road into the park and in the morning had a further 22klms of rough unsealed dusty road to the park.  What an oasis!  The Carnarvon Gorge is massive and with recent rains was in its full glory.

There are many walk trails available to you in and around the park so you could easily spend a few days here exploring.  We had limited time and picked out a 11.7 klm return walk which took us to Ward Gorge, The Ampitheatre and Moss Gorge.  All three of these gorges were magnificent with Ward Gorge our favourite.

Ward Gorge is only 270m from the main walking track (4.6 klm along the main track) and is a narrow gorge with a beautiful stream cascading through its base.  The green moss glows a bright green in the sunlight and the air is cooled by the natural shade.  We had lunch here and enjoyed this spot thoroughly.

Next, as you back track from Ward’s Gorge is the Ampitheatre.  The Ampitheatre is like a natural round bucket with 150m sides.  The area is accessed up 4 steep flights of ladders and through a very narrow section in the gorge.  Walking through the narrow section for about 30m you are staggered with the hidden graceful ampitheatre as you walk into it.  Joey Jess and Orangatang Amy performed a beautiful singing concert for us here and the sound was truly amazing…your singing is surely coming along girls.

Next stop was Moss Gorge.  This ancient and timeless gorge ends with a boardwalk platform which shows off a very pretty little waterfall.  All around you are the ancient walls of the gorge basking in sun and walled with moss.  Water drops from the moss and apprently the water that drops from the moss has taken a thousand years to get from the top of the sandstone walls to the base where you stand.  That is what I call filtered water…and it tastes magnificent!

Back onto the main track and three klms back to the carpark.  The main track is a beautiful place to walk also as ot meanders through the main gorge and crosses the Carnarvon Creek several times along the way.

This was a glorious day out one place I would highly recommend for any traveller passing through Central QLD.  A place of breathtaking beauty and a timeless place we will visit again.

Back on the road we made tracks…240klm of them to Dawson Creek Rest Area (a pleasant camping spot) on our way through to Cania Gorge.  I must say travelling inland rather than being habitual coast dwellers has opened up some beautiful places and new an dunique experiences.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

After staying over on in a small bush camp siding close to Rubyvale, we were back on the road to make the 9:15am tour of the Heritage Mine just outside Rubyvale.  This mine captures the history of the gemfields area surrounding the Emerald region.

The tour takes you down and around the still operational sapphire mine and is wonderfully informative.  A family of four cost $35 and given what some tours cost, this was great value for money.  The tour lasted for about 45 minutes.

On they way out of the mine is a great room full of history and newspaper articles reporting various finds of gem around Rubyvale.  There are some amazing stories of people finding rare stones only to sell then off at a fraction of their real value.  This is a great room to stop for a read.  I read all the stories including one about a black crystal used as a door stop because the owner thought it was worthless.  Turns out (after he sold it for a fraction of its value in an uncut state some years later) that it was the one of the rarest stones ever found.  The gem was cut and contained 5 stars inside it.  It is now known as the Star of Queensland and was recently sold for over 90 million dollars…that’s right, 90 million dollars – wow.  I bet Lovely Lynda would like to get her hands on that one.

Upstairs and at the mine entrance is every womans desire, the jewellery shop.  Lynda picked out a beautiful blue sapphire ring with a diamond surround.  She still claims it is her 10th year wedding anniversary rock…we’ll see what Santa brings hey.

The Heritage Mine was a great tour, endorsed by our Governor General in fact Quentin Bryce, who visited there a few years ago.  I would certainly recommend having a look and perhaps doing some fossicking in the nearby gem fields.  Who knows you may strike it rich like the two unemployed people who ran out of money, spent 5 weeks searching the gem fields in the hope of finding a fortune.  They managed to find a rare sapphire valued at 1 million dollars…not bad for 5 weeks work out of sheer desperation hey.

Get out to Rubyvale and have a looksy hey.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia 

Lovely Lynda was in her element

Time for Joey Jess to summit this mountain.

Leaving Lake Tinnaroo at 5:30am we were caught out a little with the length of the drive to the walking track for the Bartle Frere summit.  This took us 1 hour and 15 mins meaning by the time we grabbed the back pack and sprayed ourselves with Bushman (for the plague like leaches) we hit the track about 6.50am.

Within the first 300m we realised that the climb was going to be torturous.  There had been heaps of rain the past couple of days and in places the track was water logged and extremely muddy.  This didn’t help the progress and it became a slow grind to the turn off to the waterfalls (about 1.5klm along the track…the name of the falls escapes me at the moment).  From here the track gets a little steeper in sections and the muddy overgrown track was becoming very difficult to negotiate.  You have to constantly watch where you are stepping whilst trying to follow the badly marked track which is in need of urgent attention…mark my words…someone will get lost on this track if it is not fixed.

The kilometres passed very slowley and Joey Jess was getting tired by the 4klm mark and we had a chat about continuing.  After thinking it through Joey Jess was happy to contine…the condition of the track and constant wiping off of many leaches were taking a toll.

We eventually arrived at Northwest Peak which seemed to take forever and stopped for a good break eating our sandwiches and realising that we had left some of our energy food behind…oops.  This seemed to refresh Joey Jess and we moved quickly from the Northwest Peak to the first of the two camps below the Bartle Frere Summit.  This was where the going got really tough and time was slipping away from us.  We had set a cut off time at 12:30pm for the summit and it was closing in on midday.  From the camp we had to negotiate about five massive boulders rising steeply up a small creek, all extremely slippery but not quite as dangerous as the Eastern side if you fell.  These were very difficult and took us a long time to climb over and Joey Jess was getting very tired by this stage and I started to question my decision to take Jess up the mountain…we were however, so close now that I wanted to give Jess every chance to succeed…so we pushed on.

After the boulders we then had to negotiate a running stream which after the rain was cascading down the mountain slope.  This was the last part of the mountain and completely unexpected as it was completely dry last time I came this way.  This was slippery and we both soaked our boots through.  We carried on though and came to the last 200m walk through rainforest…we had made it to the summit of Mt Bartle Frere…you beauty and good on ya Jess – what a climber and machine you are.  What great desire and determination you have in following your dreams and goals, I am so very proud of you for pushing through your limits and boundary conditions on such a tough climb and coming out the other side learning new lessons that will allow you to travel and accomplish even more in life.  You learnt many lessons on Mt Bartle Frere today, well done.  You gave it your best effort and succeeded by going the extra mile.  I love you and am so very proud of you!

We arrived at the top of the highest mountain in QLD at 12:40pm.  Unfortunately the peak was in cloud but we took the chance to take some photos at the peak next to the sign before having to get back down before nightfall.

I must say that I was a little worried.  It had taken us well over 5 1/2 hours to reach the summit and if we took the same amount of time to get back down we would be travelling on an overgrown track in dark…impossible, we would have to camp out and spend a very nasty night in a leach infested rain forest…that was all the motivation we needed.

We left the summit after about ten minutes and a phone call to Nanna & Gramps and Mum.  I pushed Jess hard to the Northwest Peak to try and make up some time.  We lost the track several times and I am thankful that I had the foresight to lay extra markers at places that were unclear.  We arrived at the Northwest Peak in good time and had a well deserved break.  I gave up my sandwich to Joey Jess and we continued on.  Down, down, down we went.  Time seemed to be slipping away when we heard the faint sound of Bobbin Bobbin Falls and realised we had come further than what we had thought…we were going to make it back to the car in daylight…you beauty.

On the track approaching the falls we came across a small snake sunning itself, trying to soak up the last rays of the day.  Try as hard as we could to scare it, we couldn’t get it to move.  We then started throwing sticks at the snake to give it a move on before realising that we would need to sneak past it.  It eventually moved just off the track and we squeezed past.

We arrived at the track to Bobbin Bobbin Falls and with new found motivation quickly knocked off the final 1 1/2 klm of track to the car.  Awesome and what a feeling of success.  We had climbed Mt Bartle Frere on a tough and very demanding day with the track in poor condition in 9 hours and 59 minutes…unbelievable effort by Joey Jess…I take my hat off to you my darling.  You did well today and achieved your goal.  You have now climbed some of the highest and challenging mountain peaks in Australia and are a long way to achieving your goal of climbing the highest mountain peak in every state…good on you…you go girl!!!

Check out the vids and photos…coming soon.

Bushman Bud & Joey Jess…Enjoying Australia

Check out the

After climbing Mt Bartle Frere and getting so close to the summit with Joey Jess it was time to hook up the Kedron and head back to Lake Tinaroo so Joey Jess could have a crack at the summit on the West Track.

Lake Tinaroo is such a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the calm waters of the Lake, no place better than at the Kuari Creek Camp, which now with the dam levels having dropped about 750mm there was a nice sand beach to play.

Looking at the weather we planned to stay at the Lake until Wedneday 6 October and summit the West Track of Mt Bartle Frere on 5 October 2010.

Planned activities at Lake Tinaroo were to swim and catch some freshwater Red Claw (marron if you are from WA) which are apparently a pest here at Lake Tinaroo – you beauty because they taste awesome BBQ’d in garlic butter.

So the days from 1 October to 4 October panned out pretty much as described above.  Setting pots for Red Claw and swimming with the kids.  Now the question has been asked, how do you set the pots for Red Claw without a boat…the answer use swimming noodles!  In fact this became a family affair morning and night and was great fun.  Bushman Bud and the kids took the noodles and jumped into the lake ferrying the pots out to various trees and underwater structure.  I would carry the Red Claw pot out on one noodle whilst swimming out on another noodle…the kids in tow on their noodles having an awesome time.  Each morning around 7:30am we would head back out to the pots and pull them up one at a time and then try to avoid the large strong dangerous nippers whilst you swam back with some angry Red Claw.  This worked extremely well and we got a great feed of Red Claw for lunch everyday.  Once we had found out the secret bait was boiled potatoe we did even better and caught some nice big Red Claw too.  In fact we were doing better than some with the boats…ha, ha, very funny.

We did also wonder back to the Coffee Factory in Mareeba to gorge on some more of their beautiful chocolate and enjoy tasting some more coffee…free of charge may I add.

Well, its now late on 4 October and time for Joey Jess and myself to prepare ourselves for the summit of Bartle Frere tommorrow.

Goodnight all.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

On the road early this morning and a trip to Port Douglas and Mossman Gorge.

We arrived in Port Douglas around 9:00am and took sometime just walking the streets and browsing through a few shops.  It was great fun with the kids and yes…Bushman Bud ended up buying the kids some rather expensive bathers and Lovely Lynda some Lorna Jane active gear…why did I agree to go to Port Douglas…huh!

With the ladies happy and some funtimes had we topped off the visit with a nice icecream before heading towards Mossman Gorge.  Port Douglas for us was very much a tourist town with a beautiful holiday feel.  The main drag is littered with all kinds of shops and eateries and would have a great atmosphere at night times.  Whilst we appreciated the town for what it was, it is just simply not what we go on holiday for.  It is however worth a visit and if you have time…and are inclined that way…get down to the beaches and have some fun.

Leaving Port Douglas we headed back to Mossman and onto the famous Mossman Gorge.  Repairs and upgrades to walking tracks in the Gorge meant that the road into the Gorge was closed.  This meant cueing up for a shuttle bus…yes I said that right, cueing up!!! there are som many tourists that go to see this gorge which, quite frankly spoils the beauty of this special place.  After a very hot 15 min wait and uncomfortable bus ride we were dropped off at the gorge.  The walks at the gorge follow the cascading river for 700m with various platforms designed to give you a better look at the river.  Arriving at the top end of the walkway there is a swing bridge that will take you to a further 2.5klm loop walk but this does not give you any better view of the gorge, so save your energy for other walks along your travels.

The Mossman Gorge is a beautiful place but one trafficked by many people.  The river cascading over oval shaped smooth boulder is awesome to witness and you could only imagine how much better the sight would be in the wet.  It is a place to visit but be prepared to share it with the masses.

For me taking the track less travelled and making the effort to get out and about takes you into places just as scenic or more so.  These places are enhanced because many times you have the place to yourself…sorry but you just can’t beat getting off the beaten track and stumbling on a place of breath taking beauty.

Well, been there and done that…I think the saying goes.  Happy for the experience, but not likely to go back.

Another wait for the shuttle bus and finally back at the car.  We drove the 20 odd klms back to Wonga Beach and finished the day with another refreshing swim.

The Crebb Track beckons tommorrow.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia