Fraser Island – what a massive day.  We were on the road early heading north along the beach towards Eli creek.  We passed Cathedral Beach and Happy Valley before reaching Eli Creek. We had little trouble crossing the creek and parked next to the boardwalk.  We walked along the boardwalk to the top end of the creek and flopped into the water and drifted down the creek towards the ocean.  The creek itself was icy cold but beautifully clear and refreshing from the increasing heat of the day.  We had great fun drifting through the creek as a family playing along the way. I initially had tripped over Amy into the water so she kept splashing me before I succumbed and flopped in… Jess and Lynda took a little more convincing but before long we were all drifting together.

After the drift down the creek the kids played in the ocean side of the creek (which was pooled like a small lake) making a sand pool  and then catching tadpoles and placing them in their pool. They made waterways in a few places and really enjoyed the interaction with nature. The play time finished with a canal being formed and a tadpole race started down the canal…the winner, the first back to the creek. 

Next stop was the famous Maheno shipwreck. We enjoyed exploring the wreck and marvelled at seeing the boat up close.  The ship has been rotting away on the beach for over 75 years and is slowly losing the battle with the ocean.  It was a great education and fantastic to see and explore the wreck.  After taking more photos we headed further north heading past Rainbow Gorge and Red Canyon to Indian Head some 50 or so klms up the beach. With a quick stop to check out the beautiful rocky high headlands we headed off the beach following the track to Champagne Pools.  These are actually rock pools which are continually refreshed by the oceans swell creating bubbles in the pools…that’s why the name Champagne Pools.  The pools themselves were rather cool but beautiful and we bathed in them for a short while before heading back to the car. Now off to Orchid Beach via Waddy Point and the onto Ocean Lake.  This was as far north on the island that we travelled today.  We had lunch at Ocean Lake and chose not to swim in the water, the entry to the lake was through some pretty ugly sand and vegetation and we new there were nicer lakes to bathe in. Heading back down the beach to Cathedral Beach, we headed inland to Lake Allom.  At Lake Allom we watched turtles playing from the stepped access and marveled at how much water was in the lake, apparently recent heavy rains have caused most lakes to fill up and many creeks to flow onto the beach.  The kids loved the interaction with the turtles and it was tough to drag them away, but time was getting away. We chose to follow the Northern Scenic Access Track back to Happy Valley and unfortunately this proved to be a mistake.  The mapped suggested a scenic route but we were left on a 40km track with plain bush scrub as a backdrop….in fact if had not been for the 7 or 8 klms of rain forest the drive would have been a complete flop.  Backatto Happy Valley and back onto the beach heading to Eurong arriving after dark.  We saw 4 dingoes on the beach on the way home which the kids enjoyed seeing.  Jess had read all the phamlets on Dingo Safety and it was great to see how mindful she was all weekend…some more incidental schooling.

Wow, what an action packed day full of adventure and fun…I am exhausted but blessed for the experience.
Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

7/11 ferry ride, from kingfisher bay turned left uphill following tracks to lake mckenzie, turned left and headed to lake WA by.  Walked to lookout above lake WA by and then down to lake foe a swim with the many huge catfish, played with kids on water for about 1 hour before steep walk back to carpark- 3.4 klm round trip, 500m to lookout from carpark. Now following track to beach and from beach to Eurong to book into hotel. 

After lunch and check in we headed out to lake mckenzie for a look. Another beautiful drive through all types of forests and rain forests before arriving at lake mckenzie for a swim in it’s cystsl clear beautiful fresh water. We lazed, swam and played in the water until about 5pm before heading back to Eurong via central station. Lake mckenzie was an awesome place with beautiful white sandy beaches and cool clear water…a must visit.  Back at Eurong we drove down the beach a fee klms enjoying the sunset until heading back to the hotel room.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

Leaving Cairns at 11am we planned to head towards Cowley Beach, hoping that the wind would drop and we could enjoy some boating around the Barnard Group of Islands.  On the way we dropped in at Josephine Falls for a looksy and also for a slide down the rocks.  By the time we got to the Falls the weather was bright and sunny and we enjoyed the refreshing swim in the cool mountain waters.  In all we spent a couple of hours at Josephine Falls sliding to the rocks into the pool below.   Bushman Bud and the kids had a ball sliding down in multiple combinations with the waterproof camera in hand.  We had an awesome time enjoying the adventure of a beautiful place.  Josephine Creek is fed from the towering Mt BArtle Frere, QLD’s highest peak at 1,622m and by the time the cascading waters reach the bottom they are icy cool and as fresh as water can taste…beautiful!

I mention Bartle Frere because it was here just over a year ago that Joey Jess and Bushman Bud climbed the peak, twice.  Once up the Western Route, which starts at Josephine Falls and once from the Eastern side.  Therefore Joey Jess was pretty excited about her return visit and walked some of teh path reminicing about her past achievements…good on you Joey Jess, a spectacular achievement at just seven years of age.

From Josephine Falls we travelled to Innisfail for lunch at the skate park where the kids had fun on their scooters.  I ate the last of my Red Claw BBQed in garlic and butter.  Leaving Innisfail we eventually arrived at a rather windy Cowley Beach, the caravan park deserted.  The interesting thing was that the lovely beach had been decimated by drift wood, obviously the carnage of the rampaging cyclone Yarsi this time last year…what a shame that this previously unspoilt beach and gateway to the Barnard Islands was damaged in such a way.  With the wind up and the beach a mess we reviewed the maps and headed towards Bingil Bay and Mission Beach.  I am glad we did because the drive into this place is spectacular and when you get there teh drive along the beach is very special.  We missed this coastline last year and alsmost again this year so it was good to have a visit, if not a fleeting visit, to investigate a place for a holiday in the future.  We ended up staying in the Council Park right on the beach front overlooking Dunk Island.  The scenery in this place just magnificent.  Unfortunately the wind was still blowing, meaning the boat stayed on the car roof, but on its day, the boating would be sensational around these parts.

In the evening I made a Halloween pumpkin for the kids and they enjoyed an hour of more “Trick & Treating.”  They did amazingly well given the tourist season is well and truly at an end in these parts.

We will continue down the coast today and see where we get to.  We are heading to JD’s farm for the 5 November in Bundaberg and then onto Fraser Island with “Bessy” on the 7,8 &9th November.  We then head to Brisbane for teh 11 November for our course “Design Your Destiny” with Christopher Howard, a person who has been responsible for massive changes in my life and one of the reasons I am fortunate to share these experiences with you.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

With very threatening rain across the gulf we had to make the sad decision to avoid the gravel roads along the Savanah Way and bottom of the Gulf.  This decison has since proved very wise with some areas through the Gulf receiving significant rainfall…getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere is not fun!

So, we left the very hot Elliot last night and travelled through to a rest area just North of Tennant Creek.  Rising in the morning we fueled up at Three Ways and crossed the NT/QLD border early afternoon.  We have had significant problems with water in the fuel ever since leaving Darwin and have had to continually clean the fuel filter.

It is probably best to note that we had planned to fish King Ash Bay around Borroloola and Bing Bong…simply we just ran out of time, needing to be back in Brisbane by 12 November for some personal development courses.

Moving on we hit Mount Isa late afternoon and fueled up and ate dinner in town.  We left Mt Isa on dusk heading for Cloncurry and then onto Kurumba where we were hoping to get some fishing in.

We finally got to 100klm South of Normanton and stayed in a rest area overnight.  Waking the net morning we passed through Normanton and then onto Kurumba where we spent less than 2 hours.  It was very windy and was to remain that way for the next few days, combined with rain also on the way we decided that it was not the place to bunk down for a few days…boredom would have set in big time.  So, saying goodbye to the windy and hot Kurumba we headed off towards Lake Tinaroo, one of our favourite haunts.  Luckily we still had the best part of the afternoon still to travel so off we went heading firstly for Normanton and then turning left onto the Gulf Developmental Road we fueled up in Croydon and headed to Georgetown arriving there at dusk for dinner.  We were sick of the car and wanted to get as close to Lake Tinaroo as possible so the following day was only a short one in the car.  We finally pulled over into a rest area just West of Ravenshoe (nice rest area) and crashed for the night.  Next day we headed into Atherton, through Tolga and into Lake Tinaroo…finally we had arrived, 3,500 klms later.  You beauty, time to relax, swim, scurf, fish and catch Red Claw…awesome!!

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

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

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

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

We have been travelling with our good friends the Gray family for the past two weeks and were tossing up whether to travel further West with them or track back down some of the North QLD Coast that we have not seen yet, leaving the Top End for April next year.

In the end, the thought of really hot, humid weather was not really that attractive so we made the decision to part company and head to Wonga to see Mossman Gorge, Daintree and do the Crebb 4WD Track.  From there we will head towards Tully, Cardwell, Ingham and track back down the coast taking in the Whitsunday Islands before we decide on future plans.  Kurumba and Lawn Hill NP will need to wait until next year.

With the decision made and temperatures quickly climbing the next morning we hooked up the Kedron van and headed towards Mareeba.  At Mareeba we had a quick stop at the Coffee Factory (free entry on a return visit) for the kids to get their chocolate fix.  Heading North out of Mareeba we passed through Mt Molloy where we turned right and headed over the range to Mossman.  Past Mossman and still heading North we decided to use the Pinnacle Holiday Resort as our base to explore the Daintree.

The day was finished off with a relaxing swim in the pool.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia