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

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

The day finally arrived to tackle Queensland’s highest peak, Mt Bartle Frere at a respectable 1,622m. 

Bartle Frere is in cloud 8 out of every 10 days so to get a day with bright sunny skies takes some doing.  Today was the day.

The initial idea was to scout the track so that Joey Jess could give the summit an attempt.  Jess has been asking me to climb the mountain ever since we hit the surrounds around Cairns.  So Hamish and myself (Bushman Bud) arrived at the start of the Western climb at 10:40am.  We knew this was late in the day to start the climb but were pretty confident that we could get up and back if we backed ourselves.  We set a cut off point of 2:00pm for the summit and set off on the track.

The first 2klm or so leads slightly downhill to Bobbin Bobbin Falls, a very picturesque water fall with amazingly fresh water to drink…you have to check out the falls when climbing Bartle Frere.  The falls are about 30-40m high and cascade down through the small gorge.  We left the falls for the return trip so as not to use up valuable time on the way up.

It is at Bobbin Bobbin Falls that the track starts to climb and this continues steadily right up to the Western Peak at 1,450m.  The trail is mostly through rain forest with some scrambling over, around or through large boulders along the way.

We moved steadily with little to no rest arriving at the Western Peak at 1:00pm.  Here we climbed up onto the granite boulders where you are greeted with amazing 360 degree views of the surrounding coastline and Atherton Tablelands.  It is also here that you can get a glimpse of the BArtle Frere peak for the first time…that is if you can work out which peak it is!  The surrounding country is full of small peaks which look like any could be the summit!.

Leaving the Western Peak we had one hour to get to the summit, this was going to be tough going.  We set off with new enthusiasm thinking that the summit was not that far away.  However this section of the track crosses a few saddles so you drop down about 200m before climbing 100m, dropping another 100m and climbing the remaining few hundred metres to the summit.  This makes the last 2klm quite a challenge and energy sapping.  Made worse is the condition of the track which has not been cleared for two years due to lack of funding.  Many times we had to stop to find the track and it is amazing that more people have not got lost on this section of track.  There were times when we were pushing through head height grass hoping to come out the other side and find a track marker…be very careful on this section. 

The last section of the summit is steep with some sections exposed to the sun until you finally arrive at a tree topped summit.  Therefore there is very little view of the surrounding country side other than one rock platform which leads you to spectacular views of the coastline.  These views are simply breath taking and although minimal are well worth the climb.

We arrived at the summit bang on 2:00pm after a torturous hour of hard climbing.  The torture was our own doing simply because we hadn’t left ourselves much time.  A more leisurely climb would not have been so sapping.

A quick lunch, photo and we were back on the track heading down.  Once again we had to retrace our steps several times to pick up the track…QLD parks really need to address this issue.  Put into perspective, this walk is to an iconic QLD location (being its highest peak) and the track was in diabolical condition…this in my mind was simply not good enough.

You always make up time on the way down but on this mountain it is probably not as noticeable due to many exposed tree roots which make the track unsteadyand uneven under foot and therefore at times slow going.

We did make good progress though and were back down at Bobbin Bobbin Falls at 4:45pm.  We wondered down the track about 100m which is steep and probably the last thing you want to do after pushing yourself realy hard for 6 hours.  The legs were a bit wobbly on the way down, but this was made up for easily with the fresh cool water.

Back up to the main track after 20 mins at the falls we were back at the car around 5:30pm.  What a day full of hard climbing and pushing the body really hard.  Got to say I love to trash the body in this way and it always feels good food for the soul.

So all in all, we probably spent 10 mins at the Western Peak, 15 minutes at the summit and 20 mins looking at Bobbin Bobbin Falls.  Soooo, setting off at 10:45 and arriving back at 5:30pm, (less the above) the climb took us 6 hours to complete.

My closing thoughts, certainly not the toughest or steepest climb…that belongs to Mt Bogong (Victoria’s highest peak), so where would I rate the challenge…probably the same as Cradle Mountain.  The downsides, the leaches and the condition of the track, the upsides the amazing (although) limited view from the summit.  Make sure you pick the right day and you will enjoy QLD’s highest peak.

What else can I say…I’am at the top…and you’re not…get out and give it a go!!!!!!!!!!

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auB-UCoXC6g (Must See, Bushman Bud reflects on epic trip)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1lLxSE-Dl4 (Vista 360 degrees at Mt Ossa)

Rising from a restless night sleep at 5:00am I grabbed my back pack of basic supplies and headed for the Arm River Track.  The information on this track suggests a 40 klm return to be completed over 3 days.  I had found this track as an alternative from the Overland Track which would have been an 80 klm round trip.

Driving to the start of the track was an interesting experience.  My mind was playing tricks on me and doubt had set it.  I lost count of the number of times my head was saying turnaround, this is silly, its too far for one day, etc, but desire and determination kicked in. 

Starting out at 6:45am along the track I did the first klm or so in the dark.  The first major incline was done in the near dark and it was freezing!  To the top of the initial steep climb can not be further than 2klm and the doubt started again due to the length of time it took.  I kept telling myself how much do you want this…keep going…move faster.  The track after this point became a little easier and very picturesque following mountain ranges and beautiful inland lakes and what I called the “Enchanted Forest,” which was an ancient rain forest along the track.

I pushed myself towards the end of the Arm River Track andthe intersection of the Overland Track signified by the Pellion Hut.  Time seemed to pass so quickly and I was surprised when the hut popped into view a lot sooner than I had imagined.  I arrived at the hut at 9:45am and for the first time new I could make the return trip.  Pellion Hut is about 1/3 of the way along the 40 klm round trip.  After making this in 3 hours I figured I was a fair bet.

Pellion Hut is huge with lots of space to hold many travellers and is sectioned into rooms of four bunks.  There is a heater and toilets so for the weary hiker a welcome spot to hang the boots and spend the night.  The hut eased my mind as it was a good fail safe if I needed rest later in the day.

Leaving Pellion Hut you join the overland track and follow a creek for some time before commencing an upward steady incline from 900m to 1,200m where you meet up with the Mt Ossa Track.  The walk is through beautiful forest where there are many birds and other animals to spot.  I was still feeling really good when I arrived at the Mt Ossa track (other than a near disaster avoided when a fellow hiker informed me that my backpack was undone…I was just about to lose my food…ouch).

The Mt Ossa Track is a 5 klm return track to the summit.  To get from Pellion Hut to Mt Ossa intersection is around 4.5 klm, making the Pellion Hut to Mt Ossa summit return about 14 klms.

The track to the summit of Tasmania’s highest peak was realtively easy.  The best comparison would be the climb to Cradle Mountain with a little bit of rock scrambimg towards the top.  Saying that… the rock scramble would not be as difficult nor as lengthy as the Cradle Mountain summit.  The scariest part about the Mt Ossa climb is the lack of markers.  I headed off in the wrong direction a few times on the way up and one on the way down which took me very close to a rather large drop off.  Be warned and really look for the track carefully…if the boulders are not rubbed by peoples steps then it is a good chance that you have gotten off track.

One steep step up gets you on top of Mt Ossa at 1,617m.  The disapointment for me was the lack of a cairn stone to mark Tasmania’s highest point, however the view was spectacular and awe inspiring.  From up above the Lake St Clair, Cradle Mtn National Park is awesome and Mt Ossa is very close to the middle of this beautiful spot on Earth.  It is a must do! 

I must admit getting to the top of Mt Ossa was not only awe inspiring because of the vista but also because this had been a goal of mine for some time and part of my bigger goal to climb the highest mountain peak is each state.  There was some raised arms and a large yell when I got to the top much to the surprise of some people already enjoying the tranquility of being at the top.  For me there were some mixed emotions and a whole lot of joy.  I had exorcised some demons getting to the top of the mountain and still had another 20 klm to travel to get home…the job was only half done but at least every step from now on would be closer to home.

What can I say “I’am at the top, and your not.”  “Get off your butt and give it a go!”

I completed the Mt Ossa summit in 5 1/4 hours from the start of the Arm River Track arriving at the summit at 2 mins before midday…well on track to complete the day circuit.

It was freezing on top with the wind blowing its box off.  As a result my muscles had tightened a little and it was a gingerly climb down the mountain until I loosened up again.  Arriving back at the Overland Track intersection I had a quick feed, grabbed my back pack (which I had left here whilst I had done the summit track) and headed back towards the Pellion Hut.  Along the way I had someone comment on the size of my backpack (being rather small), I teased…I like to travel light…little did they know I was on a 40klm day trip mission.  Watching some of the people struggle with massive packs was interesting and an insight into how much they would struggle to complete the same distance.

I arrived back at Pellion Hut at 2:36pm, making the Pellion Hut, Mt Ossa, Pellion Hut trip almost 5 hours, including about 40 mins of breaks.  Still on track I left the safety of the hut and headed for the Arm River Track.  I was still feeling great and it was not until about 3 klms to go that my feet and legs started hurting.  By then I was too close to my goal that the pain really didn’t matter. 

I arrived back at my car at 5:17pm making it a 2hr 40 min trip from Pellion Hut to the carpark at the start of the Arm River Track.  To my amazement I had actually travelled quicker of the way home.  10 1/2 hours in total and if you take off half an hour at the summit of Mt Ossa, I had completed the 40 klm trip in 10 hours at an average of 4klm/hour…WOW!!!

Getting back I was over the moon, I had killed off some demons, learnt that I was fitter than I thought and left myself with the feeling that anything was possible.  It is amazing what desire and determination in life can bring you.  I never thought this possible at one stage and then thought it would take me to the boundaries of my endurance.  To be honest even though I was drained and tired my determination and the unrelented pursuit of a goal had got me this far, to where I needed to be and I could have gone further…a lot further if the question had been asked.

I have now completed one more part of the highest peak challenge and feel alive and reenergised from completion of a goal.  That is why it is so important in life to set goals because it is amazing what you can achieve…goals push you to new boundaries that you never believed you could cross, they teach you about yourself and give you confidence to operate at an even greater level…as Zig Ziglar drummed into me early in life, “You gotta have goals!!!”

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia 

With a short break in the weather and winter closing in; tommorrow is my chance to claim Tasmania’s highest peak Mt Ossa.  I am all packed and ready for a 5am start, sunrise at 7:15am so I should get a good start on a 36 klm return hike that I plan to do in one day.  This will be a tough challenge and I will be blogging all the way and bring you updates on “SPOT” for those who have subscribed.  My subscribers will know instantly the time I hit the summit and bag the Mt Ossa Peak.  I am excited, nervous and eager with anticipation.  Skies are clear, conditions mild not cold and I am as fit as what I have been in a while, so hear goes…

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia

Well we all made it up Cradle Mountain this time around.  Joey Jess (7) on her second run and Orangatang Amy (5) on her first attempt.  We followed the track from Dove Lake to the interection of the Overland Track and Dove Lake Track (about 300m from the carpark).  We turned left towards Dove Lake and followed the lake for 500m before turning right onto the Marion’s Lookout track (a steep track ascending the mountain almost directly up).  From the beautiful vista of Marions Lookout we joined up with the Overland Track and onto Kitcheners Hut and the intersection of the Overland Track, Face Track and Cradle Mtn summit track.  Onwards and upwards to the summit from there, including some great video blogs of the rock scramble showing some of the more difficult and steeper parts. 

After leaving the carpark about 11:45am we reached the summit of Cradle Mtn at 4:00pm.  The view was amazing with clear skies in every direction.  Unfortnately the metal disc at the summit showing all the other mountain peaks in the park was missing.  Was it stolen?  That would be my bet because it hardly needs maintenance!  It looked as though it had been souveniered similar to the Cape York sign at the northern tip of Australia.  What is happening to this great country of ours when these simple icons cannot be left alone to be enjoyed by all.

Anyhow, descending Cradle mountain we headed back to Marions Lookout and this time decided to follow the Overland Track back to Dove Lake car park.  This track is just as steep (if not steeper) leading down/or up from Marions (depending on which way you are going) so don’t be fooled that it may be the easier if the two tracks to Marion’s.  In fact my assessment is that it was the harder of the two tracks. 

The Overland Track is at least a couple of klms longer but does have the advantage of passing past a couple of beautiful inland lakes including the very quaint Wombat Pool.  We arrived at Wombat pool about 7:00pm and with the setting sun and Cradle Mtn and Marions Lookout in the back drop it was a very dreamy place indeed.

Back at the carpark about 7:40pm made for a long day.  The kids would have benefited taking the steep and shorter track back down from Marion’s Lookout, but hey, thats what happens walking in this great land of ours.

Cradle Mountain is an exciting climb and well worth the effort.  It is one of the places I relate to as a “place of breath taking beauty,” so get to Tassie and give it a go.  Apparently on a clear day the best views are early in the morning…so there is a parting hint.

Video blogs to follow.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia