Maureen's Travel Blog

We woke up in our bunk beds to a beautiful sunny morning. Actually it was 5.30am and some exotic bird whistling on the balcony rail had alerted me to the fact that I had agreed to an early morning dip in the ocean.

Credit to Kylie for the above 3 pics

We all made our way along a track behind the hostel through a mini forest over a rickety bridge and there spread before us was a huge expanse of lovely golden sand and and even bigger expanse of summer blue Pacific Ocean, It was just the sort I liked with good sized breakers crashing on to the beach, ideal for keen surfers but I was there for the jacuzzi! Jera went for a jog while Kylie, Ash and I ran into the surf without hesitation. It was warm and inviting.

We returned for breakfast in the hostel, a self-service affair of toast and tea which we ate on the open balcony surrounded by palms. We were then picked up outside for our long-awaited day on Lady Musgrave Island.

We boarded the catameran speedboat to a cheerful welcome from the crew and were shown to our seats. I wondered at this point whether we would have to remain seated for the duration of the hour and a half journey to the island. However, I was soon to find out why as we headed for the open sea. With a blast on its horn, there was a surge of power and the boat rose up onto the crest of a wave where it leapt from one wave to another. There were whoops of oohs and ahhs at first which settled down for the remainder of the journey. Jera became seasick to put it mildly and was taken to the back of the boat to aid recovery. Once we realised we had to hold on very tight when moving about the boat, we were allowed up front on deck. It was just amazing, like the bow of the Titanic but better! Some of us caught sight of a sperm whale surfacing and then diving in the distance. Wow this was something I hadn’t expected.

Soon our magical experience was to begin as we neared our island. Lady Musgrave Island is an uninhabited coral cay in the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world’s greatest natural phenomenons and a World Heritage Listed Marine Park. Lady Musgrave Lagoon’s amazing colours and beauty are unsurpassed anywhere in the world, boasting an abundance of coral, fish and turtles, all of which we were about to experience first hand! The first thing that hit us was the incredible turquoise colour of the water as we entered the lagoon. The only place I had experienced this before was on an island off Indonesia where there was also coral.

As the vessel was secured at the pontoon, we were informed of the events of the day. It turned out to be more than we ever expected! We all took to the water straight away and spent a considerable time exploring the amazing underwater city of coral inhabited by the most beautiful and strangest creatures on the planet. This was all in colours you just don’t see anywhere else…..not even on a watercolour painting! But the highlight of the day was glimpsing a green turtle and swimming with it. Such a calm and effortless experience. This creature is totally different in water to on land, amphibeous though he may be. We were free to snorkel in an area probably the size of a football pitch. We were put in groups to do various activites throughout the day which included snorkelling, a visit to the island, scuba diving, semi-submerged boat, fishing, or just relaxing and watching the activities.

Lunch was just the best – a variety of cold food including roast chicken joints, fresh king prawns, various sliced cold meats, delicious mixed salads and sliced tropical fruits, such as pineapple, melon and mango…. and as much as you wanted!

A dozen or so of us went ashore on the little island. We were told about the awesome variety of birdlife and vegetation including Pisonia trees, Lady Musgrave Island’s primary vegetation, with She-Oaks and Pandanus trees also featuring prominently in the island’s makeup.

We saw many white-capped Noddy Terns which can be found nesting in the Pisonia Trees while the Silver Gulls, Bridled Terns, and Black-naped Terns nest nearer the beach on more open ground areas.

Most notable of the non-birdlife are the Green and Loggerhead turtles, which nest on Lady Musgrave Island between November and February.

Apparently, Leopard sharks and Whitetip Reef sharks hunt in the shallows around the island but aren’t a danger to humans.

The island is quite tiny and we walked through to the other side and then back round along the coral beach. I now know how Robinson Crusoe felt, complete with hammock! Idyllic (for a while maybe).

By now it was time to return for tea which was actually an English style cream tea complete with scones jam and a dollop of cream – yum!
At 3pm we sadly had to leave this paradise and return before low tide. However, there was more excitement to come; at one point a school of dolphins accompanied the boat. It was such a joy to catch their shiny fins as they moved effortlessly through the water and in front of our boat. A little later my Korean companion, who I’d been chatting to on deck, exclaimed “Look, what’s that?” It was what can only be described as ‘a shower of’ flying fish glinting in the late afternoon light. I am always amazed at how long these fish stay airborne. Fortunately Jera was fine on the return journey. Heavy seas is apparently something the mind has to adjust to.

The sun was slowly going down over the ocean as we approached Agnes Water again, however the tide was very low and we were asked to move from bow to stern and back again in order to shift the weight on the boat to stop it getting stuck in the sand. This all added to the excitement of the day. The skipper finally managed to dock with cheers from the passengers and we disembarked with a hi-five to each member of the crew. What a magical day!

Finally we watched the sun go down over the Pacific Ocean in Bustard Bay, a rare occurance on the Queensland coast!

Ok a beautiful sunny morning, fairly cool and, car all packed, we got away just after 8am to tackle our 600k drive to Agnes Water.

The journey was dotted with new sights and experiences along the way, many just noted as we sped along the highway. As we turned off the main Warwick to Toowoomba road, past the Zoo, we entered lush farmland towards and through Lockyar Valley,

Mama Creek and Gatton Town. We then passed a sign saying Somerset! So appropriate because suddenly there were acres of fruit trees, not apples but ‘stone’ fruit.

We saw many inviting signs on the side of the road: Passion Fruit, Avocados, Mangos, etc.

There were also timber plantations; Paulownia – small slender-trunked trees planted very close together. Kylie pointed out a Queenslander, which is a style of house with a double staircase at the front up to the balcony and built high up off the ground for air circulation. It was a very pretty old style. (I may get a photo later.)

We stopped at The town of Esk (“Picture Esk”, the sign said) for our coffee/tree climbing break. (I had the coffee!) Here I sighted a Butcher Bird. There seem to be many black and white birds in Australia, the Butcher Bird being another. (bird pictured on right, spot the rare species of monkey in the tree on the left! The only species of monkey in the whole of Australia.)

After refreshments and the kids letting off a bit of steam monkeying in the trees, we headed on past Toogoolawah (just love these placenames!) and on into the Brisbane Valley where there were more fruit selling signs: Mandarins 6 for $1! Then Bunya Pines on either side of the road.

We saw on the hills evidence of controlled bush burning in preparation for summer and even drove through thick smoke where it had moved near the road. The smell of burning was all around although it wasn’t unpleasant.

As we pulled up so that I could take a photo of my first real Billabong (not a swagman in sight!), I felt the lovely warmth from the mid morning sun on my back and a further roadsign confirmed this, we were headed to “Sunshine Coast”. Sunshine all the way…….that’s what this country is about!

We were now at Kilkoy and wild Bourganvillia grew in abundance. We motored on through the lush lime green of the Camphors and then suddenly noticed in the distance behind, some bizarrely shaped mountains…. these were the Glasshouse Mountains, very steeply shaped like tall pyramids.

Other botanicals mentioned along the way, which I must research, Macaranga (big-leafed sub-tropical tree), Frangipani, Native Figs (not at all like the one I know). We then found ourselves on the Steve Irwin Way and were delighted to discover that a main highway had been named after this amazing crocodile character.

We hurtled on through Mooloolah Valley and Palm Ferns, then towards Gympie where we saw and avoided signs to Noosa. Another place name I noted down was Maroochydor before we finally stopped for lunch at Eumundi, a small and pretty market town with a chocolate factory, Art Gallery and a Winery. We ate our picnic in a park on the edge of what turned out to be an area designated for this little town’s regular market – clearly a big thing here. There was an unusual plant which I thought at first was an oversized Busy Lizzie but on closer inspection realised not only were the leaves not right but there were three flowers each a different colour on each stem – “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” – what a great name!

There were also many beautiful Hibiscus in this park (that was the plant name I coudn’t think of in Sydney Melinda).

We motored on through the afternoon passing through Gympie, the strong aroma of many Camphor trees, Tiaro, over a huge river at Maryborough, noting the beautifully designed man-made steps on the side of a mountain to prevent rockfall from erosion. Grevillia with both cream and red blossom appeared on the edge of a forest area, then finally approached the town of Bundaberg, which was now very near the coast, although we weren’t to see the coast at all that day!

The road to Agnes Water seemed to go on for ever reminded me of Bill Bryson’s interminable travels across Oz). It was probably only another 60k or so but by now the sun had gone down, we were all tired out from the journey (not least our star driver), and every bend we went round hoping to see the sea, just revealed another bend or hill and it got darker and darker.

We eventually arrived at our destination ….phew!! ….and Kylie and the kids jumped sraight in the pool….. I guess it was around 8ish by this time and we did manage to cook some steak and mushrooms on the hostel barbecue which we ate with some takeaway chips. My first bit of hostel life…. more to come in NZ!

Today was spent just preparing for our expedition north. Packing, picnic food, etc. So no pics and no news, oh except that we watched the dvd together, “Finding Nemo”……with hot chocolate and marshmallows in the interval. I just love that movie! …..the perfect preamble to our trip to the Reef. I had forgotten just how Australian this film was.

I did check out the services at the local churches here, including the Cathedral but they were all at 8am only. I do like to experience the way they do these things in different countries. The last Sunday service I attended was in Bicester when I stayed with Emily and Kerrie before leaving for the airport. That seems eons ago! I have to say that since being here, I have felt nearer to God at the top of the Dividing Range than anywhere else so decided to give the services in Warwick a miss today.

Another wonderful day out in the bush with my entusiastic guide and her lovely daughter! We headed out to different part of the range. I thought what a perfect place Warwick was to live; a great little “city” (although I would describe it as a small town) so near to this wonderful subtropical rainforest area and yet only a couple of hours from the coast and Brisbane. We stopped and spent some time just listening and enjoying the sights and sounds at several creeks in the morning where we had our picnic lunch. I was delighted at last to spot the amazing Bellbird in an area at the entrance to Box Forest. I had been hearing his echoing call through the rainforests every day since my arrival but never actually caught sight of this illusive little bird. Here is a photo, slightly out of focus as I had to zoom in from some distance, showing its olive green plumage and orange legs and beak.

I noticed a few butterflies and dragonflies today. Perhaps the previous night’s storm had brought more out than usual, although the day was as dry and warm as ever. The butterfly pictured here is a Yellow Admiral often known as the Australian Admiral; it’s markings are very similar to our Red Admiral in the UK.

In the afternoon we went to Rockwood Dam. I commented on the miles of yellow dirtroads we travel over without seeing another vehicle. The condition of these roads is better than some of our main roads at home that are still full of potholes from the harsh winter. I saw evidence of the serious Queensland floods which took place earlier in the year and were reported globally. The fences around many properties were still under water and the Dam was high.

Some of the new birds and animals seen today for my record
Yellow Admiral butterfly
Bellbirds
King Parrots
Eastern Australian Kangaroo
Australian Darter
Yellow Legged Flycatcher
Masked Wood Swallow
Willy Wagtail
White winged Chough

Oh I must just mention seeing for the first time a Walleroo. This creature is bigger than a wallaby but smaller than a Roo and found mainly on the slopes of the Dividing Range where we were. I smile at some of the names I keep discovering every day here in Oz and am amazed at how many marsupial animals there are here – 140 species!, including Wombats, Numbats, Bandicoots and Bilbies. They have even replaced the Easter Bunny with the Bilby to highlight it’s plight as becoming another extinct marsupial creature.

At one of the creeks, we taught Ash how to skim small pebbles on the water’s surface. She became quite proficient and competitive at this.

This evening we watched the sun set over the Dam. The wind had got up and the water was very rough like an ocean. The main highway was becoming familiar to me now. We stopped off at the IJA supermarket for some provisions including some stubbies and longnecks to accompany our delicious Tachos dinner.

I will not get a chance to update the blog for the next few days as we are planning our big trip to Agnes Water (about 600k) where we are staying for a few days and where we will be taking a boat over to Lady Musgrave Island and the Great Barrier Reef. We do not plan to take netbooks with us. However, there should be lots to report on Friday so be patient.

A bit of homework while you’re waiting: can any of you out there identify this bird:

Too late, I just found it in our new book: An Apostlebird ! Apropriate for Sunday 🙂

This morning I popped into town, a couple of blocks away, to collect my ‘diamond encrusted watch’ from the repairers. This was really becoming rather an expensive watch, I do hope the diamonds are the genuine article! I took the opportunity of having a look at some books on the Birds of Australia and at last found the very one (a field book) which I thought Kylie might like for her future career in Bush Safari as well as helping us now to identify the incredible variety presented to us every day. I would have also liked a book on Aussie wild flowers but there was not one to be had. Perhaps there is an opening for me here??

We set off quite late for the mountains today and Queen Mary Falls. Our first stop was at Brown’s Falls,

a babbling brook beside a high ridge where we delighted in seeing our old friends the Fairy Wrens flitting about among the bushes. Here was a family – male, female and what we assumed were two fledged babies as they were exactly the same but smaller and brown all over.

We spied a similar bird just sitting quietly on a branch nearby and, on closer inspection realised it was something we hadn’t seen before. We immediately recognised him in the new book as being a Red-Browed Finch!

We motored on up the mountain to Daggs Falls. Wow, I could hear the roar as soon as I opened the car door. From the viewpoint, I was amazed at the sheer drop… the water came down vertically from an opening high on the mountain side far down into a ravine below. I took a movie just to recall the whole effect.

As we continued up the mountain road, the skies began to darken. Some rain had been forecast for today although it was still very warm. I caught sight of a red flash… Rosellas!! And commented on how difficult it was to get a good photo of these birds that I had painted for my 2012 calendar. We will get some at some point Kylie said casually. I noticed her excitement as we pulled in to a clearing at our next stop… in fact, she could hardly contain herself! Ash rushed off and came back with some bird seed and we were immediately surrounded (and sat upon) by more Rosellas and King Parrots than you could imagine! Wow what a treat to see these beautiful birds not only at close quarters but happily eating out of my hand. Their colours were just stunning – variations of blues through to greens with crimson heads and they were so gentle as they picked out one seed at a time to shell in the funny way parrots do.

As we were leaving a few drops of rain fell, we sheltered for a bit as it didn’t seem to be doing much but then it came on more heavily. It was 4.30 by now so we decided to head on back down the mountain. It was very dark in the area by now and gave quite an eerie feel to the gum trees in the forest as we descended back to the flat open fields. Kylie thought the rain shower might have been confined to the range but in fact the roads were wet pretty well all the way back to Warwick. However, somehow out of the dark stormy skies, Warwick managed to produce another of Queensland’s stunning sunsets. It almost looked like a double sunset with remnant trails of the stormy clouds in front of it.

Thai Green curry this evening, delicious Kylie!

There were more storms to come however. In the night I was woken by flashes of lightning followed by deep rumbles of thunder. Then I experienced first-hand what seriously heavy rain on an Australian hot tin roof sounded like!

As I take a bite from my second slice of peanut butter on toast outside on the steps I see something flying out of a car across the road; the car moves a few metres and stops outside the new apartment block and the driver hurls 6 more over his roof. I realised then that these were the morning newspaper rolls. In fact I am reminded more and more of Connecticut, where I stayed with my primary school friend Caroline, who emigrated back in the seventies. There are low picket fences (sometimes low brick walling) in front of the properties and each has an individual mailbox on a post beside the gate. Most properties are single storey and have corrugated roofs. Many are built up on stilts. I am told this is to allow air circulation, but it must have been a great help in the awful Toowoomba floods this year!

This afternoon Kylie and I went out for a drive to Connolly Dam…. Every place I’m taken to has a beauty all of its own. I will not go into too much detail here as we just stopped in various places and just sat and watched and listened to the feast of sights and sounds. However I have included a few illustrative photographs.

A couple of highlights during the afternoon however: Firstly at one place we stopped to view a pair of white faced herons nesting across an expanse of water, we heard a scuffling coming from inside a 44 gallon drum used as a waste bin. “Don’t go near it, probably a lizard” Kylie said, but we got more and more concerned for the plight of this creature that had obviously come down the tree into the drum and couldn’t get out again.

We nervously approached the bin to see if we could help but fearing it might be a killer snake or a dingo even, we held back. Finally Kylie held my camera over the top of the drum and took a photo to see what could be making such a commotion among the discarded bottles. It was a Goanna, a type of monitor over a meter long! Quite harmless but we were still unsure how to get him out as the drum was securely fastened to the tree with wire. Kylie had heard how, if you put a branch of wood out to a lizard, it would probably run straight up it and up you too and cause severe scratches, so we opted for tipping him out by levering the drum on it’s side from the bottom. He finally jumped to freedom and ran back up the tree where he settled peacefully on a high branch looking down at us. We stood admiring this incredible creature for some time and patted ourselves on the backs for doing our bit in reuniting him to the wild.

At dusk all the wallabies seem to come out to graze. I suspect they find cool places to sleep during the heat of the day. Kylie says they dig hollows to lie in. On our way home, many crossed in front of the car. We were still driving very slowly to keep a watch for wildlife. It was a bit like a Safari in Kenya. This is definitely an Australian Safari! I love the way, whenever we stopped the car, the wallabies all look up, standing high on their haunches with their ears pricked forward. A bit of a giveaway really as you would hardly notice them in the bush when they’re grazing.

I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph one of these quite close to the car with a little Joey in her pouch, soooo cute. A little later Kylie pointed out an Eastern kangaroo, much bigger and darker in colour than the wallabies. His strong, muscular legs propel him across the grasslands at speeds of 40 mph (60kmh). They are able to clear lengths of 25 feet (8 meters) and heights of 9 feet (3 meters)

As we returned to the suburbs of Warwick I commented on the design of a newly built house. Kylie then took some pride in showing me round the new estate of Darlington Park. I have to say the housing development was beautifully laid out and the architect had a wonderful project as each house was designed completely differently with plenty of glass and angled elevations. The roofs were still corrugated, which I’m told is the cheapest and most effective form of roofing material. However, they were painted in different tasteful colours and the emphasis was more on the frontages and interesting elevations. Each one even had its own mailbox more substantially built, however, from local sandstone, and individually designed as a feature. I must try and get some photos sometime.

Off to the zoo today, Aishling’s surprise holiday treat. First a stop off for fuel at the MATILDA gas station.

En route we pulled in off the main highway as I was intrigued by an elderly couple driving a horse and trap who had stopped to allow their horse to munch. He does more eating than trotting, the woman said. It seems like they often go out together this way. When I asked about the many horses in the area, they became very chatty and we could have talked horses all morning It seems that they were used mainly for Camp Draught and Polo Cross, neither of which I had heard of.

I will include a few pictures here taken at the zoo. My most memorable moments were probably nearly having my thumb bitten off by an Ostrich and being spat at by a Llama. These creatures were clearly indignant at being constant exhibits to the general public! Personally I would rather view them from a distance in their wild habitat, although one of the lion keepers kept assuring us that the white lions would not last long in the wild. They had an easy life here at the zoo where their food was handed to them on a plate (on a stick from up high to be precise to show their size and their teeth) and they had no predators. I always thought the lion was the king of the jungle and what is the point in life if you can’t hunt! The lioness, had clearly lost interest in this circus and was having none of it.

I was interested to see some of Australia’s killer creatures here however, at close quarters, i.e. the Taipan snake and baby crocodiles (not the lion of course). Oh and lunch needs a mention “snag in a swag”. I think I’ve got that right- it is actually a hot dog.

This afternoon we were invited to Jera’s cocktail evening. I must explain that Jera (Kylie’s son) has been doing a hospitality course at TAFE. College of Technology and Further Education. Part of this course involved mixing and serving cocktails! Well, who are we to argue….. in fact what a great evening we had! When we arrived at the college, we were welcomed and shown to our table where orders were taken from a very nicely designed menu. We thought we might have couple …different ones so we could try eachothers. Kylie had a Marguerita, while I chose a Japanese Slipper after consultation with our student waiter. While we were waiting a tiered server arrived laden with nibbles. This was good as we were beginning to get a bit peckish.

It was a while since our snag in a swag. Our waiter was quite nervous and unfortunately this contributed to him spilling just a small amount of my pale green concoction on the cloth (I heard him swear under his breath). No worries mate. We paced ourselves and very much enjoyed our choices. Another? Yes why not, let’s try the Aqua Thunder and the Fruit Daiquiris They looked so pretty served up in their special glasses with umbrella and slice of orange.

Then a large plate of hot food arrived. Ooh yes! deep fried breaded prawns and calamari with delicious sweet dip and he left the plate on our table so it wasn’t long before we emptied it feeling rather guilty, as they were being passed from table to table. But we needn’t have worried as more were on their way from the kitchen. Jera by now had stopped mixing and become waiter for a while. He took our third order, we just wanted to try the B52 and the Brain Haemorage to finish! We didn’t realise until they arrived that these were shots but we still wanted to pace ourselves and tasted them tentatively…. Mmm so good, but such small glasses and they were soon finished. Altough plenty more food came around… not need to get dinner tonight but we ought to think about going.

OK Jera said have one more B52 each to finish and this time you have to knock it back in one, that’s the way to do it! Of course by this time we were not tentative about anything!! One of the student waiters had obviously been keeping an eye on us and came over at the appropriate time to ask if we would like a taxi ordered. What a great evening, thank you Jera.

……needless to say, the blog didn’t get updated that night!

Another day off to chill!! A real lazy day, staying in bed late…. so late that I played a scrabble move with Kylie while updating the blog and was eventually brought tea in bed… I think this could have been a small hint (but it was so nice)! Ashling and Kylie both joined me as I put the last few pics in the blog, which was cool. As I took my smart diamond-encrusted Rolex watch off to shower, I lost the little pin again. Oh but what the heck, who needs time, we’re on holidays!

Avocados on toast with coffee in the sunshine while my hair dried. They don’t seem to do hairdriers anywhere in this country… guess they’re not necessary – it’s already 25 degrees!

There’s really not a great deal to write today…. we read our books, played scrabble, chatted, played a real life game of Wordsearch, chatted some more.

We had a spot of lunch, some leftovers from last night, so nothing much to do there, in fact Ash very kindly brought it to us so we didn’t even have to get up from our horizontal positions on cushions and sofa!

“Flat out like a lizard drinking mate!”

Oh yes, this afternoon I actually got out my sketchbook and did a couple of rather bad sketches, but it got my creative juices flowing a bit…. maybe try some painting soon.

I suddenly heard a bell ringing outside. When I questioned this, Kylie told me it was the ice cream man:

I scream, you scream, we all scream for “Home Ice Cream”

so his slogan goes.

A beautiful evening for a walk round Kylie’s garden smelling the roses……

.

…..and the obligatory mailbox!

Hmm…. dinner this evening. I did peel the potatoes which were to be grated to make Rosti. Kylie is such a good cook and enjoys cooking for her family. It’s so nice to be part of that. Tonight along with the Rosti, we had blade steak and salad.

A slightly cooler day today I thought but clearer. Kylie was pleased there was no smoke haze which we had had most mornings. This was caused by controlled bush fires to prevent more serious fires later in the summer. (Oops Kylie just corrected me, some of these fires were not controlled!) We packed up some necessary barbecue provisions and headed off towards a different part of the range.

As we pulled off the main road I was aware of seriously irrigated farmland on both sides with huge watering facilities. Some of the fields were lush green which was special grass planted for the dairy cattle. We passed through acres of land grazed by horses, not just one or two horses but hundreds, and many with new foals.

As we passed yet another work of art for a mail box at the driveway to someone’s “ranch”, I commented to Kylie on this point of interest and decided that I would in future photograph these Australian mailboxes to make a collection in the same way as I photographed the “Doors of Prague”.

A Brown Snake slithered across the road at this point – the second deadliest, I’m told! The Inland Taipan is the number one most potent snake in the World and is found in this region but rarely seen as it remains in unpopulated areas – thank goodness!

We climbed higher and higher into the rainforests which form part of the Goomburra Main Range and finally pulled in at a beautiful creek, where I was intrigued by hollow tapping sounds that echoed from each side of the water like hollow bamboo being struck against eachother. We could not see the source of this haunting sound anywhere. Instead though we spied a white faced heron

picking its way through the rocks. I took this opportunity of dangling my feet in the cool clear water and suddenly caught sight of a flash of blue, some tiny birds flitting between rocks to bushes. They were tiny Blue Fairy Wrens.

You need to zoom in on this one, the little bird on the rock is quite tiny.

We motored on up through the forest, again seeing many different types of vegetation, mainly the very pretty tree ferns and Blackboys with their distinctive bushy green plumes and dark trunks.

Many giant Stinging trees but fortunately nearby there were also the elephant ears (Cunjevoi), a bit like our Dock Leaves, the antidote for the giant stinger. The Bleeding Heart with its heart-shaped leaves just turning to red (although it is only spring) became quite a common sight on each side of the narrow road.

Towering above us, reaching to the blue skies above the canopy, were Hoop Pines and Ghost Gums. As we wound round the ever ascending forest road, a large grey bird swooped across and alighted on a nearby gumtree.

I jumped out with my binoculars… some kind of bird of prey which was identified later to be a Grey Goshawk. Various birds continued to catch our attention and give us brief breaks as we made our way up to a clearing where we finally left the car and continued on foot up steps created by the natural criss-crossing of tree roots. We climbed through the forest, passing huge trees that had developed enormous flat buttresses for support, like cathedrals.

We kept a constant watch for the leaves of the Giant Stinging Tree as we brushed through the undergrowth. Finally we got to the top which opened out into a wonderful viewpoint where you could see for miles beyond the mountains as far as Brisbane. Unfortunately smoke from the bushfires prevented this today but the view to the next range of mountains with its reddish rocky face was still spectacular as well as the sheer drop down covered by a canopy of rainforest.

We returned to the car and made our way back to Kurrajong beside a creek which was to be our picnic spot.

This was to be not only a picnic but a barbecue! Ashling busily built the fire, while Kylie laid out all the food. Me? I selfishly wandered down to the waters’ edge exploring the feast of sights and sounds emanating from the creek and its surrounds. The bird sounds were just coming from all directions, including that hollow bamboo sound I’d heard earlier. Athough we never actually saw them, we all agreed they must be frogs. We tucked into our salad and barbied sausages and, to our delight a number of birds alighted on the trees nearby, obviously have great interest in any food that might be on offer. Amongst these was the beautiful Bower Bird, the male with his striking glossy blue-black plumage, was much bolder than the female (he had several on tow).

I had seen this bird on one of the David Attenborough nature programmes at home. The Bower bird builds the nest with a roof of twigs held up by supports and takes on some serious interior design to attract its mate, filling it neatly with brightly coloured feathers, berries and blossom and then laying out a lawn of moss in front.

As we threw a few crumbs out to entice the male to photograph, the females became less shy and came forward tentatively with the heads constantly on one side, just checking. In the trees they looked a dull brownish colour but as they came forward into the sunshine, their plumage was even more beautiful than the male’s. They were predominantly a bluish green with a speckled chest and chestnut coloured wings… just stunning! Other birds competing for any spoils from our picnic, and also a delight to watch, were Pied Currawongs and Australian Magpies.

By now the light was beginning to go and we departed.

The drive back was dotted with sightings of many birds, including Kookaburras, Rosellas and Lorikeets.

We also stopped to watch a large flock of Wood Ducks cross the road.

By now the sun had turned its usual deep crimson for the evening and was dropping behind the curtain of trees that lined the top of the mountains. As we returned home we sang the Australian version of Jingle Bells, I picked up the chorus at least, as Kylie and Ash sang:

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut !,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute

Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden Ute,
Kicking up the dust, esky in the boot,
Kelpie by my side, singing Christmas songs,
It’s Summer time and I am in my singlet, shorts and thongs

A beautiful end to another wonderful day!

Today is a day of rest, for getting up late, sorting out some washing, answering emails…. and maybe a few scrabble moves.

I finally ventured out into the bright sunshine at around 2pm to explore the town of Warwick, just a 5 minute walk. It wasn’t long before I came upon St Mary’s Church which looked very English with it’s tower. However, I don’t believe it has bells hung for ringing. Sadly the church was locked and I was only able to peer through a crack in the door to see the beautiful circular stained glass window over the altar.

I proceeded on to the main street. A very laid back Aussie style quiet town but with plenty going on and everything you need. I immediately recognised the trees that had, only a few weeks before, been dressed in “woolly jumpers” for the Warwick Carnival. Kylie had sent me photos.

I had decided earlier that I’d like to buy a cheap cotton skirt as it was so warm and I was fed up with cut offs. I also felt the need to have my hair trimmed, something I didn’t get around to doing before I left the UK. So I returned a couple of hours later pleased with my new purchase in a sale and at last my fringe off my face.

The rest of the afternoon was spent chatting with Kylie and Ashling. Jera was in and out with his friends. I later started reading The Dog Fence…. an interesting book by James Woodford about his journey traveling the length of this fence which divides Australia to keep out the Dingoes. It is so descriptive of his feelings for the tough Australian terrain and its inhabitants.

It was nice just to relax from aeroplane, bus, train and car journeys for a day, although they are essential in this country for getting anywhere.

I must just report on the delicious dinner Kylie made in the evening which everyone voted a huge hit, including Kylie (although she said it herself). This was Natchoes with hot chilli mince, homemade guacamole dip and sour cream – oh it was soooooo good!