Daves Creek Circuit

Daves Creek Circuit 

This was a club walk lead by Denise and held on Saturday 11 September.

 Fourteen club members and a visitor (Margaret) appeared out of the woodwork for the clubs walk around Daves Creek Circuit up at Binna Burra. This was in stark contrast to the three lonely walkers who turned up for the ascent up Mt Greville for the walk two weeks ago.

Daves Creek Circuit is always a favourite with the club as it is a fairly easy walk showcasing some of the most varied vegetation in the South East, two great lookouts and at this time of the year the wild flowers are always out.

It had rained the night before so the track was a bit slippery but being a short walk we were not in a hurry. At the turnoff to the Molongolee Cave the group split in two as the track from here to the rocky slab where we have smoko is always overgrown and some members did not wish to walk it. Much to our surprise both tracks have become overgrown so we all had to walk through a thick bush track to get to the slab. The slab must have lost its popularity as a lookout and smoko stop to have become so overgrown.

The next stop was at the Numinbah Lookout before we continued on to have lunch at Surprise Rock. Here the group again split in two with the rock climbers amongst us climbing up onto Surprise rock for a lunch spot with wonderful views as far as the eye could see while the remainder of the group had lunch in an equally as nice spot around the back of the rocky outcrop with its own superb views.

The walk back to the car park was through rainforest including the crossing of a few minor creeks. A discussion was had on which creek is Daves Creek, so if anybody who is reading this knows then please pass this knowledge on to us.

Afternoon coffee at the Binna Burra Café bought an end to another great walk.

Harvey Bay

Fraser Island revisited.   I started a Blog last week to tell you about our trip up to Harvey Bay to go on a 4x4 bus tour of the island but got carried away and told you about a bush walk I did up there several years ago instead. Well I am back with the account of our latest trip to Fraser.

We went up to stay with a friend, John; we were both Sappers in the army back during the Vietnam War. John and Tess had invited us up to come with them on a day tour of Fraser Island and as it is a long drive from Tamborine Mountain we were to stay with them for three nights.

We arrived on the Monday night to enable us to be on time for the 7.30 am tour on Tuesday. The bus took us down to the car ferry at Rivers Head for the trip across the Great Sandy Strait to dock at the mouth of Wanggoolba Creek where we were met by a very large 4x4 bus. We climbed aboard and set off at what appeared to be very fast but in fact was not as the track is very narrow, sandy and the overhanging branches tend to give that impression. We were then informed that we would not be going to Lake McKenzie as the glossy tourist brochure had promised, it was closed for restoration work so we would be going to Lake Birrabeen instead.

Lake Birrabeen is very nice and not as touristy so we did enjoy the visit. Crystal clear blue water, white sandy beaches and surrounded by pristine heath lands, a perfect example of a perched lake on a sand island. Back on the bus for a tour through rainforest, past the old Central Station and down onto the beach at Eurong for lunch.

Part of the tour was a buffet lunch at the Eurong Beach Resort and we could happily say that this was the best lunch we have ever had on a tour, not that we take many tours but it was very good. The tour than proceeded north along the 75 mile beach, this beach is the road on Fraser Island and has been the scene of many horrific traffic accidents so the speed has been lowered to 80 km and all road rules apply.

We had been offered a plane flight at extra cost which nobody seemed keen to take up so the bus pulled up next to a six seater aircraft parked on the beach and the pilot climbed aboard the bus and explained the proposed flight to us. Sounded good so Wendy, John, me and two other passengers got off the bus and boarded this tiny aircraft for the flight of a lifetime. We took off up the beach then out over the ocean before turning for a flight over this magnificent island with its rainforest, numerous lakes and sand blows. Then back down along the beach, over the Maheno ship wreck to land on the beach at the Pinnacles where our bus was parked.

We only had a short time to look at the Pinnacles, made of different coloured sand deposits that are being weathered and shaped by the wind, before we were back on the bus and heading south along the beach for a stop at the beautiful Eli Creek. The water in this creek is so clear it appears as if it is just a bed of pure white sand with fish swimming in it. Then back along the beach to Eurong where the driver washed the sand and salt from under the bus before our journey back through the rainforest to our next stop at Central Station.

Back in the days when the island was logged for its timber Central Station was a small sawmilling community that even boasted its own school. It is almost criminal to think that such a magnificent island was once used for logging and the mining of mineral sands. We owe a lot to the small band of environmentalist who worked so hard to save this island so as we can all enjoy it today.

 We did a slow walk along the banks of Wanggooalb Creek; this is the same creek that empties into The Great Sandy Strait where we landed with the car ferry. This creek is very similar to Eli Creek, crystal clear water with a white sandy bottom running through rainforest.

We all clambered back onto the bus for the trip along the sandy tracks to the car ferry for a late afternoon cruise back to the mainland just in time for Wendy and I to book a seat on a whale watching tour next day.

We were up bright and early for the drive down to the boat harbour at Urangan to board the “Spirit” for our half day whale watch. What a trip, we would have seen at least 75 different whales doing just about everything that whales do apart from breaching. The boat is only a few years old and was only half full so we had a fantastic morning on a wonderful boat.

Lunch was fish and chips on the foreshore at Harvey Bay before driving back to John and Tess’s house for a lazy afternoon with a few beers and a wonderful BBQ that night to top off our visit.

Then the long drive back to Tamborine Mountain next day.

Fraser Island

We have just returned from a few days up at Hervey Bay. We called in there to see an army mate of mine on our way home from North Qld in June. John had invited us back for a few days so the four of us could go over to Fraser Island for a day trip.

It is 5 or 6 years since I have been to Fraser Island and it was then as a bushwalker so we were keen to go back but this time as a tourist. I have very fond memories of the island, the walk I did then was known as “The six day Southern Walk”. I had caught the passenger boat over to the Kingfisher Bay Resort, I then walked from there to Lake McKenzie where I camped the night. Lake McKenzie is one of the most beautiful and unusual lakes in the world. It is a perched lake of 130ha in size that sits 80 meters above sea level on a sand island.

The walk then meanders through an amazing diversity of vegetation down to Central Station, past another couple of lakes to the night camp at Lake Boomanjin before coming out onto the beach at Dilli Village. From there it is a long walk up the beach to the township of Eurong for the third night’s camp which is up behind the sand dunes just north of the town. The walk along the beach can be very dangerous as the beach is the road and the tourist in their 4x4 have no regard for the lonely bushwalker trudging up the beach. Top this off with a liberal amount of alcohol and no 4x4 driving experience before they arrive on the island, it has its risk.

That night up behind the sand dunes while eating my meal for the night I had a very scary encounter with a dingo. He was intent on having my meal so he lunged at my face to try and get me to drop the food. He must have been hungry as it was just a meal of rehydrated curried beef and rice which is not all that tasty. I drove him off with a stick but he still hung around which made for a very restless night’s sleep, not much protection in a nylon tent from a hungry dingo.

The next section of the walk continued along the beach for about 6 km before heading up over the Hammerstone Sandblow, hard work carrying a 20kg backpack up over a sandblow but worth it once you get to Lake Wabby. A lovely little lake that is slowly being drowned by the ever encroaching sand from the Hammerstone Sandblow. I was not impressed by the walker’s camp here as it is on a dry ridge a distance from the lake so I continued on to Lake McKenzie. This made for a long day of walking but the allure of Lake McKenzie made it worth the walk.

I was now a day ahead of my schedule so I decided to spend the last two nights of the walk camped here. The next day was spent swimming in the crystal clear waters of the lake and just lounging around relaxing and swapping yarns with fellow walkers. A day off on a bushwalk is a real luxury that I seldom ever get the chance to do so I really enjoyed it.

The last day of the walk was following the sandy track back to Kingfisher Bay Resort where I caught the boat back to the mainland, arriving in the early afternoon. Wendy was there waiting to drive me back to Tamborine Mountain. A cold beer, a hot shower, a meal that was not out of a packet and a comfortable bed, all the luxury of home but I still missed the joy of being on Fraser Island.

I started today’s Blog to tell you about our trip up to Hervey Bay but have got waylaid remembering a past walk and now have run out of time so I will have to post that story in a later Blog.