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.

Mt Mathieson and Governors Chair

14 August 2010 - Mount Mathieson Circuit - Main Range

Being a very cold winters morning a larger than expected group of 9 walkers met at the Vic for the drive out to the car park at Spicers Gap. Packs on and we set off up the trail towards Mt Mathieson with Paul in the lead, setting up a brisk pace for so early in the morning.

The track is in very good condition apart from a few branches across the track from the recent heavy winds. Steve had the clubs GPS set with the coordinates for the top of the mount and Governors Chair, something went wrong with the first settings as by the time we reached the summit the GPS was still telling us we had another 10 km to go. A little bit of operator error here but he made up for it with his calculation for Governors Chair, this one was spot on.

We had smoko on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Fassifern Valley and Cunningham’s Gap, slightly marred by the sound of trucks slowly making their way up the mountain road. From here the moderate section of the walk starts as it winds its way up through rocks and the steep slopes towards the peak. Once we were over the top we descended into a very pleasant section of highland rainforest with a very easy walking track with lots of bird, ferns and large trees, such a contrast to the rocky, almost barren slopes that we had just walked through.

Out of the forest and into grassy woodland with grass trees and gums before coming across an abandoned timber jinker from the days when this area was logged. Not far from here we joined the old road and turned left for the walk down to Spicers Gap and then the short walk up over the rocks to Governors Chair. It was just after midday so we had lunch at the lookout, this is a superb place for lunch as the views are endless.

The walk down to the cars after lunch is only short so we called into Moss’s Well for a quick look before continuing past the bell bird colony to the cars. Steve had bought a few bags of oranges from his trees to share with the walkers before the sulphur crested cockatoo beat him to them.

Then on to the small town of Aratula for a coffee, a few vegies from the shop next door and then home to the mountain before 5pm.

Mount Maroon

Its three weeks between club walks this month which is a long time without a walk so I gave Colin a call on Friday and suggested we walk up Mt Maroon on Saturday. Colin is always keen for a challenging walk so he gladly accepted. This is not a very popular walk with the club as it involves an almost vertical ascent of 600 meters to the summit on what you would not call ideal walking tracks. So it is always a good walk to do as a private ‘off club’ walk.

It was a very brisk 6 degrees as we left home so we knew it would be cold on the summit of Mt Maroon which is 400 meters higher than Tamborine Mountain. We were very surprised when we went to park in the small parking area at the base of Mt Maroon, cars everywhere so we had to squeeze in to be able to park, its normally deserted.
I have been teaching myself how to use the clubs GPS, using the instruction book and any other bits of information I could gather from talking to people and off the web. I think I have mastered the basics so before I left home I took the grid references of Maroon’s summit from a map and transferred them into the GPS. At the car park I marked our position there into the GPS so if we got lost I should be able to get us back to the car. Most of the track to the summit is very obvious but there are sections where it is possible to wander off plus we also wanted to walk to the second peak (no trail at all) before we walked back down to the car so it was fairly important that we had a reference to get back to.

The track lead off from the car park across a cow paddock and then up a lightly wooded ridge before the huge boulders and rocky outcrops start, then the going gets tougher. We found a nice spot with views about halfway up the ridge for smoko. Not long after smoko we managed to miss a turn and finished off the track and too far south, this then required a traverse as I knew from past walks that the only access to the summit from this side is up the gorge. We found the gorge and then continued up what I would consider the hardest section. We saw a couple of rock climbers to our right doing it harder than us so we really had nothing to complain about.

As we climbed out of the gorge and onto the plateau of the mountain any sign of the track to the summit disappeared as we were walking only on rock. I turned the GPS on; found enough satellites to give us an accuracy of 9 meters and the compass arrow pointed to our left with an estimate of the distance to go. We continued following the directions and arrived at the summit. The calculations I had taken at home were out by 21 meters and that was not taking into account the 9 meters variation on the GPS. I was very impressed with my newly learned GPS skills.

I know I have told you about my dislike of cairns being built in National Parks and I don’t like the one up here but I am prepared to accept it as it is very old and the only one here. Colin and I even posed next to it so you may call me a hypocrite if you wish. It was too cold and windy to have lunch at the summit so we joined a group of walkers from the Brisbane Bushwalkers Club who were sheltering from the wind just below the cairn.

After lunch we descended from the summit and found our way through very rough terrain to the other peak, it was windy and cold here also so we did not stay long. During our descent to the track leading down into the gorge, Colin lost his footing on a step rocky slope. As he tumbled forward he also knocked me down, somehow we managed to stop our fall before we suffered serious injury. I expected Colin to have skin off him everywhere but as far as skin loss, it was me who came off worse where Colin’s boot had hit me in his initial fall. He did finish up with a very sore rib cage and minus a bit of skin. A very kind nurse from PA Hospital in Brisbane came upon us and dressed my wounds. Whoever you are, thank you.

The trip down the gorge was a very careful descent as we did not want to tempt fate with another fall. Without further incidents we arrived back at the car and being sore and sorry for ourselves we abandoned our normal beer at the Rathdowney Hotel and opted for a quick trip home and a hot shower.

Tallebudgera Creek again

Last week was not a good week for either bushwalking or kayaking, we had rain on and off for most of the week. So when Tuesday was such a nice day Wendy and I could not resist loading the kayaks on the top of the car and heading for Tallebudgera Creek.

We are so much more confident in them now that we have them set up right for us. As we were about to set off two dolphins swam past just a few meters from the beach. We spent the day cruising around the lagoon outside the caravan park, and then we paddled up the creek to just below the bridge on the M1 and back downstream under the bridge on the Gold Coast highway towards the mouth of the creek. A great day paddling.

Thursday we had to take some friends to Coolangatta Airport for an early morning flight to London. We were out of bed at 4.15am, (ever try getting out of bed at 4.15am on Tamborine Mountain in winter) it was very cold. We had left the kayaks on the car as we intended to take the opportunity to go for a paddle before coming home.

It was just breaking day by the time we got back to Tallebudgera Creek from the airport and the temperature was just touching 8 degrees. It was beautiful; the rays of the sun were just touching the crystal clear calm water, almost no traffic on the bridge so the sound of the waves crashing on the beach carried up to where we were.

We had bought a few sausage’s and bread rolls with us so while I got the kayaks ready Wendy put the snags on the electric BBQ and prepared breakfast. Very nice, hot coffee and BBQ sausage’s on a toasted roll, a perfect breakfast for a couple of kayakers on a cold winter’s day. Breakfast finished and cleaned up and before long we were out on the water.

What a day, not a ripple in the water, bird life everywhere and the kayaks gliding through the water with almost no effort. These “Necky Looksha 14” kayaks are just fantastic. They are more expensive than the general run of the mill kayaks but if you are thinking of buying a kayak, the extra few dollars are worth the investment. They are made in New Zealand so you are paying for the real thing, not a copy made in some dodgy foreign country. Remember you will have them for a long time so buy one’s that will last.

After a lap around the lagoon we headed up stream. A quick stop at that lovely little sand and mangrove island up past the last of the houses, we can never resist stopping here. As the tide was fairly low the birds were feeding on the mud flats on the northern bank of the creek, several different species of Egrets, Herons, and Waders with the occasional Azure Kingfisher. We continued on and around the next bend a Sea Eagle flew up stream with a few twigs in its beak. We watched where it landed, a large dead gum tree with its very large nest built on one of the highest branches overlooking the water.

By the time we paddled under the bridge on the M1 Freeway the early morning peak hour traffic was in full swing. The traffic noise was deafening and the fumes were so strong we had to get past as quickly as we could. We paddled up as far as Schuster Park where we stopped for a break and a snack. As we had hit a few sand bars on the way up we knew that the tide was at its lowest, the tide would soon be turning and we did not wish to paddle against an incoming tide so we headed back.

The Tallebudgera Creek is a wonderful creek to kayak in because it has more vegetation than most creeks on the Gold Coast but the worst part about putting the kayaks in where we do is it is very popular with ski boats in the lagoon. Ski boats and kayak do not mix very well.

Apart from the M1 traffic and the ski boats we had a very good day. I was tired by the time we got home but we were very glad our friends had an early morning flight as we would not normally get on the water so early and the day would not have been so spectacular if we had started later.