Catch up

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2 posts being added tonight.
Don't miss Saturday March 15 - How to celebrate a birthday.

and

Wednesday 19 March
A Very Hot Day.
 Boondall Wetlands to Nudgee Beach return.

After our viewing of the wetland guides on our arrival, the decision was made to walk the 2km Billai dhagun circuit before before having our customary, energising coffee and cake.

The signposts may have said wetlands, but after a long, hot, very dry summer, there was was little to indicate that that was where we were walking. As we ventured to the broad walk, the day's temperature  indicated that it would not be kind.  A small baby brown, slithered rapidly off the path as we approached, but that was all the fauna we saw.

The Boondall Wetlands is internationally recognised as an important feeding and resting habitat for migratory wading birds from countries such as Siberia, China, Japan, Mongolia and Alaska. Recently, it has been recognised by being made a RAMSAR site (RAMSAR is an international convention for the protection of Wetland sites). 

Some time was spent in the bird hide but with no success spotting any birdlife.

As we finally set off for Nudgee Beach, we quickly became aware we were sharing a bike path and needed to stay alert for bike traffic. We appeared to be the only souls on foot. 

Earlier our attention had been attracted to totem like poles.

18 cast aluminium totems symbolise aspects of Aboriginal culture in Boondall Wetlands. The totems refer to food, plants and animals, tools, camp life and the Dreaming, and each totem is placed near a related site, plant or animal habitat. Many of the totems are supported or framed by local weapons including shields and boomerangs.

There were numerous bridged waterways and backwaters.

On one of these, we were in total wonder of a flock of pied oystercatchers who appeared to be walking on water. As we moved closer to them, they took flight together landing a safe distance away. There was no breaking of the surface water for landing or take off and their movements were synchronised.

On reaching Nudgee Beach we diverted from the paved track, to walk through a park to a bayside jetty where we chatted with local fishermen. They'd had little success and their bait nets were being tangled by the swarms of large alien like jellyfish lazily floating by.

Rather than return to the path, we decided to explore the foreshore as far as possible. This enabled us to complete a circuit of Nudgee Beach. Initially we had to venture into the mangroves to negotiate a tidal inlet.

On rounding this bend, we entered extensive parkland with BBQ's and picnic tables. Margot and Laurel quickly nabbed one for some respite from the heat. It was soon agreed that this would be our lunch break as well. Perfect view again!

Nudgee Beach is an isolated, quiet, leafy, sleepy suburb of Brisbane, so it was enjoyable strolling its wide streets, admiring the mix of beach shacks and modern conversions. The flowering gums were vibrant, the magpie melodious and the roadside guavas delicious.

On our return we removed our shoes under the shade of the meleluccas, and were surprised to read on the GPS that we had accomplished 17 kms.  We were feeling a tad bedraggled, but still agreed that yet another walk 'down under' had been satisfyingly achieved. In the words of Laurel "Shedding some sweat in the wetlands, still beats a day at work hands down!"

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How best to celebrate a birthday

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It seems of late that birthdays have a horrible habit of coming around too quickly. The best way to cope is to share it with good friends, good food and wine and doing the things one enjoys the most. In my case, exploring the great outdoors, camera in hand.

9am March 15 saw Frank, Margot, Reg, Laurel and I setting forth for the Hinze Dam. I had last visited a number of years ago, prior to the stage 3 upgrade, which commenced in 2007. We were quite stunned at the length of the wall and all the vacilities provided. Now only open to pedestrians, we walked for 1 km and wouldn't have been even halfway across.

We chose the parkland on the lake's edge for our morning coffee, enjoying the tranquil views across to the far shoreline. It was with great excitement that I experimented photographing with my birthday camera. I was delighted by its performance.

Laurel kindly provided a yummy cake and after a little shoreline nonsense, we returned to the car to drive the western shoreline of the dam to the Numinbah valley and the Natural Arch.

A circuit of approx 1km, took us through rainforest, to the arch created by water erosion over many thousands of years. This erosion had not only created the arch, but also a cavernous area that is home to bats and glowworms. The waterfall, cascading into the rock pool, splashed on a large log swept here during one of our major floods.

We spotted a 2 metre python slithering amongst the rocks, looking for some warmth to sun himself in.

Tyalgum, a quaint, country village of 300, was just a half hour drive from the Natural Arch and our timing for our booking at 1pm was perfect. Their tea room had just been redecorated with a fresh, cheery, Easter theme. Having worked up an appetite, it was relaxing sitting here sipping our wine and enjoying the gratis garlic bread, while our delicious gnocchi and prawns were being prepared. Their flutterbie - butterfly cupcake and ice-cream was definitely worth the drive for.

Our next destination was Point Danger at Tweed Heads. Coffee on the headland overlooking Duranbah Beach was most welcome before the final leg home. How fortunate I had been - rainforest, rural scenes and  waves whispering to me as they ebbed and flowed.

How spoilt can one be? On our return at 5pm, Reg and Laurel invited us to share a glass of bubbly with them, as a near full moon majestically rose above the tree tops of the golf course horizon. The sky was clear, as a gentle breeze wafted, bringing the 1st hint of the autumn evenings to come.

Sheer bliss!

Thank you for visiting. I would love to read your comment to give me encouragement to keep writing.

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Circumnavigation of an Island

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This week [5th March], we decided to explore Coochiemudlo Island in Moreton Bay, just a 10 minute ferry ride from Victoria Point.

It was a 30 minute, mostly rural journey from where I live to Victoria Point. We were a tad concerned that the reluctant rain of the past week, appeared to be setting in for the day, but our luck held. Our timing for the half hourly ferry was perfect, arriving a few mins before its arrival. We were stunned by the number of commuters that were disgorged from its length.

         car ferry

 After meeting up with Laurel's friend, Janine, we took to the sandy beach. The sun was trying to penetrate the clouds, as Janine guided us through the 1st phase of the hike and back to her home for a relaxing coffee, stimulating conversation and viewing of her amazing travel photo books.

At times we had to leave the beach because of on going repairs and regeneration, necessary because of the cyclone of January 2013. So sad to see so many trees up rooted from wind and wave action.

The tide was on the make, and when we returned later in the afternoon the views were quite changed.

             

               

Janine shared her favourite point where she enjoys tranquility and glorious sunsets.

Having another avid photographer along, I felt I was able to cadge a little more time to experiment with my camera.

                         

On resuming our hike after coffee, we quickly discovered that the tide was going to limit our time on the sand. We discovered though, that a pathway and  quiet roads would allow us our circumnavigation. It was quite interesting to observe the variety of beach homes, from shacks to ultra modern and all with leafy cool surrounds.

The eastern side of the island sported stands of melaleuca, while the west was mangrove with trails through it, but our use of these was limited by the tide.

 Not only was the tide blocking our way, but at this point it also appeared that the mangroves were on the war path!

We discovered curlews, where Matthew Flinder's had landed [with views back to the mainland] and information on the 'scarred trees'. One can learn something new every day.

 This gum had thousands of ants climbing to their muddy nest on the 1st branch.

Our lunch view was perfect and the day wouldn't be complete without a little bit of umbrella nonsense.

As we returned to the mainland, our views were of sunny skies and blue sea in complete contrast to our morning crossing.

GOLD COAST SPIT TO SURFER'S PARADISE - 12th March

Today our numbers were halved due to illness and injury.

Laurel and I decided to walk from the Spit to Cavil Mall in Surfer's Paradise, where we joined her family for coffee.

Just as we were leaving the Seaway entrance, we spotted a helicopter chasing a speed

boat. Quite a drama to observe, but Michael assured us it was just a movie being filmed.

                                         

The skies out to sea and over Surfer's were quite ominous.

We were surprised at how empty the beach was for its 8 km length and were delighted that we had it all to ourselves.

On reaching Cavil Mall we spotted 2 'meter ladies'.

The Surfers Paradise Meter Maids were introduced to the Surfers Paradise landscape on the 13th April 1965 to address the bad image created by the installation of parking meters on the tourist strip in December 1964 by the then City Council. This was a controversial promotion, using young women dressed in gold lame bikinis and tiaras, who strolled the streets of Surfers Paradise feeding coins into expired parking meters, but quickly became an international celebration of Surfers Paradise. Now in our 49th year we remain 'the face of Surfers Paradise' after 6 decades.  In 2014 we celebrate our 50th year culminating in a golden anniversary party in April 2015.   

Today the girls are no longer funded by the council, so whilst they still feed meters and chat to visitors, they also have the onerous task of trying to sell calendars, key rings, stubby holders etc to raise money to keep the tradition going.

                           

Yet again 'walking down under' has been invigorating and rewarding.

Thank you for visiting. I would love to read your comment.

For my friends who have difficulty leaving a comment, click on google, click on URL but only write your name and then click publish. Then you have  to type some letters in a box. If you don't succeed with them just try again.