“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” – John Lubbock, The Use of Life
A change of pace for this post. After writing about a hot, dry hike and burnt bushland last week I thought it was time for some lake relief. About 100km SW of Brisbane, Lake Moogerah is part of the Moogerah Peaks National Park and one of my favourite escapes. I usually make day trips but on one very memorable occasion I camped with my daughter in autumn and we were treated to a mysterious mist.
Rather than detail the events of each trip, this will be a photographic report of my combined visits to the Lake Moogerah area. I am sure the readers of this blog will enjoy a holiday from my long winded accounts anyway! I hope the images speak for themselves. We stayed at camping grounds right by the lake which enabled us to get up close and personal with the local waterbirds.
Weekdays are preferable as the jetski crowds descend on the weekend and disturb the serenity. On a few occasions we’ve walked the short but steep track to the summit of Mt Edwards, which affords a great view of the Fassifern valley. Mt Greville, visible across the lake, and Mt French are other peaks we’ve walked, and good choices if you want to avoid the masses. I’ll be writing about both in future posts. For now, here are some scenes from my Lake Moogerah escapes. Camping at Lake Moogerah with my daughter was a very special memory for me. It was one of those spur of the moment trips where I decided if we didn’t do it now, we never would. It was one of my better decisions, unlike last weekend, when the conditions did not really suit my hiking companion…
This sight greeted us in the morning after a chilly night in the tent.
Just detectable through the mist, a graceful black swan.
A chilly night meant some quality time by the campfire.
Bordering the national park are cattle properties. This was a scene from near our camping grounds.
Grass tree forest on Mt Edward summit walk.
View of the Fassifern valley from Mt Edwards.
Good posture from this bearded dragon.
A noisy visitor above the tent.
The changing mood of Moogerah. A freak storm had us running for cover and turned the lake silver.
Last photo courtesy of my son who first introduced me to Lake Moogerah.
Mildly Extreme 
Hi Jane – yep, love the post – very evocative … and the dragon – well!. Next time we head down your way I’m gonna use this blog as a guide to getting out and having a shoofty – so cheers … it’s just brilliant! 🙂 – Take care
Paul.
Well, if you need someone to drive you and Jo around while you are down here let me know! I’m always happy to show people around the place and I’d love to meet you both. It’s so nice to know people who share a similar passion for wildlife. I promise I won’t make you do any long hikes! Thanks for the encouraging feedback, Paul. 🙂
Lovely.
Thanks, John. 🙂
Gorgeous photos!
Thanks, Andrew! I’m glad you liked them. 🙂
Great photos of an amazing place….I can’t even pick a favourite….excellent Jane…just excellent 🙂
Thanks so much, Brian, for the encouraging words. I’d love to be able to take close-ups of birds like you do though! 🙂
Sneakiness is an art lol
Hahah… I probably could do with some lessons in stealth, but I am pretty sure there are other skills involved as well that I am lacking. 🙂
I loved seeing this selection of photos. What a beautiful place that is!
I am glad you enjoyed it. And thank you for taking the time to comment. It is lovely to receive feedback. As for beautiful places, I think Montana has its fair share of spectacular scenery, judging by the glorious images in your blog! 🙂
I love the photo of the fence post with the cobweb delicately jeweled by mist/fog/dew. Fantastic!
We had our year 11 camp at Moogerah Dam and had a great time. Sorry to say that was a while ago now and I haven’t been back!
Thanks for sharing.
: )
Thanks Dayna! I love a foggy morning. I’d been hoping to take some nice sunrise pics, but getting a mysterious fog was even better. I first discovered this place when my son had a uni camp in winter. It’s still popular for school camps. It was quite dry then but the next year we had floods and the dam was brimming. It’s always cooler there than my part of Brisbane (SW) so it’s one of my favourite escapes in summer. 🙂
Stunning impressions Jane, looks like a magical place indeed… Oh, and I certainly need to take a look at “The use of life” too, sounds marvellous! 🙂
Thank you for your lovely feedback, Oliver! I’ve gained a great deal of inspiration from the pieces on your excellent blog, so I am glad you enjoyed something from mine. I haven’t actually read “The Use of Life” myself but am keen to. The quote I borrowed from it certainly appeals to me. 🙂
Jane, looks like I missed your lovely feedback. Thank you so much for these words, they certainly mean a lot!! Wishing you a wonderful weekend and we will keep in touch… 🙂
Best wishes, Oliver
Great post.Very interesting information and amazing things to know. Wonderful photo’s too.Thanks for sharing.
Thanks very much. It’s a place I visit often and I always enjoy it. Have a great week. 🙂