Second chances can be rare. My last post, The Tarcoola Track, showcased a very short city walk. The 21km Ship’s Stern Circuit at Lamington National Park is at the other end of the extreme and for me was a celebration of being given a second chance. Continue reading
When this twentieth century of ours became obsessed with a passion for mere size, what was lost sight of was the ancient wisdom that the emotions have their own standards of judgement and their own sense of scale. In the emotional world a small thing can touch the heart and the imagination every bit as much as something impressively gigantic; a fine phrase is as good as an epic, and a small brook in the quiet of a wood can have its say with a voice more profound than the thunder of any cataract. – Henry Beston, Northern Farm
A few years ago, Australian Geographic listed the 17.4km, class 4 Coomera Circuit in Lamington National Park as one of the 16 best day walks in Australia. I’m not usually someone who takes much notice of “best of” or “top 10” lists. In fact, I usually avoid them because of their subjectivity. However, in this case I’d have to agree. The numerous waterfalls, creek crossings and lush rainforest justify its inclusion.
“Accept the abundance,” the Cormorant Bay Café waitress ordered with a bow after placing a complimentary freshly brewed coffee next to my meal. Abundance sums up my three explorations in summer of the Wivenhoe Dam area, 80km west of Brisbane. To be honest, I would have been satisfied with much less abundance of sunshine and sweat while attempting to walk the 16km of trails. Continue reading
“The river itself portrays humanity precisely, with its tortuous windings, its accumulation of driftwood, its unsuspected depths, and its crystalline shallows, singing in the summer sun.” Myrtle Reed, Old Rose and Silver
I’ve always derived pleasure from watching sunrises, sunsets and rivers. Given the vast amount of poetry and photography dedicated to these subjects, I’m not unusual in my interest. Sometimes though, we can observe something in nature for years and then be gifted with an epiphany. We view it with new eyes. I had one such moment recently. Continue reading
When I pictured kayaking again after a 30 year hiatus, I envisioned a calm, crystal clear lake, not the flowing, murky-brown depths of the tidal Brisbane River. So when my brother called me up a few days ago for a spontaneous kayaking adventure beginning at Colleges Crossing, I had a few reservations. Continue reading
My last post was about a recent walk in the rain through lush subtropical rainforests in mountainous country. This week I’m dragging you back 15 years in time to Porcupine Gorge, a walk my young family did in hot, dry open country, 1500 km north-west of Brisbane. Continue reading
“Are you made of sugar?” I smiled as I remembered these joking words from my childhood while my little green car struggled valiantly up the winding, slippery mountain road, her windscreen wipers squeaking in protest. No, I wasn’t made of sugar. My body composition is about one third fat. Rather than melt in the rain, I’m more likely to float away. Continue reading
I looked into the security officer’s brown eyes and saw compassion and uncertainty. My offspring had warned me this would happen but they’d predicted it would take place in a park, not a busy shopping complex. Continue reading
What do Keats, drunken pygmy possums, a famous Harry and the TV series, Mad Men, have in common? Well, for a start they’re all mentioned in this blog post. Usually I temper my imagination when writing hiking commentaries but this week I’m exposing you a little to the convoluted workings of my mildly extreme brain. Continue reading
Where have I been? Walking in circles for weeks lost in the Australian outback or lying paralysed in a hospital bed after falling off a cliff whilst taking a photograph of an ant? Maybe I’ve been spending my $70 million lotto winnings or perhaps working undercover for ASIO? Continue reading
I’m a walking pharmacy at present due to a mystery illness which has my face resembling a deformed purple potato and feeling as though I’ve lost a few rounds with more than one karate king. Continue reading
“O Binna Binna, Binna Burra, wherefore art thou, Binna Burra?”
Ever since my last trip to Binna Burra, the eastern side of Lamington National Park, I’ve been in love with this unique and incredibly beautiful region. It’s part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, which includes the largest section of subtropical rainforest in the world. Despite how impressive this sounds, in the tempestuous early days, I wondered whether my relationship with Binna Burra had a future. What were my early fears and how were they turned into infatuation? Continue reading
Halloween is being celebrated in some parts of the world and creepy spider images are often featured. This gives me a perfect excuse to share pictures of my much maligned eight-legged garden friends along with a backyard news update. Actually, the real reason I am writing a creature post is because my Lamington National Park walk photographs were poor quality and I’d like to revisit the area to improve on them. If you like blood sucking parasites and reading about lycra man suffering stay tuned for that story. Continue reading
I’ve been blogging for a year! How did this happen? It’s only due to the kind support of my readers, friends and family so thanks all! It’s been a rewarding venture and enabled me to meet wonderful people from all around the globe. Will there be another year? I have no idea. I’m grateful for the last twelve months of interactions though and especially thankful to those experienced bloggers who gave up their precious time to impart advice and encouragement to a technophobe.
In keeping with a celebratory one year blogging theme and since I haven’t a long hike to write about, I’m sharing a virtual party with you. I’ll also be adding a few reflections as is common when one reaches a milestone. There may even be another survival story going back hundreds of years if you stay awake for the ending… Continue reading
If you’re a regular reader of my blog you’ll be familiar with my adult children, the Professor and Tough Cookie. I do have another child though, the Strummer, who has so far managed to avoid having his pictures plastered over the Internet. His lucky streak ends with this blog post though. I think it’s only fair to his siblings that I share a survival tale involving him. It’s a tale involving a tail. Continue reading
Regular readers know I’m a sufferer of bark bliss, fungi fever, lichen lust, moss mania, and insect infatuation. These distractions mean walking partners need to be passionate about the same interests, have the patience of a saint, or be content to charge ahead without me. Today I reveal my rock rapture, another distraction which contributes to the torture of walking companions. Continue reading
I’ve joined a choir. I’m sure my friends who’ve suffered through my attempts at singing in the past are open-mouthed at this horrific announcement. Before anyone dislocates a jaw, I’ll reveal it was unwillingly done and we hope to disband soon as our combined efforts are not at all pleasing to the ears. Our little household has been moaning, groaning, coughing, snuffling and snorting along with thousands of other Queenslanders afflicted with the imaginatively named Brisbane Influenza.
We’re on the mend now but I haven’t had a chance to go on long walks. Rather than not post anything I thought I’d share more discoveries and oddities from my short wanders around the university grounds in August. Continue reading
Had I known there might be crocodiles on my walk I would have taken precautions. In a scene from a famous UK “reality” TV show, celebrity contestants swam through a crocodile invested swamp with marksmen ready to shoot any creatures that attacked. However, the location used for that episode was in Springbrook, inland from the Gold Coast, about 100km south of Brisbane, and a guaranteed crocodile free habitat. It also happens to be the topic of this post. Continue reading
“If you hurt them, the crab army will come and tear your eyeballs out with their sharp claws!”
I opened my eyes wide in mock horror and thanked the young lad for his sagely advice. It’s not often I drag my hermit-like self out to mingle with the crowds that flock to the coast on the weekend, but on this occasion I was being thoroughly entertained by a pair of young wildlife enthusiasts. Continue reading
I am writing this post in a slightly sleep deprived state due to the antics of my furry friends, the nocturnal brushtail possums, Trichosurus vulpecula, which have been thundering across my roof more than usual lately. I’m not sure what has caused this increase in activity but I’m hoping they take a possum chill-pill soon and allow me a little more uninterrupted sleep. One of them likes to snooze on top of my open garage tilt-a-door, but during a gusty day recently, when the door started to flap, it was in danger of becoming a possum pancake so I had to encourage it out onto a tree. Continue reading
