Carnavon Gorge

Carnavon Gorge is spectacular!!

As we were relatively close, a trip to visit this wonder of nature was a "must" see!

We were not disappointed! The National Park is only open during Qld school holidays, so we stayed at Takarakka Nature Resort. Very crowded in the powered sites area, but not where we were placed in the non- powered camper sites.

A long strenuous walk of 14 odd kilometers meant that we saw most of what the gorge had to offer. Some of it is up ladders and stairs, so the knees were given quite a work out!

 

The moss gardens are constanly fed by dripping water, leaking out of the sheer rock face. The rain in central Queensland seeps through the sandstone and limestone until it hits a layer of shale, which prevents it from seeping further down. This is trapped in the artesian water course, which is used over much of Australia. Here at Caravon the water comes out in the form of springs because the sedimentary rock is cracked and crazed.

Below is a grove of cycads or Warwangs! They towered over us! Amazing!

Bird nests clung to rocks and trees. A very lush place in the middle of aridness!!

 

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Sapphire

Two wonderful days were spent on Sapphire and Rubyvale. Fossicking has proven to be great fun, with a few sapphires to prove it! Nothing big but enough to get facetted!

The Sapphire caravan park was an unexpected delight. Discreet sites, very quiet with amazing facilities! The best ever camp kitchen and barbeque areas were equipped with everything that opens and shuts.

 

This is the camp kitchen!!

Both Janice and I fossicked for sapphires at a mine set up for the purpose! Janice found 5 worth cutting and I found 3! We had them cut overnight. They lok beautiful! Jacice had 2 of hers set in rings. One is a parti-coloured stone and the other a very rare yellow! 2 of mine are blue and the third a blue/pink! It was such a buzz to find our own!

 

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Lake Maraboon

The coast was extraordinarily busy, the weather continued to be cold with the possibility of further showers, a sorjourn into the outback was the best option.

A long day's drive to Emerald and Lake Maraboon was the decision. Here we were packed in like sardines into the caravan park. At $32 per night for an unpowered site, we felt this was a bit much! Far too few tiolets and showers for the huge numbers of people packed in. Some however, choose to stay here for the entire winter period!

 

The lake is magnificent and hardly a soul about!

 

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Byfield National Park

Just north of Yepoon is the Byfield National Park. We had to deal with Parks Queensland again!!! This is an impossible organisation to deal with! In order to stay in any Qld national park, you have to make a prior booking. The booking service is unavailable on line due tone antiquated nature ofntheir "new" internet website! So after having phoned to make the booking, some 45 minutes later we had a spot. However, when we were travelling to our destination, we discovered that it was going to be an additional 50 klms of highly difficult, four wheel drive only, and in the dark travel. So we asked QNP to change the booking! Impossible was the reponse, because the system won't let us!!! Another booking was required but without recompense for the previous money already spent!

The campsite we chose was beautiful under tall palm trees and some kind of pine.

 

 

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Hervey Bay

Missed a post!! Prior to Miara, the weather was unpleasant. It poured with rain as we were driving out of Bundaberg. It was decided that we would hire a unit in Hervey Bay. Boy, were we glad that we did!! The heavens opened as we arrived and deluged the town! So it was wonderful that we didn't have to sit out in it!

A quick walk on the beach before heading off for our tour in the Bundaberg rum factory!

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Bundaberg and Miara

By this time it was the weekend. The weather still continued to be windy, wet and cold, the Queenslanders were out in force for the weekend. So Fraser Island, hopefully will occur on the way back!

Janice booked a tour of the Bundaberg Rum Factory. This was fun. Peter and Don enjoyed the tastings, especially the licqueur rum! The smells reminded Sue of Uganda and the smells that wafted from the sugar factory over to the tea estate!

Interestingly neither Peter or Don purchased anything there!!

Again it was quite late before arriving at our next campsite - a small fishing enclave called Miara. We were a little daunted by the numbers of permanent dwellings (steel plus canvas) adorning the entire area. As it was almost dark by the time we arrived we had little choice but to stay!

It turned out that almost no one was in residence so it turned out to be very quiet and very lovely. Again we had waterfront positions!

 

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North Noosa Great Sandy National Park

The weather in Queensland continued to be cold. It became important to us to travel north as fast as possible to try to catch the warmer weather. So far we had experienced temperatures that were far cold that Potato Point! The Great Sandy National Park has a camping area run by the local shire council. Here we has a foreshore campsite.

 

It was a rush to get there as we needed to catch the ferry and be in time to be at the office. On arrival we were allowed to select our own campsite. As a group of 40 4X4's was due to take up a section of the park, we chose to take the other end. Here not too many others and a perfect site!

 

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