Beach drive to Indian Head Fraser island

I have to tell you about our day today as it was so good.

Alan convinced me that we would be able to take our car across the Island to 75 Mile Beach, drive 70kms up the beach to Indian Head, and then cross a small bypass to Waddy Head. I am such a wuss when it comes to driving on sand, but Alan talked quite a bit to the tour guide yesterday and he was very confidant. I tried to keep my eeks and yikes to myself and we made it without incident, although we did see quite a few vehicles bogged, but they were mainly pulling trailers with enormous boats etc.

I was navigating and of course we ended up somewhere we didn't plan on going, but it turned out to be really nice! It was called Pile Valley, and it was designated a "Queensland Beauty Spot" in 1937. It is still beautiful. Its a stand of very tall Satinay trees in a rainforest. Satinay is apparently another name for a Turpentine. Anyway we went for a little walk through this grove of trees as an unexpected detour. We ended up where we were planning to go eventually.

The Tour guide yesterday told us to go to Indian Head and it was good advice. Its the only real rock on the island - a bit of granite. We had lunch on the beach at Waddy Point, which is as far north as you can drive on the west coast of the Island.

The photos are of Champagne Pools near Waddy Head and looking south towards Indian Head from Waddy Head. An Alan having lunch on the beach.

Finally, I seem to have solved the photo problem

I think its the Telstra Dongle. I am connected to the internet using WiFi at the resort and it looks like its working now, so I have added pictures to the previous posts. I will add another one now, because I can! This is looking north from the jetty at Kingfisher Bay on Fraser Island.

Fraser Island

I told you that Bribie Island was beautiful; well Fraser out-beautys Bribie!

Of course the fact that we are staying in a fantastic eco-resort and we have a room that looks across a lake to the ocean helps with that feel-good feeling.

And, those of you who are connected to Facebook - you would have seen Alan's fish that he caught yesterday. It was perfect conditions for fishing and we were on a jetty where people all around us were catching fish as we walked along to our chosen spot at the end of the jetty. Alan baited the hook and threw the line in. He said "I think this sinker is too heavy" and started to pull the line in. He said "I've got a bite" and he had! Its a yellow finned bream for those of you who care and its well over the minimum size.

Of course yesterday was a momentous day for Australia with our new PM. Being in Hervey Bay when we heard the news was interesting, as you may or may not know that Hervey Bay was/is the epicentre of Pauline Hanson's support. They were cheering Rudd's demise and wishing Julia to follow the same path sooner, rather than later.

Now that I've managed to upload this fish photo, I am going to try add another one of the 75 Mile Beach this morning. Oh, its in the wrong spot - oh well.

Bribie Island

I am still trying to upload my photos onto this blog using the baby computer and the Telstra Dongle. Last night Alan told me it didn't work because the photo was too big. I have compressed it and its still not working. I used Glenys as a guinea pig and she got it on email, so it should upload. (Sigh). These computers have a mind of their own.

Anyway, we have well and truly left NSW behind and are now enjoying the milder weather of the Queensland coast. Mind you the Qld hinterland was bloody cold last night at Lamington National Park, but then we were 900 m above sea level and we are practically at it tonight on Bribie Island.

This is Queensland's only bridged island, I read today in the guidebook. Its also a sand island like Fraser, so tomorrow we have our first drive on the sand when we head up the beach to the National Park. Most of the island is National Park, in fact and there are apparently some WW II gun battlements up the coast further as this was the end ( or the start, whichever way you look at it ) of the so called Brisbane Line.

Cheers

Libby and Alan

Camping in the bush

Last night we camped at Mebbin National Park. Have you heard of it? No, we hadn't either, but it is very nice.

We stopped in Ballina to get the water pump replaced on the camper trailer as the old one was leaking and afterwards we went up to Nimbin. We had lunch in the park there and were entertained by a group of local Aborigines swigging from longnecks and doing dope deals with passing tourists.

Anyway, we went into the Tourist Information Centre in Nimbin ( yes. . . a strange smell in the air) and asked about camping in the hills. The lady recommended Mebbin National Park, which she said had a steep winding road but if we took it slowly should be OK. It was fine.

Mebbin is part of the whole Border Ranges/Richmond River group of National Parks along the Queensland/NSW border. It is a drier rainforest than the others but still had some lovely old figs by the creek. We had a fire which was nice, although it wasn't that cold.

Tonight we are in Lamington National Park, which is part of that same system, but on the Queensland side. Its colder, as we are higher, but sadly, no fires allowed here.

These photos are of the Border Ranges - our last look at NSW for some time and a tree in Mebbin National Park.

Our last night in Sydney

After a super busy day packing those final items into the study and our clothes and food into the car, we relaxed over a delicious dinner at the Royal Albert hotel in Reservoir Street. This is the pub where Alan and the boys used to meet on Thursdays for pool games, and while they thought it was a top spot for that, for non pool players it was a bit ho-hum - even edging into the grotty category. The pool table has gone - perhaps sadly for some- and the room has been transformed into a cosy and clean dumpling bar - and delicious dumplings they were too. The house red was eminently drinkable - perhaps too much so. All our family was there, including Oli, Zoeluma and Matilda, who didn't eat a single dumpling, although she is showing signs of teething.

It was a very fun night, and a good way to say goodbye to everyone and to celebrate Tim's 26th birthday.