October 2016 - Queensland Australia

photo of kookaburra at Bunya Mountains and wallaby on hike at Binna Burra......

Have booked accommodation in New Farm starting 21 October near where I lived for two years back in 1995 and 1996 so will enjoy walking to Brisbane or taking the ferry via the river....and the jacarandas and frangipani and flame trees will be in bloom!  Until then I will explore the hinterland and beaches near Brisbane.

31 October 2016 Monday - New Farm QLD
Happy Halloween which is celebrated in Australia but not to the expensive extent as that done in the USA! Heavy overcast and a few sprinkles today. Joined friends Sandra and Ranald for lunch at Cicada's in the city. There is now a Nespresso shop on Queens Street pedestrian mall so every time I walk to the city, I enjoy a free coffee (but no George Clooney)!

30 October 2016 Sunday - New Farm QLD
Drove Sam to the airport for his flight to Sydney to visit his brother Mario. Morning yoga at the New Farm Neighbourhood Centre then a much needed massage! There is quite a bit of traffic on the Brisbane River on weekends as I watch sailboats, ferries, jet skis, motorboats, tour boats and the paddlewheelers.

29 October 2016 Saturday - New Farm QLD
Morning walk to the local Powerhouse Market at New Farm Park where there is mostly fresh produce for sale and food/coffee vendors....then Valley Fiesta festival and markets at Fortitude Valley. Dinner with Sam at Fish's Seafood Market....yummy barramundi!

28 October 2016 Friday - New Farm QLD
Morning walk to the city.....it has been difficult to find good dark coffee to brew from the grocery stores and last Sunday I had seen a shop that sold local dark coffee but they were closed on Sunday so returned today to buy some......then an ice cream at Baskin Robbins!

27 October 2016 Thursday - New Farm QLD
Morning swim at the pool then used computers at the New Farm Neighbourhood Centre to back up all of my photos to external drive.

26 October 2016 Wednesday - New Farm QLD
Since the water is shut off today, walked to the city....market at the Treasury then across the river to South Bank and Art Gallery and Museum and State Library.
Great afternoon meeting and chat with Sandra and Alan in the city.....she and I worked at Telstra when I lived here in 1995/1996......

25 October 2016 Tuesday - New Farm QLD
Morning yoga class with Chris at the local New Farm Neighbourhood Centre then stopped by to visit Sam (my former landlord) and his sister Angela.
They are doing various maintenance projects on the property that I am renting so today was airvents and tomorrow no water and they also installed a new washer in my unit.

24 October 2016 Monday - New Farm QLD
Morning walk along the river on my former jogging trail then a bit of sunbake at the swimming pool.

23 October 2016 Sunday - New Farm QLD
Walked about 3kms along river on the new water walkway rebuilt/reopened September 2014 (destroyed by floods 2011....and it is quite busy on weekends with joggers and bicyclists so have to watch your step) to the Sunday Riverside markets in the city....but they have moved to the botanical gardens and much smaller....just not the same...rain and overcast day so bought the Sunday newspaper to relax on my verandah with view of Brisbane river.

22 October 2016 Saturday - New Farm QLD
Returned my hire car to the city location.....drove almost 8000 kms the past two months! I returned to New Farm via the free ferry City Hopper. The old ferries that I rode twenty years ago are now used as a free shuttle between the city and New Farm.....you must pay for the new City Cat catamarans to ride further! I am now at the New Farm library where I was able to get a library card because I have an address here for the next three weeks so I can do internet and ancestry and check out books/dvds!

21 October 2016 Friday - Brisbane to New Farm QLD
Moved into my apartment where I will stay for the next almost three weeks....I am ready to just stay put for awhile and wander around on foot!

20 October 2016 Thursday - Esk to Brisbane (Spring Hill) QLD (128 kms)
Drove the backroads/tourist routes via Mt Glorious and Mt Nebo towards Brisbane......I decided to just stay at a hotel in Brisbane to avoid the Friday morning traffic into the city......beautiful view of the city from the top of a hill location!

19 October 2016 Wednesday - Bunya Mountains to Esk QLD (186 kms)
All roads to the Bunya Mountains are very steep and some are not sealed! Beautiful morning drive down the hill via Munro's Camp to the village of Crows Nest.....then six kilometres to the Crows Nest National Park for hike along the creek to the Crows Nest Falls, which is now very dry and only a small pool of water. Then drove the Lakes Route via the lakes of Perseverance and Crestbrook (created by dams). I had considered staying at the Ravensbourne Estates where I had stayed many years ago but it is now under new management and very expensive and no one was there! So continued on to Esk to overnight at small motel and catch up on internet stuff which I have not had for several days.

18 October 2016 Tuesday - Bunya Mountains QLD
Beautiful sunny day for visit to the peanut capital of Kingaroy....and to catch up on internet at McDonalds cos none at Bunya and to do a bit of grocery shopping!
Many bird visitors on my verandah.....kookaburras, parrots, roselas........

17 October 2016 Monday - Bunya Mountains QLD
Very foggy morning then a bit of clearing for morning hike in the Bunya forest on the scenic circuit (about four kms).....then requested to change houses because I did not like the one that I was in.....the new one is called Altitude and quite lovely! A severe afternoon thunderstorm with heaps of rain and high winds.


16 October 2016 Sunday - Noosa to Bunya Mountains QLD (263 kms)
Drove to the Bunya Mountains for a few days for some hiking in the bunya  and hoop pines....there are about 100 homes that are available for rent (individuals own the houses then the management team rents them out) which I have done in years past. I initially stayed at the Ecos Studio but very small and dark and not inviting (the owner does his own cleaning but does not do a very good job and has heaps of his junk lying around).

15 October 2016 Saturday - Noosa QLD
Happy Birthday to me and a very nice full hunter super moon! Nice walk along the beach at Noosa.

14 October 2016 Friday - Montville to Noosa QLD (82 kms)
I met Suzette and Robin on the guided hike at Carnarvon Gorge and they have a holiday rental near Noosa and they invited me to stay so am staying with them for the weekend! Suzette has a daughter Amelia and a son Alexander from a previous marriage so was a change to be around teenagers!

13 October 2016 Thursday - Rathdowney to Montville QLD (287kms)
I was driving with my driver's window open on the road from Fernvale to Kilcoy along the Wivenhoe and Somerset dams when I heard something hit my side of the car.....then I heard noise rustling in the backseat.....and I find that a very colorful parrot had come into the car! It was difficult to find anyplace to pull over on this narrow two lane road but managed to lower the rear window for him to fly out! Unfortunately no photos!
Overnight in the Bali cottage at Misty View Montville with my own private pool and nespresso coffee!

12 October 2016 Wednesday - Rathdowney QLD
A day to relax and enjoy the views of the mountains....rain is predicted for the next few days.....and it did rain quite a bit in the evening!

11 October 2016 Tuesday - Rathdowney QLD
Most of the tracks in the Mt Barney National Park are challenging mountain climbs which I would do if I had my hiking boots, but I do not, so only did a few shorter trails. The cottage owners have quite a library of DVDs so watched Philomena this evening.

10 October 2016 Monday - Wyberba to Rathdowney QLD (231 kms)
Drove north on Mt Lindsay Road with views of Mt Lindesay to Rathdowney and Mt Barney National Park...beautiful views from my verandah of the mountain range and the peaks of Mt Maroon and Mt Barney!

9 October 2016 Sunday - Wyberba QLD
Built a fire in the fireplace last eve and watched the cows and kangaroos grazing in the field off my verandah! Great hikes at Girraween National Park...this is granite country...heaps of boulders....and heaps of colourful wild flowers (it is now spring in Australia).

8 October 2016 Saturday - Wyberba QLD
Beautiful morning sleeping in until 5 and then Glenn delivered fresh warm bread at 7am which I had with my farm eggs. Drove to Tenterfield to visit the library for free use of internet....now off to hike Bald Rock. I am on the border QLD and NSW where there is one hour time difference due to QLD not on daylight savings and NSW is on daylight savings!

7 October 2016 Friday - Gold Coast to Wyberba QLD (344 kms)
Drove south on the motorway M1 in QLD then A1 in NSW....good to finally get off it near Byron Bay and drive the country roads B62 to Lismore then the B60 via Casino to Tenterfield. Plan to spend the weekend hiking at Girraween National Park and hopefully Bald Rock if it does not rain. Staying at the Wisteria Cottage where I have stayed in the past when it was owned by Robin and Alba. Robin died and Alba sold it to Terrie and Glenn Costello in May 2015. Alba would make homemade chocolates but these folks now only sell chocolates made by others.

6 October 2016 Thursday - Gold Coast QLD\
Morning walk to the local cafe Le Vintage Boutique for cappuccino and wifi! Forecast is for more sunshine so returned to the Nerang pool for a few laps and a snooze....and then short walk to their library for last bit of internet before I am back in the hinterland and no internet for a few days!

5 October 2016 Wednesday - Gold Coast QLD
Getting ready for the next bit of my journey to Girraween National Park on the border of QLD and NSW. The Robina/Gold Coast area has grown immensely.....very large shopping mall and great library with free internet.
The beach yesterday was nice but too much noise from dogs barking and kids screaming and jet skis and helicopters and sand and flies.....so today found the pool in Nerang which was lovely!

4 October 2016 Tuesday - Gold Coast QLD
The sun is back and the long weekend is finished so drove to Surfers Paradise for a walk on the beach and then a bit of beach time at the Spit.....there is SO much more traffic than when I lived here twenty years ago!

3 October 2016 Monday - Gold Coast QLD
Hiking at Binna Burra Lamington National Park...but shortened by wind and rain storm! Wonderful coffee and spinach/pumpkin quiche at Headmasters Cafe. And then the storm really hit so decided to just go back to Sam's and watch the tellie which has nothing worth watching!

2 October 2016 Sunday - Gold Coast QLD
Early morning drive to Springbrook National Park to hike the trails and view the waterfalls and beautiful views of the Gold Coast (early to avoid the crowds that will be out and about on this long holiday weekend).  I am always amazed to see the towering highrises along the coastline. When returning I was stopped by the stopped cars in front of me due to a fallen tree....I was only the third car back so this had just happened! One of the drivers lives close by so he went back to get a chain saw and in about fifteen minutes, all was cleared.
Home to wash some clothes to hang out to dry cos there is rain predicted....not many folks own dryers here and it is great to have clean clothes off the clothesline!
Forgot to mention that it is great to drive on Sundays and listen to Macca in the Morning talk show....Ian McNamara is a bit of an Aussie version of Garrison Keillor.

1 October 2016 Saturday - Gold Coast QLD
Great sleep at Sam's located between Nerang and Worongary. He owns a house where he rents out the upstairs and keeps the downstairs for his visits (he lives fulltime in New Farm). Morning visit to the library at Robina since most everything will be shut for the holiday on Monday.
Daylight savings time in Australia on first Sunday in October (ends first Sunday in April) except for Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia.