Getting Past the Monkey Stage

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DAY 352



We planned to go and do the 3k walk this morning, provided we started it early, it is still only spring but the day temperatures are getting very warm. I had suggested to Caroline that we needed to be away for no later than 7.30am if we wanted to get a good start on the day.

The mornings here at Paluma National Park, admittedly as they are at most places are absolutely beautiful, with the dawn chorus, and if you are lucky enough you may get some wildlife just happening by.

The plan was to go and have a walk, up to the look out and then a swim in the rock pools, they are safe, so thought it be a good idea.

Off we set, with hats on and our obligatory bottle of water, heading for the lookout. You had to cross a dry creek bed that was very rocky, but QPWS (Queensland Parks & Wildlife Services) had put in a selection of concrete stepping stones and a chain hand rail, which was well done and helped guide you in the right direction, although the creek was fairly dry in this area so it did not matter too much using the stepping stones.

We crossed the creek and headed up the switch back until we came to the lookout over Jourama falls, only a small amount of water was flowing but still better than nothing at all, again I expect it would be spectacular in the wet season.

We hung around taking some photo’s for a short while and stopped and chatted to a couple who had followed us up, they were from (W.A.) and had stayed in the same camp area as we did and they had a caravan. They were not sure if it was the right thing for the job as they felt they lost flexibility as to where they could go with a van and thought they may end up with a trailer tent and 4wd to do what we are doing.

We said our goodbyes as they needed to get a wriggle on as they had to be in Charters Towers some time today so they left and we carried on studying the rock formations and enjoying was was by now a lovely sunny day.

We walked part of the way back until we came to the “Rock Pools” I had sweat dripping down my face by now and was looking forward to a dip in the water. Navigating around the large boulders and heavily steeped slopes to find a spot where it would be good to get in.

I didn’t have my bathers, but my shorts are swimmers so just took my T shirt off and got in, the water is fed via the Jourama Falls, and it was straight in to getting past the Monkey Stage.

If some of you newer readers are wondering what the “Monkey Stage” is, it is when you get in to cold water and it makes you go Oooh, Ooh Aah Aah like a monkey.

Anyway this effect didn’t last very long as I was hot and wanted to cool off, Caroline sat on the rocks and watched me wallow around in the water and decided that as she didn’t have her bikini on then she wasn’t going to go in, but she hates cold water anyway so felt it was a good enough excuse.

After my cool down, we walked back, hoping that we may see a snake basking in the morning sun, but to no avail. We see Charlie out on his morning walk, he is heading up to the lookout and will too have a swim on the way back.

We got back to our trailer and as it was Sunday Morning had promised ourselves a bacon sandwich, so it was on with the cooker and away we went. Delicious !! There is nothing like a bacon sandwich with lashings of HP on a Sunday morning.

Our neighbours that were camping not far from us came over and asked if we had any jump leads, as somehow he had drained the battery on his Subaru Imprezza that is only the size of a match box anyway. We don’t have any jump leads, but I said I would take the auxiliary battery off the patrol and bring it over.

As it is a large battery trying to position it close enough to make a contact was hard enough and Justin was trying to make the connection with some large tent pegs. Unfortunately this did not work, so in the end gave him a push, the car was ridiculously light but we soon had it going, he thanked us for our help and went on his way

Charlie had packed up and after his walk and swim came over to say goodbye, so we all shook hands and handed over the address to the blog and he also left, we had another night here so bid everyone farewell and settled back down again.

We were sitting in our chairs in the sun, and looking across the grassy area’s I saw movement I said to Caroline that a big Goanna was heading her way. It came towards us then saw the shade under the Patrol and headed off in that direction and stayed under there for a little while and wandered off to someone else’s camp spot. Ten minutes later someone shouted that the Goanna was heading our way, and stupidly we never got our camera’s.

He plonked himself under the trailer for a couple of minutes then came out climbing over our boxes and other stuff, he walked right underneath Caroline’s chair who was sitting dead still he came in from the left and exited the other side. The Goanna was a good 1.5 mtrs long including his lovely long tail, he just wandered off in to the undergrowth looking for his Sunday breakfast.

We sat around for what was left of the morning and had to change our positions often to stay out of the now hot sun.

Caroline had been given a book by Emma Patterson whom we had met at Captain Billy’s landing, this was the book that got wet when they did a water crossing and it was deep enough for water to get in to their 4x4. It only took Caroline 1 day to read this book, she can just sit there quiet and plod through a book, I need absolute quiet with no distractions for me to get through one.

I typed the blog, Caroline edited it, so we jumped in the truck and drove a little way down the track where we knew we could get internet access, the pictures of our elusive Cassowary were posted up and noticed that the blog count for this month is doing really well.

By the time this was all done and we got back it was time to put our dinner on, so we prepared the camp oven and got our left over curry back on the heat.

It was pitch black by the time we finished our dinner, we had a couple of beers to wash it down with and a few hands of cards and it was time for bed.

There were only two other campers so the campsite was very quiet.

Until tomorrow.

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Photos

Jourama Falls
A bit of a lack of water

Jourama Falls
The top

In for a swim
Cooling off after the walk

Comments

[Ghanashyam]

Nice Place
Really Cool Place...