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Published: November 9th 2015
Cloud Catcher
Wollumbin/Mount Warning rising up behind the Tweed RiverAfter our chilled-out weekend in Byron Bay, Linda and I headed inland to Murwillumbah (Monday 2
ndNovember) along the scenic Tweed Valley Way. With lush valleys and steep mountains all draped in green wherever we looked, it was some of the nicest scenery of the trip so far; and all presided over by the unmistakeable profile of Mount Warning.
Known as Wollumbin (meaning 'Cloud Catcher') to the local indigenous tribes, Mount Warning is the remnant core of what was once a large shield volcano that erupted around 23 million years ago. What remains of the volcanic plug now stands in splendid isolation amongst the fertile fields of the Tweed Valley, with the outer rim of the ancient caldera (which is over 40km in diameter) now made up of various rugged mountain ranges, including the Border Ranges to the north which form part of the border between Queensland and New South Wales - and to which we would be headed later in the day.
After stocking up on groceries in town, we spent a relaxing hour or two beside the Tweed River in Murwillumbah, from where the ever-present form of Mount Warning (whose summit is the first point on the Australian
mainland to see the sun each day) provided a perfect backdrop to the beautiful, languid river. And with the sun shining down from above, I couldn't resist the urge to jump in and go for a swim across the river and back, while Linda sat quietly in the shade filling up on fresh fruit!
From Murwillumbah we continued in a north-westerly direction, climbing up the southern slopes of the Border Ranges before eventually reaching a pass in the mountains where we crossed the border into Queensland. After setting the time on our campervan's clock back an hour - a consequence of Queensland's refusal to adopt 'daylight savings time' after a three-year trial in the early 90's - we stopped off at a small section of Springbrook National Park to check out the beautiful Natural Bridge, where a mountain stream (the aptly-named Cave Creek) drops through the roof of a cave, creating a rare combination of cave, arch and waterfall!
Continuing on down into the Numinbah Valley, we then doubled back on ourselves to take the narrow, winding and in places rather steep road up to the Springbrook Plateau, which ended just a few hundred metres short of the
Picturesque Plunge
Purling Brook Falls from above state border; and from where a short walking trail led through the rainforest (and past a stand of ancient Antarctic Beech trees) to the Best Of All Lookout perched on the edge of the escarpment overlooking the Tweed Volcano's extensive caldera.
Back-tracking just a few kilometres down the road, we pulled into the campground at The Settlement (also in Springbrook National Park), where we followed another short walking trail to the top of Purling Brook Falls; before heading back to the campground and getting ourselves set up for the night. With just eleven unpowered campsites scattered through the bush - not to mention a sheltered dining area and decent toilets - and at a cost of just $5.95 per adult per night (as with all national park campgrounds in Queensland) we were quite impressed with the quality of the campground. Our impressions were further enhanced when we had the pleasure of meeting a couple of the resident bandicoots who stopped by for dinner; whilst we were treated to a silent lightning display as a thunderstorm passed nearby, yet left a star-filled sky directly overhead... not a bad first evening in Queensland at all!
The next morning we tackled
a 4km loop hiking trail that left from the top of Purling Brook Falls, headed along the cliff-tops and then steeply down to the valley floor below, and then past the falls and back up the cliffs on the other side. From the base of Purling Brook Falls we also took a side-track to a spot called Warringa - where a small waterfall flows into a beautiful secluded pool, offering the perfect opportunity for a cooling swim before we tackled the steep climb back up out of the valley.
And with the late-morning sunshine luring reptiles of all shapes and sizes out of the undergrowth and onto the track, we saw no less than three small, thin snakes (the first two of which were plain brown and no more than 40cm in length, while the third had distinctive yellow bands and was probably twice as long) and as many large, broad lizards - which we later identified as a species of skink. The lizards all seemed in no hurry to get out of our way, while the snakes on the other hand all beat a fairly hasty retreat.
Packing up and leaving the campground behind, we lingered in
Springbrook National Park long enough to enjoy a peaceful lunch at the Tallanbana picnic area, before setting off on a short hike to the bottom of Twin Falls - where our hopes of going for a refreshing swim were dashed by the gathering rainclouds. This was our queue to get moving, so we left Springbrook behind and headed down out of the Numinbah Valley; only to then turn tail once more and head up a similarly steep, narrow and winding road that scaled a parallel plateau to the west, eventually leading us to the privately-run campground at Binna Burra Wilderness Lodge in Lamington National Park.
Having settled into our campsite and said hello to the resident pademelons (which may sound like an exotic fruit but which are, in fact, small furry marsupials that resemble miniature kangaroos) we set out on the 5km Caves Circuit, which unfortunately turned out to be the least impressive hike we had done on the trip so far (the caves were really no more than rocky overhangs), that ended with a 1.5km trudge back uphill along the road! It's fair to say the highlight (or lowlight depending on whose viewpoint you take) was Linda absently
Pretty plunge pool
View from behind Twin Falls brushing her hand against a stinging tree - leaving her howling in discomfort and me howling with laughter! I guess sympathy isn't my strong point...
Back at the campground I had just gone for a shower when the heavens opened; and though the water pressure in the showers was more than adequate, it was nothing compared to the deluge falling from the skies, as a downpour of truly biblical proportions instantly turned the campground into a muddy mess! In the midst of all this, Linda managed to add to her woes (she had also gotten her arm jammed in the front door of the van) by slamming her forehead into the roof of the camp kitchen - though true to her nature, she still managed to cook up a feast despite her bruised and battered state!
With the sky having cleared by Wednesday morning we considered heading further west to the Green Mountains section of Lamington National Park, but in lieu of the weather forecast - which predicted more storms for the Border Ranges over the following few days - we instead opted to head north to Tamborine Mountain, where Linda was able to indulge in her passion
Admiring the scenery
Afro Van atop Tamborine Mountain for 'op shopping' while I pulled out our camping table and a folding chair and set myself up in the shade of some trees. Of course the fact that these trees happened to be located on a narrow strip of grass in the middle of the main street through town - combined with our brightly-painted campervan parked nearby - meant that my 'mobile office' soon became a source of great amusement for the local townsfolk!
Eventually we managed to get moving again, and after a brief visit to the nearby Fortitude Brewing Company for a schooner of IPA, we headed down out of the mountains once and for all and set a course for Australia's most popular tourist destination - the Gold Coast. Of course having grown up in nearby Brisbane and spent a couple of years living on the Gold Coast, I wasted no time in leaving behind the flashy, soul-less strip of high-rise holiday apartments at the northern end of the coast (in particular around Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach) and headed straight for the relative peace and quiet further south, where we stopped at Burleigh Heads for a swim and some lunch before continuing on to Kirra
Hidden amongst the trees
Curtis Falls in Mount Tamborine NP to check into the local caravan park, just a few blocks back from the beach.
With the stormclouds that dumped rain on Wednesday night having cleared by Thursday morning, we gave our campervan the day off and spent half the day on the beach at Kirra, and the rest of the afternoon back at the caravan park nursing a healthy dose of sunburn (it seems even factor fifty sunblock isn't enough to combat the Australian sun these days). The day then ended with yet another evening storm - our fourth in four days in the 'Sunshine State'!
Leaving the caravan park the next day, we went for a short drive around Coolangatta and then headed up the coast to go for a swim and surf at Tallebudgera Beach - where we were adopted by a beautiful dog who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and lay down between Linda and I as we were reading our books on the sand! Eventually when no-one else on the beach had come to claim the friendly pooch the resident lifeguard came down from his tower and took the dog back with him to try to contact the owners. We could only hope
Golden Ribbon
Coolangatta & Greenmount Beaches he was successful as 'Peto' was definitely one of the friendliest, most lovable dogs we have ever come across!
With the grey clouds eventually clearing to leave a beautiful blue sky in the afternoon, we then headed back up to Burleigh for lunch and yet another swim - where finally we were greeted by a decent-sized swell that kept us both amused for hours! Linda clearly enjoyed her body surfing session as much as I did, and was shocked when the lifeguards announced their patrol was ending for the day - as it was already 5pm in the afternoon!
This was the cue we needed to finally get us on our way, leaving the Gold Coast behind for now (we may yet head back there to live for a while once the holiday is over - though this has yet to be decided) and head up the Pacific Motorway back to my childhood stomping ground of Sunnybank, in the southern suburbs of Brisbane, where my parents still live in the house that I grew up in. And it was with great relish that we were able to leave the van in my parents' driveway for the night and
Man's Best Friend
Our furry companion under the lifeguard tower at Tallebudgera Beach spend our first night in over a month on a proper bed!
Saturday saw us following my parents down to the very outer southern suburbs of Brisbane to catch up with my brother Tony and his three kids; before stopping off on the way back to visit my other brother Steve (who happened to be celebrating a birthday) and his family... only to then have to turn around and drive back to Tony's house - through a violent thunderstorm with hail that pelted our windscreen and roof - to retrieve the sandals that both Linda and I had left behind! What is it with me leaving footwear behind on this trip anyway?!?
Another overcast sky greeted us on Sunday, so we abandoned our plan of going into Brisbane City and instead devoted our time to unloading and cleaning out the van, re-packing our backpacks (since we will almost certainly be flying out of Cairns after the road-trip), stocking up on groceries and then re-loading the van, so that we would be ready to go the next morning.
With all of that out of the way, we were then able to invite my parents downstairs for an authentic
Al fresco dinner, campervan-style!
Dad, Mum and Linda about to tuck into dinner... in the driveway! camp-style dinner - with Linda preparing and cooking another delicious meal out of the back of the van, which we then ate sitting in our camping chairs right behind the van in my parents' driveway! It might have been just another meal on the road for us, but it was certainly quite a novelty for my Mum and Dad who thoroughly enjoyed the novel insight into our life on the road... not to mention the meal of course! It was also no mean feat for Linda to cook a meal that all four of us could enjoy together - what with her veganism, my Dad's coeliac disease, my Mum's disdain for beans of any sort and my hatred of mushrooms to cater for!
And with my parents offering to do the dishes afterwards, Linda and I had just enough time to head up to the local movie cinema to watch the latest Matt Damon movie - The Martian - to bring our weekend of relaxation to an end. Now if only the sun would come out for the rest of our trip, so we might finally see the Sunshine State in all it's glory...
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Traveling Australia
When I read a blog from a location where I have traveled there is always a piece of me that wishes I was there with you. Then you traveled to places I have not been and I wished I had seen that part of the world also. Guess we can't see it all. We would have liked to join you for an IPA. Sorry Linda had to tangle with the van. Glad she could still cook.