Monday, December 16
It's moving day. Up at 4, out the door at 4:30, refilled the car at the gas station across the street and headed to the airport. Everything easy and smooth, and soon we are on our way to Cairns. We actually get a (light) meal on the plane. Greek yogurt with rhubarb, and sliced apples. I ate Steve's yogurt, he ate my apples. It all works out.
Easy pickup of the car. I still can't believe they let Alan (our guide for the next four days) come in and give them a copy of his driver's license so that he could drive for some of the time. There wasn't any extra charge either. Plus, Hertz is the only one who lets you drive on unsealed roads up here. Suddenly, I'm a big fan of Hertz.
Off we go. There's some rain, but this is the wet season, and we are headed up into more rainforest, so you can't complain. We take the Gilles Hwy to Yungaburra--The Long and Winding Road, Part III. Yet another spectacular drive. There's lots of roadwork, so plenty of opportunity to stop and look at the view!
Someone had taken rock graffiti to a new level. One large boulder was painted like a big green frog with ruby red lips outlining a cleft in the rock. Later there is a black and white dogwood flower looking painting.
We found Alan Gillanders' place easily once we got to Yungaburra and he kindly served us a snack of apple cake and open sandwiches with salmon and cheese--and coffee for me! What a guy.
We had spent a short 4 hours with Alan back in 2007 and had such a good time that we engaged him for four days for this trip. He's a great birder, but really a great overall naturalist and points out all manner of flora and fauna. Plus, he's a super nice and funny guy. So if you are planning a trip to this area, I would have a hard time recommending anyone more highly than Alan.
It was time to get back in the car and head to Undara. It was fascinating to watch the landscape change again. We made a few short stops, once for a light lunch, two times for a few looks at birds. The last place we stopped, a rest area, there were butterflies absolutely everywhere. I felt like I was in a butterfly sanctuary.
Well, it's posting interruptus as we need to head out for a nocturnal tour now. I'll finish up this day later.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Dotties Dinky Di Tucker
It says Dotties Dinky Di tucker.
It's a BP gas station.
And I believe Oman-Ama is something like head of the fish.
But we just kept calling it the Obama rest stop cause it had all the letters.
(and we are Obama supporters so if you are not, keep any snide comments to yourself, okay?)
It's Sunday, and the first birds of the day are Apostle Birds--is this a sign?
It's Sunday, December 15 and we are up at 4 am. We took a little more time to get going though, but soon were headed back out the Cunningham Highway to Mosquito Creek Road. Very little traffic at 5-6 am on a Sunday! But, again, the road crews were working. We were so surprised to see the road crews working on Saturday, and there they were again on Sunday. I'm hoping they got serious overtime pay!
We turned down the road, and the first birds we saw were Apostle Birds--appropriate for a Sunday.
Soon we had Yellow-billed and Black-billed Spoonbills--in the same spot so you could really see the size differences. Straw-necked ibis also made an appearance.
We had the same birds, but the goal for Steve was always better video. Originally he meant to leave at 11 am to head for Brisbane and make some stops on the way, but he started getting such good looks that we stuck around.
I took a long walk down the road to stretch my legs, and looked at butterflies and birds along the way--Meadow Argus, Orchard Swallowtail, Caper Whites, all the finches, and the wrens.
Eventually we headed back out, with a final stop at the Omanama rest area. After our initial stop at Gore, this became our shop of choice and I had been in and out several times over the past two days, getting sandwiches, water, chips, etc. We picked up some water for the road, and had a final chat with the woman there.
As we were leaving, she says hold on, and gives me a postcard as a memento. (as soon as I can figure out this blog I'll get it posted, darn it!)
The road to Brisbane
At last we need to get going to Brisbane. We turn off that Cunningham Hwy at Karara down the Leyburn Cunningham Road. And immediately see a sign for Neighborhood Watch. There are no houses to be seen. Who's Watching? And, who ARE they watching?
Then we see an emu, really close to the road! That is eight for this trip, where I had only seen a couple in the distance on previous trips. It's a wildlife extravaganza.
Leyburn is a neat little town. I had tried to reach people at the motel/cabins there and never could. We drove through, just to take a look, and it looked like they were open, so not sure what happened there. There's a nice hotel, some shops, a rest area that we had stopped at in the past a few times. There's some historical significance from WWII where troops were trained here.
Again, lots and lots of beautiful country as we head for Toowoomba. Forest gives way to more farmland eventually. All is very green, with beautiful vistas.
After Toowoomba we head down the Warrego Highway towards Brisbane. Lordy, what a drive. Roadwork narrows the lanes to one each way, then opens up, then narrows, then opens up. All the way to Brisbane. It may be still work from the floods three years ago, hard to tell. But I would not want to be a commuter on that highway, which I think is the main highway between Toowoomba and Brisbane. Just miserable.
We made two stops, at Helidon and Gatton, but not much to be found and we wanted to hit the Sherwood Arboretum in Brisbane before dark. The arboretum isn't huge, and it was great to see it filled with families picnicking and playing ball.
Steve got really good video of red-backed fairy wrens here.
On to the hotel, and dinner, and to bed, as yes, we again had to get up at 4 am the next morning.
We turned down the road, and the first birds we saw were Apostle Birds--appropriate for a Sunday.
Soon we had Yellow-billed and Black-billed Spoonbills--in the same spot so you could really see the size differences. Straw-necked ibis also made an appearance.
We had the same birds, but the goal for Steve was always better video. Originally he meant to leave at 11 am to head for Brisbane and make some stops on the way, but he started getting such good looks that we stuck around.
I took a long walk down the road to stretch my legs, and looked at butterflies and birds along the way--Meadow Argus, Orchard Swallowtail, Caper Whites, all the finches, and the wrens.
Eventually we headed back out, with a final stop at the Omanama rest area. After our initial stop at Gore, this became our shop of choice and I had been in and out several times over the past two days, getting sandwiches, water, chips, etc. We picked up some water for the road, and had a final chat with the woman there.
As we were leaving, she says hold on, and gives me a postcard as a memento. (as soon as I can figure out this blog I'll get it posted, darn it!)
The road to Brisbane
At last we need to get going to Brisbane. We turn off that Cunningham Hwy at Karara down the Leyburn Cunningham Road. And immediately see a sign for Neighborhood Watch. There are no houses to be seen. Who's Watching? And, who ARE they watching?
Then we see an emu, really close to the road! That is eight for this trip, where I had only seen a couple in the distance on previous trips. It's a wildlife extravaganza.
Leyburn is a neat little town. I had tried to reach people at the motel/cabins there and never could. We drove through, just to take a look, and it looked like they were open, so not sure what happened there. There's a nice hotel, some shops, a rest area that we had stopped at in the past a few times. There's some historical significance from WWII where troops were trained here.
Again, lots and lots of beautiful country as we head for Toowoomba. Forest gives way to more farmland eventually. All is very green, with beautiful vistas.
After Toowoomba we head down the Warrego Highway towards Brisbane. Lordy, what a drive. Roadwork narrows the lanes to one each way, then opens up, then narrows, then opens up. All the way to Brisbane. It may be still work from the floods three years ago, hard to tell. But I would not want to be a commuter on that highway, which I think is the main highway between Toowoomba and Brisbane. Just miserable.
We made two stops, at Helidon and Gatton, but not much to be found and we wanted to hit the Sherwood Arboretum in Brisbane before dark. The arboretum isn't huge, and it was great to see it filled with families picnicking and playing ball.
Steve got really good video of red-backed fairy wrens here.
On to the hotel, and dinner, and to bed, as yes, we again had to get up at 4 am the next morning.
Emus, Butterflies, and White Winged Fairy Wrens
Saturday, December 14 was a very good day.
Up at 4 and headed straight out to Mosquito Creek Road. By 9 am we had whitewinged fairy wrens, emus, superb fairy wrens, tons of butterflies, cisticola (sp? will get later on Steve's bird list), white-necked herons, kookaburras, apostle birds, zebra finches, double-barred finches.
The highlight, though, was the white-winged fairy wrens. This was pretty much our only chance to see them as they were at the far edge of their range.
We saw two emus fairly quickly once we turned onto Mosquito Creek Road. We were far, far away from them but the minute we stopped they started walking away, eventually starting to run in their loping gait. Through the binoculars, it was kind of cool to see their feathers bouncing as they ran.
Later in the day we decided to take a longer drive down the road. It passes through a lot of terrain, and a fair amount of open range. Soon we saw three more emu--the count was five--in one day! Eventually we turned around, and then saw two more! This time, close enough to clearly see all the colors around their necks and face.
Total emu count for the day - 7!
The entire day we only had two people pass us on this road--and one of the stopped to make sure we were okay. It's rugged country. I don't think you pass a stopped car without checking on them.
Eventually we decided to head back over to Durakai (means scrubby place) for the evening bird show. But all day long I had been trying to check out the Coolmunda Olive growing operation. Every once in awhile I would drive to the end of Mosquito Creek Road to see if the gate was open, it never was. So, as we headed back down the Cunningham Highway, we saw another entrance! So I turned around and we drove in.
No, I never could find the store, but the turn was a good one because up the drive Steve spotted Turquoise Parrots! Absolutely incredible colors. So Steve got a little video, and back to Durakai we went.
We decided to go back to Warwick and stay one more night rather than going to Toowomba. I called up the Comfort Inn, and off we went.
I think Warwick must be the city of roses. There were rose gardens everywhere, and roses lining the city center streets. It's the business center of the regional area they are in. We took a short drive through the center. It has the low buildings, angle in parking, and wide median strips of trees and flowers that we have seen in other Australian country towns. There's a distinct "look."
We were the only ones in the place. The restaurant was closed, and we were too late for room service--until I asked. And Colleen kindly opened up the kitchen and made us two very nice dinners of Barramundi and Salad (me) and t-bone and chips (Steve).
I followed this up with a swim in their saltwater pool, very refreshing. Steve and I walked to the bottle shop next door where there was one refrigerated unit of water and soda, and row upon row of beer, wine and liquor. It was a little bit the equivalent of the Texas Beer Barn as you could also do drive through.
It was our last night in Warwick, and a pleasant evening indeed.
Up at 4 and headed straight out to Mosquito Creek Road. By 9 am we had whitewinged fairy wrens, emus, superb fairy wrens, tons of butterflies, cisticola (sp? will get later on Steve's bird list), white-necked herons, kookaburras, apostle birds, zebra finches, double-barred finches.
The highlight, though, was the white-winged fairy wrens. This was pretty much our only chance to see them as they were at the far edge of their range.
We saw two emus fairly quickly once we turned onto Mosquito Creek Road. We were far, far away from them but the minute we stopped they started walking away, eventually starting to run in their loping gait. Through the binoculars, it was kind of cool to see their feathers bouncing as they ran.
Later in the day we decided to take a longer drive down the road. It passes through a lot of terrain, and a fair amount of open range. Soon we saw three more emu--the count was five--in one day! Eventually we turned around, and then saw two more! This time, close enough to clearly see all the colors around their necks and face.
Total emu count for the day - 7!
The entire day we only had two people pass us on this road--and one of the stopped to make sure we were okay. It's rugged country. I don't think you pass a stopped car without checking on them.
Eventually we decided to head back over to Durakai (means scrubby place) for the evening bird show. But all day long I had been trying to check out the Coolmunda Olive growing operation. Every once in awhile I would drive to the end of Mosquito Creek Road to see if the gate was open, it never was. So, as we headed back down the Cunningham Highway, we saw another entrance! So I turned around and we drove in.
No, I never could find the store, but the turn was a good one because up the drive Steve spotted Turquoise Parrots! Absolutely incredible colors. So Steve got a little video, and back to Durakai we went.
We decided to go back to Warwick and stay one more night rather than going to Toowomba. I called up the Comfort Inn, and off we went.
I think Warwick must be the city of roses. There were rose gardens everywhere, and roses lining the city center streets. It's the business center of the regional area they are in. We took a short drive through the center. It has the low buildings, angle in parking, and wide median strips of trees and flowers that we have seen in other Australian country towns. There's a distinct "look."
We were the only ones in the place. The restaurant was closed, and we were too late for room service--until I asked. And Colleen kindly opened up the kitchen and made us two very nice dinners of Barramundi and Salad (me) and t-bone and chips (Steve).
I followed this up with a swim in their saltwater pool, very refreshing. Steve and I walked to the bottle shop next door where there was one refrigerated unit of water and soda, and row upon row of beer, wine and liquor. It was a little bit the equivalent of the Texas Beer Barn as you could also do drive through.
It was our last night in Warwick, and a pleasant evening indeed.
Tired Drivers Die!
It seems that the Cunningham Highway is a dangerous place for tired drivers. There was a concentrated campaign to encourage drivers to rest, with sign, after sign, after sign. It's unlikely we should have been amused by it all, but we were. I couldn't grab them all, but each of the below were different signs along the highway (or series of sign) that we saw over the days we drove up and down.
- Driver Reviver (referring to rest stops up ahead)
- Rest, or RIP
- Refresh, Revive, Survive
- Tired Drivers Die!
- Are we there yet? 2 more hours to Brissy Kids, Rest, Refresh, then Drive (a series--in fluorescent colors!)
- Rest, Drive, Survive
- Passenger, is your Driver Alert?
- Survive the Drive
- Country Drivers Get Tired Too
Friday the 13th!
It certainly didn't feel like an unlucky day.
We were up at 4:30 am, had a cup of tea at the table in front of the rooms, and we were on our way. This time we were headed out of Warwick on 42/the Cunningham Highway toward Goondiwindi (I just wanted to type that, and I like to say it too---Goondiwindi! Go ahead, you know you want to).
After one false turn into the forest, we found the place we were looking for. The false turn was still interesting though as we bumped our way through the Eucalypt forest.
But, the place we wanted has a small pond that we had visited in 2007, and where Steve could find Yellow-Tufted Honeyeaters to film. He's zeroed into that, and I just relaxed. I took a nap, I read for awhile, I chased some butterflies, mainly Black Jezebels and Caper Whites, one Australian Painted Lady, a Monarch, and I think a Sword Grass Brown. I got good looks at a white necked heron, and lots of red brow finches. Oh, and Yellow Tufted Honeyeaters of course.
Later we headed up to Coolmunda Dam. Steve was looking for white winged fairy wrens, but no luck. Got a few more butterflies, but then decided to move on over to Mosquito Creek Road where there were prickly pears as big as trees. Are they native to Australia?
Eventually Steve gave up here and we headed back to Durakai for the evening show of birds. We stopped at the Gore rest area, where we had stopped with Bill Jolly in 2007. It's a bit worn, and the chicken burgers were....not good. It's for sale though, if anyone's looking. We were confused though by the three different for sale (or selling) signs from three different estate agents. How do you choose??
Random notes:
Road Train Count for the day= 3
For no apparent reason, two motor bikes were hoisted on poles along the highway, kinds of like heads on a pike.
The fine for Rabbit keeping is $44,000 y'all. Why not $45K? or $40K? How did they come up with $44K?
We were up at 4:30 am, had a cup of tea at the table in front of the rooms, and we were on our way. This time we were headed out of Warwick on 42/the Cunningham Highway toward Goondiwindi (I just wanted to type that, and I like to say it too---Goondiwindi! Go ahead, you know you want to).
After one false turn into the forest, we found the place we were looking for. The false turn was still interesting though as we bumped our way through the Eucalypt forest.
But, the place we wanted has a small pond that we had visited in 2007, and where Steve could find Yellow-Tufted Honeyeaters to film. He's zeroed into that, and I just relaxed. I took a nap, I read for awhile, I chased some butterflies, mainly Black Jezebels and Caper Whites, one Australian Painted Lady, a Monarch, and I think a Sword Grass Brown. I got good looks at a white necked heron, and lots of red brow finches. Oh, and Yellow Tufted Honeyeaters of course.
Later we headed up to Coolmunda Dam. Steve was looking for white winged fairy wrens, but no luck. Got a few more butterflies, but then decided to move on over to Mosquito Creek Road where there were prickly pears as big as trees. Are they native to Australia?
Eventually Steve gave up here and we headed back to Durakai for the evening show of birds. We stopped at the Gore rest area, where we had stopped with Bill Jolly in 2007. It's a bit worn, and the chicken burgers were....not good. It's for sale though, if anyone's looking. We were confused though by the three different for sale (or selling) signs from three different estate agents. How do you choose??
Random notes:
Road Train Count for the day= 3
For no apparent reason, two motor bikes were hoisted on poles along the highway, kinds of like heads on a pike.
The fine for Rabbit keeping is $44,000 y'all. Why not $45K? or $40K? How did they come up with $44K?
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Roadtrip to Warwick, Australia
We left Lamington National Park about 2 pm and headed down the mountain. We went via Beaudesert out to the Cunningham Highway. Really beautiful country, and Beaudesert appears to be horse country. Tons of racing stables, parks, and ranches.
We went up over the dividing range, so again, lots of varying ecozones. Up near the top we stopped at a national park/rest area, Main Range National Park, for a little break.
We stepped out of the car, and oh my! Bell Miners! It was incredible to hear them. I recorded them, but am having trouble getting the audio to post.
Then I spotted three male Satin Bowerbirds with their violet eyes and glossy satin feathers. No luck finding the bowers.
We were in high mountain valleys now, and drove through some afternoon squalls, finally reaching Warwick about 5 and checked into the Comfort Inn there. Another sort of 50s style place, a true motor inn. Cinderblock style walls, a sort of cobblestone forecourt. But, very clean, big rooms, a great shower, and about the nicest people ever running the place. And, rosebushes blooming in front of all the rooms.
We had a little time before the restaurant opened so we took off to find a lake Steve wanted to check out. We didn't find it (took a wrong turn) but we did go down a really beautiful country road for awhile, stopping occasionally to look at birds. No cars until a pickup came our way, stopping to make sure we were all right and no car trouble before moving on. I explained Steve was a bird watcher and they nodded and moved on.
The little restaurant attached to the hotel was good, and we were the only ones there. Peter explained that most people seem to just prefer room service, although the older guests tend to come to the restaurant more for the company. His clientele is such that he is completely booked during the week, but rarely has guests on the weekend!
We were reminded that beetroots (not my favorite) seem to be on everything here, and Steve picked off his chicken sandwich and I picked out of my salad. Pineapple too, but I like that! I ate Steve's and mine!
Miscellaneous Observations for the Day
We went up over the dividing range, so again, lots of varying ecozones. Up near the top we stopped at a national park/rest area, Main Range National Park, for a little break.
We stepped out of the car, and oh my! Bell Miners! It was incredible to hear them. I recorded them, but am having trouble getting the audio to post.
Then I spotted three male Satin Bowerbirds with their violet eyes and glossy satin feathers. No luck finding the bowers.
We were in high mountain valleys now, and drove through some afternoon squalls, finally reaching Warwick about 5 and checked into the Comfort Inn there. Another sort of 50s style place, a true motor inn. Cinderblock style walls, a sort of cobblestone forecourt. But, very clean, big rooms, a great shower, and about the nicest people ever running the place. And, rosebushes blooming in front of all the rooms.
We had a little time before the restaurant opened so we took off to find a lake Steve wanted to check out. We didn't find it (took a wrong turn) but we did go down a really beautiful country road for awhile, stopping occasionally to look at birds. No cars until a pickup came our way, stopping to make sure we were all right and no car trouble before moving on. I explained Steve was a bird watcher and they nodded and moved on.
The little restaurant attached to the hotel was good, and we were the only ones there. Peter explained that most people seem to just prefer room service, although the older guests tend to come to the restaurant more for the company. His clientele is such that he is completely booked during the week, but rarely has guests on the weekend!
We were reminded that beetroots (not my favorite) seem to be on everything here, and Steve picked off his chicken sandwich and I picked out of my salad. Pineapple too, but I like that! I ate Steve's and mine!
Miscellaneous Observations for the Day
- Funniest highway sign--Ignore GPS! Follow 90 to Beaudesert
- Warwick has a velodrome! We did a doubletake as we saw somone riding on it.
- Pie shops - advertising Meat and Sweet Pies, or Steak and Fruit Pies (I am assuming they are not in the same pies!)
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