Exploring Australia From The Left

luthj

Engineer In Residence
Last of Queensland

By Jen.

We passed the weekend in Lamington National Park, the less-crowded of the parks, then we went to Springbrook NP. We decided to stop first at the Natural Bridge. Despite the rain and the river, we didn’t find any leeches, so the walk was pleasant enough.





The bridge part.



Inside the cave and why there is a bridge instead of just a waterfall (the rock developed a way through the roof of the cave, leaving the bridge where it used to flow).





Interesting fungus.



The bridge part from above.



The new waterfall.

Next we decided to go to the Best of All Lookout. Mostly to see the Antarctic Beeches, trees that are a remnant from when Australia was part of the Godwana supercontinent with Africa and Antarctica. They prefer cooler and wetter climes and have retreated to isolated pockets of rainforests in southern Queensland and New South Wales.







It was a good thing that we hadn’t gone to the lookout to see the lookout, as it was simply all white from the clouds!

For our last day in Queensland, we decided to hit up Burleigh NP along the coast before crossing into New South Wales.






Basalt hexagonal columns.
 

Rumpig

Adventurer
Always interesting seeing a visitors take on the area you live and grew up in (Brisbane). Fraser Island is a beautiful place and a shame you didn't go visit it, though being 120klm long a one day visit does it no justice at all. Regarding the Red-bellied Black snake you saw....yes they are venomous and can technically can kill you, but generally they are not an aggressive snake and not as venomous as many other snakes in our country, should you be bitten by one you are unlikely to die....though you do need to seek immediate medical attention due to the side effects of the bite.
If you visit the cave at The Natural Arch at night time you can see the glow worms that are there...there light up as dots on the caves roof, but is a night time thing.
 
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luthj

Engineer In Residence
Always interesting seeing a visitors take on the area you live and grew up in (Brisbane). Fraser Island is a beautiful place and a shame you didn't go visit it, though being 120klm long a one day visit does it no justice at all. Regarding the Red-bellied Black snake you saw....yes they are venomous and can technically can kill you, but generally they are not an aggressive snake and not as venomous as many other snakes in our country, should you be bitten by one you are unlikely to die....though you do need to seek immediate medical attention due to the side effects of the bite.
If you visit the cave at The Natural Arch at night time you can see the glow worms that are there...there light up as dots on the caves roof, but is a night time thing.


I would like to visit Frasier island the next time we are in Aus. As with many of the interesting spots near population centers, it is a matter of picking the right time to visit, as crowds can make it hard to enjoy.

As with most snakes in Aus, they just want to get about their business, and are generally terrified of people. There are a few exceptions though. I personally think anything that eats rodents is cool in my book!


We did see some of the glow worms in Aus. Plenty of them in NZ as well! Its pretty cool when there are a good number of them.


We struggle a bit with the larger metropolitan areas. We really enjoy visiting them, but they are generally not very friendly to vehicle travelers/overlanders. accommodation is expensive, and rarely able to park a larger vehicle. Given we travel on about 80$ a day, it is hard to justify long stays. RV/caravan parks pack us in like cattle, and charge high rates for services we don't need or want. Good mass transit helps a lot, but often requires us to leave our home parked in a public space unattended for extended periods. I think we will probably be changing our approach to these areas next time around. Anyone need a house sitter?
 
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luthj

Engineer In Residence
Queensland by the Numbers

Here are some interesting statistics from our journey in Australia’s reef-and-rainforest state.




  • Time
    • Time zone:
      • UTC+9:00
      • Does NOT participates in DST.
    • Day entered: 9-Sep-2017
    • Day left: 16-Oct-2017
    • Total # of days: 37
      • Nights slept in van: 37
      • Nights slept in tent: 0
      • Nights slept in hotel/etc.: 0
      • Nights paying for lodging: 13
  • Distance
    • Driven: ~8,856 km (~5,535 miles)
    • Hiked: 67.8 km (42.4 miles)
  • Date Location Description Distance (km) Distance (mi)
    9/10/2017 Tambo Coolibah Walk 1.2 0.75
    9/11/2017 Barcaldine Botanical Garden Walk 1 0.625
    9/12/2017 Combo Waterhole Walk 2.6 1.625
    9/13/2017 Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) NP Riversleigh Fossil Trail 0.8 0.5
    9/14/2017 Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) NP Wild Dog Dreaming Walk 4.5 2.8125
    9/14/2017 Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) NP Duwadarri Lookout 0.6 0.375
    9/16/2017 Undara NP Kalkani Circuit Track 2.5 1.5625
    9/17/2017 Millstream Falls NP Millstream Falls 0.37 0.23125
    9/17/2017 Millstream Falls NP Little Millstream Falls 0.7 0.4375
    9/18/2017 Crater Lakes NP Lake Barrine Circuit 5 3.125
    9/19/2017 Danbulla State Forest Cathedral Fig Tree 0.1 0.0625
    9/20/2017 Barron Gorge NP Djina-Wu Track 1.53 0.95625
    9/23/2017 Split Rock Art Walk 0.78 0.4875
    9/26/2017 Babinda Boulders NP Boulders Gorge Walk 1.2 0.75
    9/26/2017 Malanda Falls Conservation Park Rainforest Walk 1 0.625
    9/27/2017 Djiru NP Fan Palm Walk 1.3 0.8125
    9/27/2017 Girringun NP Gorge Lookout 0.6 0.375
    9/28/2017 Paluma Range NP Jourama Falls Lookout Walk 3 1.875
    9/30/2017 Eungella NP Platypus Walk 1.042 0.65125
    9/30/2017 Cape Hillsborough NP Andrews Point Track 5.2 3.25
    10/3/2017 Blackdown Tablelands NP Goon Goon Dina 2.50 1.56
    10/3/2017 Blackdown Tablelands NP Yaddamen Dhina 0.20 0.13
    10/7/2017 Great Sandy NP Carlo Sandblow Walking Track 1.20 0.75
    10/8/2017 Glass House Mountains NP Mount Ngungun Summit Track 2.80 1.75
    10/10/2017 Girraween NP Underground Creek 2.80 1.75
    10/11/2017 Girraween NP To/From Campground 0.74 0.46
    10/11/2017 Girraween NP Wyberba 0.28 0.18
    10/11/2017 Girraween NP Granite Arch 1.04 0.65
    10/11/2017 Girraween NP The Pyramid 3.60 2.25
    10/13/2017 Lamington NP Moran Falls track 4.40 2.75
    10/13/2017 Lamington NP Campground to Track 1.00 0.63
    10/14/2017 Lamington NP Toolona Creek 8.80 5.50
    10/15/2017 Springbrook NP Best of All Lookout 0.60 0.38
    10/16/2017 Burleigh NP Oceanview Track 1.20 0.75
    10/16/2017 Burleigh NP Burleigh Link Track 0.46 0.29
    10/16/2017 Burleigh NP Rainforest Circuit 1.20 0.75
    Total 67.842 42.40125
    • Fuel fill-ups: 13
  • Money
    • Total spent: $2815.65 USD ($3609.81 AUD)
      • Consists of the costs of traveling full time in Queensland, including 2 tours
      • Does not include gear or van conversion costs
    • Average cost per day: $108.29 USD ($138.84 AUD)
    • Average cost of diesel: $1.283 AUD per liter ($3.641 USD per gallon)
  • National Parks visited: 25
    • Annan River
    • Babinda Boulders
    • Barron Gorge
    • Black Mountains
    • Blackdown Tablelands
    • Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill)
    • Burleigh
    • Byfield
    • Cape Hillsborough
    • Crater Lakes
    • Daintree
    • Djiru
    • Eungella
    • Girraween
    • Girringun
    • Glass House Mountains
    • Great Barrier Reef
    • Great Sandy
    • Lamington
    • Millstream Falls
    • Moresby Range
    • Paluma Range
    • Springbrook
    • Undara
    • Wooroonooran


Interesting observations about Queensland:
  • The second largest state.
  • QLD doesn’t charge entrance fees for any of its 200+ national parks.
  • And, its camping fees are quite reasonable (typically about $6.35 per person, which can be paid online).
  • According to statistics, NT has the most accidents, but we felt like drivers in QLD were more aggressive and crazy. They also had a lot of smoking-blowing diesels.
  • More than half of its population lives outside of the Brisbane metro area, which is the opposite of most states and capitals in Australia.
 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
Northeastern NSW

With Queensland behind us, we started our exploration of Eastern NSW. We were greeted by a giant prawn (shrimp).


We headed inland a bit to visit some friends of Jen's family. After a pleasant visit with them, we went to take a look at Sawn Rocks. These basalt columns formed as magma intrusions underground cooled very slowly. The result is amazingly regular 5-sided columns.



(Jen Note: It kind of makes you feel like you are walking through the ruins of an old civilization instead of a rock slide.)









To break up the drive back towards the coast, we stopped at Mount Yarrowyck Nature Reserve to stretch our legs and seem some rock art.


 

Paddler Ed

Adventurer
You passed pretty near me when you visited the Falls (pretty sure you visited Wollomomboi Falls) and then Mt Yarrworyck.
 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
Dorrigo Rainforest NP

The next stop on the way back to the coast was Dorrigo NP.




Oh look, a snake.




The nearby and idyllic Dangar Falls with a rainbow in the spray.




A common tree in the park is the Stinging Tree. Its leaves are covered in fine hair-like structures. Each is a tiny needle which injects acid into whatever touches it. Not pleasant!


The only animal that will eat its leaves is the Stinging Tree Hawk Moth caterpillar. It only lays its eggs on this tree. The stinging leaves give the larva protection from predators. This is why the leaves have so many holes!



A mature strangler fig. Its host tree is long dead and rotted away.
 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
Coastal NSW

From Dorrigo NP, we continued down the coast to Nambucca Heads. At the breakwater here, anyone can paint or draw on the rocks.








We visited Smoky Cape and Sugarloaf Point and their light-stations.


























On our way towards Newcastle, we stopped at Cattai Wetlands to stretch our legs a bit.


 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
South to Sydney

Driving south along the coast, distances are measured as km from Sydney. We continued our meandering path south, passing through Newcastle, the Blue Mountains, and finally to Sydney. In Newcastle, we stopped to meet an acquaintance from a forum in which Jonathan participates, and he was kind enough to give us a tour of Newcastle while we there. We even managed to spot some whales off the coast, slapping fins.




Prior to entering the Blue mountains in earnest, we walked to Castle Rock.














The Blue mountains themselves are not at all blue. The name comes from the blue haze which hangs over the ranges most of the year. It is similar to smog, except in this case, it is caused by trees not cars. The eucalyptus that dominate the forest here have high oil content in their leaves. The oil vaporizes on hot, low-wind days, forming the haze.


 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
Sydney

Sydney is Australia’s largest metropolitan area. Though, Melbourne is expected to surpass it next year. Situated around an incredible natural harbor, the region was one of the first settled by Europeans. Despite its best intentions, Sydney has a so-so mass transit system. Regardless, the only way to visit for us was by train. Being unable to park in most parking garages, and annoying to park on small street-side spots, it is rarely worth the effort to drive into central business districts. So, we opted to spend a day wandering the waterfront around the harbor bridge and opera house.

It is really tough to get the scale of the bridge. If you look closely, you might see a tiny spec on the upper arch. That is a person, climbing to the top. Note the ubiquitous ferry in the foreground. The city surrounds the harbor on all sides, and the easiest way to get around it is often by ferry.


One thing I like about early 19th century construction is the incorporation of art into everyday functional pieces.


Australian cities are generally very keen on public works and the arts. Sydney is no exception. The quite photogenic Sydney Opera house is right on the water. It is a strange building to look at. Made from reinforced concrete sections. It was partially made off-site, and built here.








All of the building sections are actually sections from the same sphere. A very original idea.


Unlike the shiny metal appearance from photos, the exterior is covered with off-white shiny glazed ceramic tiles. Several of the sides are set up as outdoor projection screens for art displays and whatnot. Quite impressive.


One of the wharfs adjacent to the Opera House has its own resident seal.


Continuing on, we climbed Observatory Hill. On the way up, we found this interesting art exhibition. These drums were somehow all internally controlled, with no visible wires etc. It was called The Last Resort., and showed how Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major can be affected by location and the weather.
 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
The next stop was the observatory itself. Some really cool stuff in here. Built in the 1800s, this was the hub of astronomical observation in the southern hemisphere. Some of the instruments contained therein are nearly priceless. The observatory also served to keep time for the whole city. At the time, naval navigation depended on highly accurate clocks. Even these clocks needed calibrated however. Using telescopes, the astronomers would calibrate their clock. At 1PM every day a large yellow ball would drop from the top of the observatory. This allowed all the ships in the harbor to recalibrate their clocks.


They really took style seriously back then.






Can you imagine watching the transit of Mercury on one of these? Or catching Halley's comet?


We also visited the Museum of Contemporary Art. Most Australian capitals have an excellent art museum that is free.




Notice the cruise ship in the background? Even though we are on the fourth floor? It was a real challenge to keep this monstrosity out of every photo.




 

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