OFF WE GO AGAIN

After the fires from the last trip, we hope this one will go better.  There is rain forecast for where we are heading, hope it puts out some fires.
After 2 long days uneventful driving, a short stay with family and another long drive we arrive in the Gold Coast Hinterland for some R&R.  Plan was to spend time on our photography but then the rain came, and came.  We managed to get in a couple of boggy walks but not much in the way of photography due to bad light and more rain.  One good thing was that the waterfalls were flowing – although not as well as after we left when the flooding started.  The scenery around this area is stunning with many very large old trees, lots of ravines and hidden gems.

From fire to flood, not great for residents or wildlife. But the good news is that the floods put out the remaining fires around Queensland and New South Wales.  Funny how the media makes things sound though,  we thought that the drive up from Sydney to Burrum Heads would be a long drive of burnt trees but in fact only saw one very small area.  Although the fires were huge and did cover vast areas it was not as obvious from the main highway as it had sounded.

A further long drive to Burrum Heads and more rain.  We had to abandon our game of golf after 5.5 holes due to it being flooded and us being soaked through.  We did get in a game a couple of days later though.
Unfortunately the birds and wildlife were in short supply, excepting thousands of baby cane toads on the golf course – BAD.  Spent a bit of time while playing trying to kill as many as possible, easy when they are that small but too many to make much of a dent.  Still every one toad less is a win for local wildlife.
A half day trip to Flying High Bird Sanctuary was amazing, the new owners are doing a fantastic job in education and preservation of birds.  We did our bit when we saw a carpet python in an area trying to catch the birds and informed the owners so they could catch and relocate it.  They told us when they first took over they used to take the caught snakes to the back of the block – and the snakes would beat them back.  Then they took them 5km away and the snake would get back around the same time as it took them to drive.   Now they take them 20km, seems to be a win.

A shorter drive up to Agnes Water, though we almost did not make it through flooded roads and torrential downpours.  The worst of the rivers over the road had a large line of cars on either side that could not get through.  Thank goodness we have a 4×4.  I would like to say GREAT JOB FIRIES here as the road into Agnes had a large burnt area round many houses, all of which were intact and safe.  They deserve a big hand from everyone for the job they do.

Great to be here it is such a beautiful place, amazing beach, scenery and ambience. 

The surf was pounding and such fun to play in, really powerful in the first few days, although embarrassing for some as the surf had a habit of taking your costume with it.  The sea calmed down in later days for some variety, although not calm enough for novice oldies surf lessons.
A day trip to the National Parks of Eurimbula and Deepwater were stunning but also so amazing to find such pristine empty beaches going on for kilometers. If you are lucky you can spot turtles laying or hatching at the right time of year.  In fact some people we know did see hatchlings on a night we were here, we were just not in the right place at the right time.
26 – 28 hours drive back to Adelaide was so different from usual as a good half of the journey was so lush and green, it only petered out after Walgett. There are always interesting sights in outback Australia, trains in the desert, historic buildings, tanks, church come cafe and funny signs among them.  Some art work I loved was in Brewerina.  This town also has another claim to fame with some historic fish traps and hoards of Pelicans catching the fish.
10 days in Adelaide, family and friends plus a night out to a Queen (with Adam Lambert) concert – great night out, especially when a hologram of Freddie sang a couple of songs.  easy to believe he was actually there as it was so real.