Lady Musgrave Island - Great Barrier Reed

Lady Musgrave Island is a 14ha(35 acres) uninhabited coral cay with 1292ha of surrounding reef.  The trip was from the town of 1770 onboard the Spirit of 1770 - a trip I'd recommend to anyone - only $150 for the whole day including delicious meals - morning tea on arrival at 10am, lunch, afternoon tea and cheese and cabana just before departure from the island at 3.45pm.

Most of the time was spent snorkelling - my first experience of this and boy did I LOVE it - couldn't get me out of the water (except for the food of course)

The dead coral that forms the island

Lady Musgrave from the air

Approaching Lady Musgrave Island

The island is only around 6,000 years old so you are seeing the very beginnings of the formation of land here - first the dead coral then Pisonia trees which provide an evolutionary feature with their sticky seeds and their ability to generate from fallen trunks or limbs.

During October - March White-capped Noddie birds come to the island in their thousands and whilst flying amongst the trees collect the sticky seeds on their bodies - some collect so much they are unable to fly and fall to the ground and die and this together with their dung provides  fertiliser for the barren ground.

Some of the coral I saw while snorkelling 

Such a great variety of colourful fish that swim so close to you, and in such vast numbers, that you feel like you are one with them - like you are part of the ocean.


Turtles too - both Loggerhead and Green Turtles nest and swim here.  I only saw smallish ones - apparently they only reach reproductive age when they are 30 years old and around 1 metre in size - the one's I saw were around 50cm

Bargara Beach and Bundaberg Region

We've just spent a very relaxing few days at Bargara Beach Caravan Park - a really lovely dog friendly park.  The pet area is on grassed sites located opposite a large open treed and grassed area that both Timmy and Skye enjoyed exercising and socialising on with other doggie neighbours.  While we enjoyed socialising with our friendly neighbours (hello Jan, George, Lucas and Psycho (the dog! don't ask).

The boardwalk just opposite the caravan park

 Lunches and morning teas again featured - Casablanca is the No.1 recommended choice in Bargara and the cafe at Baltimore The Port Marina at Port Bundaberg was in a stunning setting with good food.

View from the verandah at the Baltimore (Laurie on the phone - how unusual!!!)

The Marina Café

Skye & Tim were allowed to
lie beside us on outside tables.

We had a really good group of neighbours at the Bargara caraban park - Jan and George (and their twin jack russells Lucas and Douglas) who travel 8 months a year selling at Caravan Shows, Robyn and John and Sooty (the blue heeler) from South Australia, and 2 kiwis who travel over here for 8 months a year (they were a bit of a mobile disco and one evening at 10.30pm we had to ask them to turn the music down - found them discoing away in their caravan - NO COMMENT!).

We left Bargara Beach yesterday and encamped to Alloway Country Club where you are able to camp for a couple of days for only $10 per night (including power).  A lovely rural spot surrounded by sugar cane fields.  Quiet, apart from a couple of cane trains that went by around 10pm and a good home-style roast at the club for $13.

This evening they set the cane alight, just up the road.  Fortunately the wind was blowing in the opposite direction so we weren't smoked out.

The view from my back window at Alloway Country Club

Cane Trains

Maryborough

Kinbombi Falls Campsite

After the main safari Laurie, Val, Barry and myself decided to do a bit more exploring and after a second night at Kumbia we headed to Kinbombi Falls - another free camp.

This is a lovely, quiet spot about 4kms off the main road.

On the property next door there
were cattle in a large yard

It was a cold night so we needed a
campfire

Timmy & Skye WANT Mr Val's Pie - right NOW!

At the moment we're in Maryborough - at the Scout camp just north of the town - a lovely rural spot.

Both Laurie and myself were feeling a bit starved for cafes so at the first opportunity we were off to find the best that Maryborough has to offer.  Our choice....Muddy Waters Cafe, right on the water at the marina on the Mary River.


My choice - a crisp, flakey croissant with smoked salmon and herbed mascarpone - DEEeeelicious.

BIT OF A SAFARI AROUND THE SOUTH BURNETT REGION

Have had a lovely 10 day safari around this region (about 150kms inland from the Sunshine Coast).  We travelled with Kay, Ian, Val and Barry - 5 motorhomes in total.

Kay and Ian are keen bushwalkers and very knowledgable so we learnt and saw a lot.  First stop was the tiny town of Linville - a great free camp on a railway walking trail.  The following day we drove to Maidenwell and again a free campsite behind the Kings Hotel and next door to the Maidenwell Astromomical Observatory

On a cloud-free moonless night the visitor can stargaze to their heart's content as the Maidenwell Astronomical Observatory has no street light glow - meaning stars, moon and planets are clear and crisp in the observatory's three big 14-inch computer assisted telescopes.

Well that's what their brochure states ..............unfortunately, whilst we were eating our meal at the Pub, we were interupted by a call for "the person who's parked behind the pub with their lights on to return to their vehicle and douse their lights".........Mr Val had left his exterior LED strip lights on and was causing havoc with the telescopes next door!!

the lovely campsite at Maidenwell

The following morning we were up bright and early and headed to Kumbia to another very friendly freecampsite.  After a quick lunch we all piled into Laurie & Val's vehicles and drove to the nearby Bunya Mountains.  As it's a National Park Timmy and Skye had to remain behind in our motorhomes.

The Bunya Mountains National Park contain the largest stand of ancient Bunya Pines in the world. According to some geological papers Kay had, the mountains were formed some 25 million years ago and are the remains of an old shield volcano (more information on this here).

We stopped at three camping areas and did short walks from each.  Our first stop was Burton's Well where there were many huge grass trees, next stop Westcott which is on the other side of the range with dry rainforest and "balds".  We attempted to walk to the escarpment here but took a wrong turn - never mind, we still had an interesting walk with glimpses over the escarpment.

We then drove up to Paradise, which is aptly named - this side of the range is moist rainforest with immense Bunya Pines (with their soccer sized pine cones - watch out in February and March when they fall), the undergrowth is ferns and epiphytes (air plants) on fallen trees so it's like walking through a lush green world.

Walking in Paradise

This way to Paradise

Danger - watch out for
rampaging photographers

Looking down to the deep gully where the Paradise Falls are 

Maleny

Here we are in beautiful Maleny rolling green hills, deep pockets of rain forest, galleries, craft shops and of course that other necessity in life - lots of cafes, even a fromagerie, all with the magnificent backdrop of the Glass House Mountains.

The Maleny Showgrounds have very good camping accommodation, all for only $15 per vehicle, powered and there's a good walking path/boardwalk from the showgrounds into town.  The walk follows the Obi Obi Creek which is part of a subtropical rainforest recreation project.  Yesterday whilst walking into town I saw an Azure Kingfisher - such an incredible blue.

Some of the Glass House Mountains
from right - Beerburrum 278m; Coonowrin 377m; Tibrogargan 220m; Ngungun 253m; Coochin 235m

Sign on the Mary Cairncross Scenic
Reserve, Rainforest Walking Track

"Please be alert to heavy seed pods
dropping from above" 

Nearby Montville - lots of tourist shops and cafes

An Azure Kingfisher (not taken by me!)

Montville Coffee - Savoury Muffin - best savoury muffin EVER