In an earlier post we mentioned cancellation of our Madigan Line crossing, now to be a Simpson Desert crossing using a different route. Well, the countdown is nearly over, next week we leave for Mount Dare, then a trip back across the Simpson Desert, getting pretty bloody excited!!
Back to Fraser Island, this time towing a trailer!
Getting back to Fraser Island has been on the Travelling Two trip list for a while and we thought it would be a good shake down before our desert crossing next month.
Lachie and Sarah joined us for this one so we had a recovery vehicle if the rig got stuck… this turned out to be more like a premonition than I would hope.
Scenic rim by balloon – up up and away
A hot air balloon ride has got to be on everybody’s bucket list and it took 53 years before it happened for me – actually a little longer because lousy weather cancelled the flight booked by Suzzanne on my birthday, so we slotted it into a busy February a few months later.
Down the Macleay River Valley – from mountains to the sea
Our night on banks of the Macleay River was spent warm and snug in the Patriot Campers X3 while light rain fell through cypress trees above us and the river gurgled along its banks toward the sea. Today we would be following the river’s twisting route and would meet its waters where they spill into the Pacific Ocean at South West Rocks.
Following the Styx River Forest Way
Wow what a difference, we woke to a warm and sunny morning, so much different than the brooding grey skies of the day before. But now we needed to start moving to ensure we would reach camp before dark. Given the change in our plans I decided to shortcut across to the Kempsey Road by using the Styx River Forest Way, a formed gravel road that Hema suggested was easy to moderate.
On the Waterfall Way – NSW Northern Highlands
A couple of years back friends of ours moved onto an organic cattle property 30 odd kilometres west of Armidale, on the famed Waterfall Way that carves a meandering path from Armidale to the Pacific Highway near Bellingen. We planned a week long trip through the area, firstly staying with our friends before venturing down the Kempsey Road to George’s Junction campground, and then across to enjoy some salt spray at Trial Bay before returning home.
The long way to Bunya Mountains
I’m always on the lookout for short excursions to wedge into the days between weekly chemo sessions and at this time of year it can be hard to find somewhere to also escape the heat and summer rain. Following the lead from my Goomburra trip last month I went looking for another mountain top camp site and picked Bunya Mountains as the target destination.
Update on our Madigan Line, hmm err Simpson Desert trip
I mentioned in an earlier blog that we are booked in for a trip to cross the Simpson Desert on the Madigan Line, the route of the first journaled European crossing of the desert by Dr Cecil Madigan in 1939. The Madigan Line is an extremely remote trail across a hostile desert environment – parts…
A night in the rainforest – Goomburra National Park
Summer camping in Queensland usually means hot days and humid nights, with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms rolling through camp. But one way to escape the heat is to head into the hills, to gain some elevation and feel the fresh cool breezes of a rainforested mountain top. The south east corner of Queensland offers…
A gold rush tale – Monal mine ruins
After visiting the Beautiful Betsy Liberator plane crash site (see previous blog) I continued to explore the area and went in search of the old Monal gold mining town ruins
Searching for Beautiful Betsy – Kroombit Tops National Park
One of the main motivations for our offroad and overlanding exploits is to reconnect a story with a place, to stand at location of some notable (or infamous) event and be able to picture the scene unfold. This was reinforced as I wandered through the distorted remains of a crashed WW2 Liberator aircraft on a…
Our bush to beach adventure
A great bush to beach run that includes a visit to some historic locations and ends at a gorgeous beachside camp
Nymboida River – what a gem of a camp!
We head to the pristine and beautiful Nymboida River and find a spectacular camp site all to ourselves.
Bribie Island – Ocean Beach day trip
We’d been talking about taking a trip to Bribie Island for some time, not to find a retirement home though, mainly to check out the natural and historical attractions including northern end of the island. An early morning start saw us on the Bruce Highway heading north when the rush of workers starting their week…
Solo camping at Sundown National Park
Sundown National Park has been on my trip radar for quite a while. The combination of pioneer history and rugged country was appealing and the park’s location on the Qld-NSW border somehow made it seem more remote than it is. I headed down to Sundown mid week and as it turned out that was a…
Chasing waterfalls in South East Queensland’s Border Ranges
Condamine River Road and the The Falls Drive is one of SEQ’s most scenic day trips, though a 4WD is necessary if the river crossings are running high through Cambanoora Gorge. We had a break to celebrate Suzzanne’s birthday and headed down for a day chasing waterfalls, starting at Boonah, turning onto Carney Creek Road then taking the beautiful drive up the escarpment and along Spring Creek Road.
Rainbow Beach via Cooloola Way
Rainbow Beach has been on our route a few times but not as a destination and with itchy feet the Travelling Two decided that a day trip would fit nicely into the weekly schedule. But I did have a trade off in mind to keep things interesting.
Woodgate Beach – Burrum Point
I’d long heard about Woodgate and its beauty, mainly from a mate who ‘went home’ on an annual trip from the Central Queensland coal mining fields to his home town of Bundaberg and spent that time fishing and crabbing in and around the area. Suzzanne’s mum Greta lives at nearby Hervey Bay and we invited…
Landcruiser upgrades and updates
During the month since the Landcruiser rolled off the tilt tray I’ve been throwing a lot of time (and coin) into the upgrades to suit our plans of extended overland touring. Many of the parts and upgrade kits were ordered for the previous blue GXL but thankfully they hadn’t arrived before our decision to upgrade…
Back to Belbrooke Farm
Belbrooke Farm is a Hipcamp listed property and a working cattle station. They even have their own beef brand with meat from cattle reared on the farm that you can buy at the farmhouse. The six camp sites are well spaced and vary from sites surrounded by gum forest to a ridgeline site with open views across the stretch of river linking Somerset and Wivenhoe lakes. On this trip we were back at Old Cattle Camp, a site with plenty of trees through which you can see the snaking river and distant hills forming its valley.