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Thick Black Line. An odyssey
  • SpringWanderer
  • SpringWanderer

Thick Black Line. An odyssey

A 108-day adventure by SpringWanderer Read more
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  • Trip start
    March 15, 2017
  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odysseyTraveler
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    Brisbane River and GOMA

    March 18, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    GOMA - Gallery of Modern Art on the South Bank, a really lovely area of paths, boardwalks, concert venues, art galleries, a big wheel, all sorts! All through rainforest and tropical planting. The land was saved from development some years ago. What a good decision, Brisbane would be a poorer place without it.Read more

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    Roma St Parkland and Lone Pine Koalas

    March 20, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    Top recommendation - Roma Street Parkland, complete with flying foxes (1m wingspan!) Bit of a shock after growing up with pipistrelles.
    Totally touristy day today taking a river cruise to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Highlights? The platypus tank and a dreaming wombat!
    After the amount of rain today I can understand why the Aussies switched to polymer banknotes years ago. Everything I was carrying is sodden.    Read more

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    Byron Bay Arrival

    March 21, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Feet in the Pacific for the first time ... might be just the tiniest bit excited 😃😎

    Much simpler accommodation. No aircon, no en suite and no kitchenette (complete with dishwasher !), but I get the ocean right on my doorstep ... well maybe 70m. Bliss.Read more

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    'Bluebottle' encounter

    March 23, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    I hired a bodyboard this morning - the surf is great - up to about 3' cresting waves (enough for me) even in waist deep water (safe 😉 ). Thought I brushed against some seaweed, that's my Irish Sea training showing through. But clearly not seaweed when I saw the welt - a bit tingly but not painful. I checked it out with Reception and they said it's a bluebottle sting. Apparently there have been a few reports this morning. They recommended a hot shower (denatures the protein ... I'm trying not to remember your weever fish experience Sis, this was 1% as bad). I've now found out that a 'bluebottle' is a Portuguese man o'war! I'm kinda excited to have been stung by one! Once the day cools off I'll head back to the beach and see if I can find any washed up.Read more

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    Cape Byron and a wallaby

    March 25, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Bit overcast and cooler this morning so I took a track round Cape Byron. Saw dolphins ... amazing...maybe 30 or more around Watego's Beach, then followed the path up to the most easterly point in mainland Oz and on to the lighthouse. The walk got even better after that, with views over Tallow Beach, which is absolutely gorgeous and almost deserted, and on up Tallow Ridge through more rainforest. It's a round walk so eventually rejoins the road back into Byron. I paused to check where I was. Did I have the sense I was being watched? I'm not sure, but suddenly I was eye to eye with a swamp wallaby about 15 feet away, slightly behind me to the left. Wow. My first wild wallaby! Not a great pic, but I wasn't feeling very composed!!Read more

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    Tallow Beach and Arakwal National Park

    March 26, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Tallow Beach at the Cape Byron end seems to be THE place for serious surfing, so that means the rest of the beach is nearly deserted. South of the car park is the Arakwal National Park, which is really why I went ... to see what wildlife I could spot: the back half of a wallaby, a wallaby (hopping) paw print, countless birdsong, an unidentified bee-eater, evidence of a very neat beach creature (pic below), half of something large with a red tail moving fast! (bush too thick to see what it was) ... and so it goes on. Just my cup of tea! I don't think many people take the paths through the Park, but the surroundings are stunning.
    It's very sobering to think about what Australia must have been like just 200-odd years ago.    Read more

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    Julian Rocks Nguthungulli Nature Reserve

    March 28, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Early morning snorkelling trip to Julian Rocks which is an important site for the Bundjalung nation.

    "There are several important Dreaming stories associated with Julian Rocks.
    In one story, Nguthungulli, Father of the World, who created all the land and the waters, the animals and plants, now rests in a cave at Julian Rocks. The Elders have instructed over the generations that Nguthungulli must be protected from any misuse or it will cause destruction."

    Star of the show? The leopard sharks. But I'm very fond of triggerfish, so great to see a wedgetail. It's just great to be in the water surrounded by fish ... love it! Also saw a wobbegong, but it's so well camouflaged I can't find it in my pics.

    So other than the obvious, the pics are a load (technical term) of common sergeants; leopard shark; wedgetail triggerfish; crested morwong; mingling with the blackfish 😎

    Oh, and I did find Dory 😆

    Thanks to Byron Bay Dive Centre for the great trip, and www.julianrocks.net for help with identification!    Read more

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    Debbie and the Creatures

    March 30, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    It's impossible to capture the wetness of the day as the remnants of Cyclone Debbie pass through. So far Byron Bay has got off lightly though the forecast is for much stronger winds overnight. A few miles up the coast towards Brisbane they've had an astonishing 15" rain. Schools are closed and there aren't too many tourists around. But some folk are still surfing!

    I've just been down on the beach (low tide) to see what's going on and I'll go over again later tonight to see what it's like as the wind picks up and the tide comes in (safe! 🙂 ). Just now I found a washed up bluebottle - as stung me last week. Other creatures featured are 'Eric/a' my local Eastern Water Lizard who lives under the lodges, taken yesterday in the unbearable heat and humidity. Finally 3 pics taken on Monday when I went back to Arakwal National Park. That's a Robust Striped Skink, followed by a Little Wattlebird and finally a Lewin's Honeyeater.    Read more

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    This is no laughing matter!

    April 3, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I felt a little disheartened this morning, the weather hasn't really picked up after last week and as well as plenty of heavy showers it's cold! Of course that's relative, but I just couldn't think what to do.
    Then I realised I've never headed west, and really close by is Cumbebin Swamp which is another National Park jointly managed with the Arakwal people. Now possibly a swamp isn't the best place to go after all the rain, and being bitten quite badly yesterday, but the blurb I found was enticing. Apparently there is a boardwalk, but I couldn't work out where so asked in tourist info ... the woman hadn't even heard of it, so I just went off exploring.

    I didn't find a way in, but I did walk along a cycle path that skirts it and that was enough for today. There was a most beautiful flowering plant right at the start - no idea what it is yet. On my route back I saw a little bird doing some sort of display, which led my eye to my first laughing kookaburra, the state symbol of New South Wales. Not only was it resolutely silent it was sitting on electricity cables, not in a gum tree, so without help from that bird I never would have found it! Quite a thrill!

    I decided to check out the angry-looking mozzie bite with a pharmacist, and have now 'sooved' myself physically and emotionally - can't beat an egg custard 😎    Read more

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    Today's animal: Red-bellied black snake

    April 4, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Well I took a walk to try to find Cumbebin Swamp boardwalk. There are one or two vague references on the internet but nothing very precise, and all several years old so I'm beginning to suspect it may no longer exist.

    I found myself heading up Skinners Shoot Road which heads past the brewery, (small) cinema and backpacker hostel then cuts through Cumbebin (2nd pic) - you'd never guess you are 10 mins walk from Byron centre.

    After probably no more than 15m I spotted this red-bellied black snake basking (at a safe distance!). Cool!! At the time I didn't notice its tail which is towards the bottom of the pic. I guess it must have been at least 4' long. 😨 The 3rd pic shows the context. Sheltering from the rain in town this morning I'd been talking to a local guy about snakes. Apparently the black ones tend to be less confrontational than the brown - good info to have! Checking on the internet just now these are venomous but the bite is not generally fatal.

    Just as reassurance, I'm not planning on being bitten by anything bigger than a mozzie 😉    Read more

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    Final day in Byron Bay

    April 6, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    It was an absolutely beautiful morning, warm and not too breezy so I was able to get back in the sea on my final day here - so happy. It does my soul good.
    Visibility is great so there's an amazing view north up the coast to Mount Warning.

    This afternoon I headed back towards Cape Byron, only going as far as The Pass which has an unusual photographic vantage point from the Fisherman's Lookout. Then a stroll around the near-deserted Palm Valley loop (everyone else seemed to have a surfboard and be focused on the sea!) which is another beautiful enchanted woodland.

    Next is a real change, giving a different way to feed my soul. Over the next couple of days I work my way down to Adelaide to pick up a 4x4 trip into the dusty red interior at the start of next week with, I just calculated, Easter at Uluru, arriving in Alice Springs a few days later. It's going be very different to the relaxed pace I've been going at since I arrived in Oz but I'm ready for a change and really excited about getting into the outback.    Read more

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    Murray, Darling?

    April 8, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    I love looking at the lie of the land from a plane, how land is divided up, regularity of plots, irrigation, that sort of thing. Had a great flight from Brisbane to Adelaide today and was transfixed by a river we flew along which didn't only have oxbow lakes but had oxbows on oxbows! O-level geography never mentioned that as a possibility! This evening it's become clear to me again how I was in IT for so long because I've spent a bit of time geekily finding the route then matching my pics to google maps. Easy enough to find that coming into Adelaide it's the Murray River, but what I'm thrilled to realise is that we flew over the confluence of the Darling with the Murray. Love it. I knew those rivers when I was a kid with a map with stick-on place names. Big thrill to see them 🙄

    As far as Adelaide goes I haven't done anything other than buy crumpets, avocado dip, beetroot crisps and milk from a petrol station, but the initial feel is different to Brisbane. Maybe I've been infuenced by not having a view of the Central Business District as we flew in - that's very impressive in Brisbane, but then it has twice the population. Adelaide seems flatter and more sprawling. See what tomorrow brings!    Read more

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    Adelaide

    April 9, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Done it. Tried Vegemite. Had the same impact on me as Marmite - broadly harmless but unnecessary.
    The place I'm staying provides breakfast - cereal (you need your own milk), bread, spreads, and a good supply of teabags - life is good! Simple but dead handy when you're only staying in a place for a night or two and don't want to buy the essentials from scratch every time 😃

    Had an amazing accidental (meaning I stumbled across it after deciding against 'Versus Rodin' next door at the art gallery) visit to the 'Yidaki: Didjeridu and the Sound of Australia' exhibition at the South Australia Museum. Brilliantly immersive, inventive and moving collaboration between the museum and the Yolngu people.    Read more

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    Heading Bush Day 1 - Warren Gorge

    April 10, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Here goes ... Day 1 of my 10 day 4WD bush adventure from Adelaide to Alice Springs with the wonderful http://headingbush.com.au/

    We had our intro to the van and our first 'all hands on deck' picnic lunch with washing up in 2 bowls at Port Germein which used to have the longest pier in the world until the end section burnt down.

    Stopped at Lake Lochiel, pink from bacteria.

    Took a lovely short but energetic walk in Mount Remarkable National Park. Saw kookaburras and red river gum trees, known as 'widow makers' because of the way the branches can break off apparently spontaneously - first bush lesson: don't sleep under one.

    First rock wallaby, but I got an even better pic on Day 2 😎

    Had our first experience of sleeping in the bush, in the beautiful Warren Gorge.    Read more

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    Heading Bush Day 2 to Brachina Gorge

    April 11, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Spent the day around the Flinders Ranges, first around the Simmonston Plain which I loved for the wide open space. Simmonston is 'the town that never' was because the proposed route of the original GHAN railway (from 'Afghan') was altered.

    This was a brilliant day for animals - saw my first red kangaroo ('blue flier' due to its colouring), emus (yes really!) and lots of wedgetail eagles.

    Took a fabulous walk up to Akurra Adnya (Arkaroo Rock) which is a cave used by Aboriginal people as a schoolroom. Impossible to explain what that means here! Our guide Corbin used the walk to introduce us to some of the uses of bush flora.

    Also fitted in Razorback Lookout. Busy and beautiful day!

    Ended the day in Brachina Gorge, where fossils of the oldest known multicellular organisms have been found (Ediacaran biota). We camped under the cliff face (not too close!). It was a beautiful clear moonlit night with great stars. The wind picked up overnight so we became a bit more familiar with how to sleep in a swag, with its huge flap you can pull over your head 😮

    Kangaroo bolognese for dinner.    Read more

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    Heading Bush Day 3 and dingo country

    April 12, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    As if Day 2 wasn't amazing enough, Day 3 was even better!

    Had an early stop at Copley for quandong cheesecake. Quandong is related to lychee but much less fleshy. Tasty enough, esp with a cuppa!

    Quite a lot of the day built on some of the very basic info we had about Aboriginal culture from previous days. We had the great honour to meet an Arabana Elder who generously shared information about his culture. As a simple example, the type of boomerang that return look a bit like a hawk in flight so can be used to keep birds in a tree or on the ground and another type then used to kill.

    Time started running out (getting close to sunset), so after a brief stop at Lake Eyre South we went into 4WD mode and bumped off the road into something like a moonscape - just about the most incredible landscape I've ever seen. Utterly flat to the distant horizon in every direction - one of the things I was hoping for on this trip and the best ever view from a toilet! We got a beautiful sunset and moonrise.

    Just to add to my excitement we were under instruction not to leave shoes out at night but to put them in our swags because we crossed the dingo fence (5525 km long!) during the day and dogs like shoes!    Read more

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    Heading Bush Day 4 - Coober Pedy opals

    April 13, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Great start to the day with our first dingo sighting.

    Then stopped in William Creek to look at the memorial park which has the first stage of a rocket used to launch British satellite 'Prospero' from Woomera (west of Coober Pedy) in 1971. The satellite is expected to be in orbit until 2071, which is kinda mind-blowing.

    From there headed through Anna Creek (cattle) Station, which is the largest cattle station in the world - more than 75% the size of Belgium. Having said that I'm pretty sure I didn't see a single cow!

    Coober Pedy translates as "white man in a burrow' which pretty much sums it up. You buy a plot and can hollow out, for opals or living space or both, to within 4m of the boundary. That prevents accidentally burrowing into your neighbour's bathroom. I've wanted to visit Coober Pedy for a few years.
    I treated myself to a small stone 😆

    Better still we got showers!

    After that we headed off to an art centre and kangaroo sanctuary to meet Tommy Crow who is a well-known Aboriginal artist and digeridoo player.

    Camp that night was on the gibber plain just beyond Mount Barry, maybe 40 mins from the Painted Desert - ready for an extra-early start the next day to get there before sunrise. Another flat stony camp, but firmer underfoot than the night before.    Read more

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    Heading Bush Day 5 - Northern Territory

    April 14, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Up really early - soon after 4am rather than the normal 5:30 (gotta make use of all the daylight!) to get to the Painted Desert for sunrise. Beautiful. Followed by the Rainbow Serpent Creation walk.

    Most of the rest of the day was a really long drive, getting on for 700km, to get us close to Uluru for the next day. Still had plenty of stops and interest along the way, like the Curtin Springs station. Pulled off the road to camp.    Read more

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    Heading Bush Day 6 - Uluru

    April 15, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Brill! We got to do almost all the Uluru base walk. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. The rock surface is rougher and the whole rock craggier than the impression I'd got from the usual shots. It's completely obvious why it was, and is, an important meeting place, set in the landscape as it is. In some areas photos are forbidden because they are sacred women's or men's places.

    Had the comfort of a formal campsite ... showers, the chance to do some washing, but also the strangeness of having other humans around.

    Went to the Cultural Centre in the afternoon.

    As thd day drew to an end we headed out to the Uluru sunset viewpoint, along with coach loads, hundreds, of other tourists. It seems the thing to do is have fizz and nibbles; we hadn't realised Corbin was planning the same for us. Magic, mate!    Read more

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    Heading Bush Day 7 - Kata Tjuta

    April 16, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Packed up camp before dawn to head to a viewpoint towarda Kata Tjuta and, in the other direction Uluru, for sunrise. Followed by the Valley of the Winds walk as far as the second lookout point. Stupendous.

    Headed into the bush to camp; great until the ants arrived ...    Read more

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