Today's walk ventured into wetlands - Boondall Wetlands to be exact - though they were rather dry and very, very hot. We decided to do a short walk, the Billai dhagun track, before our morning cuppa. The circuit meandered through eucalypt and casauarina woodland to salt marsh on the edge of the mangroves along Nundah Creek. Billai dhagun means place of casuarinas. Placed at intervals along the track were contemporary Aboriginal art totems. After morning tea in the picnic grounds, we headed off on a much longer walk through the wetlands towards Nudgee Beach. It was all very beautiful, but the heat took its toll, so it was with delight we rested by the beach and ate, cooled by the breeze blowing in from the ocean. It was difficult to get started again after lunch. The sun was now blazing and the final eight kilometres seemed to go on for ever as it sucked the moisture from our bodies. But to spend another beautiful day in paradise, one gladly makes these small sacrifices. Shedding some sweat in the wetlands still beats a day a work hands down.
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Saturday was a damn good day to celebrate a birthday. Helen loves the great outdoors and invited us to share her special day. The weather was warm and the sky sunny, se we did a bit of roaming and began with coffee and cake by Advancetown Lake, also known as Hinze Dam. The Hinze Dam is the main drinking water supply for the Gold Coast and is situated on the Nerang River. It was constructed in 1976 and then raised in 1989, which doubled its capacity. After our peaceful picnic we took a walk across the dam wall and looked at its state-of-the-art Interpretive Centre which gave some interesting insight into the area and dam construction. Next stop was at Natural Bridge in the Numinbah Valley where we walked a circuit through the rainforest to view the waterfall which plunges through the roof of a cave into a sparkling pool below. The sun was positioned perfectly to light up the waterfall that was cascading behind the natural rock arch. A fallen log was caught in the opening and provided a chute for some of the falling water to rush down. Inside the cave is the largest colony of glow worms in Australia, but one must come at night to appreciate the light they spread. Today we had to be satisfied with the sparkle of sunlight on water instead. We did, however, see plenty of bats in the cave and a fat python snaking its way through the bush outside. Having walked up an appetite, we now looked forward to sitting down for lunch at Flutterbies, a quaint, quirky cafe in Tyalgum, nestled below the majestic Mt Warning. Flutterbies is full of lace and fresh flowers, and bathed in whites and pastel colours that give it an old world feel. With Easter not far off, bunnies and eggs formed part of the decor. The prawn gnocchi washed down well with a glass of rose, and what better for dessert than the signature dish of Flutterbies - butterfly cakes. We broke the drive home with a stop at Point Danger. I could never tire of this view of the crashing surf, the white sandy beaches and the wide blue ocean. As we sat sipping our coffee overlooking this magnificent sight, we counted ourselves blessed with a fortunate life.
With one sick and one injured, our usual group of four walkers was reduced to two this week. Helen and I decided to walk from the Southport Spit to Surfers as the day promised to be fine and balmy. The beach was practically deserted and was a pleasant, easy walk of about 12 kilometres. The skyscrapers of Surfers loomed through haze in the distance as we started, but the air soon cleared. The spit was formed between 1897 and 1898 and is a permanent sand spit that separates the Southport Broadwater from the Pacific Ocean. Its history is quite interesting. Surfers, fishermen and walkers enjoy its offerings. A jetty near its end houses a sand bypassing system that pumps sand from the beach across the inlet to South Stradbroke Island.. On arriving at Surfers we joined Reg and Michael for coffee in the Cavill Avenue Mall. They had been kind enough to drop us off at the start of our walk and then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and stroll around Surfers while they waited for us. Hopefully Jenny and Margot recover for next week's walk.
On Sunday we headed up a mountain close to home in search of good German sausage.. Markets are held at the Tambourine Mountain Showgrounds on the second Sunday of every month and the food stalls are impressive. While our friend settled on some pretty good pancakes, we found our favourite German sausage stall and feasted on a delicious bratwurst in a bun washed down with homemade gingerbeer. It tasted especially good in the fresh, morning, mountain air. After filling our bellies and browsing the stalls we did a short walk through the rainforest to Curtis Falls - all in all, a rather pleasant way to spend a Sunday morning.
This week's destination for me and my bushwalking friends was Coochiemudlo, a peaceful little island located in Redland Bay. Although only five square kilometres in size, it has some lovely walking tracks through melaleuca scrub, mangroves and long sandy beaches. Driving through drizzling rain and showers to Victoria Point to catch a ferry to the island did not really dampen our spirits, but we prepared for a wet walk. Our friend, Janine met us at the jetty on arrival after the short 10 minute crossing. We headed off anti-clockwise around the island and the clouds loomed low for a while, but the rain held off and as the day progressed the sky cleared to a magnificent blue. We broke the journey with a visit to Janine's place and after enjoying morning tea and great company we set off again continuing the rest of the way around the island.
Coochiemudlo means place of red stone from the Aboriginal language of the area. This is thought to be a reference to the red cliffs visible on the south west of the island. According to a legend of the Dreamtime, the red is the blood of a dolphin that was speared by a sparrow-hawk. Matthew Flinders landed here in 1799, but the island did not receive its first settlers until 1895. Click here if you are interested in the history of the island. And so ended another great day of retirement, out exploring our local area. Working or walking? That is a question with a very obvious answer.
We followed up with another beach walk at Broadbeach, a leisurely stroll through the outdoor markets and a fitting finale of the best gelati this side of the globe. If you love ice-cream you must visit Mario's Cantina. located at the beach end of the Oasis Shopping Centre at Broadbeach. The gelati and sorbets are made fresh on the premises everyday and taste heavenly after coming in from the sea and sand and sun. When the girl behind the counter piled my cone with a tower of scoops I began to worry that she hadn't heard my request for the small serve, but no ... she had heard right and the $4 it cost proved to be another great bargain for the day. Sorry that this week's blog sounds like a promotion of certain eateries, but when you stumble on good quality and good value. it is a very welcome surprise and I think such places deserve to be promoted. So spread the word. I love this part of the world - always have, always will. A day at the Gold Coast - pure gold. Th-th-th-th-that's all folks!
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