Crossing back over the river, my friends kindly indulged my hunt for burial places of long lost ancestors and followed me through the Dutton Park/South Brisbane Cemetery. We were successful in finding the headstone of my husband's great-grandmother. Ann Martin (nee Hill), the daughter of a convict and the granddaughter of a convict, married a man whose father was also a convict and grandfather, a first-fleeter convict.
On this mild May day our little group of walkers explored some suburbs by the Brisbane River. But first things first - and that means cake and coffee. Our group of Wednesday walkers has taken to calling ourselves 'The Hungry Hikers' as we work up quite an appetite on our walks and seem to balance eating and hiking quite well. Margot's recipe for the absolutely divine Persian Love Cake she served can be found on our Facebook page - The Hungry Hikers. After fuelling up we walked through Fairfield past the Dutton Park Cemetery and crossed the Eleanor Schonell Bridge to wander through the beautiful grounds of the University of Queensland. Eleanor Schonell made an internationally recognised contribution to testing for dyslexia and was renowned for her generous and humane approach to life. Her work with cerebral palsy children led to international recognition and she also contributed substantially to the education of children with intellectual disabilities. During its conception and construction, the bridge was known as the "Green Bridge" because it was a sustainable transport initiative and, since the naming, many people have continued to call it the Green Bridge in preference to its official name. A lovely outdoor market was in full swing on the university campus. This day was becoming better and better - a little hiking, a little eating, a little shopping under a whole lot of sunshine. Not a bad way to spend a day at all. Crossing back over the river, my friends kindly indulged my hunt for burial places of long lost ancestors and followed me through the Dutton Park/South Brisbane Cemetery. We were successful in finding the headstone of my husband's great-grandmother. Ann Martin (nee Hill), the daughter of a convict and the granddaughter of a convict, married a man whose father was also a convict and grandfather, a first-fleeter convict. After our cemetery sojourn, we proceeded to follow the river as it wound its way through Fairfield and Yeronga. The Corso nature reserve offered a peaceful walking area through manicured parkland interspersed with seating facing the river where one can linger a while. We admired many of the beautiful homes along the river, now renovated or rebuilt after the devastating Brisbane floods of a few years ago. One of our group is off hiking in Canada without us at the moment, so we posed in repose and sent the photo to annoy her. Helen thinks we slacken off when she is away. (She may be right.) After clocking up 15 kilometres we felt we deserved a good lunch and we were not disappointed by Cafe 63 in Yeronga. Not only were we served up the most delicious Turkish bread with slow baked lamb shoulder and accompaniments, but we received complementary bottles of water and no corkage charge. (Margot had carried a chilled bottle of wine in her backpack all morning, bless her little cotton socks!) A 5 star rating for this cafe and a 5 star rating for our day. Life's great in the sunshine state!
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Mt Warning, the remnant central vent of an ancient volcano, is 14 kilometres west-south-west of Murwillumbah. Only an hour and a half away from our home, it seems a whole different world set in the beautiful country of the Northern Rivers District of N.S.W. My daughter and I planned to make an ascent to see the sunrise, so we slept overnight and my husband joined us to enjoy a pleasant couple of days exploring the area. The mountain has a dual name - Captain Cook named it Mount Warning, but to the Aboriginal community it is known as Wollumbin. The mountain remains a place of cultural and traditional significance to the Bundjalung people. In Aboriginal legend, Wollumbin was a giant bird, speared by a warrior. That fatal spear is still visible as a point on the summit. Cook saw the mountain from the Endeavour in 1770 and named it to warn ships of a dangerous reef off the coast. We stopped first at the lovely, sleepy seaside town of Kingscliff, where we stretched our legs and enjoyed a coffee in one of the many outdoor cafes that line the street that hugs the waterfront. We then followed the Tweed River in search of Tumbulgum where we were told the local tavern served delicious counter meals. My source was not wrong. The food was amazing and the view even better. We dined on the verandah overlooking a perfectly calm river that reflected the mountains and sky. Mt Warning loomed in the distance and was not too daunting, though the top section looked a bit steep even from here.
Uki is a small village near Mt Warning and may have derived its name from an Aboriginal word for a small, fern-like water plant. Another theory is that timber cutters, who were the first non-Aboriginal settlers in the area, marked the finest cedar for export to the United Kingdom with "UK1", this eventually becoming UKI, or Uki as it is known today. Whatever its origins, today it has a distinct 'hippy' feel about it. After checking in to our digs for the night, Tawa and I went for a drive to see where our walk would begin. That sorted, we tackled a short walk on the nearby Lyre Bird Trail, followed by a drink at the delightful Rainforest Cafe. Our studio room at the Mt Warning B & B was wonderful, but we didn't get to properly enjoy the comfortable beds as we kept an eye on the clock all night so as not to miss our 3:30 a.m. wake up time. By 4 we began our climb in the dark, well prepared with our head torches and warm jackets. It was solid going, up, ever-upwards. We caught glimpses of the stars through the odd clearing, but mostly we proceeded under a canopy that blocked out any light from the night sky. The track is quite distinct and begins well-paved and has steps that are easy to navigate. The higher you go though, the rougher the track gets, until you finally come to the most difficult section up the steep, rocky final descent that requires the aid of a chain to help you pull yourself up. By this time my leg muscles were shaking with fatigue and it took a mammoth effort to navigate this last bit. The darkness did not help, but this may have been a blessing in disguise as I didn't realise just how steep and how long this section really was. Thanks to Tawa encouraging me on (though it felt like bullying at the time) I made the summit in the gathering dawn of a clear morning ready to witness a spectacular sunrise. We (and about a dozen others) were the first in Australia to see the sun on this day and though we paid the price physically, it was well worth it. At the summit there are several viewing platforms connected by short tracks or walkways so that you can take in the breathtaking 360 degree views. Low cloud or fog lay like a cotton wool blanket over the valleys, the air was pure and clear, and there hung that magical hush that anticipates the sunrise. We couldn't drink in enough of it. All good things must come to an end and we eventually had to begin the long climb down. We had breakfasted on fruit and nuts and rested our weary legs and lungs, so we were as ready as we would ever be. This rocky section took a good half hour to go up, and the same to go down. Both directions were tricky as you had to watch your footing. These photos do not do justice to just how steep it really is. A hot coffee and a hot shower were most welcome when we finally made it back to our accommodation. Then it was back home driving through more beautiful country with a stop at Tropical Fruit World (where we picked up a bucket of avocados for $10 - BARGAIN), and a stop at Point Danger and Coolangatta (where we indulged in a Messina Gelato). Hey, we earned it, but do yourself a favour next time you are in Coolangatta and have one, even if you don't climb a mountain. They haven't been voted the best gelato in Australia for nothing.
Autumn in South East Queensland is still seriously warm, but the sky and the air are clear and just right to lure you out walking. We enjoyed some beautiful parklands close to home this week, hugging a bend in the Logan River, not far off the Pacific Motorway. We clocked up 12 leisurely kilometres today and hardly noticed the distance as we were too busy admiring how lovely our surroundings were. The natural surroundings were complimented by local art works. Local artists and community members create works of art for Animating Spaces Logan - an Arts in the Park initiative of Artslink Qld in partnership with Logan City Council. It goes without saying that the highlight of our day was seeing koalas in the trees in Alexander Clark Park. Everything else was a bonus - blue skies, sunshine, fresh air, friendship. How blessed are we?
We seem to have been doing a lot of eating lately and not much walking, but with all five members back on deck and mostly recovered from their injuries we hit the hiking trails again. We started out from Jenny's place in Wynnum and upped the kilometres through the Bayside Parklands. Bayside Parklands conserve the area's remaining tidal wetland and bushland habitats and shelter many wildlife species. The foreshore parks overlook the tidal flats of Moreton Bay Marine Park which are important feeding and resting grounds for migratory wading birds. Having said that, we did first start with Jenny's delicious home made muffins and coffee to fortify us for the walk ahead. Starting at the Wynnum Jetty we headed north along the foreshore. Thankfully summer has finally eased off and the temperature in the mid 20s was most pleasant. Many old boats clung to the banks along Wynnum Creek and looked as though they were soon to pass from this world. We crossed Wynnum Creek where a large bat colony hung in bordering trees and eventually came to the Wynnum North Reserve Circuit starting from Elanora Park.. The reserve has been transformed from a refuse tip, now revegetated with native plants to bring back the bush. We followed the mangrove boardwalk through a section of mangrove forest that covers Wynnum Creek to Fisherman Islands. Rich silts fed from the Brisbane River provide ideal growing conditions for both the grey mangrove and a small number of red mangroves. Coming out of the mangroves we reached a birdhide from where birdwatchers are afforded great views. This birdhide is made out of recycled rubbish, including over 60 wheelie bins and old car bodies.
With 3 out of 5 of our group carrying leg injuries this week, our Wednesday outing was more of a social event than a hike, though we did walk between movie theatre, cafe, delis and dress shops, so we did get a little exercise. The day began at the Graceville Regal Twin where we watched the Icelandic deadpan comedy, Rams., followed by a light lunch at the nearby Three Girls Skipping cafe. Then came a ramble through delis and dress shops with the planned icing on the cake being a grand finale of a serving of a Lick ice-cream. (In case you have never tried a Lick ice-cream, do yourself a favour and indulge. You will thank me.) Alas, it was not to be for us as the ice-cream shop was closed. However, there is always another day.
Last year in Copenhagen we caught up with Mykel, a past pupil from Pioneer Prep where we once worked in Dominica. Now she is travelling Australia with a friend, and while with us for a week we are showing them some local sights. Today we visited Tamborine Mountain which reminded Mykel somewhat of Dominica with its cool rainforests, views across mountains and valleys to the ocean, and narrow winding roads. We also did a short hike to Cedar Creek Falls and, though others were swimming, it was much too cold for us.
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