Last Wednesday rain kept our little walking group indoors, but we made the best of it with bubbles and board games on Jocelyn's patio, followed by lunch at a local restaurant. This week some of our hikers were camping at Fingal Head, so Margot and I drove down to join them, fully expecting a long hike south to Kingscliff. Helen met us at the caravan park and drove us to the headland where she said the others were waiting. She walked us up past the lighthouse, then put up a big umbrella in front of us and insisted we watch the ground as we walked until she revealed all. Fully expecting a spectacular view of the coastline, we were not disappointed. BUT, there was more ... The happy campers had set up a lovely spread for morning tea, complete with table and chairs and bubbles. Morning tea turned into a long leisurely affair as we watched whales putting on a display in the deep, and dolphins playing and surfing the waves near the shore in front of us. After two hours we were still oohing and aahing out loud as we saw each splash of a breaching whale or leap of a dolphin. With reluctance we eventually packed up and went to explore the headland and nearby Giants Causeway. There are walking tracks all over this area. The headland itself is the result of a lava flow from the now extinct Tweed Volcano. About 500 metres offshore from the headland is Cook Island, a rocky uninhabited isle first charted by James Cook in 1770. The stretch of water to the island is called the "Giants Causeway", named after the famous Giants Causeway between Northern Ireland and Western Scotland. The local indigenous Goodjingburra clan's name for Fingal Head is Booninybah - Home of the Giant Echidna: "Booniny" means Giant Echidna. The spectacular columns of Fingal Head resemble the spines of an echidna, and so the Goodjingburra believe that the spirit of the echidna inhabits the headland. We followed our strenuous morning with lunch at Kingscliff and decided this had been the perfect way for the hungry hikers to spend the last day of winter. Next Wednesday we must walk!
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After six weeks away, it was great to share a hike with my fellow 'hungry hikers' again. We have walked this Tallebudga/Burleigh Heads trail before, but we thought we could combine it with a spot of whale watching while the whales are still on the move. We entered Burleigh Heads National Park from the northern entrance and took the Ocean view walk around the rocky headland towards Tallebudgera Creek. We then followed the creek along the southern side, crossed the creek again and looped back towards the ocean.
This was a great 13 kilometre hike combining suburban, river, rainforest and ocean views. Please follow thehungryhikers on Instagram if you would like to see more of our adventures.
We have been up north for quite some time since being whisked away by the Spirit of Queensland. I quite liked the 12 hour train journey, with seats like an aeroplane set up - spacious and reclining with trays and individual screens with a great selection of movies. The food was tasty and reasonably priced, as were the drinks. The one negative I believe is that it leaves Brisbane late afternoon and you miss a lot of beautiful scenery in the night hours. Our friend, neighbour and weekly walking companion, Helen travelled with us and spent a week in Proserpine before continuing further north to her brother. This was a great opportunity to re-explore and show off the old home town and surroundings. We enjoyed the sunshine, and some great coffee and food at Airlie Beach. We also got a few walks in, including the Great Whitsunday Walk, which I had completed for the first time last year. Completing the Great Whitsunday Walk this year was much easier for me, though still a challenging 30k mountain climbing trek. The first 17 km is especially challenging with many long, steep slippery sections. After Repulse Creek the going was gentler. We met some rangers on the trail and a few other hikers, a big snake and plenty of wild pigs who have dug up the area a great deal. (Click on the photos to enlarge.) I enjoyed doing this trek even more than last year. Perhaps this year I am fitter. Knowing the track and what lies ahead was also helpful. Maybe next year I will do it again beginning at the Brandy Creek end. For a more detailed look at this trek you can click onto May 2015 in the Archives column to the right. A highlight of our trip north was attending the wedding of my nephew Todd and the lovely Larissa. It was a beautiful setting overlooking the waters of the Whitsundays. A trip to Townsville for a few days provided a change of scenery. The north is lovely this time of year. Murray and I climbed Castle Hill a few mornings. Last year this nearly killed me. This year I loved it. After Townsville we had a few days in Mackay thanks to mum spending a week in hospital there, so my early morning walks took me on new trails of discovery. Mum is back on her feet now and we have returned home. It has been lovely catching up with family and old friends and exploring more of the north.
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