You may have guessed that the Hungry Hikers love the Tumbulgum Tavern, so any excuse to hike in this area is a good one. This time we needed to return to Murwillumbah, as an order Margot had placed at a local garden shop was ready for pick up. We planned several short walks around this excuse., the first being the 'Walk on Water' track starting from Minjungbal Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Tweed Heads. We followed a boardwalk and walking track through eucalypt forest, woodlands, swamp forests, and over water through diverse mangrove communities along the Tweed River. Signage along the way tells about the plants, animals, bush tucker and culture of the Minjungbal people of this area. Our second walk was from Salt Village to Kingscliff after morning tea. This was a pleasant easy going hour before heading to Murwillumbah, and then on to Tumbulgum for our favourite pub food. Some of our group decided to venture forth and try something different on the menu,, but the pumpkin salad and the salt and pepper calamari remain outright winners. After lunch we took our final hike of the day over the river and up a hill to ramble amongst the tumble down headstones in the Tumbulgum Cemetery. Here the past lies peacefully in the graves of early pioneers and the tangled bush trying to reclaim the land. We started the day by 'walking on water' and finished with another miracle, toasting another enjoyable day out. Hiking just keeps getting better and better.
0 Comments
One hiker has left on her holiday, two went camping at Murphy's Creek, so we two remaining joined the campers to hike in the Lockyer Valley area for the day. Well, that was the plan anyway. We found our happy campers neatly set up at Murphy's Creek Camp Ground, a well hidden site reached off the highway opposite Helidon Spa.. The nearby township of Murphys Creek, at the base of the Great Dividing Range, developed as a railway town on the line between the regional city of Toowoomba and settlements to the east, including Helidon, Ipswich and Brisbane. The happy campers had done a bit of scouting around the area and had a great day planned for us. Unfortunately we didn't get as much hiking in as planned because we spent so much time admiring the beauty of each spot we visited. Our first scenic stop was at the gorgeous Spring Bluff Railway Station. Here we had morning tea surrounded by sweet floral scents, buzzing bees and laughing kookaburra, and, as you can see, a rich feast of colour to bedazzle us. The station is a heritage listed site located whose significance stems from 150 years of railway history. The Trust’s management committee maintain the total site (excluding the rail line), employing a caretaker to maintain the grounds and beautiful gardens. This young man was happy to chat with us about his job and the site. The gardens have enjoyed considerable success in the Chronicle Garden Competition held each September during Toowoomba’s Carnival of Flowers and it is easy to see why. We eventually drew ourselves away from Spring Bluff and drove the short distance up the range to Toowoomba, known as the 'Garden City' that puts on a spectacular show of colour each September during the Carnival of Flowers. This year was the 67th year of the event and the city becomes crowded with spectators. Fortunately the carnival was over, but the colour, not yet. Our first stop on the range was Picnic Point. Other stops included Laurel Bank Gardens (yes, of course they were magnificent with a name like that) and Queen's Park. Although the blooms were still gorgeous, council workers were already busy pulling out flowers and preparing the gardens for the next planting. We were lucky to catch the city still in colour before too much was removed. |
Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|
- Home
-
Travel Tales
-
Australia
>
- Frazer Island - 2016
- Australian Road Trip - 2017
- Melbourne - 2018
- Warra Races - 2019
- Queensland Road Trip - 2019
- Brisbane to Proserpine - 2020
- Waiting Out a Pandemic in the Whitsundays 2020 >
- North Queensland Road Trip 2020 >
- Qld Road Trip 2021 >
- Uluru, N.T. 2021
- Southern Downs and Granite Belt 2021
- S.W.Qld - 2022
- N.S.W. Road Trip 2023
- Cairns Train Trip 2023
- Toowoomba 2023
- Tasmania 2023
- Byron Bay - 2023
- Train Trip to Adelaide - 2024
- China
- Denmark
- Egypt
- Greece
- Netherlands
- France and Belgium
- Romania
- Russia
- South America
- Sweden
- Turkey
-
Australia
>
- Cruising
- Classroom Quotes
- Poetry Place
- Photo Gallery
- Walking Blog