With weary feet and happy hearts we completed the walk safely. We each faced battles along the way - Jenny, a touch of heat stroke; me, a mighty (okay, little) snake and Helen, a tick that burrowed in to her arm and made its way home with us. These are the dangers we face on our adventures, but still, so well worth it. To finish - a little summing up in song. Thanks for sharing the journey. |
This week Springbrook put the spring into our step - all 20,000 of our steps in fact, as we worked our way round the 17 kilometre Warrie Circuit. The drive to Springbrook is on a long and winding road through very pretty countryside. We began the day with a short walk to the Best of All Lookout and had morning tea with a breathtaking view of Mt Warning and the valleys and mountains that are the remnants of an ancient shield volcano that erupted around 23 million years ago. Named Mount Warning by Captain Cook in 1770, it is the central volcanic remnant of this volcano and is the first place on mainland Australia to receive the sun's rays each day. With food in our bellies and more food in the packs on our backs we set out on the gruelling circuit. Warrie means rushing water and describes the watercourses draining from the canyon and the areas where they merge at 'The Meeting of the Waters'. Water continues to erode this ancient landscape and we saw this in the many waterfalls and creeks we crossed along the way. This walk was challenging in many ways, with the track varying from narrow, rocky canyons to slippery, mossy rocks or muddy patches, steep steps and fallen logs to clamber up and over, rivers to cross and waterfall showers to scramble through. But the beauty of the walk was incredible and this slowed us down as we stopped to admire and photograph it. Every turn revealed a new sight to take our breaths away. Lunch was a welcome, but short break at a cool creek near the half way mark. We needed to keep on moving as the day was wearing on and we still had far to go. The remainder of the trip was filled with more beauty, but became a lot more challenging as this was all uphill. A little snake on the track caused a big worry when it just wouldn't move and this held us up for a while. Mostly though, the wildlife we encountered was a great variety of birdlife, filling the air with their different songs, from the rolling laughter of kookaburras and the crystal call of the whip birds to the eerie wailing of the cat birds. Wildflowers sprang colourful surprises through the green jungle of towering trees and cool ferns, but the grand finale at the end was truly spectacular in the form of a white orchid in full bloom.
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