A beach walk seemed like a good idea this week, possibly due to the promise of a swim and a gelato to follow. Now, as one of the best gelato shops we know is at Coolangatta, we planned our walk, once again, around our stomachs. We parked at North Kirra Beach and hiked south along the coast line, bravely passing Messina (the gelato shop) without entering yet, planning to work up a sweat and clock up a few kilometres first. Although the day was warm, a cool sea breeze was ever present as we passed beach after glorious beach. We enjoyed an array of art along the way, stopped a while to watch surfers catching waves, and always admired the distant view of Surfers Paradise skyscrapers looming over the sea. After crossing the border at Point Danger our clocks leapt forward an hour, which excited us as it meant we were closer to lunch time. We followed a path along the Tweed River and found a nice shady spot to rest a while and snack a little on our picnic lunch, then began the return journey. We walked and danced our way back to Coolangatta, and finally felt we had earned our ice-cream. Now here's a tip for all gelato lovers - get thee down to Messina. The gelato was well worth the wait. The flavours are amazing, but maybe the place is not for you if you have a hard time making decisions. Luckily you can taste test before you buy, though this makes the decision even harder as everything tastes delicious. Arriving back at North Kirra, we ate the rest of our lunch. (Well, the clock turned back an hour, so it was lunch time again.) Then we made the fatal mistake of relaxing in the shade and becoming too lazy to change for a swim. We decided we could live with that and relaxed a little more before heading home.
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It has been a while since all five hungry hikers have walked together. In fact, this is my first real walk with them this year. We returned to an old favourite path up in the mountains of Springbrook, where we hoped for some respite from the heat. It proved to be a good choice as it was much cooler, and we even had some rain. After sustenance in the form of coffee and left over birthday cake, we hiked the Twin Falls Circuit in a clockwise direction. We admired the mighty cliffs and lush rain forest before descending into the valley, passing through tree ferns and palms, squeezing through rock clefts, following creeks and walking behind waterfalls. Even though we have done this walk many times, we never tyre of its beauty and our cameras snapped away trying to capture it.
After completing this circuit the plan was to walk the Purling Brook Falls Circuit, but on arrival, police tape cordoned off the entrance, news crew were milling around, and a park ranger headed us away. We had nearly decided to walk this route first today, but were lucky we didn't. We later found out that a hiker had discovered a partially submerged body in the river. With Purlingbrook closed we decided to head to Best of All Lookout where we could enjoy some spectacular views over a picnic lunch. This was quickly thwarted, as rain began to fall quite heavily. We got a great view of low rolling clouds before going in search of a covered picnic table. We found just the spot we needed - a lovely little picnic area in the war memorial park beside the local community hall. The rain stopped and we enjoyed the colourful art walk on the hall as we ate. Despite not being able to complete all our planned hiking for today, a great time was had. The coolness of the mountain top was refreshing and much beauty filled our day, both the natural kind with rich flora and fauna, and the man made kind in the buildings and art work of locals. Springbrook is always a lovely place to visit. Sometimes I feel the joys in my life are measured in full moons. This year seems to be going that way, at least. Under the January full moon I slept in a swag on Hardy Reef. Under the February full moon I celebrated my 60th birthday among friends on our back lawn. Actually I have had a whole week of celebrations, starting with dinner with my incredible family on the eve of my birthday. On my actual birthday I went to breakfast at Surfers with Reg and our neighbours. The early start (5:30am) was full of surprises with a breakfast tray placed on my lap in the car. A warm croissant and a cold bottle of Champagne made the car journey very enjoyable. On Wednesday, my walking day with the Hungry Hikers, more surprises were in store. Knowing my love of rambling round cemeteries, the girls organised a picnic morning tea for me in the South Brisbane Cemetery, complete with matching cake. They then took me to lunch at the Sofitel Seafood Buffet above Central Station where a wine buffet was also the order of the day. Safe to say the Hungry Hikers were everything but hungry by the end of the day. The grand finale to all these festivities was the party with a theme that had to encompass travel. Invitations were sent out as boarding passes, and passengers arrived to board Flight 60 dressed from a country of their choice. There's a lot to be said for turning 60. I feel so fortunate to have such wonderful family and friends. I've had a fabulous week, and I've had a fabulous 60 years. I wait with eager anticipation to see what the next full moon brings. (Apologies for not presenting a walking blog this week. It does, however, celebrate 60 years of roaming far and wide. A special thanks to Helen for taking most of these photos. Clicking on them will enlarge them for better viewing.)
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