Cania Gorge

Cania Gorge is approximately 225km west of Bundaberg and is about a 6 hour drive from Brisbane. We called into Maryborough both ways to pick up and drop off Nana. The drive took us through the townships of Biggeden, Gaydnah ( home of the Big Orange) and Monto. We stayed at the Cania Gorge Caravan and Tourist Park ( Big 4) which is 35km north of Monto. The park is in a rural bush setting that is abundant with native wildlife and birds. Wallabies and Kangaroos roam around the park and in the afternoon the park is alive with birds. We had our arms and heads full of Rainbow Lorikeets and King Parrots while hand feeding them and at night the very cute bettongs came out to feed.

There are plently of activites at the park to keep the kids and the adults entertained. The jumping pillow is a great way for the kids to wear themselves out as well as being a great place to meet friends. The kids enjoyed the outdoor movies while the adults enjoyed the Saturday afternoon local wine tasting.

The park also allows campfires either in the fireplace provided or in the drum provided and what better way is there to end a day of bushwalking than to sit by the fire with a glass of red.

Cania Gorge National Park is 7km south of the park its towering cliffs of sandstone is a spectacular site as you drive into the picnic area. The majority of the park's walking tracks lead from this picnic area, including the 1.1 km trail to Dripping Rock, 1.6 km trail to The Overhang, 1.3km Two Storey Cave and the 2.6 km trail to Dragon Cave and Bloodwood Cave. The longest track in the park leads from a small car park 500 metres south of the picnic area. This 5.6 km circuit takes in Giants Chair Lookout, with views across the gorge; and Fern Tree Pool, a permanent waterhole. The kids enjoyed exploring the caves and gorges along the way, their favourite was the Two Storey Cave as they could climb up a level and spotted some bats at the back of the cave.

Cania Gorge is a spectacular place that we would love to explore again sometime.

Charlie Mooreland’s – Kenilworth.

Last weekend we spent 2 nights at Charlie Mooreland’s Campgrounds. The campgrounds are in the Imbil State Forest which is about 6km south of the Kenilworth Township. The Campgrounds are a nice big open area which gave us plenty of space and privacy. As per usual it rained but thankfully it wasn’t heavy rain and cleared enough for a couple of walks along Yabba Creek and it stayed away at night so we could make good use of the firepits. Dean’s parents joined us for 1 of the 2 nights and the kids were happy to see Nana and Grandad. We went for a drive through the neighbouring Conondale National Park and had a look at the campsites along Booloumba Creek. The road in took us through several pebble creek crossings and is definitely only accessible by 4wd. There are plenty of walks to do in this area so we will come back again with the tents.

The Granite Belt

This week we spend 3 days in the Granite Belt, we went via Toowoomba and were pleased to find the Carnival of Flowers was on that weekend. The kids loved the spectacular colours on show throughout Queens Park, it was certainly something beautiful to see. We then continued on to Stanthorpe where we stayed at the Top of Town caravan park, the park is close to town and central to all the wineries and attractions in the area. The park is very well maintained and has the cleanist amenities I have ever seen. We spent a couple of hours exploring the Giraween National Park and were amazed by the rocky landscape and the beautiful wildflowers in bloom throughout the park. Unfortunately due to rain we weren't able to complete all of the walks. We did get to check out the campgrounds and will definitely return and spend more time in the National Park. There is plenty for the hole family to do in the area, we went cheese tasting, olive tasting, apple juice tasting and a little wine tasting too. We would have like to take the kids to the maze but again the rain kept us away. I was amazed at how much wildlife we saw in the area as well, it seemed everywhere we turned we saw Wallabies, Kangaroos, a Koala and different varieties of Rosella's. The Granite Belt is a beautiful area with plenty for all the family to enjoy we had a great experience and will visit again soon.

http://www.topoftown.com.au/

Crows Nest National Park

Crows Nest is located approximately 2.5 hours from Brisbane, the route we took had us pass through the townships of Kilcoy and Esk. This was our first trip in our new Duet so we were keen to try everything out. We were very happy with the camping grounds and had plenty of room to manoeuvre the van and it was so nice to have everything set up in 20mins. We did the 4.5km walk to the Koonin Lookout and were not disappointed with the views over the valley. The walk took us via the Kauyoo Pools, The Cascades and The Crows Nest Falls. We were all on the look out for the Brush-Tailed Wallaby but the only wildlife we saw was a Bushy-Tailed Possum. ( and the joey below). The scenery was lovely and there was an abundance of wattle in bloom which added a lovely contrast to the bush and steep rocky gorge.

Ethan and Abbey toasting Marshmallows

The lady camped next to us was a wildlife carer and the kids were lucky enough to feed and pat a joey.

New Caravan

Finally our new caravan has arrived! and we can't wait to use it. We purchased an 18' Paramount Duet, it has double beds at each end that fold up when travelling and when extended the van is approxamately 23' long. As we intend to have this van for many years we had a few extra's added. These include, a full size oven, a larger fridge, outdoor shower, hot water system, and a battery pack. Our maiden trip is this weekend, we are heading out to Crow's Nest National Park. Check back next week with a review on the park.

Glass House Mountains

On Sunday my sister in law (Teela), myself and our children headed off to the Glass House Mountains for a mothers day outing. Our first stop was to Mt Ngungun. My family and I did this climb about a month ago and they loved it so much we decided to do it again. The climb takes about 9o mins return, this includes a stop at the top to take in the spectacular view of the Glass House Mountains. We had a beautiful clear day and were able to see the Moreton Island sand hills. The climb is very steep and I would not recommend children under 4 to attempt. My children are 7 and 8 and loved the adventure of the climb and exploring the small caves along the way. Make sure you pack plenty of water, although the distance is not far the climb is hard work. After the climb we drove to the Glass House Mountains Lookout for a picnic lunch, there is a great view of the Glass House Mountains and it was great to show the kids the mountain we climbed from a distance. We did the short loop walk but the kids found it boring after the mountain climb.

D'Aguilar National Park

On Sunday we took a 4wd trip out through D'Aguilar National Park. Situated just over an hour north of Brisbane we past through the lovely township of Woodford and headed West towards the Neurum Creek Bush Retreat. The road goes from bitumen to dirt just before the Retreat. Our first stop was Archer Camping Grounds and Broadwater for morning tea. We then continued south stopping at the Rocky Water Hole and passed through Neurum Creek Campground which is quite isolated and we had to stop for 5 mins to wait for a massive python to cross the road ( don't think I'll be staying there) We then called into the Bulls Falls lookout. Our last stop was going to be The Gantry but as it was a long weekend it was packed so we continued on and headed off the mountain and towards the township of Dayboro for our picnic lunch. It was a great day out and can be done in 1/2 a day easily the tracks we took were classes easy but not accessible by car.