Away with the birdies....

Blue sky & sunshine was a great way to start the second part of our Queensland adventures. It was still a touch chilly but by the time we left our motel it was short sleeves and sandals. We were soon on our way to Helidon where we were going to spend the next 3 days in search of the many birds in the area.

Helidon is a little town in the Lockyer Valley and we spent our days at a beautiful property called Abberton. Bill & his wife Eileen live on about 11 acres beside the river and their property is a haven for over 100 species of birds. They run tours from here throughout the area where birders/photographers are taken to many of the varied habitats located close by. By the end of the 3 days we had seen about 85 different birds and Bill had photographed more than 65 of these. We had a wonderful time with Bill & Eileen and saw so many things we would have just walked passed otherwise. One of the highlights of the trip was the beautiful Wedge Tailed eagle that we were able to see as it cruised above us giving both the guys some wonderful photo opportunities.

Our nights were spent at a gorgeous self contained B & B in the main street of Helidon. The Old Bank is the only heritage listed building in Helidon & it is the loveliest place to spend a few days. Even the Vault has been put to good use and is now a library with some wonderful old books tucked away in there. Thank goodness for modern heating though as the nights and morning were very still very cool in the valley.

A final coffee on the balcony with Bill & Eileen and we left Abberton on Thursday morning to drive to our next destination. We were staying in a little timber cottage deep in the rain forest at Mt Glorious. This lovely little place is a mountain which is part of the D'Aguilar Range roughly 30 km north west of Brisbane. The forest that surrounds the mountain village is part of Brisbane Forest Park and the D'Aguilar National Park.

After unpacking and settling in to our home for the next couple of days we took to the tracks in the forest where we could hear the most amazing bird calls. The loudest sound we could hear was that of the Green Catbird, so called because they sound just like a cat fighting. It sounded like there were dozens of them high up in the trees but we never saw one. The Eastern Whipbird was just as noisy and also just as elusive. We left the forest after an hour or so as it was getting too dark to see. Out in the open though it was still a bright shiny day and it was a couple of hours until the sun went down. The fire kept us warm and cozy overnight as the temperature dropped again.

We woke the next morning to steady rain and this continued for most of the day. After a coffee at the Maiala Tearooms we decided that we had better sight see in the car so had a drive around the little village and then went further afield to Mt Nebo. We stopped at Jolly's Lookout and even though it was wet and cloudy the views were spectacular. Lunch at the Mt Glorious restaurant was delightful and as the rain slowed to a drizzle a couple of Satin Bowerbirds came out onto the lawn. They are beautiful. The Brush Turkey's wandering around the garden were pretty colourful as well. During the afternoon we took the umbrellas and ventured into the forest again for the 2.2 km rain forest circuit walk. This is a beautiful walk going deep into the forest where you pass some of the biggest trees I have ever seen. They are not the Eucalyptus trees we are used to but small leaf fig trees and many of them are bound round and round by vines that have tied them up over the years. It was an absolute magical experience walking through the rain forest in the rain.

Our last morning dawned bright and sunny and watching the sun rise from our verandah was another magical experience. A walk around the property after breakfast gave us the opportunity to see many of the birds that we could not see the day before in the rain. The finches, yellow robins, wonga pigeons, king parrots and the golden whistler were all pretty special while the Cat birds & Whipbirds remained as elusive as the day before. Better luck next time eh.

All too soon it was time to head down the mountain to the airport and home again. A safe trip home just in time to vote, wash and get ready for the week ahead.

until next time....................

In search of the sun.

We are still in the grip of winter in Melbourne so we decided that we would join the many Southerners who head north during winter. Now therein lies a question. Have we completed the transformation to Victorians as we migrate to Queensland to escape the cold. Maybe not just yet, I don't think a week qualifies as a migration.

Bill had spent the week in Brisbane working and I joined him on Friday night. Wasn't too sure about flying on Friday the 13th but arrived safe & sound so all was well. I had expected to be able to shed my sleeves on arrival but was surprised to find that I had to add another layer once outside. It was very chilly and the next morning was much the same. After breakfast we decided to explore a little and after a walk through the city we headed up to Mt Coot-tha to see the views. The sun was shining now and by the time we left the sleeves were gone and I was feeling warmer. From the lookout we could see across the city to Mt Gravatt so we made that our next stop where we found a really nice park and a great little cafe where we had a much needed coffee. We then headed down to visit Brenda, Shanae & Brad. It was so good to see them all again. We had a great night together and dinner at Runcorn was yummy.

The next morning we headed South to the Gold Coast where we were going Whale Watching. With a couple of hours to spare we had a look around Surfers Paradise. Very busy and a lot of building going on along the beachfront. With the sun shining the beach was full though I'm not sure I would have called it swimming weather. It was still reasonably chilly though I imagine as most of the people in bathers were tourists they were happy to be there. Not sure how much slip, slop, slapping was taking place. It was fairly early and we saw lots of 'red' skin in evidence. After lunch we found our boat and before long were motoring through the canals on our way out to sea. The trip through the canals takes about 45 mins and some of the homes we passed were just spectacular. A lot owned by famous people and the others just by rich folk, I guess.

Once out in the Pacific Ocean it wasn't long before we found what we were looking for and the next hour or so was spent in a couple of locations in the company of about 6 whales. They truly are magnificent creatures and are a joy to watch. It was a very choppy day so we did not get as close as we may have done on a calm day but it was still a special experience. We could see many more frolicking in the distance. The views of the Gold Coast from the boat were great as was the trip back in with the sun setting as we made our way back through the canals. We finished off the day with dinner at a nice little Italian Restaurant before we drove home to Brisbane where our bed waited for us. We had to be up early in the morning for part two of our adventures in Qld.

What was next? You'll see next time...........