Last day

Kingaroy

A dynamic centre in a fertile area.  Peanuts are what it is most noted for but the area supplies a large percentage of the nation's beans also.  The soil is rich red and rainfall is reliable and sufficient; it is green and the pastures well kept. 

The local museum is interesting, with emphasis on peanut farming but also other interesting items & historical information on the development of the area.  Peanuts, of course, are amazing and something dear to my heart with memories going back to the tin 5lb pails of peanut butter that were the mainstay of my youth.  Many times - to Mum's dismay - I'd come racing in from some "very important boy business", ask when lunch/dinner was going to be ready, and any period longer than four minutes resulted in quickly making a peanut butter and jam sandwich before racing out the door to get back to 'business'. 

Free Camping

From here, the plan is to free camp for one or two nights at various spots, working my way to Little Yabba Creek, where I'll camp for 4-5 days.  This is to test suitability for free camping in various circumstances and periods (I.e., how long can I stay on the road away from 240V).   "Free Camps" are generally clear relatively flat areas where you can camp at no cost.  Amenities are basic but most have a toilet.  They may also have water, showers (pay or donation), picnic tables, BBQ's and rarely power,  but not necessarily so you have to be reasonably self contained.  Most are pleasant natural settings and well maintained.  Some also have time limits, from 20 - 48 hours, as they are maintained "for the convenience of the traveling public":  This insures better turnover prospects for local business as well as avoiding  permanent camps.  It is a great system as most people I have talked to state they could not afford to travel if they had to pay for a caravan park every night. 

On leaving Kingaroy I camped at Wooroolin Rest Area, which is next to a disused rail and wheat shed, with a large dam just beyond.  Very peaceful, but again, a town much reduced from what it was.  The thought occurred regarding rail - when the trains no longer run, there would be an affect on goods brought in, perhaps increasing isolation by removing a means of transport for locals and other implications suddenly absent and thus decreasing quality of life. 

From there I spent two nights at Kinbombi Falls, a popular spot near a rugged gorge and waterfall.  There are good tracks down into the gorge at a couple of spots and on one trip a wild dog/dingo was seen running off through the scrub.

The next stop, First Settlers Park at Benarkin, again a much reduced town by an abandoned rail line.  Large trucks kept a busy stream into a nearby area and initially I thought it must have been a mine but found out on traveling on the next day that a large undertaking to widen a steep and bendy portion of the highway resulted in the removal of a huge amount of earth.  

My next planned stop was closed so I continued on to Little Yabba Creek, near Kenilworth, arriving Wed 12th October:  My planned stay of 4 nights will actually be 6 nights.  This is my final stop before going to Mooloolaba and thence to Brisbane.  Bevin and Kath were parked nearby, friendly, interesting and a good sense of humour.  Bevin also showed me how to fold the shower tent, a frustrating task if you don't know the 'secret twist of the wrist'.  They had a gas bottle stove, not nearly as complex as the Boulder Creek chap but serves their purposes well:  Another nearby camper had his version, which he used mainly as a firepot and we sat around it one evening discussing this life on the road. 

My stay here is planned to test the sufficiency or otherwise of the electricity storage & replenishment to determine how long I can free camp away from 240V.  In short, it appears to do well, depending on sunlight of course.  We've had overcast times as well as a few thundershowers but the sun was out enough to keep things up:  The weather forecasting has been unreliable, as today is a prime example where a fine day was forecast and it is raining.  A pleasing result, as a lot of thought went into two 105AH batteries, a 100W solar panel, a few bits of wire & a few Anderson plugs, but as I stated earlier, the learning curve is high and the critical factors need to be known (I have a great fear of what I do not know, especially when about to shell out a few hundred for a single battery/solar panel/regulator) as mistakes can be very expensive.

I needed to run into Kenilworth for supplies, a hassle as things need securing for the run and then set up for camping on return:  A hassle I knew I'd face at some stage but 'traded off' when deciding to purchase this type of camping unit.  The main worry is security of things left, as well as having the campsite taken over, rather slim odds, but one is known to be a bit paranoid.

While here I also tested the shower tent and solar water heater and am reassured with the result.  A recently purchased small kettle BBQ was also tested.  The first lot of charcoal proved a disaster (I think it had sand mixed with it to 'bulk' it up and wouldn't burn well), another lot has proven successful.  Like anything new it needs a bit of trial and error to get decent results.

Today is Monday and I will catch up on my notes etc. so I can head to an area where there is phone coverage and manage my email, blog and whatever else turns up.  Hopefully it will be dry, as I will pack up my awning & toilet tent in preparation for an early getaway tomorrow morn, 18th Oct.

Thus draws a close to my introduction to Grey Nomadism, as I will stay in Brisbane until the dash back to Tasmania.  It has been a good project, challenge and experience.  This is a large and diverse country with so much to see and learn.  A lucky market 'find' was the book "Heroes of the Outback", a compilation of three books - biographies I believe -  by Ion Idriess.  After reading it, I am more determined to continue my plans to travel around and through Australia.

Bush Turkeys (no, not the released clowns, but a bustard native to Australia)

One bird clearly visible in the Bunya Mountains National Park is the bush turkey.  The males rake up a huge mound of litter to attract females, who then lay their eggs in it and clear out.  The litter composts, forming heat to incubate the eggs, with the male guarding over them and also adjusting the litter over the eggs to keep them at the right temperature.  There are numerous mounds to be seen, most of them seemingly abandoned, but one had a male in attendance, dutifully raking litter from a broad area by the size of the mound - close to three metres high!  He was so intent on his work he walked (raked?) to within a metre of me:  Of course, he could have just wanted his photo taken, for I took a few of him close up, then he raced up the top of his mound and posed for more!  So I ran some prints off, stuck them on trees within a kilometre radius, "Handsome male with large mound seeks fecund females".

BunyaMountains National Park

This Park is in the Bunya Mountains and is the largest stand of Bunya Pines in Australia.  Bunya pines, Araucaria bidwillii are a remnant of the Age of Dinosaurs and not a true pine at all.  They grow quite large and at one time were logged as a commercial timber, however, most of the remaining trees are now in reserves.  This National Park dates back to 1908, with subsequent additions increasing the size from it's original 9,112 ha. to 19,493 ha. today. 

"From December to March, bunya pines drop cones containing edible 'nuts'.  For countless generations, large groups of Aboriginal people gathered at the Bunya Mountains to take part in what today are known as the bunya festivals, coinciding with this natural event."

 "Custodians of the Bunya Mountains and Blackall Ranges (nearer the coast) invited people from as far south as Clarence River in northern NSW, west to the Maranoa River and east to Wide Bay to join such gatherings.  For local and visiting groups, bunya festivals were a time for ceremonies, settling disputes, renewing friendships, passing on lore, sharing ideas and revitalizing spirituality." (Nat'l Park brochure)

The area was recognised for it's natural beauty by European settlers as far back as the 1860's.  It's mountains are covered in a variety for forests and natural meadows, there are expansive views and it is generally cooler in summer.  The rainforest is very pleasant to walk thru, being relatively open due to the high canopy, contains a diverse flora, including many epiphytes - many of them orchids - living solely in the canopy of the trees.  There are excellent walking tracks taking one thru the Bunya Mountains which go thru the range of forests - rainforest, grass tree forests and eucalypt forest - as well as some of the natural meadows and other features such as creeks and waterfalls.  There are plenty of birds, as evidenced by the constant chorus of birdsong, however most are shy and if seen at all only fleeting glimpses as they flit through the low scrub.  One notable exception is the bush turkey - they seemed so engrossed in building their mound that they would hardly notice you unless you were very close (one or two metres).  Full compliments to the Queensland Park Rangers for such excellent work.  

Covering all bases of threats to both plant and animal, Mother Nature included stinging nettle, a stinging tree - capable of reaching great size - and plenty of ticks; probably on the theory of 'what doesn't kill us makes us stronger'.  Thus, amidst such beauty one must not be too complacent.

Natural meadows, called 'balds', give a good view from the range out to the broad flat land surrounding it.  The balds are natural and a unique ecosystem, requiring management to keep them as such.  They were most likely burned regularly by Aborigines and if protected from fire will gradually be taken over by scrub, then forest. 

The stay in the campground was a privilege!  The grass is kept 'mown' by wallabies, the bird life is plentiful - the 'usual suspects' being currawongs, magpies and ravens. but also the odd satin bowerbird and superb blue wren.  My plan was to walk the tracks adjacent to this camp, which covered the eastern side of the range, then on my way out, do one of the walks on the western side.  However on the day I left it rained so I went to Kumbia, connected up to 240V and stayed for two days, the final morning being awakened by a very good thunderstorm!  The rain subsided mid-morning and I then moved on.

Tree Homicide

The beauty of the Bunya Mountain National Park rainforests also harbours the deadly Strangler Fig, but unlike Drop Bears, this one is only of concern to other trees.  The fruit of this tree is attractive to a range of birds, who, after eating the figs, drop the seeds high into the crowns of other trees.  The seeds sprout and send aerial roots twining down the trunk of the host tree to the ground.  These roots establish themselves and the grim game is on.  The fig sends down more and more roots which ultimately completely encircle and strangle the doomed host tree.  The host tree dies of course, and the Strangler Fig then continues to grow in it's own right, and can become quite massive.  If they are in a more open area, they keep sending roots down and become a large tangle of roots at the base -one huge tree in one park in Brisbane it is a great Hide-and-Seek area for the children.  I failed to see a single Strangler Fig in a Bunya or Hoop Pine, and I must ask the Ranger about this:  They are certainly villains, even attacking their own kind.  Sneaky?  Foul Play?  Part of the "Survival of the fittest" game.  And people picture Mother Nature as some warm, fluffy old duck wrapped in soft cuddly clothes.