Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Christmas week
The house (“Yurnga”)

Yurnga is an Aboriginal term for ‘big views’. And they were big. From the deck, some of the bedrooms and bathrooms, there was a wonderful view north east to Southport and the Stradbroke Islands. Of the 0.97 hectares or so of land, some was a (fairly) well manicured garden, some was rainforest and a valley of pasture, most likely a disused orchard.
But most strange was the architect’s liberal attitude towards bathroom privacy. You couldn’t shower without being in full view of whoever happened to be in the garden at the time.

Itinerary

Fri 23rd Dec – Drive to Tambourine Mountain, unpack, put up Christmas tree, etc

Sat 24th Dec, Christmas Eve – Walk at the magnificent Cedar Creek Falls/Gorge section of the National Park. Alas, the park was absolutely chocka-block with like-minded people, cowering from the heat. Later walked through the cool rainforest at the Curtis Fall section, right in the middle of town, but so well hidden, you could be in the middle of Lamington NP. Saw a sleepy Carpet Python, digesting something large, basking by a creek.

Sun 25th Dec, Christmas Day – Did usual stuff; joined by father and Kay for the afternoon/evening. A lively electrical storm hit late afternoon to provide great entertainment for the evening. Actually being in the storm, rather than below it, was quite impressive. One or two strikes must have gone remarkably close to the house, judging by how much the ground shook. The storm was visible for hours as it drifted northwards over Moreton Bay.

Mon 26th, Boxing Day – Walk at Binna Burra in Lamington National Park to base of the 150m high Ballunjui Falls. Poor rain meant it was a mere trickle coming over the top. Walked back along the Lower Bellbird circuit to complete about a 13½ km walk. Some wildlife of note: a couple of green tree snakes, a land mullet (skink that looks like a fish), and a yabbi (freshwater crayfish). The walk takes you through varied terrain, open schlerophyll, heath and rainforest, with some great views and precipice walks. Prefer O’Reiley’s though.

Tue 27th Dec – Swimming at the beach at Burleigh Head, Gold Coast. Walked around the headland for some fish and chips, then returned to the mountain.

Wed 28th Dec – Took a short walk in the morning out over The Knoll; a nice circuit through a rainforested valley to a waterfall. Almost trod on another snake, this one unidentified, though impressively big. Later on the wine trail: Visited a couple of Tambourine’s wineries and vineyards, including one that is more famous for its $1m man-made glow worm cave. Drying conditions in SEQ’s mountainous rainforests are restricting glow worm habitat. Therefore this artificial cave was created (in part) to keep a colony thriving. The tour was conduct by non other than Queensland’s pre-eminent entomologist (or is that etymologist?) in glow worm research (not much competition, by a feat non-the-less). Glow worms are a wonder of evolution, en masse emulating the night sky to attract insects to their lure. (Insects, when trapped in a cave, fly towards what they think are the stars of the outside world.) In the afternoon we took another walk to Curtis Falls, though the carpet python had gone this time.

Thurs 29th Dec, Matthew’s 5th birthday – Visited Thunderbird Park; a campsite cum conference centre cum adventure centre cum tourist attraction. Either way, you can ‘fossick’ for ‘thunder eggs’, small crystalline volcanic formations, which have nothing to do with either eggs, nor thunder. Very hot, sat in an exposed quarry clawing at the ground. That said, it is surprisingly rewarding when your benign little rock is sawed open to reveal a core of crystalline treasure. Laced agate apparently.

Fri 30th Dec – Left Mount Tambourine and drove home, relatively exhausted.

Pics to be posted soon.

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