Into Queensland
We packed up our last NSW camp under sunny skies and drove out to the beautiful Pinnacle Lookout, the Tweed Caldera laid out at our feet.
In the early afternoon, we crossed the unattended border into Queensland and settled in amongst the hordes of long-weekenders at Flanagan Reserve near Mount Barney. But for the masses of people and their dogs, it was a great camping spot. The bouldery Logan River (more a creek) was a clear drawcard for the many families who spent their three day weekend, swimming, floating and lounging.
We, of course, could not stay put for that long. On the first day we walked to the Lower Portals; not a memorable walk but the gorge at the end was really beautiful and made the rocky and dry walk in worth it.
It poured with rain over night and Hugh made his contribution to the deluge by soaking the bed (a rare occurrence these days). Luckily, the sun shone stong and hot the next day and while Matthias went off for a solo hike up Mount Maroon, I turned everything out to dry. After a chilled day at camp with the kids I got my turn for a solo outing and went up Yellow Pinch Lookout in the late afternoon. The very short walk gave stunning views of Mount Barney and Mount Lindesay in the distance.
After three nights we moved on to Lamington National Park and the beautiful, secluded Binna Burra Lodge campground. This was a world away from the mullets, tattoos and 10am beers of Flannagan Reserve. The older demographic were there to hike and soak up the fresh mountain air. The infrastructure was all new, replaced after everything was destroyed in the 2019 fires. We enjoyed four very cold nights and three beautiful days.
We managed one joint walk with the kids, a loop through the rainforest, past some caves. Matthias went on to do the Gwongoorool track while I returned to camp slowly with the kids.
The kids then got two days' reprieve from walking while Matthias and I took it in turns to do the fabulous 21km Ships Stern circuit. The trail mixed dense rainforest with dry eucalypt woodland, rocky outcrops, waterfalls and sweeping vistas. I added a handful of new birds to my sighting list, loving the 8 hours of uninterrupted time to myself. The sun was low down in the valley by the time I reached camp and my last hour in the dense forest was eerily dark. I almost jumped out of my skin when a dingo emerged noisily out of the thick understorey. It moved on as quickly as it appeared. I wasted no time getting home after that.
Swapping roles with Matthias the following day, I stayed in camp with the kids. It was an easy place to keep them entertained on the beautiful lodge terrace with views out to the Gold Coast and a lawn below to kick the ball.
