Last few days in Oz

We took inland roads back from Bundagerg.  The country was very dry with a scattering of one-horse towns.

Back in suburbia I took Malcolm to Deception Bay, where I had been walking while he was building the carport.  Up in a tree there was a koala!  We had looked everywhere on our travels and here's one in suburbia!

Today was our last day.  We did a walk through some wetlands - pretty, shady and quite lush, though obviously not at their best in the dry season.

Then we visited Shorncliffe - a seaside place nearby.  it had a jetty, a pier and sculpture.

Home tomorrow.

Bundaberg

Bundaberg is famous for two things - ginger beer and rum.  We went to visit the rum distillery...

...the museum information was housed in the huge vats.

There were also displays of all the different types of rum and liqueurs produced at Bundaberg.

And free tastings 😋

Next we went to the botanical gardens where we saw these water dragons...

...then we had a river cruise on this boat.

The red marks show where floods have risen up to.

To Bundaberg

Today we drove north to Bundaberg via the tiny village of Bauple (where white people discovered Macadamia nuts in 1828 - the actual trees are still there!  Aboriginals discovered the nuts 30,000 years ago).  We visited the tiny museum at Bauple, then continued on to Maryborough. We had coffee at the historic wharf area by the river. This whole area was made up of gardens and heritage buildings. 

By the river at Maryborough

One of the many heritage buildings.  We looked around the Bond Store (unfortunately James wasn't in) built 1864.

Between the river and the heritage buildings were gardens...

...with views of the river

There was a lot of sculpture - this is one of a group made from old wharf bollards.

Free books in the phone booth.

Me and Mary Poppins.  Author Pamela Travers was born here.

Next on the agenda was Hervey Bay...

... we walked the kilometre-long jetty...

... and this osprey flew down to steal fish from just in front of us.

Tin Can Bay

Today we visited a ginger factory - didn't tale the tour just bought chocolate and marmalade  Then drove to Gympie, hoped to take the steam train down the Mary Valley but it's not running. So drove to Tin Can Bay, Rainbow Beach and Inskip Point where the ferry goes to Fraser Island. The beaches are very tropical-looking. Didn't swim though  -crocodiles.

At the Ginger Factory.  Very pretty place for a visit.

At the ginger factory there was an old sugar can train you could take a ride on.

At Gympie we walked along the main street looking for the tourist info.  Saw these parrots in a park.  They are a nuisance apparently, so we were told by a lady who gave us directions to the railway when we couldn't find the info place. 

We drove out to Tin can Bay...

...then Rainbow Beach.  It was a quiet beach village, sandy beaches like the Sunshine coast.

Finally stopped at Inskip Point where you can take the ferry to Fraser Island.

this is the pretty old railway station at Gympie (out of sequence)

Inskip Point, ferry in the distance.

Sunshine Coast Hinterland, mostly waterfalls

A day of walks up in the mountains of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. It is still hot, 26 or 27 degrees, but these walks are shady. We hoped to see platypus at Obi Obi Creek but you have to be there at dawn or dusk.

Gardners Falls, our first walk of the day.

Maleny where we explored the village, had coffee, then walked a boardwalk beside the Obi Obi Creek, hoping to see platypus but no luck.  They mostly come out at dawn and dusk.

Lots of amazing views from the mountains here.

On the Kondalilla Falls track we saw this tiny snake.

Swimming holes on the Kondalilla track

Kondalilla Falls

A bird photo that's actually in focus

Our afternoon walk was to Mapleton Falls.  This is the lookout.

And back at the motel it's wine o'clock :-)

The Sunshine Coast

Yesterday we did a loop around Brisbane, travelling through more hinterland - sugar cane, dry, brown cattle country and some mountainous rainforest areas. Now we are on the sunshine coast, north of where we were staying at Annemarie's. Today we went to Eumundi Market, it was huge - and luckily we were there early as by the time we left 2 paddocks had filled with cars and traffic was pouring in. To say Malcolm only went because I wanted to, he did some shopping!! A macadamia nut-cracker and a man-bag!! Then we went to Sunshine Beach at Noosa and did a walk along beaches and over headlands.

Mountain photo stop yesterday

Our motel room view last night

Eumundi markets

Malcolm (with man-bag) as we set off on our walk at Noosa

Up 200 steps, over this headland, down to another beach and up to another headland.  Then back.  Then lunch at the surf club with cold cider :-)

On the walk