Kingaroy, Maidenwell and Palms National Park

29 December 2018

Wondai parkrun this morning – adding another letter to our alphabet, and catching up with some fellow Sunshine Coast runners.  This is a lovely welcoming parkrun that uses the rail trail south from Wondai, so again smooth bitumen and gentle gradients – recommend!  http://www.parkrun.com.au/wondai/

After packing up we headed south along the rail trail to Kingaroy.  We visited the Kingaroy Heritage Museum which is dedicated to the peanut industry and had all sorts of ingenious devices developed to make the growing and harvesting of peanuts easier. 
https://www.southernqueenslandcountry.com.au/destinations/kingaroy/attractions/kingaroy-heritage-museum

Of course, we also checked out the enormous peanut silos across the road.  We also visited the Peanut Van to try some flavoured peanuts – Maple Bacon and Salt and Vinegar – it was a big decision as there were so many choices!

https://www.peanutvan.com.au/

Maidenwell was our next stop for a delicious lunch at The Trading Post, followed by a swim at Coomba Falls.  The lunch was awesome and really solid serves.  

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/The-Maidenwell-Trading-Post-277674049250948/

Then onto Cooyar Swinging Bridge – it is quite high.  

The Palms National Park was one we had never heard of and is very small, but well worth the stop for a walk.  It has a surprisingly large variety of plants and animals for such a small park. 

https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/palms/

And then onto home.  A quick trip but really enjoyable.

South Burnett Rail Trail

28 December 2018

This morning we headed north to Murgon on the South Burnett Rail Trail.  This trail is fully bitumised, and being an old railway line has gentle gradients, with a few small steeper parts of descent in and out of creeks where there are no longer railway bridges. This section of the rail trail crosses a few roads but is largely very peaceful country.  It made me think of a bushwalk or trail run but with a smooth bitumen base beneath my feet. After a brief look around Murgon we then headed back to Wondai.  Being December, this was a hot walk by the time we got back in the early afternoon. 

http://www.southburnett.qld.gov.au/rail-trail

After a delightful and well-earned shower, we decided to have a look at some of the rest of the trail from the comfort of our air-conditioned vehicle (the remainder of the trail running more or less parallel to the highway).  We headed south through Tingoora to Wooroolin Wetlands.  This is a large wetland area which developed following a small earthquake and as such has the skeletons of drowned trees in it.  Due to the prolonged drought the bird hide is now some distance from the water, however it is still quite pretty.  

https://www.discoversouthburnett.com.au/attractions/national-parks-and-reverves/wooroolin-wetland/

We then headed back to Wondai to the public swimming pool for a relax and cool down.http://www.southburnett.qld.gov.au/aquatic-centres

Wondai

27 December 2018

We left home travelling north to Gympie and then inland to Kilkivan where we stopped for a picnic lunch.  Then on through Goomeri and Murgon to Wondai.  We have set up camp at Wondai Rest Area – this is a lovely free camp with hot showers and toilets, where the train station previously was.  This is a perfect base for us as our primary reason for visiting was to walk the South Burnett (Kingaroy to Murgon) Rail Trail.

After setting up we headed to the South Burnett Region Timber Industry Museum and Wondai Visitor Information Centre.  The displays were interesting and informative.  After talking to the very helpful staff it was decided that we would walk the Wondai to Murgon section of the rail trail tomorrow as this is the prettiest section of the trail and does not travel near the highway – so it allows us to see different countryside.
https://www.discoversouthburnett.com.au/attractions/galleries-museums-and-collections/south-burnett-region-timber-industry-museum/

Hayden then enjoyed the musical playground in the centre of Wondai.

Exploring Bundaberg

9 July 2018 - Exploring Bundaberg

Hinkler Hall of Aviation was stop one today.  This tells the story of Bert Hinkler, born and raised in Bundaberg, who became a pioneer in aviation.  He set world records for solo flight several times and served as a pilot in WW1.  The things that impressed me most were: 1) his ability to design, build and successfully fly a glider as a teenager based on his study of the ibis, and 2) that as well as being a pilot he was an aircraft mechanic, problem solver and designer.  The hall included flight simulators for three different types of aircraft: Sopwith Camel, De Haviland Puss Moth and F/A18.  They were each very different to fly.  The house Hinkler had lived in in England has been moved in its entirety and we also looked through this – very English – and watched a short documentary on its relocation. www.hinklerhallofaviation.com/

Stop number two was the Bundaberg Rum Distillery.  This involved a self-guided tour of the museum followed by a guided tour of the plant (unfortunately photography was not allowed on this).  It was a well-done tour, providing a wealth of information.  After the tour were tastings – Drew and I tried Solera (nice, but $180/bottle!), Small Batch Vintage Barrell (too flavoursome for me), Coffee and Chocolate Liqueur (nice with cream) and Salted Caramel Liqueur (my favourite, served with milk).
 https://www.bundabergrum.com.au/distillery

 Stop three was Bundaberg Brewing Company.  The tourist facilities were closed, however the tastings, of all fourteen different varieties, were open and great.  We went shopping! 

https://www.bundaberg.com

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Stop four was Hummock Lookout.  The Hummock is an extinct volcano, giving 360-degree views over the surrounding coastline and cane fields.  Last up was the Jayco dealership for a few spare parts.

10 July 2018

Today was simply a drive to home, sweet, home!

Travel Day

8 July 2018 - Travel Day

Dingo Campsite

Today we spent driving from Dingo to Bundaberg.  We have camped at Wyper Park Scout Camp.  After setting up we headed to the tourist information centre.  Unfortunately, one of the places we were hoping to do a tour of has recently closed for a six-month refurbishment of its tourist facilities.

Wyper Park Scout Camp

Blackdown Tableland National Park

7 July 2018 - Blackdown Tableland National Park

Blackdown Tableland National Park filled our day. Gudda Gumoo (or Rainbow Waters Falls) was our first walk.  This was a lovely, serene spot with beautifully clear water.  It would be a delightful spot to relax on a hot summer’s day.  Then onto the 4WD loop – this was highly variable, in some spots it was a very good dirt road, and in others I had to get out and guide Drew down.  We had one wheel in the air at one stage.  This took us to a lookout point on the edge of the escarpment called Mitha Boongulla – worth the challenging drive. After a picnic lunch, we walked to Mook Mook (Officer’s Pocket) on the eastern side of the escarpment, crossing a picturesque creek over sandstone sheets.  Once again, the view was awesome! The Aboriginal Cultural Circuit (Goon Goon Dina) was interesting but less spectacular than the other walks, they were however very hard to beat! Yaddaman Dhina (Horseshoe Bend) was another amazing view off the escarpment.  It also allowed a view of the escarpment cliffs due to the horseshoe shaped bend in the cliff edge.  Last stop for the afternoon was Goodela Falls (Two Mile Creek Falls) which involved a moderately tricky climb down the creek to the most beautiful waterfall! This fall is beautiful due to its structure, not just the quantity of water passing down it.  This is a great National Park!

https://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/parks/blackdown-tableland/