Day 52 - Crystal Creek

It was a lovely day for relaxing today! Although the night wasn't all that restful with a wind storm during the night bringing down Ernie's light wind awning setup.  1am saw guide lines being pegged in.  We forgot to mention that we figured out how to setup the awning without guild lines back at Palmer river.  There we were on river stones and didnt have the hammer drill necessary to put the pegs in.  A quick easy arrangement using poles to brace each upright was the solution, however it is only a light or no wind arrangement.

By morning the wind had dropped down but still a bit breezy.  After breakfast which included a lovely cup of brewed coffee from Andi and Gem coffee roaster, we headed out for firewood collection and telephone service to check on our next camp at White Mountains National Park.  That was easily knocked off by heading to the next little centre on the Bruce highway, Rollingstone.

With Uncle Andi in firewood mode we collected a heap, enough that we had to take the top box off the roof to fit it in - tonight's fire would be not be short of timber!

With the wind still blowing a bit we headed off to Paradise waterhole for another dip.  Andi was keen to practise his jumping and so he jumped off the big rock with Dad!  

 Dad under water about 1 metre being silly. The water was so clear!

The rock in the foreground was little Andi's big rock that he jumped off.  No fear!

We were there for an hour or so before tummies started to groan and we headed back to camp for lunch.  Sandwiches were woofed down.

Just up the road (2km) were the rock slides, same creek just up river.  The rocks are smooth and slippery enough to slide down with a splash to finish.  Only the little boys were game for this.

Insert link of videos of the boys sliding down the rocks.

Above the slide was another deep pool, waterfall thrown in for free.  We couldn't resist another dip, regardless of the temperature.  The slipper rocks made for a tricky entry but we all made it through.  The big pond was deep as well possibly deeper that Paradise Hole, certainly deeper than Dad was comfortable diving down to the bottom.

  All the family hanging in the pool.

With the temperature not very high, maybe 15 or so, lizards appeared shortly after.  A lovely sun bake to get warm and dry.

The fact that we had the place to ourselves was just amazing, our luck must run out sometime.  Around 3:00 we returned to camp.  Dad was keen to explore the mountains further in the Paluma NP.  With a windy road for 20 or so kilometres he didn't have any passenger volunteers.  They opted to get the fire going and helping Uncle Andi make mud lizard in the camp oven.  

The mud lizard was well cooked in a very hot oven,  we were still able to much the inside through.  Delicious was the overall assessment.

Dad came back around 5:40 with stories to tell about the road, a very windy, narrow path up the top of the range. The road was built in the 1930's to employ unemployed workers as a result of the depression.  Government infrastructure spending has been a made to kick start economies for decades obviously.  It took about a year and included a hand crafted stone bridge of little Crystal a Creek.

The views at the top of the range over the coast was stunning.  The wind had gone, it was warm and the view was simply breathtaking.  Once again, not a single person around.

The views stunning, Dad then headed further into the mountains making his way to Birthday falls.  The track was only 500 metres to the top but you had to walk further to get a view of the bottom.  Estimated to be about 30m high they, like all these rivers, would be really impressive in the wet!

 From the top of Birthday falls

Saw this little fella rock up as I was about to turn back for the car park.  The most confident Echdna I've come across, he actually walked towards me completely happy with me being there, he must be used to visitors.

Dad arrived back around 5:40 and we had a few extra guests in the park.  Dad was somewhat stunned by their use of wood in the national park for their fire and seemingly less oblivious understanding of what no dogs mean, bringing in a huge dog.  It remained chained up but still.  I am not sure what the regulations pertain to indigenous people in the area but it seemed a little strange for them to be completely oblivious to the national park rules.  I am trying not to make this a race thing, that is not my intent. I will have to go and research this a little more.

Having said this, there were numerous traits they displayed during the evening that regardless of shape, colour or origin pushed many of my buttons!  It started with the language, every word under the sun and after dark it seem to just get louder.  The f word dropped on many occasions.  Taking the cake was chopping of firewood with an axe at 10:27 at night, for god sake have some awareness of other people I said.  I was sitting at the fire writing yesterday's blog and felt really sorry for the young family in a pop up caravan that moved in the same day we did, but now would have all that inconsiderate ramble going on outside their site.