Finch Hatton and Eungella
June 13-17, 2013
We decided our first
destination would be a camp site called Platypus Bush Camp, situated
on the Finch Hatton side of the Eungella NP. I had picked up a
brochure describing this place and the photos were nice. It claimed
fame for the best viewing spot to see a platypus! This excited us, as
we knew they are very shy creatures, and not easily spotted. We have
seen many native wildlife over the years including echidnas, many a
kangaroo, wallaby, and birds, but not the humble platy. For those who
don't know, the platypus is an unusual animal which people say it was
created by God as a joke. The reason being that it has a beak like a
duck, tail like a beaver, it is nocturnal, and it is a mammal that
lays eggs! The male also has a poison spur on its hind legs.
Once at the 'Wall of
Fire' we saw the beautiful swimming hole. The one problem being that
the mountain is over 1000m above sea level, is that the water is very
cold! The area was also shaded but we looked to the sky and noticed
that the sun was not far from coming above the top of the mountain.
We guessed it would be about 30 minutes until it would be sunny. Even
though it would not make the slightest difference to the temperature,
at least there would be a sunny patch to sit at when we got out. We
decided to have lunch while we waited.
While we procrastinated,
the two backpackers who were telling us about it, arrived, went for a
quick swim, and left. Once we finally went in, we didn't stay in long
that is for sure, but you can see the waterfall best from in the
water! Another 2 backpackers, S and J arrived so we started
talking. We found out they were Aussies as well. They were following
the show trail, and working for a kebab/ slushy stall. We had heard
about the Pioneer Valley show, and since we were in the area, decided
to go to it.
After seeing the 'Wall of
Fire' we headed back down to see the 'Araluen Cascades'. Another
beautiful spot. This time we didn't have to get in the water to see
it. There was a lookout. People were swimming, but we decided against
it as we had already experienced the cold so decided to just
appreciate the beauty of the place without getting cold and wet
again. After the 'Araluen Cascades' we started to head back. As we
were walking back to the camp site instead of driving like most of
the other people, we were able to take our time and explore a little.
We were even lucky enough to find some bush passionfruit! Instead of
being the usual purple colour, they were yellow. We did a little bit
of a look around and found 6 that were ripe and hadn't been broken
into by animals. Arriving back at 'Rocky' we had lunch then cut open
the yummy, full fruit. And Yummy they were! Cameron had a hard time
keeping up with me. At one point he suggested we save them and have
the rest another time, to which I looked at him, reached for the next
one and cut it in half.
The Second night we were there was Friday 14th June, 2013, two days before the show! That afternoon, Cameron, myself, and two other campers; M and T, decided we wanted a camp fire. As it happened, 'Toot the Magician' who was going to be at the show, (not sure her actual name), was staying at 'The Platypus Bushcamp'. There were some families staying at the camp, so Toot decided she would put on a show. It was a lovely thing for her to do. There was also a family related to the owner of the camp who lived nearby, and too came and watched the show. It was a nice evening sitting around the campfire, talking to everybody, and watching Toot. I even had the opportunity to reheat some leftovers for dinner on the fire as there was a shelf that could spin. To be put over the fire. It took a while, but we got there in the end. However, we learnt a lesson that night. Wet wood takes a very long time to light!
On Saturday we left the Finch Hatton side of Eungella National Park, and head to the south side to a place called Broken River. We had heard that you can see a Platy from there too. We eventually did see one. There were so many turtles at Broken River, and there was also a giant Eel. I think at times we were slightly distracted by watching these that we didn't always watch for the Platy, but we did see one none the less. The view from this side of the mountain was spectacular! You could see across the whole valley, and at night you could even catch a glimpse of Mackay city lights way in the distance. We spent the day sightseeing, and being very cold, as there had been a cold front come through when the weather decided to change. Some people were saying that the dry season had finally arrived in QLD! We went for a few walks in the area – The Sky Window Lookout, and the Rainforest Discovery Circuit. Not as many as we would have liked, but enough.
Sorry for such a long
post, but there was so much to say.
Thanks for reading.
- Jeni.