On a Zig Zag tour across south eastern Queensland

 From the town of Esk I drive on to Toowoomba for a re-fuel, then on toward Ipswich and south to Lake Moogerah for a quiet night in a green landscape that looks like its been covered in the dropped blossoms from the Jacaranda trees, reminding me of a likeness to the flower girls dropping rose petals at a wedding.  Very pretty.  The lake I am told is now about 70% full, very nice when you need to remember that just a few months earlier it had been down to about 6% according to a local.  Yes, the whole countryside is green with abundant grass wherever I look, the rivers, the dams, the creeks, all flowing with plenty of water.

A regular carpet of blue

A look across the lake to the campground

A Kookaburra looking for a free feed

Naturally, the weather has been a bit of a mixed bag, heavy overcast skies one day, some quite heavy rain as well, but then this is just as often followed by a bright blue and sunny sky the next day.

Looking across Lake Moogerah from my campground

I leave the lake behind to drive on toward Darlington for a 3-day rest.  Darlington is really not much more than a dot on the map or, as we say in Australia, "..you will miss it if you blink.."  Dave the Ranger does a magnificent job looking after the grounds and I am glad to see him again after a bit more than a year since my last visit.

The bridge into Darlington Park

When I leave Darlington, its back to Beaudesert, some shopping, then on to the cute historic town of Canungra, where I spend one night at the Recreation Ground by the river, in the company of an Iranian family by a nice campfire.  I really enjoyed their company.  They leave the following morning and I decide to drive to O'Reilly's Plateau high in the Green Mountains with the intention to spend the night there - unfortunately, being Sunday it's full of holiday makers and also rather cold at the much higher altitude.

A great view from 1000m toward the Eastcoast

I find another nice campground by the river for a few more days, with daly excursions up th e steep and very wing roads to Springbrook with lots of fabulous lookouts.  Again, quite cool up there and I drive back to the coast and spend a night at Burleigh Heads, a very busy coastal town, with Surfing a major attraction.  Yes, its nice and warm but also quite hectic, lots of people.

A quick trip takes me across the border into NSW to Murwillumbah and from there back across the mountains to my campspot by the river.  Two days later I am at the door of my newly found family, John and Michelle.  I am made very welcome as I feel very much at home on their beautiful property.