Heading for the Hill!!

Wednesday 10 August 2017

Hennie and I headed out early, stocking up on coffee and clean water at the servo.  The first 5km was cycling along the Bruce Highway and although it was early, the trucks were already rattling past - only one decided I didn't need a metre space!  but soon I turned off to Mutarnee and immediately the peace and quiet settled my nerves!  Sugar cane fields on each side sweetened the air - birds fluttered above - yep, this is what cycle touring is all about!

After another few kms I arrived at the turn off to Paluma.  The road immediately shrank in width and tipped up...  ah well, I have been on this road so many times in the past - but never on 2 wheels.
As it was early, the road was all mine and although its a steady climb, it doesn't have any really steep, leg-busting climbs - just 19km of up!  My eye was on the rear-view mirror, ears twitching because the scariest bit is a sharp left bend - cars always cut close when swinging around, but luckily the speed on this range road is quite slow and I obviously lived to tell the tale...

But it's beautiful - the first half of the road wriggles through dry forest - with little gullies lined with darker green.  There weren't a lot of birds along this section and as its open, the sun was really giving me a taste of summer.  Eventually I arrived at Little Crystal Creek - a great place to stop and go for a walk along the creek, talk to the brush turkey and marvel at the beautiful bridge, all built by hand back in the depression in 1930's, by unemployed men.  I drank the remainder of the coffee, demolished a muesli bar and finished up with an apple - surely that's enough to get me up to the top of the range!

Little Crystal Creek bridge

The forest begins to thicken soon after and the air becomes decidedly cooler.  Tree ferns reach for the sky and the peep of the Eastern Robin makes me smile while I stand on the side of the road, gasping for breath and waiting for my heart rate to slow down.  I can do these rides, but they aren't easy and near the top I was stopping every 2 km just to recover.  I was relieved to arrive at Windy Corner - but I didn't remember that the village of Paluma was as far away as it was...at each corner I was expecting to be there - and eventually I was!

McClelland's Lookout!  Made it to Paluma

Water!!

My dream of Devonshire tea was dashed by the closed sign on Ivy Cottage.  Crikey!!  I had finished all my water and still had 20km of tough riding out to Hidden Valley.  Signs around the village warned about the unsafe drinking water - boil it blah blah!!  so I went back to the Rotunda to have a snack and consider how to get water and there - bless the Townsville City Council - they provide bottled water for visitors and residents!   1.5L bottle filled up my bottles with a little left over!  phew!

Star Valley - miles of unoccupied valleys - permanent water included
a hermit's dream!

So ever onwards to Hidden Valley.  As I remember it, the sealed road goes a bit on from the Paluma Dam turnoff, near Star Valley look out - was hoping the dirt road hadn't been recently graded and that it's not too corrugated!  A wistful gaze over the remote and isolated Star Valley and Hennie and I headed off into the sun.  Soon we were in the massive white gums, getting even more massive having been saved from the loggers of the past.  But the rolling sealed road continued and soon I was zooming down the hill at Blackfriars.  But there was a bit of water running across the floodway, causing me to slow down, so the climb up out of that gully wasn't aided by any speed gained...  this happened on several occasions, but the amazing thing was that the sealed road just kept on!  bonus!

can you see Hennie at the base?

Boronia I think!

40 years ago the party phone line was held up by these insulators

Dirt road appears

By the time I got to the lemon-scented gums region, the sealed road ended, but I knew it was only about another 5kms before I would get to the Hidden Valley cabins.  I caught a whiff of the scent, but its not quite hot enough to fill that gully with its scent.  Soon I was puffing up the steep driveway to the cabins - Made it - I was pretty pleased with myself.  The memories from 40 years ago came flooding back -  yep, this was definitely going to be a trip filled with nostalgia!
check out http://hiddenvalleycabins.com.au/  for info on the cabins

I eventually tracked down Bonnie (problems of sneaking up without a noisy motor!!) and signed in and got comfy in my little cosy and clean room.  a nice hot shower and a change of clothes helped me to become a bit normal and I joined the tour to check out the platypus, after a tour of the Solar setup that powers the Cabins.  interesting!  There was a tour group staying at the cabins, so we all piled into the mini bus and Ross drove us up the valley to old Garth's place to Running River.  (I was so sad to see the very old Hidden Valley pub had been demolished and even the old date palm tree was gone...  I guess 40 years is a long time ago).  We all sat quietly on the river bank and soon bubbles would be seen on the surface and an occasional platypus would bob up for a quick breath and then disappear again.  I caught a good look at one, resting on the surface, before it dived down again.  So cute!

Garth's old house

Platypus habitat

bubbles - its the closest I got to taking a photo

 As the sun was setting, we headed back to the cabins for a BBQ (or vegie burger!) with salads and a nice cold apple cider!  The tour group were an interesting mix, some really friendly, others totally snooty - so just normal...  so ended the first day of my nostalgic trip to Hidden Valley

Hidden Valley

Thursday 10 August 2017

My slumber was interrupted early in the morning by the wind raging wildly outside...  Oh crap!  August winds!  how I hated them then - and I still hate windy weather, whether I am cycling or not.  but there's not much one can do about the weather...

Continental breakfast was fine - then I gathered my binocs and camera and headed off for a walk up Pine Creek...  This creek has water flowing year round, in places it rests in the rockholes and in other places it dips under the sandy creek bed - looking like its dried up, but actually filtering the water making it a really clean source for the Cabins.

There was another house further up from the cabins - no-one at home - and Wells' place across the creek looked abandoned..  the birds kept me grabbing for the binocs and the scenes kept me busy with my camera.  I really like that country and I am thankful that I spent 3 years of my life there.

I saw the track that the Paluma push uses to rush to the finish line at the Cabins...  maybe one year???  one doesn't have to race!

The wind continued to hassle the trees, but I decided that Hennie and I were made of stern stuff, so after waiting for the freshly baked bread to cool down, Bonnie made me a super salad sandwich and we headed back up the Valley to the old pub and down to the swimming hole in Running River.  There was a lot more tangled debris and a bit more filled in with sand - but still clear in my memory.  I could hear wrens twittering, brown honeyeaters warbling and a squawk of a cockatoo...  I tried to get close enough to see the wrens (probably Variegated), but they just kept out of sight in the tangle of rubber-vine (which didn't use to be here!)

The site of the old Hidden Valley pub - all gone :(

on the way back, I stopped at the creek crossing and spotted another mix of honey-eaters, triller and flycatchers before riding back through Furbers' cattle that were snoozing along the road and generally messing up the road.  4 squatter pigeons scattered off the road - yay, another tick!  and so back into the township of Hidden Valley.  Changed but not that much - Stan & Deelo's home still standing, but there was no-one at home...  no welcoming cuppa and cake (or glass of port!) and Stan's stories are now silent...  but the tales and laughter remain in my memories!

Deelo's place

refurbished Running River Bridge

Pale-headed Rosella intent on sucking the honey from the grevillea

Just one more place to visit - so I turned down Harpers road and caught up with Coral and Eddie.

and then back to the Cabins for another good meal and an early night.  big day ahead tomorrow!

The actual trip - as promised!

Tuesday 8 August 2017

Caught Premiers Bus north and it veered off the road at Rollingstone Pub and Hennie and I were dumped on the side of road - and in a puff of burning diesel the bus headed off to Cairns...

Some laconic Aussies were hanging around the bar as is usual at the Rollingstone Pub... they watched me as I dragged my panniers across the highway and then - still watching - while I hauled Hennie wrapped up in plastic - but then I am a farmer's daughter, so no problems !

I was not expecting much and was not disappointed - tho could have done without the piles of gecko poo and dead moths on the windsill - all adding a certain aroma to my room...  would have been nice if they had thought to clean the toilet occasionally and even to give the bath and handbasin a bit of a rinse now and then....  ah well...

Note painted cement floor

I used the heavy low table as my 'lock' on the door

Scented by dead moths and gecko shit!

So the pub isn't so nice, but a walk down to the servo for an ice-cream and a stroll along the back road to the river was really pleasant - there's a great free campsite on the river bank - should have brought a tent!!

Rolling Stone River - looking inland

but the beer and burger weren't too bad, so I shouldn't complain...  :)

Nostalgic trip out to Hidden Valley 8-11 August

Once upon a time (actually 41 years ago), I called Hidden Valley my home.  We stayed there for 3 years before heading back to the coast to Magnetic Island....  slightly opposites I know!

so now its time for another visit to Hidden Valley!  Hennie and I are going mountain climbing!

But first, Tuesday evening at the glamorous Rollingstone Pub/motel....  please don't quote me on that!

then a dash along the highway before turning off to Mutarnee and the bottom of the Paluma Range.  Then the struggle will begin - 20km of narrow winding road, going ever upwards to the summit at Paluma - 1000m plus...  A strong cuppa at Ivy Cottage should then give me enough zipp to face the dirt road and rolling hills on the way out to Hidden Valley....

well, that's the plan - stay tuned for pics and more comments!!!  who knows how much wifi I can get, but eventually I will post some pics and more content...  just letting you know where I will be from Tuesday to Friday...

Zooming around Magnetic Island

4 August 2017

Obviously this is not about a cycling trip - but am including it into my blog, because I am sure you are interested in the beautiful Magnetic Island.

we packed our bathing togs and towels and headed off to the barge for a restful day, cruising around this jewel in the Coral Sea...

Firstly, we headed over to Picnic Bay asap and went for a leisurely stroll along the old jetty, remembering the times we rushed along it to catch the ferry to town.  Thankfully its been allowed to remain with a few renovations.  Poor old Picnic Bay - so abandoned!  but it makes for a really nice quiet place to visit on the island - one that the locals probably enjoy!

Looking back to Townsville from Picnic Bay

Picnic Bay Jetty

Then out to West Point.  The road from Goldmine Hill is well maintained, maybe it would be a bit different in the wet season, but its hard to see why the moke company still prohibits their mokes going out there...  There's even a parking bay at the Point!!

We walked along the wide sandy beach, looking for those tiny shells that the kids used to collect.  Maybe my eyesight isn't as good as it used to be!  There's nothing left of the oyster lease, apart from an occasional stump sticking up out of the mud.  Still plenty of starving oysters on the rocks around the inlet, though it was sad to see that the big old terminalias have gone and the straggly new ones don't look like they will grow into anything shady.  The tamarind tree is still holding its own tho!

Young Bay - at West Point

wild oysters

maybe a left over log from the oyster lease

We headed back to civilisation  and continued up over the ridges to Horseshoe Bay.  As usual, there were more than enough people hanging around the place, but by then it was lunch time, so we bought burgers and went and sat under the very shady fig trees and gazed out at the peaceful scene of boats of all descriptions, bobbing in the calm bay.

Low tide at Alma Bay

Superwoman

strong woman

It was a really low tide, which also carried the scent of a recent algal bloom, so we decided to just visit Alma Bay and not go for a swim.  The breeze was still a little cool!!!  We had to check on the wallabies out at the old barge terminal before going for a general tour around the island.  This included a tour past 21 Kelly St - looking exactly as we left it in 1985 - still empty blocks on either side!!!  Around the back on the route to the school and generally checking out Nelly Bay in general.

granite rocks and hoop pines = Magnetic Island

wallabies at Arcadia rocks

making the most of some free tucker

By the time we had to catch the barge back to Townsville we felt that we had satisfied our Island longings and were ready to face the pace of busy Townsville again!

Castle Hill

Chasing the sunshine - to Townsville

there comes a time in the winter time in Brisbane when the cold nights and mornings just get to being too much - so let's pack up and head north for a wee while.

now that I am a pensioner, thought I would take advantage of the cheap train travel, so booked a seat (not a sleeper) on the Spirit of Queensland and on 26/8 packed Hennie into her bag and called the taxi.  when we got to train station and checked in our baggage, Hennie weighed more than 20kg - in fact 600g more - so I had to open up the bag and remove the small empty handlebar bag to get it under 20kg.  funny tho - its a bike, its got wheels, if I didn't have to bag her up, we could have just wheeled it onto the train....  like in so many other countries!!

I thought I liked train travel - but I guess 18 hours and mostly overnight is not that fascinating.  I did enjoy the few hours in the next morning, checking out what birds I could see from the window - and spotted quite a few - including a white-necked stork or jabiru and some brolgas - definitely getting north.

so it was great to finally arrive - and have time to dash off for coffee and a doughnut before Karina dashed off to work.  I had a little rest then got Hennie back into working order again and pedalled over to the Strand and to catch up with friend over a cuppa.  Townsville is busy at the moment, with Strand Ephemera exhibition along the Strand and many visitors for the Chamber Music Festival.

and beautiful blue skies and warm gentle breezes - feels just right to be here.

Dear old Magnetic Island - will be seeing you soon

my next car

another view of Magnetic Island

On Friday I headed off with a couple of birdwatchers out to the dry lands of Woodstock where I readjusted my ears and racked my brain to remember the sounds I heard and to tie them into what I might be looking at.  there were so many sounds that I eventually remembered, but some I didn't - especially this little brown job - Singing Bush Lark, who posed so nicely for our cameras

 and the little Squatter Pigeon, who squatted on the road long enough to drag out the camera, switch it on, remove lens cap - zoom and focus and phew - its still there!!  a miracle!

 After a very short bike ride for me on Saturday morning (to the coffee shop) and a rather longer one for Karina and a nice strong coffee at Dominion - we got Ruby out of the garage and went for a quick drive up into the mountains to Paluma - to enjoy the Devonshire tea at Ivy Cottage...  Not quite the same atmosphere of 30 years ago, but trying :)  and the scones and jam were delicious!!

so a great start to a northern adventure - maybe there will be some more bike riding stories to tell later!