The Glebe in the Antipodes - Queensland

Well, it's been over 6 months since I last posted so I'll begin an update for the record.

Rose and I said cheerio to Bonny Scotland and jetted off to Queensland via Dubai with a two day stop in WA.

We were guests of my cousin Jean and her husband Bob in Baldivis, WA

A trip out to Freemantle.......

......and we spoiled ourselves....

(There's be more from WA in a future post since I was once more their guest after travelling on to NZ and Tasmania.)

Flying across Australia took us four and a half hours to get to Brisbane with another two hours up to Townsville. 

TOWNSVILLE

Townsville is a sprawling city like most Australian towns are.

Castle Hill looks over it with great all round views.

There's a nice big car park at the top.

(There's also tracks to walk or run up it)

The next half dozen pictures were taken from Castle Hill

That's Magnetic Island at the top of the above picture.

View from Castle Hill

View from Castle Hill

View from Castle Hill

Just the right clothes for a Townsville Winter !

Getting the right focus !

Some of Townsville's feathered residents

ATHERTON TABLELANDS

We took a run up the Bruce Highway to the Atherton Tablelands for a few days.

The Canecutter Way

The Curtain Fig Tree

Millaa Millaa Falls

It was pouring rain as Rose took these pictures from under her brolly !

Just a little note here about an incident that really shook both of us up.
After leaving Millaa Millaa we headed to the town of Ravenshoe intent on visiting the Millstream Falls.
As we came into the town we were of a mind to go into the 'Serves You Right' cafe for lunch.
However spotting the Highland Bakery next door, Rose suggested we get a takeaway and enjoy lunch at the falls.
After getting our coffee we were making our way back to the car just opposite the cafe, when we heard the sound of a revved up engine.
A Ute (pick up truck) travelling at a high speed crashed into the rear of the cafe and a large gas cylinder causing a mighty explosion.
As the flames blew out of the front of the cafe I had flashbacks of Flixborough and instantly threw myself and Rose to the ground. Rose's knees were painful for a couple of days due to me landing on top of her.
I ended up with a scraped elbow.
The result of the explosion was two people dead and 18 injured.
The people of Ravenshoe were brilliant as they saw to the injured.(and us)

There's video clips on Youtube under "Ravenshoe Cafe Blast".

We were so lucky.

Paronella Park

MAGNETIC ISLAND

It's a short ferry ride across to the Island.

We'll be going back over there in 2016.
 (The name of the island came about because of the apparent "magnetic" effect it had on the ship's compass of Captain Cook as he passed the island when sailing up the east coast of Australia in 1770.)

Rock Wallabies are gorgeous creatures and are quite prolific in the area.

One of the Island's many beautiful bays.
This is Alma Bay.

Back on the mainland

The Strand Rock Pool Townsville

Here's a virtual tour

We had a picnic just here.

Yours truly at the Botanic Gardens, Island Jetty, Aquarium, having a paddle and a swim. 

More of Queensland's wonderful trees.

This has been just a small selection of the hundreds of pictures taken by Rose and myself.

Barely enough to show the beauty of the region.

I'm so looking forward to return for the Queensland winter..........it'll be pretty cold at 24° C

Next post will be a few pictures from NZ.

The Wigtownshire Ramblers Silver Rig Circular January 2015

Saturday's walk was roughly over the same route as our walk last March.

March 2013 Walk

Twenty eight of us set out.

Our walk leader was the 'Weaver'

Through Low Camer Wood

Silver Rig Burn which flows into the Ballocharus Burn

The wee dog is called Midge

Our back up leader got his woodcraft badge for making our passage easier.

Approaching the Silver Rig mine

A not so good macro attempt of rain drops.

The water wheel housing remains.

The mine store and office ruins.

Looking over the Silver Rig loch.

The outlet (can you see the monster's eyes looking out at you ?)

Another burn crossing with strange camera effects

Old forest road over the Rig of Larg

Lunchtime by the waterfalls of the Pulniskie Burn

Ditto

Ditto

Ditto

The waterfalls

Back on the move and the forest road to Borgan

There were no leaves on this tree so I gave it some

More of Midge.

The Roman Bridge

(our intrepid duo who ventured onto the bridge soon found out it was slippery, they took great care coming off)

The beautiful Water of Minnoch, my favourite river.

(Not to be confused with my favourite burns which are the Penkiln and the Palnure)

We stopped to say hello

Horned sheep at Borgan

Path through High Camer Wood back to the cars and the end of another excellent walk.

On our return to Newton Stewart we gathered in the Cinnamon Cafe for our excellent after walk refreshments.

Here's a selection of pictures from 

Scoop

The Weavers report will follow these pictures.

Here's the Weavers walk report

Silver Rig mine walk report. January 3rd 2015

A sunny day greeted the New Year turn out of the Ramblers on Saturday. Twenty eight walkers met at High Camer Wood picnic site for a circular walk through the woods and visiting the old lead mine known as a silver mine, though very little silver was ever extracted from the lead here.

Along the road the path through Low Camer Wood was taken. This has been restored and managed by the Cree Valley Community Woodland trust, together with High Camer Wood, where the cars were parked. At this time of year there is little growth but the beauty of clear winter skies seen through the old oak tree branches is a glorious sight that disappears later when green leaf covers the bare bones of the wood.

Next site to be visited was the mine, approached by an overgrown and indistinct path from Cordocan. The mine itself is well fenced but still in need of clearing, with undergrowth preventing a good sight of the main features, which are still well preserved. It was in use periodically from the seventeenth century to the mid nineteenth century. The water wheel housing and the filled in main shaft, said to have been about 90 feet deep, were examined by the walkers. The site was surveyed in 2002 by CFA Archeology Ltd and a good report is available of this on the internet.

From the mine store and office ruins, a tussocky, wet, and forested area was crossed to Silver Rig Loch, which is a man-made reservoir built for the mine. At the outfall there is still wood surviving from its use by the mine, now over 150 years old, though the loch is well silted up, with just small open water areas along its length. When built it obviously was a very large water store.

An even harder ramble across more tussocks, slippery rocks and ridges ensued, all the while encumbered by clumps of trees which sometimes denied onward progress. At last, a stone dyke was reached and the going got easier until an old forest road led between felled forest debris to the designated lunch spot

Old sheep pens gave quick access to the delightful Pulniskie Burn, where waterfalls roared and splashed down alongside grassy banks, providing a beautiful sunny resting place for hardy walkers. It was a leisurely stop with many photographic opportunities for the camera enthusiasts.

Forest roads now took the company to a fork, where the party divided, some opting to continue the easy route by forest road, to Borgan bridge, whilst others deviated to the Roman Bridge on the Water of Minnoch, and reached the public road by a riverside walk. Rains and weather have demolished the former well-kept fisherman’s path which now is undermined in places and in danger of disappearing altogether in others.

Once the group was reunited, High Camer wood was the last area to be explored, after a short road walk. Up a small hill and into the woods, a narrow path led over soft decomposing oak leaves to High Camer Farm, now quite ruinous. A coppice of young trees was sidestepped by entering another older part of the wood, where an enormous badger set was revealed on a steep sloping site, with recent digging and gathering of bedding clearly in evidence.

At last the Picnic site and cars were reached by joining a newly laid path, which should hopefully help these beautiful woods to become more widely known and used by the public. The walkers now adjourned to Cinnamon, in Newton Stewart, for well-deserved refreshments and an enjoyable end to a great start to the ramblers New Year.

Next week’s walk is a circular coast and countryside 9 mile ramble around Portpatrick. Meet for car sharing 9.15 am Riverside, Newton Stewart, 9.30am Breastworks, Stranraer, or 10 am in Portpatrick south car park. NW 999 540. New walkers are most welcome but please phone walk leader to get further instructions. 01581 200256