Category Archives: Qld

Cape York – Day 4 – Revisited

4X4, Australia, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Sanctaury, Cairns, Cairns, camera, Cape York, clouds, forest, Landscape, landscape, mountains, Piccaninny Plains, Piccaninny Plains, Plant, Qld, Textures, trees

Late lift off on the last day due to rain at Weipa. We were going to land at AWC’s Piccaninny Plains Sanctuary to visit, but the late departure ruled that out.

We fly out of a wet Weipa over Coen, Yarraden and Piccaninny Plains all in the Cook Shire.

Then Lakefield (a really large area) and the Cape York Developmental Road until we reach Mount Carbine close to AWC’S Brooklyn Sanctuary. We land to refuel at Pennyweight Outstation, located on Brooklyn.

After refueling we headed back over Mareeba, where Bungie the Pilot lives and we fly over his helipad and then back to Port Douglas.

Cape York – Day 2 – Revisited

4X4, Australia, birds, camera, Cape York, clouds, coastal, Landscape, landscape, Plant, Qld, reptiles, river/creeks, rock, salt, sand, sand dunes, Textures, trees, Wildlife

This morning we leave Haggerstone Island, then see downed aircraft, crocs up and close, Captain Billy Goat Waterfall and finally we land near a WW2 wreck of a P39 Aircobra which crashed on its way to Papua New Guinea.  Flying up the coast we see bauxite deposits, sands, rivers and finally hover over the tip of Australia. Then an aerial trip around the Torres Strait, we did not land as you can wait for hours before customs turn up (they work on Island time). Last stop Punsand Bay Campgrounds to stay.

Day 2 was as stunning as Day 1 – Revisited here.

Click on an image to a slideshow. Enjoy. Viva Cristo Rey.

Morning

Northern Cape York – eastern side

The Tip and Torres Strait

Punsand Bay after sunset

Cape York – Day 1 – Revisited

Australia, Cairns, camera, clouds, coastal, Landscape, ocean, Plant, Qld, river/creeks, salt, sand, sand dunes, seascape, Textures, trees

Leaving from Port Douglas and ending on Haggerstone Island. The original Cape York images and reports are here.

Enjoy. Viva Cristo Rey.

Mount Zero Taravale

AWC, forest, Landscape, Mount Zero Taravale, Mount Zero Taravale, mountains, Qld, river/creeks

In 2019 The Doc went on an AWC Supporter’s Event to Mt Zero Taravale out of Townville. Supporters arrived in that fancy red helicopter, flown out of Townville Airport, known as Garbutt Airfield in WW2.

He had previously driven up the entrance of the Sanctuary.

The Doc forgot to write up a report, so he only has some pictures. Better late than never. One day he may find the notes from the visit.

The Doc does remember meeting and speaking to AWC legend Peter Stanton at the event and later sending him some AWC slides The Doc had scanned of Peter at MZT, in the very early days of AWC ownership.

Viva Cristo Rey.

The first visit was to the entrance of the MZT, in a car. The road up was a bit narrow driving the Nissan Patrol and it was a long way down. That road was narrow and had blind corners everywhere.

The road down was not as bad when The Doc left the Supporter’s Event and someone else was driving!

Piccaninny Plains revisited

Australia, AWC, Cape York, forest, lakes, Landscape, landscape, Piccaninny Plains, plains, Qld, river/creeks, Uncategorised

AWC Supporter events are about to start at Piccaninny Plains on Cape York. The Doc visited back in 2014, and did a flyover in 2015 on Day 4 of the Cape York helicopter trip. It is a fantastic place and very different to others parts of Australia he has visited.

The Doc needed a break from the ongoing rehab and reprocessed some of his old images, using his new post processing techniques. They turned out great.

Most of the images were taken on the helicopter. Enjoy. Click on the first image to see a full size slideshow.

Eromanga & Outback Queensland – St George, Dirranbandi, Goondawindi – the trip ends

4X4, desert, Eromanga, Landscape, macro, Plant, Qld

The Doc drove straight from Stanthorpe to Eromanga, with an overnight stay at Cunnamulla. The return trip was over a week, starting with an alternate route out of Eromanga. Two nights were spent at St George where The Doc went exploring especially around Dirranbandi, which a mate raves about. Driving down the Castlereagh Highway south out of St George was nice but terrifying anytime a roadtrain came the other way on this narrow road. Dirranbandi is a road hub with heavy roadtrain traffic. Uninspiring so far.

The Doc refueled, took a rest, visited the bakery, and headed back a different way using the Whyenbah Road. A road that services stations and farms. Suddenly the mood changed and became a magical road trip, almost no traffic, beautiful afternoon light, storm clouds and great scenery. The road is not fully sealed, but is slowly being sealed. You rejoin the Balonne Highway just west of the St George Township. The Doc needs to get the exact location of the riverside stop his mate uses and drive on the Whyenbah Road, not the Castlereagh Highway, when heading to Dirranbandi.

Next stop Goondawindi and Boggabilla. There was some local exploring but the main purpose was to visit the Goondawindi Botanic Gardens (Botanic Gardens of the Western Woodlands). A few nights there and then back to Ballina. More time is needed to cover the extensive Botanic Gardens grounds but here are images from the visit:

Most topics are now done. My favourite image of the trip? Peglers Pond at sunrise.

Priestly Spiny Orbweaver – Outback Queensland

4X4, Australia, Eromanga, insects, Landscape, macro, Qld, States, Wildlife

After leaving Eromanga the first overnight stop was St George at the Balonne Inn. The Doc stayed there two nights and went to visit Alton National Park for a day visit. While there he photographed an unknown spider. The Doc has finally identified it as a Priestly Spiny Orbweaver (Gasteracantha sacerdotalis). This sighting is over 400 kilometers west of any other sighting of this species, as most sightings are along the Queensland Coast.

Leaving Eromanga – alternate routes

4X4, Australia, desert, Eromanga, Landscape, Qld, Quilpie,

Leaving Eromanga around 4am The Doc headed towards Quilpie; on the western side of Quilpie he turned right onto the Quilpie-Thargomindah Road and headed south towards Toompine. South of Toompine he turned left on the Eulo-Toompine Road and headed towards the Adventure Way and Eulo (he also had morning tea at this road junction). It was a really nice drive along both these roads. The route is on the linked map here. The pictures are from this small part of the trip.

While driving along Eulo-Toompine Road The Doc saw three caravans just off the road, one was being towed by an Eldoret Blue Grenadier (there was no time to stop and talk as there was a long drive ahead). When the Doc reached the corner of the Eulo-Toompine Road and the Adventure Way two large SLRV vehicles (MAN Commanders) were traveling west were talking about the baby SLRV on the UHF (The Doc’s Grenadier). Both events happened in about 30 minutes in the middle of nowhere.

The rest of the trip to Goondiwindi (actually nearby Bogabilla) was the same route as the trip in.

Shakedown lessons
Cunnamulla would be the refueling stop, but the grey nomads were everywhere, especially lined up for fuel. There was still fuel in the Grenadier’s mounted fuel containers. The Doc pulled out the fuel pump to find out the diameter of the tank opening did not let the pump be inserted. The Doc decided to refuel at Bollom instead and arrived on fuel vapors (with one or two litres left in the car).

The fuel tank was fixed at Expedition HQ during the next service, by reboring the opening. It turns out when the tanks were purchased, The Doc was given the wrong set of fuel tanks. This is why The Doc does shake down trips to find things like this out without creating major dramas.

The Doc also found out on the trip he could not sleep in the Grenadier due to his ongoing injuries from the car accident and instead had to stay in a motel. Before setting out The Doc thought he could sleep in the car, but he got a reality check instead! It became obvious on this trip The Doc needed extensive rehab and he started heading back home for treatment. The car was not only being tested but also the driver under field conditions. It was a wake up – and the intense rehab is still ongoing.

The Lightforce Viper lightbar also prove itself in the dark and rain driving out of Eromanga.

Cunnamulla, Eulo, Thargomindah – Outback Queensland

4X4, Australia, desert, Eromanga, flowers, Plant, Qld, , , , ,

After leaving Stanthorpe, The Doc travelled along the Stanthorpe-Texas Road. Then through Texas and heading northward to Inglewood (along the Inglewood-Texas Road), which was a great drive early in the morning. Time to visit the local bakery and get some warm bacon and cheese topped rolls, which was the food for the day (nice rolls they were). The last roll later in the day was warmed up in the Travel Buddy Oven.

The Doc drove all day and stayed overnight at Cunnamulla. It was a long day’s driving. On the way The Doc fueled at a Roadhouse outside Goondawindi. From memory, it was time for a Magnum ice cream.

Leaving Cunnamulla early the next morning The Doc travelled west out of Cunnamulla via Eulo (Eu-lo) and Thargomindah (Thar-go-min-dah) along the Bulloo Developmental Road. Here is an interactive map of the trip from Ballina to Eromanga.

Eulo is a place where many of the Australian Megafauna, like the Diprotodon, are found.

Previously The Doc had always travelled north out of Cunnamulla along the Mitchell Highway, but a change was in order.

The Doc visited Noccundra and then turned northwards onto the Cooper Developmental Road and up into Eromanga the back way.

The traffic was light all the way. It turns out had The Doc gone the normal way (Cunnamulla, Charleville, Quilpie and then Eromanga) he would have run into many cars heading to the Big Red Bash at Birdsville.

On a back road, The Doc came across a little oasis in the in the middle of nowhere in this semi arid landscape. Enjoy.