Author: Bill

In late June, Nancy and I were getting tired of unpacking, hanging, arranging, etc in our new home so we decided to take in a little local color. Mount Larcom is a small community North of Tannum Sands and is basically a small town along the only highway that leads north along the coast. They do put on an impressive Fall fair (they do it in the Fall because of the heat during the summer is unbearable) so we decided to go there and see what it is all about, We spent about six or seven hours there. Took a couple breaks because it was still quite warm, walked through the animal barns, and wandered through the midway. The festival was much like a county or state fair where you have displays of equipment, animal shows and judging, and contests. Plenty of food, fun, and entertainment. Take a look:

So that was our day at Mt Larcom. We will go again next year. Interesting things to see and do. Hope you liked it … we did.

K’Gari is the new, socially correct name for Fraser Island. We went there several years ago to celebrate an anniversary and had a very nice time. Now, while we patiently wait (maybe not too patiently actually) for our Caravan to be ready, we decided to take a few days and go there again for some sightseeing and relaxation.

Fraser Island, at 125 kilometers long and 25 kilometers wide and with 120 kilometers of beaches, is the largest sand island in the world and is home to its own eco system. It hosts Lake McKensie which is a beautiful clear lake located well inland on the island. The lake has no source of water other than rainfall but continues to be clear and full.

I will add a few pictures here but most of them will be added to my larger post for our first trip to Fraser. That way I won’t have a redundant post. It has not changed a great deal so the old and new pictures will compliment each other. I’ll rename it K’Gari. Those pictures that follow here are just a few “teasers” to give you a taste of what we did over our three day stay there.

We had three events planned and booked for our stay. We were scheduled to arrive mid afternoon on Tuesday so we booked a Sunset Cruise for Tuesday evening (can’t do that until sunset right?). Then on Wednesday we booked a day long rental of a Suzuki Jimney, a small jeep like four wheel drive vehicle, that we planned to tour some of the hotspots on the island. Then on Thursday we booked a half day whale watching cruise from seven-thirty till noon. We had did the Jimney thing before but the two cruises were new. I got a bunch of pictures from all three events but you will need to go to my K’Gari post to see those.

Tuesday we checked in at the center, checked our luggage, parked our car in the secure parking provided, and caught the ferry to K’Gari. A pleasant 45 minute voyage on a car ferry. Many people bring their own cars, campers, camping gear, etc so the ferry takes all comers. We arrived at Kingfish Bay Resort right on time, our room was ready so we dumped our stuff and set out to look around. To be able to rent a vehicle on the Island you must attend a briefing that tells you of all the dangers, perils, and fixes available while you drive around. The roads are sand, deeply rutted, narrow, steep in places, and difficult to drive on. No worries … its all fun. Because we had time we knocked out the briefing Tuesday afternoon rather than waste touring time on Wednesday. We finished the briefing in time to walk down to the pier, have an afternoon toddy, and board the sunset cruise boat.

So we cruised up and back down the west side of the island. They served some nibblies and wine, we saw a few boats, and of course, the sunset. Pleasant evening. Nice cruise.

When we returned to the dock, Nancy and I made our way up to one of the dining areas that was open. Had a little dinner and proceeded back to our room. We have a big day planned for tomorrow in our Jimney

Wednesday morning we got up early, dressed in our finest four wheeling clothes and went up to the resort for breakfast. The rooms at the resort are spread out along a large ridge facing the bay. There are covered, board walkways connecting all the rooms and the resort lobby. Breakfast was included.

After breakfast we went over and picked up the Jimney. Another, not quite as long, briefing on how to operate the vehicle (jeez) and we were off.

We explored many of the roads. They were all very narrow so you had to find a place to get off to meet other vehicles, or let faster ones pass. We went to the east side of the island and drove up and down the beach, we stopped off at an old timber camp, visited Lake McKensie, and stopped for a treat at a resort on the east side. It was a fun day. We had dinner and called it a day after a brief stop at the hotel lobby. We had an early up on Thursday because we had to catch the seven-thirty whale watching cruise.

Thursday morning found us at breakfast early and walking down to the pier to catch our boat. We were not real excited about this tour because we have been on a number of other ones and the whales never got very close to the boat. But, it was a half day at sea, the weather is still cool but sunny. After all, it is the middle of winter.

That was our whale watching cruise. We saw a number of whales, males fighting, a Mom and baby, and a curious guy that kept us entertained for quite a while. Best whale cruise EVER!!

We had a special dinner that night at the resort. They have a dining room that seats reservations only and has some specialty dishes. Had a lovely, tasty dinner to finish off our three days on the Island.

Friday morning we got up, had breakfast, checked out, and caught the ferry back to the mainland. Bailed out our car, loaded up our bags, and headed north to home. Four hours later we were back in Tannum sands with all kinds of fine memories.

As I mentioned before, there are many more pictures. They will all be in a post called 2023 K’Gari. Some from our first trip and many new ones from this trip. Go back to the menu and find 2023 K’Gari … you might not be disappointed.

We left Ubobo on Sunday morning right after church so we could get home and make the turn to leave Monday morning for Hervey Bay. So Monday morning we got up, packed, loaded the car and headed south to Hervey Bay … a three to four hour trip. No hurries, no worries!!

Hervey Bay is a small town located on the Sunshine Coast between Brisbane and Gladstone. We have reservations to catch the noon ferry to Fraser Island (K’Gari) on Tuesday and we decided to get in the area the day before instead of worrying about being delayed and missing our ferry. We spent the night in a nice Motel and went “downtown” for dinner.

So the next morning, Tuesday, we got up, had some coffee, and drove the short way to where the Kings Bay Resort Check-in Center was located. See you there.

We have got to know and associate with a number of people in Tannum Sands. Many of them are from the church we go to. Each year this church, which is quite active, holds a camping weekend in a small town called Ubobo. Ubobo is located in the Boyne Valley (See Boyne Valley Drive) along route 69 and has about twelve people that live there. The church we attend in Tannum Sands, is part of a larger Parish that includes a number of small towns around the area. The main church or Parish, Star of the Sea, is located in Gladstone. Two priests are assigned there and they conduct services at all the little churches each weekend on a complex schedule. Ubobo has one of those churches and a Mass is said there once a month on the third Sunday. Our campout was scheduled for that third Sunday and the weekend culminated with all of us joining the parishioners from Ubobo in celebrating their monthly Mass. The campout was not a religious outing, it was just a social outing that ended on Sunday morning.

The weekend started Friday afternoon as people started to show up. Nancy and I were invited so we went as well. We are still waiting for the Caravan (Camping Trailer) we ordered so we slept in a small room in a large “dorm” type facility. The Dorm was actually and old rail station where passengers could get a bed to rest for a while. The train does not go there anymore but the Dorm remains. The city put a campground beside it and they call it a Discovery Center.

Anyhow, we had a lovely time. Australians love to play games so there were card games galore, Chinese checkers, board games and I introduced them to Horse Shoe Pitching. I have a fine set of horse shoes that our Son Andrew bought me for Father’s Day some years ago so I brought that and two stakes along.

Friday afternoon was spent getting settled in, acquainted, etc. Friday night dinner was a collection of dishes everyone brought to share. Saturday morning we took a trip to an old abandoned rail line that went through some tunnels. The tracks have been taken up and a path made so it was comfortable walking.

The tunnels were interesting. Nancy and I intend to go back and explore a bit more. There are supposed to be some high trestles farther along. But for now … Back to the camp.

Saturday night we heated up a couple grills and everyone grilled whatever they brought for dinner. We were supposed to have a big bonfire but the local Ranger said it was too dry and too windy so there were to be no big fires … only in fireplaces. A couple folks made Damper which is an Australian camp bed made over an open fire or a special pot. Quite good and many varieties.

Sunday morning everyone got up and had some version of breakfast. Then we all filed over to the little church for Mass.

We had a very nice service. Everyone hung around a bit after. Some went back for lunch before going home, we left as we needed to get ready for our trip to Fraser Island, now known as K’Gari on Monday morning.

The campout was very pleasant. A great opportunity to get to know folks better, do some relaxing, learn more about our new home.

This was a Sunday afternoon picnic that we all went on. All being Nancy and myself, Andy, Candy, Cathy, and Christian. Candy thought we would all enjoy seeing Awoonga and doing a few “Snags” (a special hot dog type sausage that Australians love grilling) on the grills they have in the day use areas around the lake. So, we loaded up the cars and drove out. The lake is beautiful with a very nice drive around it. It also hosts a Fishery where they grow many of the fish they stock Awoonga Lake, and other lakes, with. We didn’t take many pictures this time but in the near future I’m sure we will go out again and I will supplement this post with new pictures. These pictures are of two types of birds that have come to love picnickers (Like Yogi and Boo Boo Bear). The first is the Kookaburra. Yup, the one that sits in the old gum tree. They are a carnivorous bird and enjoy eating picnic snacks … and snags I guess. I had never seen more than one or two at a time but on this trip, we had at least five stop by, all at one time, in hopes we would feed them. They really do have an unusual song. Try googling Kookaburra and see if there is a sound recording of them. The other bird that came by was the Blue Faced Honey eater. We see them every so often but not commonly, quite beautiful. Lastly, as we left the lake we came across a couple Wallabies beside the road to see us off.

It was a pleasant outing. Thanks for the idea Candy. Awoonga Lake is quite large and offers many camping and outdoor opportunities. I have no doubt it will become a favorite.

On our trip to the Boyne Valley I mentioned we started in Calliope and followed Hiway 69 south. Well, just a little ways down that road and just into the Boyne Valley is a turnoff to Kroombit Tops National Park … only 70 Kilometers away from the turnoff. Our destination today was Kroombit Tops National Park so we took the turn and headed west. Very interesting drive and a very interesting park.

National Parks in Australia are not like National Parks in the US. There is no big gate with a visitors center, ticket sales, maps, and talks. Australian National Parks are very natural and the original state of the geography, roads, flora and fauna are not messed with. They are an opportunity to visit Australia as it was before tourism. There are roads, and a few signs, but little else. Areas are set aside for camping but few facilities, and there are hiking trails that are marked and calibrated (you know how far you are going to walk before you leave).

I hate to do this but to give the park it’s due, I have copied some info from the Queensland National Park site … I thnk it describes the diversity and natural environment of Australia’s National Parks. There are many of them, some well marked and popular, others hard to find. Australia does not spend a great deal of money on them and each state is responsible for the parks in their state. I’m not sure what Kroombit means or where the name came from. My guess is that it is an Aboriginal word. A very interesting aspect of the park is the WWII Bomber that crashed in the park in 1945 and was not found for 50 years. I did not know of it when we went there and we didn’t have tme to make the drive to it when we saw the signs. A sure trip in the future.

Kroombit Tops began forming about 215 million years ago when volcanoes erupted and a great circular caldera, or crater, about 40km across collapsed beneath them. About 25 million years later, the area was covered by ocean, covering the volcanic rock with sand beds that were eventually compressed to form sandstone.
Over time, the surrounding countryside eroded away but the tough volcanic rocks capped with sandstone resisted erosion, forming the high plateau of Kroombit Tops. The steep slopes and exposed 100m high sandstone cliffs can be seen along the east and north-east boundaries of the park.
Over millions of years, streams draining to the west and south have carved narrow valleys in the hard volcanic rocks, creating steep-sided gullies and deep gorges where rainforests now grow. The Kroombit, Dry and Callide creeks all flow west into the agricultural Callide Valley while the Munholme and Three Moon creeks flow south into the Burnett River via Cania Dam.
Climate
Because Kroombit Tops stands about 900m above surrounding areas to the east, the weather it experiences is much cooler and wetter—a ‘temperate island’ in the subtropics. Temperatures are generally 5 to 10ºC cooler than the surrounding lowlands and can be quite cold in winter, especially at night.
On average, 1800mm of rain falls here each year, whereas nearby Gladstone receives just 1020mm. There is also a marked difference in rainfall across the plateau reflecting differences in elevation, aspect, and the influence of the escarpment. Rainfall is higher in the east and south-east, and lower in the west and north-west. Summer storms with destructive winds are common in the surrounding area, often causing branches to fall from large trees.
Plants
Kroombit Tops supports a wide variety of plants—more than 850 species. Three species are found only on this plateau and many are listed as rare or threatened. Vegetation communities change as you move from the south-east to the north-west.
In the wetter south-eastern sandstone country, blackbutt forests dominate, while subtropical rainforests grow around Three Moon and Munholme creeks. Piccabeen palms, brush box, coachwood and white beech, which are normally found further south in temperate rainforests, can be found here.
On the park’s eastern slopes and broad valley floors, open Sydney blue gum forests, pink bloodwood and rough-barked apple trees flourish. Sydney blue gum is another southern species normally found along the coast from south-east Queensland to Batemans Bay in southern New South Wales. It was one of the main trees harvested at Kroombit Tops from 1969 to 1995.
Further west the vegetation changes to drier white mahogany, grey gum and ironbark woodlands. In rocky areas, a stunted form of brush box locally known as ‘supplejack’ grows. This thin whip-like variety of brush box is very different from the towering subtropical rainforest form.
Dry rainforest grows in fire-resistant gullies on the drier western slopes. Look for the distinctive hoop pines towering above the canopy. Some individuals can grow as tall as 40–50m. In the far west, hoop pine forests merge with a dry bottle tree community.
Animals
Kroombit Tops’ varied vegetation and topography shelters diverse wildlife—71 mammal species, 165 bird species, 70 reptile species, 30 amphibians and numerous insect and spider species thrive here. Two species of frog are found nowhere else. Many animals are at the northern or southern limit of their distribution or are genetically distinct populations.
Mammals
Most of Kroombit Tops’ mammals are difficult to see because they live in caves or are active only at night. However, a sharp eye during a walk or drive at night might surprise you. Rufous bettongs are often seen at night in grassy areas, often feeding beside the road on new plant growth, while swamp wallabies are common in shrubby forest. Kroombit’s caves and trees provide roosting sites for more than 20 species of insectivorous bats. Tree hollows provide nests for short-eared possums (also called bobucks or mountain brushtail possums) and five species of gliders, the most common being the greater glider.
In dry woodlands and open forests, insects and spiders provide food for the mouse-like common dunnart. Herbert’s rock-wallabies bound around the escarpments overlooking the Boyne Valley and rocky outcrops along Kroombit Creek and upper Callide Creek. They are difficult to spot because they are secretive and well camouflaged, but you might see their droppings—cylindrical with a small point at one end—in rocky areas. On cool days if you are quiet, you may see them in the morning or afternoon sunning themselves on north-facing rocks.
The silver-headed antechinus was first discovered at Kroombit and has since been found only at Blackdown and Bulburin.
Birds
Large colourful parrots such as Australian king-parrots perch high on dead branches above the forest canopy. Pairs of little lorikeets and flocks of scaly-breasted and rainbow lorikeets screech harshly through the forest. Glossy-black cockatoos feed on forest she-oaks. Wedge-tailed eagles soar above and peregrine falcons nest on escarpment cliffs. At night, powerful owls perch in tall Sydney blue gums, hunting for possums and gliders.
In the rainforest you can often hear the cat-like call of green catbirds and the noisy ‘rustling taffeta’ flight of paradise riflebirds, both at the northern extent of their range. In the canopy the cicadabirds compete with the vocal chorus of cicadas. At night you may hear a sooty owl calling, like the sound of a falling bomb.
On the ground in open woodland you might see squatter pigeons, with their characteristic black and white striped facial pattern. Superb and wompoo fruit-doves favour rainforest habitats.
Reptiles
Among Kroombit Tops’ reptiles are some that usually occur only south of Gympie. (Gympie is a town about 100 Kilomters north of Brisbane on Hiway 1) Burrowing lizards Saiphos equalis relies on moist forest types such as rainforest and tall open forest; Stephens’ banded snakes are found in both rainforest and dry rocky forest. Diurnal lizards Ctenotus arcanus are dependent on rocky outcrops. These animals are relics from a time when moist forests extended all the way from north-eastern New South Wales to Kroombit Tops.
At the southern limit of their range, black-headed pythons are easily identified by their shiny jet black head and contrasting brown-banded body. They are one of the few snakes that eat venomous snakes.
You may encounter eastern water dragons, lace monitors or red-bellied black snakes sunning themselves by creeks, or small darting lizards on rocky ledges.
Frogs
Kroombit tinker frogs (Named after the park NOT vice versa) are the park’s most endangered animal. Nowhere else in the world can you hear their unusual call—a series of sharp, metallic ‘tinks’. These small frogs live under rocks and in leaf litter in small areas of gully rainforests along the eastern escarpment of Kroombit Tops. Unlike many frogs, they appear not to need surface water to breed, although eggs and tadpoles have never been found in the wild. Instead, it is thought they breed in small underground pools of water, perhaps as small as half a cup.
Kroombit is also home to a second species of endemic frog, the Kroombit treefrog Litoria kroombitensis. If you stop at the Kroombit Creek crossing in spring and summer, turn off your car engine and listen. You might hear male frogs calling to females. Can you distinguish the ‘wreeak ik ik’ of cascade treefrogs, the slow ‘chuck-uk’ of tusked frogs or the loud ‘wark’ of the great barred frogs?
Small, bright green cascade treefrogs are common in Kroombit’s rainforest creeks. They spend much of their life high up in trees, but come down to the rainforest’s middle fern layer to attract mates to the stream in breeding season. Like many frogs and reptiles at Kroombit, this species is usually found further south and the Kroombit population is genetically distinct from populations in south-east Queensland.
Culture and history
Connections over time
Indigenous people have maintained a strong and continuing association with Kroombit Tops for thousands for years. Since gold was discovered in the district around 1870, settlers have mined minerals, grazed sheep and cattle, and harvested timber here.
A road built between 1964 and 1968 opened Kroombit Tops for logging. From 1969 to 1995 hoop pines and hardwoods such as Sydney blue gum, white mahogany and blackbutt were harvested for timber.
Beautiful Betsy WWII Liberator bomber
A WWII Liberator bomber crashed at Kroombit Tops in 1945 and lay undiscovered for nearly 50 years. The area is now managed as a heritage site, and all parts of the wreck are protected.

Hope you are still awake!! Here’s some photos we took during our drive to Kroombit Tops Look-out.

A most interesting place that Nancy and I want to revisit once Summer gets here and everything greens up. It’s about an hour from our house.

That’s it for Kroombit National Park. Hope you enjoyed the tour and “Thanks For Coming Along.”

Several people we have met, since we arrived here, have mentioned having or knowing people who ranch or live in the Boyne Valley. Being curious we decided to look it up and see what it might offer as far as sights of interest, etc. Turns out that the Boyne Valley is a little ways south of Tannum Sands and inland over the first range of foothills. That range of foothills, and the next range in create the Boyne Vally which is quite large.

We decided, in spite of of being an overcast and drizzly day, to drive out to and through the Boyne valley and see what it is like. It is not uncommon to be overcast and drizzly here early in the day and clear and dry by ten or eleven so the weather was not a worry. We loaded up the Tucson and off we went. Here is a map of the area (The Boyne Valley is shown in the middle outline) and there is a red line that marks our path. the trip was just shy of 400 Kilometers and took us much of the day. Of course we stopped every so often and we were in no hurry. It turned into a beautiful day.

That got us through the valley. We started the climb out and found that when we got to the top we were entering the Burnett region. Recently, when we drove down to Brisbane we decided to take a back road and it was through the Burnett region. This trip however, we swung back north along the A3 highway to get back home. Still interesting.

It was a great trip. We hadn’t done a road trip just for fun in a while and it was nice to get out. Looking forward to the next one. See you then.

Yeppoon is coastal resort community just north and east of Rockhampton. We went to Rockhampton one day to look for some furniture we wanted and after finding nothing that caught our attention, we decided that, it was early, there might be interesting things to see up here, and we had not explored the coast by Rockhampton, so we did just that.

While Rockhampton, normally called Rocky, does have a port, it is in the city and there is not a beach as the city lies inland from the sea on the Fitzroy river. Yeppoon is located about 30 kilometers farther east and right on the shore of the Coral Sea. It is a beautiful area that is well developed and well taken care of. Many places to stay whether you are camping, hoteling, or renting a condo or beach rental.

The town has built a wonderful park along the beach where there are places to shower and change into your bather, let the kids play on water toys, walk on the beach. or sail out on a rental catamaran. There is a fair amount of parking (there is never enough) and access to the beach is easy. We drove around a bit, parked, walked up and down the beach, then took a different route back to Rocky and home.

We will probably return to Yeppoon, maybe once we get our caravan.

Agnes Waters is a small resort town south of Tannum Sands that is right on the coast. It hosts many camping facilities as well as hotels and many rentals. The coastline features rocky shores and thick forests where anyone can find a hike or activity of interest. Seventeen Seventy is a smaller part of Agnes Waters, newer but just as much fun. Nancy and I went there one day just to get away and had a great time.

Andy (our son) and his family camped in Agnes Waters 4th of July week. Nancy and I went down and spent the 4th with them. We did hot gogs, burgers, and watermelon. The tables and awnings were decorated in Red, White and Blue balloons, and we all had red, white and blue plates, napkins, and silverware. It didn’t take the Australians camping there long to figure out we were all Yanks. (They are actually jealous cuz they are still stuck with the King and England!) We had a swell time even though it rained a bit. Christian enjoyed the sparklers after it got dark.

Bundaberg, or Bundy as it’s known here, is about an hour south of Tannum Sands and is famous for it’s Rum production. Bundy is a larger city where people from here go when they need bigger city stuff, like medical specialists, etc. Bundy’s population is a little over 100,000 people so it has more to offer than the smaller cities. Also it is farther south, so it attracts more people. The farther north you move in Australia, the more remote it is. If you go west from the coast, it gets very remote, very fast. As a matter of fact (Yes, a Factoid!) 87% of the Australian population lives with 50 Kilometers (30 miles) of the coast. Bundaberg, Gladstone, and Rockhampton (which you will meet later) are all coastal towns and are all located right on major rivers. Bundaberg is on the Burnett River and has suffered catastrophic floods several times. Gladstone is located on the Boyne River but is hillier so the floods as not as damaging. Rocky is located on the Fitzroy River and floods frequently. Every year hundreds of cattle drown in the Rockhampton area by being caught in floods. This is how these cities were founded. They were established as ports where ships could bring in supplies and smaller boats and ships could carry supplies inland to the vast sheep and cattle stations that early settlers had established..

Bundaberg is an old city and is laid out the way you find may of the older cities in Australia. There is a wide center street that has parking on both sides with a wide strip in the middle for parking. All the stores and businesses are located mostly along that street. That all morphs as the city grows of course but amy of the older, small towns, have not changed much in the years they have been around.

I didn’t get many pictures of the city itself when we drove down one day but we did take a tour of the Bundaberg Rum Distillery, it was very interesting. The rum industry started in Bundaberg because of all the molasses produced when refining sugar. Sugar was and still is, a major crop in the area.

That’s it for Bundy. As with Tannum Sands, as we do more stuff and go more places, I will be adding more pictures … even to to these. I will get more shots of the cities themselves. I didn’t have this in mind when we went there the first time.