THURSDAY – NOVEMBER
14, 2013
BOTTOM LINE:
Drove
north along the Bruce Highway and country roads
BACK STORY:
Leaving Scarborough in
the morning, we headed north along the “Bruce Highway” (yes, Bruce was happy
with his momentary fame!) branching off on a smaller more, local road called
the Steve Irwin Parkway. You guessed it,
this is the location of Steve Irwin’s famous crock exhibit and now a large
Australian Zoo that his wife has carried on in his name. We opted to drive by and continue our trek up
into the Glass Mountain region of Queensland (state).
Beautiful lush green
rural valleys encircle the outcroppings of volcanic cones and lava plugs…quite
an impressive sight. We passed rivers, pine groves and eucalyptus forests where
signs warned to drive cautiously because of Koalas. Grazing horses and cattle stations spot the
land, as did fertile farmlands sustaining small crops and sugar cane.
We are luckily visiting
at the most beautifully colored time of the year…like our Spring in the
USA. The deep purple jacarandas contrast
the reds and oranges of the Poinciana trees.
Bright bougainvillea’s stretch their prickly branches for a dramatic
display of fluorescent shades of color.
The soft muted hues of pinks, yellows and apricot petals hang high in
the plumaria trees…all a vision to take in.
We made a one hour stop at a rain forest to tour. It was very impressive and sat on the bluff of a mountain. Inside we found a self-guided walk through what reminded us of an Amazon jungle…very densely forested with palms, cedar and strangler figs. There was an elaborate calling between birds, one of which was a “cat bird” that made a sound like a crying baby…freaky! We had our first spotting of a red-legged Pademelon, which was a small wallaby. We learned that the mother gives birth 6-7 weeks after fertilization and keeps it in the pouch for 6-7 months until maturity if reached.
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Palm forest |
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Red legged Pademelon |
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| Strangler Fig |
One of the small towns that we visited along the way was Maleny. It was an upscale, artsy community that appreciates healthy, fresh, local eating. All café’s and restaurants were “Organic,” including the gourmet ice cream served down from the tourist info office. The friendly people working at the state info offices have become our favorite resources for local help.
With sunset approaching
we began looking for a room for the night.
After driving down and very steep lane looking for the Hidden Hideaway
and finding a very secluded run down house, we opted to drive a little further!...where
was Deliverance filmed???
We made it to the town
of Kenilworth and checked into its only Hotel. I’m certain that there are
“stories to tell” in regards to the history of this building. The reception
area had antique pictures hung of weddings that had taken place there in the
1930’s…when the place was built. The
town was very similar to Old Folsom, but looked as though it had seen better
days. Quaint in it’s own right, the one
main street consisted of a beauty salon, a package (liquor) store, a market, a
post (post office), a car repair station and three cafes that were all for
sale. Luckily there was a restaurant in
the hotel where we could dine. Everything in the town closes at 5pm sharp. A group of beautiful Gulah birds with their
gray bodies, coral colored breasts and yellow parrot like crooked beaks sang to
us from a utility line as we ate our meal from the large front porch.
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Kenilworth Hotel |
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Gulah Birds |
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Cheese Factory |
In speaking with the waitress she said that the cheese factory was what was sustaining the community. The one high school closed in 2012.
Before shutting down the restaurant, the cook came out to ask if we had seen a green tree frog yet? She then took us out the back door to share this sight…
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Green Tree Frog |
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