Homeward Bound

Glen Innes, Yuraygir NP, Bundjalung NP, 

Kingscliff, NSW

August 31 - September 7, 2019

We left Goondiwindi and meandered through the so-called Golden Triangle via North Star and Warialda. It's very dry so little in the way of golden crops at present. 

The first thing to really catch my eye was a rumble of Cranky Rocks.

I keep calling them Grumpy Rocks ...but they are really Cranky giant boulders.

The story goes that a Chinese man murdered a white woman in Warialda. He fled the scene, was tracked to these rocks and jumped to his death. Or was he pushed cos the locals were so Cranky?

A tiny pond at the bottom sustains the wildlife.

We had a delightful evening with Meg and Bill Liston in Glen Innes. Fabulous to catch up with wonderful friends who go back a long way... boarding school for Meg and I in the 1970s.

Garry, Jen, Meg and Bill.

Several years ago an ABC Back Roads program about the Clarence River Gorge had captured our imagination. This was our chance. We dropped down the range from Glen Innes to the Clarence, found the most beautiful camp site on the water's edge and went "aaaahhhhh". 

Different colours as the sun dipped over the horizon.

Another camp site, another camp fire!

The mooks (moo cows) coming in for a drink in the morning. 

I love the reflections in this photo. I should mention that I have been working with very inferior photographic equipment this trip. One camera went for a swim and never quite recovered; my trusty old camera has succumbed to dust jam - the lens cover won't fully open and the lens is scratched, hence dark patches and speckles. It's still doing the job though, little trooper that it is!

Onto the gorge, a 7km hike through private property. There are no marked tracks; we were told to follow the mook trails and keep to the left. 

Heading along the cow trail.

First glimpse of the gorge ...

... just divine.

The steep cliffs made it a rather inaccessible. Next time we're going to paddle it.

Finally to the waterfall.

The waterholes above the falls were easier to get to. Swim time!

Fortunately no one else was around because we hadn't brought our bathers.
Ho hum bare bum!

Time to get to the east coast and complete our east-west-east trek. We set up camp in the Yuraygir National Park, just north of Brooms Head. 

Fascinating red/blue grey headlands.

Garry trying for that elusive fish meal

Good luck sport. We've cleaned the bay out for today.

Lake Arragan, teaming with wildlife

An alert resident

This muscly chap impressed us

Sadly, Yuraygir NP south of Angourie went up in flames three days after we departed. The loss of wildlife and habitat is too awful to think about.

We moved on to Black Rocks in the Bundjalung NP.

The rocks were formed when organic matter and iron oxide filtered through the sand and solidified. The rocks are super soft and people can't  resist carving their names into their fragile surface. Makes me angry. 

Careful there Garry. Step lightly.

A walk through heathland ...

... and paper barks ...

... brought us to Jerusalem Creek.

Beautiful wildflowers and bird life along the way. 

Brown Quails. Super cute.
They were very timid at first, then got closer and closer.

Watching watching ...

Very pretty pitta. 

A bit of a ring in: Water dragon at Evans Head.

I think it's a tiger snake. He strongly resisted being moved off the warm road.

Our last camp fire :(  Contained fires were still allowed. 

And then we were home ... with fires blazing to the north, south and west of us. 

Bangers with their filthy but oh-so-trusty Myrtle. 

A fabulous trip: 17,000km across the top from east to west and back again. 

Until next time

Hugs n love

Jen and Garry

 Bangers Off The Road ... for now!