CROWS NEST

11th September

The first trip away in the newly purchased A-Van is to be Crows Nest.  We spent the first post-purchase week of preparing and stocking the van with essentials before embarking on our first short trip.  Although the A-Van is quite compact it is laid out very well and good usage of space has been employed.  It comprises a two burner cooktop, microwave oven and sink, a table with seating each side that collapses into a single bed and a settee that collapses into a double bed, plenty of storage space and we bought an annexe for extra room.  The van collapses down to a fairly small trailer and the Mazda tows it with no problems.  Collapsing and erecting takes literally less than a minute.
 

16^th September

We're off to Crows Nest for the Inaugural Trip with the AVan. After several weeks of blue skies and sunshine we wake to a cloudy rainy day. However, forecast says rain will clear today. Van packed up, fridge on and filled and we're off at 9 a.m. It's about 150 kms to Crows Nest and we travel through Caboolture, Woodford, Kilcoy following the D'Aguilar Highway and then climbed the range to Crows Nest stopping for a morning tea break en route. It's just a quick operation to erect the van, kettle's on and we're enjoying a cuppa in next to no time.

In another half an hour or so we reach our destination of Crows Nest. We've pre booked a site but we can take our pick – we are the only ones here! We set up camp, erect the van and the annexe, have some lunch and Richard got the new TV working. The sites here are unpowered but with the aid of the generator TV is operating – but only for a short while until it runs out of petrol. We have a 12 volt connection on order for future occasions.  Never mind, we don't really need TV. We take a short walk to see what's here, there are some walking tracks that we will explore tomorrow. So the rest of the day is spent relaxing, reading, a game of scrabble and dinner. During the evening, a storm blows in with thunder, lighting and heavy rain which continues for most of the night. At least we now know that the roof doesn't leak! And we were told the next day that 19 milimetres fell. Yes, we heard it!

Camp's Set Up

Cuppa Tea Time

 

17^th September

The rain has cleared and sun is peeping through the clouds here and there. After breakfast we decide to explore the Crows Nest Walking Tracks. We walk through the picnic area and firstly we take the track to the Cascades. There's not a lot of water running as it has been so dry. The area is surrounded by huge boulders. Crows Nest is known for its rugged landscape, waterfalls, and a sparkling gorge named The Valley of Diamonds and is so-called because of the mineral felspar deposits on the rocks and boulders which glint in the sunlight. It's so peaceful, lots of birdsong, insects chirping and our footsteps crunching. We are keeping a lookout for rock wallabies that inhabit the area but none are sighted. The only wildlife encountered so far are scrub turkeys who appear regularly to see what they can scavenge and we're seen a couple of goannas basking in the sunshine. The Kayoo Pool is close to the Cascades and would be a good place for a cool off in summer. We walk on to the Crows Nest Falls, there's a waterhole below the falls and then it's on to the Koonin Lookout, again there are great views across the area. We eventually wound our way back to the camp site. This was a very pleasant 5 km walk.

Having a wee rest on a wee seat

Having a wee rest on a wee rock

At the Crows Nest Lookout

 

We decided to drive through Hampdon where there is an information centre in order that we can pick up some brochures of more walks in the area. Toowoomba is not far away so we drive into town as there are a couple of camping essentials we want to buy so Bunnings and BCF are on the agenda. Toowoomba's Festival of Flowers is on this weekend and the town is looking lovely with lots of blooming floral display in evidence. We have our picnic lunch in the lovely Laurel Bank Park where there are many large beds of beautiful displays and the stunning wisteria walk where trellises support the vines which forms an arched bower beneath a canopy of colour. Quite delightful. We'll spend some more time in Toowoomba on Thursday en route home. After a wander through the gardens we drive back to Crows Nest. Two more campers have arrived during our absence.

  

One of neighbours comes over for a chat and asks if we want to have a shower as he has chopped wood for the boiler and water is heating, it will provide hot water to the shower. This is bush camping in the true sense of the word with bush toilets and showers. The showers were interesting and this is Richard's account of their operation and Sandra's photographs:

The photographs below shows the system to obtain hot water for the shower. A large fire is lit underneath the black boiler and cold water poured in through the funnel on the left. As the water boils it rises through a system of baffles in the tank and as water is poured into the funnel the hot water exits through the pipe on the right into a strategically placed bucket. This bucket is then carried into the showers and the canvas bag (see photograph) is lowered by a pulley system and filled with the hot water. The bag is then raised using the same pulley system to an appropriate height for that of the person about to be showered. One then stands underneath the bag, turn the shower rose, suds up and shower very quickly before the bag empties. If all the suds have not been washed away then you must return to the boiler and start again.

The above was all to difficult for me (Sandra) so I just had a good wash!!!

The Boiler

The shower

18^th September

This morning we drive to Ravensbourne National Park to explore the bush walking areas and tracks here. A large portion of the track comprises rain forest which at times merges into eucalypt forest as you walk down into the shady Buaraba Creek. We discovered towering trees, palm groves, trickling streams and an abundance of birdlife, in the main heard but not seen. The track underfoot is heavy with leaf fall and so very soft to walk upon.  We also walked past the sandstone overhanging rocks that tower over the 'caves' beneath. We walked the complete circuit of around 8 kms stopping for morning tea and at the furthest point beside Buaraba Creek before returning to the car parking area. We spent a lazy afternoon back at camp after lunch of reading, snoozing, relaxing, cooking dinner, playing scrabble before bed time. It was a cool night of around 6 degrees, we needed to snuggle into those sleeping bags.

Richard beside the Giant Sydney Blue Gum

Sandra trying not to get her feet wet

19^th September

We are going home today so we pack up and after breakfast leave Crows Nest. We are driving home via Toowoomba as we want to have a look at the flowers in Queens Park. Firstly though we do the local walk in Applelgum Park which is situated in the little town of Crows Nest. We park at Bullockys Rest which is the entrance to Applegum Walk and home of the site where bullocks carrying timber from Blackbutt to Toowomba would camp overnight back in the 1800s.. It is a very pretty walk alongside a creek that passes the pump hole and interesting rock outcrops. It's a circular walk that ends up in the little town of Crows Nest.. The village green displays a statue of Jimmy Crow. It is claimed by some that the town was named after an Aboriginal, Jimmy Crow, who gave directions to early European settlers. He lived in a hollow tree known as Crows Nest. A statue of Crow stands in the centre of the village green. However, it is also claimed that the name of the town means "the home of crows".

From the lookout at Applegum Park

Bullockys Rest

 

Statue of Jimmy Crow at the Village Green

Sandra visits Jimmy Crow's Gayndah

 The plaque on this tree reads:  'In the early days when teamsters visited this area, Jimmy Crow, an Aboriginal, named by early settlers used a large hollow tree as his gayndah and was relied on for information and directions.  This place was used as a camping place by teamsters and travellers and became known as 'Jimmy Crow's Nest' - hence the name Crows Nest.

And then it was on to Toowoomba. We parked close to Queens Park and then wandered through the beautiful displays of colourful manicured flower beds that provided stunning displays of a mix of blooms and bulbs in readiness for the Carnival of Flowers that takes place this weekend. We had a picnic lunch amidst the beauty of the flowers and then finished wandering through the rest of the park before going back to the car and driving home – a two hour drive.

Queens Park

A Selection of the Floral Displays

 

And Another

Lovely Colourful Beds

 

We thoroughly enjoyed this new experience of exploring by caravan and look forward to our next trip.