Australia - Day 13 - Rainforest Hike, Kenilworth Cheese Factory and Gardner's
Falls
1st January, 2009
Happy New Year!
Today we headed out
into the "Hinterland" of Australia to see the Glass House Mountains, go for a
few hikes and generally just enjoy a day driving around beautiful countryside.
Our first stop was Mary Cairncross Park for a rainforest hike. Looking at
a satellite image at the visitor center, this really is just a patch of
rainforest surrounded by pastures and small development. It's amazing how
it has survived and is thriving. There were lots of cool vines and trees
to see, along with some red legged pademelon (a marsupial, I think). All
in all it was pretty fun.
Then we headed to the
Kenilworth Cheese Factory to sample some cheese and have lunch. The market
across the street was out of sandwich meat, so we had cheese sandwiches,
Doritoes and fruit for our lunch, along with a local Sarsparilla soda and some
Ginger Beer. Good stuff!
Last stop:
Gardner's Falls to play in the water. Based on descriptions, we figured
we'd share the waterfall with a few other families. WRONG! The place
was packed and we lucked into a good parking spot and shared New Year's Day with
hundreds of others enjoying the day.
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Devin and David next to a huge vine. |
Another huge vine. |
And yet another. I guess I thought they
were cool looking, so I took lots of pictures. |
Cool trunk of a tree. |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Yet another vine. I promise it's the last
picture of a vine. |
Some fungus. |
The roots of a "strangle fig" tree. On
our glowworm hike, we learned these roots are used for making boomerangs.
(Or were...in the old days...by the Aborigines.) |
Lowell (face covered in zinc oxide) and David. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
A red-legged pademelon near the trail. |
Close-up. |
The weird roots of a palm tree of some sort.
David took to calling this tree the "Daddy's Beard Tree." |
A bunch of fungus growing on a snag. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
A view from the parking lot of the Glass House
Mountains. They are all remnants of previous volcanic activity. |
The Kenilworth Cheese Factory. |
Lunchtime... |
Gardner's Falls from the top looking down to
the big "swimming pool" area. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
Looking upstream. |
David playing in the water. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
