Climbing Mt Ngungun, Glass House Mountains

Driving north under darkened skies I was expecting the rain to start falling before I even got to the base of Mt Ngungin in the Glass House Mountains. Luckily the rain held off and we managed to get in about six hours of climbing before the thunder started to roll in.

Chris and I had a decent crack at the 'Andromeda' wall on the west side of My Ngungun. Nice cool, quiet day, lots of fun routes that we felt were mostly graded too high. We managed to get a couple of photos on 'Gravitational Equilibrium (18)' while leading to the first bolt.

A few more photos here

North Stradbroke Island camping trip

Considering I grew up being able to look out over the water to Straddie from my driveway it was odd that I had visited the island only a handful of times. Rectifying my long absence I loaded up the Patrol and set off with a friend and his dog to Flinders Beach for a long weekend of beach camping.

We were joined by friends in another 4WD as we made our way to a nice spacious camp site situated in the trees, back from the beach, sheltered from the constant northerly winds that blew all weekend.

That night we setup an impressive camp, drank beer, swatted the ever-present march flies and relaxed around the camp fire.

Arising early the next morning we swam in the very choppy ocean, and sun baking on the beach along with large amounts of seaweed and scores of dead mutton birds that had washed up on shore.

With the tide receding in the afternoon we left for a drive, first stopping at Point Lookout for gelati, then continuing on along Main Beach. We cut inland through a soft, rutted sand track until we arrived at the Key Hole lakes as the sun was setting in the sky. After a very refreshing swim in the fresh water we set back off to camp. There was a total fire ban in place for Saturday night due to hot weather and increasing winds, but we managed to survive the night.

The next morning was more of the same, the wind had eased a little but the ocean was still a mess. With the prediction of storms and worsening weather we noticed a lot of people packing up early and heading back off the island. After some more swimming in the morning we look a 4WD through the middle of the island to a lookout point which gave a nice view of the Island. The water around the bar and Moreton Island looked amazing, and we could just make out the skyscrapers in Brisbane through the haze of the heat.

It was very hot under the baking sun when out of the sea breeze, so we left to get back to camp just as the high tide peaked. Packing up camp we made the 4 PM ferry back to Brisbane as the skies darkened and a light shower of rain fell.

Another great camping trip, and I won't take as long next time to return.

More photos here

Paddy's Flat

Leaving Brisbane before dawn we set off south into northern New South Wales to a reliable camp site on the banks of the Clarence River. Much has changed since the 2011/2012 floods, but time has passed and Paddy's Flat has had a chance to recover. Long grass now covers what was a wide swathe of silt, but it will be a long time before the trees and shade returns.

After a dusty four hour drive we set up camp under the increasingly hot summer sun, and not a moment too soon. The tent poles were scalding to touch after only being exposed for 10 minutes, we soon settled in under the shade of the tarp and cracked a few deserved cold beers. After a very sweating midday sleep it was cool enough to venture out onto the Clarence River, we took the kayaks down to the sandy banks and set off.

We made it several kilometres downstream until the fading light prompted us to turn around. It was very peaceful on the river, but the lack of water made sure we had to get out to continue past several shallow bends in the river.

We made it back to camp just before dark, and set about cooking dinner over an open fire. We devoured dinner and sat back to have a few more beers under the crystal clear expanse of the galaxy above.

The next morning we awoke at dawn as the light and heat made staying any longer in the tents unbearable. After a quick breakfast and coffee we set off again for a short paddle and swim in the river.

Mid morning the winds picked up and we decided to leave before the heat of the day set in. An enjoyable but short weekend.

Clarence River height data here

More photos here