We saw a couple of kangaroos while we were out cycling this morning, but this Llama wins the prize for the most unusual animal we’ve seen today.
He was just trotting around Lleis Park at Llawnton today (pardon the double LL’s but when you see Llama it affects your spelllling).
He had decided to wander off from the circus that has set up camp in the park.
No one was harmed, and he eventually went back home to the circus.
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I love the colours that seep out after sunset at the beach. This afternoon we walked along Coolum Beach as the sun was going down. Even though it’s winter, the water is still quite warm, and there’s always something interesting to discover on the beach!
Congratulations Harrison on climbing Mt Coolum with me this afternoon.
There were some pretty steep rock faces to scale. Well done, my boy, for making it to the top, and back down again.
The views of the Sunshine Coast were spectacular.
I had been searching google maps for days trying to work out a good route west of Coolum to explore on the bike. The idea was to ride along some old tracks by a creek, then onto a quiet gravel road, and eventually across the Maroochy River via an old cane “lift bridge” and on to Bli Bli.
That was the plan….
The first track by a cane field looked perfect. I rode down it for a few km until it got muddier, the grass got higher, and ….
I ended up in a pretty thick Tea Tree (or Ti Tree) swamp. Tea Trees are amazing in that they can live happily in swampy ground with their roots submerged most of the time. They have beautiful papery bark, and can grow in a thick inpenetrable scrub, which is impossible to ride through on a bike.
So I backtracked….
I eventually came out on an old gravel road with some rickety old bridges. When I saw the bridge I realized I’d found the right track after going down a few wrong ones….
I came across what I was looking for. The local council described it as a sugar cane “lift bridge”. I figured I could squeeze myself and the bike through the gap in the bars and cross the river…
Crossing an old railway bridge while pushing a bike (I wasn’t crazy enough to RIDE across!) required a bit of care, but the bridge was solid, and I wasn’t in any danger…..
Arrrgggg! So THIS is what a “lift bridge” is! A section of the bridge lifts up to allow boats to pass under. Unfortunately the last “lift” happened years ago. There was no way I was going to cross that bridge!
So I turned around and rode home.
But it highlights what is an underlying theme for me when riding a mountain bike. The destination isn’t really the point. Yes, it’s nice to arrive, or achieve an objective, but when you really think about it, it’s all about the journey.
Last Januarry I climbed Mount Ninderry west of Coolum.
Today I took Liz and the kids up there so they could enjoy the views too.
Someone who visited prior to us left this impressive rock sculpture looking out over the farmlands below.
Liz captured this fascinating perspective looking down on a farm, which illustrates how high up we were.
It was really sweet to watch Harrison help Lilly get back down the steep track. Liz took this picture and suggested they looked like Hansel and Gretel in the woods.
There are some beautiful fern meadows at the top of Ninderry. As Liz and the kids walked back down the hil, they seemed to disappear in a sea of ferns.
