My new camera!! Brisbane

Wivenhoe Weed Fairies taking flight.

Breathe

This is the gum tree in my front yard. I walk past it every day. It has possums, bees, parrots and once an old grandaddy koala.

Whenever I look at this photo it reminds me to breathe.

Gold

I went for a walk today
and saw
a beetle as colourful as a bird,
a trail of bright bird feathers
like a rainbow - but
no pot of gold,
except
an old Baptist church
empty
waiting
to become the newest Mcdonalds in town.

Thunderbird Park, Mt Tamborine

Thunderbird Park is unpolished. This is not a slick tourism establishment. There is no gift shop with overpriced Koalas.
We stayed in a 'lodge' just metres from a running creek. We sat by the fireplace and watched the water bubble past. There is also a pleasant shady campgrounds that allows dogs.


Thunderbird Park is a hub of outdoorsy activities. More than we could do in our short stay. It all started years ago with mining. You can pay for a mining license to look for Thundereggs. Thundereggs are a mystery. A round grey rock, which cut open, may or may not reveal hidden beauty. It is fun hacking in the dirt with a pic, but we would have appreciated more detail on what to look for. We ended up with four buckets of rubbish.


There is also laser skirmish, horse riding, abseiling, bush walking and of course mini-golf. I think this course was built by a local farmer after he finished some fencing. I came so close to beating Wayne. In 20 years I have never won a game against him that required physical coordination.

The highlight, the reason we went to Thunderbird Park, and the reason I have rope burn is Adventure Parc. This is a high ropes course, which starts off cruisy. No problems, just a bit of walking on ropes and wood blocks. By the end of the course we had all reached our physical limits. Wayne was the only one to finish, but the kids and I did almost all of it. Just for the record, I hate flying foxes. How can I enjoy hanging upside down, go fast, not knowing where I am going? Too much like real life.






All in all we recommend Thunderbird Park as long as your kids are upper primary or older, and you don't mind spending some money on the activities.

My home patch

http://www.upstreampaddle.com/lowood.html

There is adventure in all our backyards. This is my river, the Brisbane River, which channels water to a million people, is muddy, populated by lung fish and fun.

Winter in Wivenhoe

Winter in Wivenhoe Pocket is soft and sparkling. Like a cushion made out of glittering blue Velvet.

The right place at the right time...with a camera!

Adventure Sunday

Tama says the best thing about the our walk was going through the water. The second best thing was the chocolate. The worst part was thinking the mud on his hat was chocolate.

Finding our way up the normally dry gorge was certianly challenging.

It's Raining Agian!

Marsden Parade 8.30am

Bundamba Creek

Claremont House

Claremont House

Elegance, sandstone and cedar on the Bremer River.

http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/whats-on/exhibit/online/timewalks/other/ipswich/claremont

Autumn

Crisp.
Morning fog hugging the trees
and daytime skies blue
and blue.
My hand in my winter coat
finds
last years tissues
soft,
clean,
reassuring
like cashmere.

My backyard

Winter wattle