Brisbane to Cania Gorge

Thursday 5th June -  Friday 6th June.

With Robyn, Doug, Chris and Tom, I took a few days off to go exploring Cania Gorge, a bit north of Monto.

 

We stayed the first night at the Three Rivers Caravan Park in Mundubbera, about 370km north of Brisbane.  The three rivers are the Burnett, Boyne and Auburn.  Mundubbera is one of the largest producers of table grapes in Queensland, and also produces a variety of other fruits, especially citrus.  We were given some Mundubbera oranges when we checked into the caravan park.

This mural in Mundubbera features the meeting of the three rivers, and was painted by Rain Hart (I don’t know if Rain is related to Pro) in 1997.  The water creature on the right is the ceratodus, the unique lung fish which can only be found in the Burnett and Mary Rivers.

 

At Eidsvold, we visited the RM Williams Bush Learning Centre, purpose-built to honour this iconic Australian.  RM lived near Eidsvold from 1955 to 1972, so the centre showcases his skills and achievements, and provides a venue for workshops for traditional  and also modern skills and crafts.

 

The RM Williams Bush Learning Centre includes a gallery with changing exhibitions.  This painting by Joy Walford is aptly entitled Falling Through the Cracks.

This picture of Spinifex Pigeons is by Jane Colvin.

 

Eidsvold was founded in 1848, and takes its name from Eidsvoll, Norway, the home town of its first settlers.  In the 1880s, it was a bustling gold mining town with 15 hotels.

We found it to be a very neat but empty town, with many shops closed and very few cars parked in the main street.  This building looked as though it hadn’t been inhabited for some time.

When we left Mundubbera, we were told the next place petrol would be available was Monto.  Surprised, I asked wasn’t there any fuel available in Eidsvold.  “There is,” the servo attendant replied laconically, “but she only opens when she feels like it.”

 

A few kilometres north of Eidsvold, we stopped at the Ceratodus rest area on the bank of the Burnett River.  (Remember, ceratodus is the name of the lung fish – they’re very proud of it here.)  The building is from the former Ceratodus railway siding on this site.  In the flood of 2013, this building was completely under water.

 

The debris caught in the top of the roof of this shelter at the Ceratodus rest area is from the January 2013 flood.

 

Further north, Mulgildie boasted a rather colourful pub.

 

Here’s the other side of the Mulgildie Pub, taken on the way back.

 

At last we arrived at Cania Gorge, with its characteristic sandstone escarpments.  Aboriginal people have lived in Cania Gorge for at least 19,000 years.

 

We arrived at the caravan park and set up camp (very easy when you’re in a caravan) supervised by this kookaburra (sitting in an old gum tree.)

 

We took a drive to Cania Dam, and were treated to more views of the sandstone cliffs.

 

The waters of Cania Dam cover graves from the Cania Goldfield Cemetery.

 

Some of the headstones from the Cania Goldfield Cemetery have been placed on this monument beside the dam.  The whole of the gold mining village of Cania now lies beneath the dam.

 

Beside Cania Dam.

 

Skipping stones.

 

Bird feeding time at the caravan park: