Cania Gorge Walks

Monday, 9th June, 2014.

Cania Gorge contains a variety of beautifully constructed and maintained walking tracks, and I was lucky enough to be able to do a few of them.  I had a four-hour window of walking time, so really pushed myself to fit in as many as I could.  I was thankful that I had been doing some “stair training” at our fifth-floor apartment, but my legs still felt a bit rubbery at the end of it.

Every now and then, the characteristic limestone ridges of Cania Gorge would pop into view.

 

This large brown image of a four-toed foot on the white sandstone cliff is called Big Foot and is an iconic feature of Cania Gorge.  I think someone has tried to sketch in a big toe to complete the foot.

 

My next walk was to Giant’s Chair Lookout.  When you set out for any destination that includes the word “lookout”, it’s generally safe to assume that there will be a lot of uphill walking.  There was.  All of it.  The track was very well constructed, with a lot of striking rock formations along the way.

 

Some of the bush along this track had been burnt, so the air was filled with the aromatic smell of burning gum leaves.  It was one of those “good to be alive” days.

 

Finally, feeling quite hot by now, I reached the Giant’s Chair, and the lookout over the valley below.

 

A cheeky sapling and a grass tree seem to have grown up on the giant’s chair since last he sat on it.  This lookout was part of a three hour circuit.  As I didn’t have time to complete it, I turned back  - much easier going down the hill!  At the base of the hill, I headed along a flat track for about a kilometre to the next walk.

 

Once upon a time, there was a tree who fell in love with a rock …..

 

Interesting flora along the way.

 

Also staghorns.

 

Now I had begun the Two Storey Cave Circuit.  This track “meanders upwards around isolated sandstone monoliths.”  Don’t be fooled by the brochure’s cunning use of the deceptively languid word “meanders”. “Upwards” is the word to note here. 

However, the “sandstone monoliths” were very impressive:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I had arrived at the Two Storey Cave.  This is the lower cave.

 

Climbing in to the lower cave, I hauled myself up to the upper cave, which is supposed to be the home of a colony of insectivorous bentwing bats.  However, either the bats were all out, or I had the wrong cave (hard to believe, as there was a sign right outside) as there wasn’t a bat in sight, or even any evidence that any bats had been there.  So that was a bit of a mystery.

I then scrambled back down the hill, crossed the road and set off on the next walk to Dripping Rock and The Overhang.

 

Quite early in the walk, I crossed Three Moon Creek (but not by this bridge!) You can see that the huge floods of January 2013 have pushed the concrete support for this bridge over by 45 degrees.

The story about the naming of Three Moon Creek is that a traveller was filling his billy from the creek at night.  He saw one reflection of the moon in his billy and one in the creek, then looked up and saw the moon in the sky.

 

All along the creek could be seen evidence of this terrible January 2013 flood: 

 

 

Here, you can see a heavy log wedged high in a tree.

 

The walks I had done up until now were all hillside walks, in open country.  This walk was down in a valley beside the creek, although there were still a lot of ups and downs to test the legs. 

 

Often, there was lush maidenhair growing either side of the track – far more prolific than any I had ever been able to grow in a pot.

 

Every now and then, there would still be glimpses of the rich red Cania Gorge sandstone.

 

Finally, after quite a few more ups and downs, here was Dripping Rock.  And yes, it was dripping.

 

I continued on past more stunning sandstone.

 

I have read that there is some Aboriginal art in Cania Gorge, but that it is not accessible to the public.  I have a feeling that these handprints, right beside a public walking track, are not the genuine article!

 

The Overhang was my final destination.  It is described as a feature where water has eroded the base of the sandstone cliff.

 

This sandstone rock, just behind the sign, certainly looked as though it had been eroded by water, but I felt was quite an average looking rock compared with many of the spectacular formations I had already passed along the way.

 

For example, just before “The Overhang” was this massive perpendicular rock so straight it looked as though it had been man made.  Steps had been constructed beside it, leading down to “The Overhang.”  Notice the staghorns growing out of the top of it.

 

There was another similar formation on top of it.

 

Here is another shot of it, this time looking up the steps.

 

As far as overhangs go, I thought this one looked pretty amazing,

 

Here’s a close-up of the overhanging bit, covered with ferns.

 

Anyway, I wasn’t going to quibble over the naming of rocks.  I felt very lucky to have been able to do the walks, and I still had to return to the carpark where Doug was kindly going to pick me up.  When I returned, I had been walking solidly, at a cracking pace (for me) for three and a half hours, and my legs felt like jelly.  However, I felt quite exhilarated at what I had been able to see and do.

Monto, Queensland

Sunday, 8th June, 2014.

Monto is about 200km west of Bundaberg.  The township came into existence in 1924, as a consequence of the Land Development Scheme.  A few large properties were resumed to provide agricultural land for returning soldiers and pioneer settlers.

 

The Monto Town Hall (1939-40) was designed by Hall and Phillips.  Hall was the architect for both the Brisbane City Hall and the Sandgate Town Hall.  Can you see the resemblance?

We made a trip into Monto, where the historical society was having a “Pioneer Day”.

 

There was a “Cooee” competition where you could win $50.

 

Men were having chainsaw competitions, something like chainsaw wood chop.

 

There was a Model T Ford …..

 

….. and a shiny red McCormick Farmall tractor, similar to the one we had on our cane farm, only I think ours was bigger.  It’s a bit off-putting to find vehicles you’re familiar with feature in a pioneer’s day.

 

There was an old-timer making damper with flour, baking powder and beer.

 

He looked a lot like a pioneer himself.

 

Here is a damper he’d helped a little girl make.

 

There must be some very thirsty people in Monto.  The main street is dominated by two of the biggest pubs I have ever seen:

 

 

That afternoon, Chris collected a couple of huge logs on the way back, and made this superb ham and cheese damper.  It was quite splendid enjoying this damper under the stars, and rugged up against the cool night air around the fire.

Crash Site of “Beautiful Betsy”, Kroombit Tops National Park.

Saturday, 7th June, 2014.

Beautiful Betsy was an American WWII B-24 Liberator bomber, named after the original pilot’s wife, Betsy Roth.  Beautiful Betsy was in active service for eight months, taking part in 25 missions.  After being damaged in a storm and during a difficult landing, she was retired from active service and used for training parachutists, then for transporting supplies, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, alcohol, ice cream and even live poultry to American military personnel in Australia.  These runs were known as “fat cat” runs.  Photo from crash site.

 

After being damaged in a storm and during a difficult landing, Beautiful Betsy was retired from active service and used for training parachutists, then for transporting supplies, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, alcohol, ice cream and even live poultry to American military personnel in Australia.  These runs were known as “fat cat” runs.  This picture shows Beautiful Betsy  being loaded for a fat cat run.  Photo from crash site.

 

Beautiful Betsy  set out on the night of 26th February 1945 from Darwin to Brisbane but never reached her destination.  It is suspected that she crashed just on daylight on 27th February 1945.

Numerous search efforts proved unsuccessful.  It was not until July 1994, almost 50 years later, that a park ranger undertaking burning duties made the shock discovery.

 

A US army recovery team spent several weeks here in September 1994, recovering some skeletal remains and personal effects.  Photo from crash site.

 

Six American and two British airmen lost their lives in the crash.

The site has been declared a memorial to those who lost their lives here. Visitors are requested to treat the site with respect, which they seem to have been doing for the last 20 years.  It is a very confronting memorial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flg Off. Roy Cannon, from the RAF, was due to be married in Brisbane four days after the crash.  The other British airman, Flt. Lt. Thomas Cook, was to have been his best man.  Photo from crash site.

 

A copy of Roy Cannon’s last letter home was included at the crash site.  It was so poignant to read of his plans for his wedding and honeymoon, and what he wanted to do when the war was over.