It's almost two months since we departed Traralgon, and a month since my last update, so I figure I had better write something.

We camped about 20 kilometres out of Coffs Harbour at a place called Coffs Harbour Camping and 4x4. It was actually a woman's property where travellers can camp in her horse paddock. No amenities, no power, and no 4x4 tracks. The property does back onto State Forest, so there are 4x4 track in the area, but with a title such as hers attached to a property, one would assume there would be 4x4 tracks on-site. Anyway, it was a nice property with a nice view down the gully to the trees, and the horses were friendly as well. We parked here for a few nights, heading into to Coffs to catch up with friends of the family. We also went to the Dolphin Marine Magic park in Coffs Harbour, formally known as the Pet Porpoise Pool. During my younger years of family holidays to Coffs Harbour, I have spent many hours in this park. It has changed a lot since then. Still, it was good to see the dolphin and seal show, feed the fish and the penguins.

From Coffs Harbour we headed inland via Grafton and stopped for a night at Copmanhurst on the Clarence River. This was a great little free camp, right on the river, with good views up and down the river and a rock face on the opposite bank. We spent the afternoon relaxing under the awning of the caravan, watching a couple of White Bellied Sea Eagles cruise the updrafts along the rock face. We were lucky enough to have one of them dive down to the river and grab a fish right in front of us. The only downside to this camp was the cows that came down for a drink in the evening. They weren't so much of a problem themselves, but the resulting cow s*** that was depositing during their visit had the usual lingering aroma that does not enhance a camping experience.

From Copmanhurst we took the back road through Winegrove and re-joined the Gwyder Highway at Jackadgery. This was a poorly signposted, narrow, winding dirt track that was a bit rutted and a bit steep in places. I carefully picked our way along the road, squeezing the van past a few low branches. It was a pleasant drive with some great views, although I would not have wanted to meet an oncoming vehicle in some places because there was absolutely nowhere to pull the Landcruiser and caravan off the road and nowhere to turn around if we needed to. There is a rest stop on the Gwyder Highway at Jackadgery where the road we had travelled meets the Gwyder Highway. We pulled in here for a break, and then I noticed the sign that is visible from the Gwyder Highway, indicating that the road we had just travelled was "not suitable for caravans". It would have been helpful to have that sign at the other end of the road! Oh well, we made it through easily enough.

The drive along the Gwyder Highway through to Glen Innes was easy but slow. We encountered very thick fog as we climbed up the Gibralter Range, to the point we were driving at 20km/h in places. The mist, the cool air, the tree ferns, and the smell of the wet eucalypt forest was beautiful, as it always is. A quick stop in at Washpool Falls for a cuppa and a look at the falls, then we arrived in Glen Innes where we camped at the showgrounds.

Glen Innes is a great, quiet little town. It has a small population of friendly people, the main street has a lot of historical buildings, plenty of nearby bush and National Parks, it is easy to get around and it has a very good country feel about it. It would be a great place to consider living if it wasn't for the fact that in winter the morning temperatures are commonly down to -8 degrees!!

During our stay we did a bit of gemstone fossicking. On one day we travelled south to Pinkett and dug in the creek, then visited an old fossicking site at Kookabookra before taking the long way back through Glencoe. Another day we took a drive north to Stannum and Torrington. This is beautiful country, natural bush, granite rock outcrops, and plenty of tracks to explore. We found our way to the Torrington State Forest and took a walk out to see the Mystery Face. This is a natural rock formation that very closely resembles the side profile of a person's face. The walk to the rock was beautiful, passing through rugged bush, large rocky outcrops, beautiful gum trees and we even found a couple of snakes. A large Green Tree Snake was basking on the track and I had some fun holding him for a couple of photos. We also came across a Red Bellied Black Snake, he was off the track and already quite cranky, so I took a couple of photos and let him be. All in all, it was well worth the effort to have a look at the Mystery Face. From there drove a bit further north to an old gemstone mine. It has been thoroughly picked through over the years and we decided it was not worth the effort of going through it again. We drove along the Blatherarm Creek and found a spot to dig. It rained quite steadily while we poked around in the creek, but it was still enjoyable. The steady rain, cool air and the smell of the wet forest was very pleasant. Even though we didn't have raincoats and were being soaked through, it was a good way to spend and arvo. Kathy ended up with a few small sapphires and zircons after our fossicking efforts.

As happens, the weather settled in for a few days and there was a fair bit of rain further north of us, so we stayed put in Glen Innes for a few days extra and sat it out.

Once the weather cleared, we departed Glen Innes and headed north. We crossed into Queensland on the New England Highway and stopped at Girraween National Park, just over the border. We only stayed here for the one night, expecting better things further up the road, but, in hindsight, we should have stayed here much longer. Girraween NP has plenty of bush walks of varying lengths, the campground was well spaced apart from other campers and it was full of kangaroos and wallabies. There were kangaroos literally eating grass in our campsite. On one of the walks we heard the calls of a Lyrebird. The Lyrebird is well known for it's ability to mimic nearly any other bird call it hears. Having lived in Koornalla for a few years, and having Lyrebirds in the bush beside our property, we can recognise the calls are being made by a Lyrebird. We stopped and waited on the walking track. The Lyrebird must have been only metres away in the thick undergrowth and we could hear it moving, but we did not see it. This is an experience we have had many times before, but it is still great to have again, especially in Queensland!!

From Girraween NP we drove north through Stanthorpe and visited a 4x4 park I had read about. The Springs 4x4 Park is private property of about 700 acres. The owners have cut in many kilometres of 4x4 tracks of varying difficulty around the hilly and rocky property, and campers can drive these tracks as much as they want. We drove in, set up camp and went for a drive to a hilltop to experience the view. The drive to the top of the first hill was easy going and the view from the top was nice. Nothing outstanding, but it was a nice view. My plan was to descend the other side of the hill and do a loop back to camp via another lookout. As it happened, Kathy was not at all comfortable with the driving conditions, so we abandoned the loop trip and headed back to camp the way we came.

The next day we were back on the New England Highway and drove through Warwick, then turned off toward Clifton, through Pittsworth and Oakey. We found that Oakey is home to a military museum called the Australian Army Flying Museum. As it was only $7 per person we decided to have a look. Surprisingly it was a very interesting place. The huge hangar is full of helicopters and aircraft, all telling a story of the role of aircraft in the Army's history. Initially we thought we would be there for no more than an hour, but it was well over two hours before we left. Well worth a visit if aircraft are your thing. On the road again, heading for a camping spot near Maclagan that we could use as a base for exploring the Bunya Mountains. Upon arriving at Rangeview Estate Camping, we were a bit disappointed. It was basically camping in a paddock on a farm. We had a beautiful view, but that was it. To top it off, the owner's dogs barked and barked all night. All night. The next day we decided to leave and find somewhere else to stay.

There is camping at the Bunya Mountains National Park, but once again, the information recommends the roads are not suitable for caravans. The roads to the top of the mountain are sealed and in good condition, but it is very narrow and windy, and because of the width of a caravan, there is no room for oncoming traffic. Grrrr. We wouldn't have this problem if we were towing a camper trailer… Anyway, we drove around the Bunya Mountains and camped at a free camp in Kumbia. This is a very small town that once would have been a nice place to live. It is a shadow of what it once was, with virtually no shops and only a few dozen houses. Still, it is quiet there. The next day we left the caravan at the free camp (it is across the road from the local Police station, so I figured it'd be safe) and we took the drive to Bunya Mountain. We had a walk through the forest and saw the huge, ancient Buyna Pines that grow there. In the forest we could here the calls of the Green Catbird. Having never heard them before, it was a strange thing to hear. The information board at the start of the walk stated that the Green Catbird has a call resembling a crying child, and it was not wrong. Walking through a quiet rainforest and we could here a sound very similar to an infant wailing. Weird. It was amusing to start with, but it had the same effect on me as the human version of the cry, and it became annoying after a while.

After the visit to Bunya Mountain, we drove back down the hill and I found a good size Carpet Python on the side of the road. I did the right thing and moved him off the road, after having a bit of a hold of him for a few minutes of course! Back to Kumbia, where we collected the van and continued moving on. We travelled through Kingaroy, Murgon, Ban Ban Springs, Mundubbera, Eidsvold, Mount Perry, Gin Gin, and on to Bundaberg.

We intend on staying in Bundy for a few weeks to visit Kathy's parents and to do a few touristy things.