Leaving On A Jet Plane !

We had decided to go to Paronella Park last weekend as TWS wanted to go and it looked like our sort of place. Initially we were going to go on Sunday as we had to meet the landlord at our previous rental to sign off the lease.

Check it out : www.paronellapark.com.au

When I booked it I found out that we got 1 free night camping if we wanted so thought we'd take them up on that as it was free and enabled us to do the "Darkness Falls" guide walk in the dark on the saturday, camp, and then walk round on sunday as it's a 2 day ticket.

The day began in spectacular fashion on saturday. As we were leaving to meet the landlord we saw an ernormous Sea Eagle circling above our road. He was cruising in the thermals some 50 feet up, with what must have been a 10 or 12 foot wingspan. We followed him for a couple of minutes as we left our road and he eventually moved North. Stunning sight !

Now, on to Paronella Park.

The place is basically what we would call a Victorian Folly. Some crazy spanish guy making castles and buildings out of reinforced concrete that he made himself, rendered with stucco plaster using his own hands (you can see his hands/fingers in the pattern), all set next to a waterfall and surrounded by lush tropical gardens / rainforest. Near the lake at the bottom of the falls there's a load of old concrete picnic tables covered in green moss/algae/lichen and the kids get to feed the lake inhabitants with food provided free. The lake is full of huge freshwater eels maybe 4 or 5 foot long, along with turtles and fish. The fish are amazing - you throw in a handful of pellets and they rise as one, maybe 30 fish and there's a flash of silver and a big splash and then they're gone again ! Since we got back people have asked if they still allow you to swim there as they used to swim under the curtain of the waterfall at the bottom of the cliffs. The guide reckoned that the eels don't bite too hard but that turtles can give you a nasty nip ! (a girl at India's school was bitten on the toe by a turtle and confirms that yes, it does hurt !)

We have 12 months passes now though (free as locals) so may go back when it's really hot and have a swim under the falls.

the best bit there though was that, after doing the guided walk round in the dark with torches (with about 30 other people!) , we went back so that I could do some night shots of the falls (they're lit up until 10:30). It was a beautiful still moonlit night and we were able to walk round the gardens with no-one else there, the frogs and insects making noises and then stood in the entrance to the tunnel and shone our torches in and the bats came streaming in and out past us !

Link to the pics: http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y126/cadman342001/Paronella%20Park/

We went for another quick walk around on Sunday morning after breakfast and then off for a quick drive to Flying Fish Point just to see what the beach was like (nice!) then to Crawford's Lookout on the Palmerston Highway.

Here, you can look through the gap in the trees (apparently made by Cyclone Larry) down into the bottom of the valley to the South Johnston River way below.

Then, if you're foolish enough (like us !) then you can walk down a 2.2km zig zag track to the river for a picnic sitting on the rocks, all the while on the way down thinking "OMG, we've gotta walk back up this !". Lovely walk down though, through rainforest, views across the valley, exotic plants, vines, banana trees here and there etc. The odd bird that you never see that makes the most amazing noises, the odd little lizard that catches your eye as it scurries away as you approach, his sunbathing on the red earth path disturbed.

Once down by the river, we had numerous jumping spiders (although most of them on Lou as she read her book. There's me crawling around on the rocks looking for them and only finding 1 black shiny one and when I get back and mention it she reports of all the different ones she's had jump on her - the white one with green bits, the one with a white beard etc. etc. !). Also saw an amzing metallic beetle, green with orange and red bits but by the time I returned with camera it had gone.

Jedd and India threw an enormous log into a rock pool and were shocked to see a big Huntsman spider who probably wasn't best pleased at having his home chucked into the drink ! By 'eck he were a big 'un too ! We further harassed him by taking his picture then poking him with a stick to try and get him onto the top of the now floating log for a better shot. Obviously I used one of the children for this to my mind dangerous task ! (huntsman aren't poisonous but can give you a nasty nip !).

The walk back up convinced us not to go there again ! The first 1/3 of the way back is steps, then the other 2/3 of zig zag, zig zag, all the time seeing things from the way down and thinking "I remember that but wasn't it waaaay down near the bottom ?"

Next time we're down that way we'll go further along the road to the picnic area and take one of the two easier paths to a couple of waterfalls I think (which was what I wanted to see anyway).

Pretty knackered come Monday morning and got into work to discover that my over 35's fottie game was on Monday this week at 6:45.

Turned up early (still not got used to the fact that we're only 1 roundabout down the highway now) and watched a gang of maybe 30 or 40 Sulphur Crested Cockatoos nesting, bickering and squawking away in nearby trees, had a group of small kangeroos/wallabies (don't know which to be honest) watching us play and a bat or two wing past my head while playing ! Life in the tropics eh? Cool !

We're gardening next weekend ! Apparently you can grow almost anything here simply by cutting a bit off something else and sticking it in the ground. We'll see ! Have to start going out late at night with a pair of scissors and a carrier bag !

Other stuff:

Still to get a grip of the runnings and maintenance of our pool. It actually ran low on water early on saturday morning so we had to turn the pump/filter off while we were away which isn't a good idea as the pool can easily turn from crystal clear water to green soup here !

Might actually get my car back this week, 3 months after buying it ! (long story!)

I've volunteered for us to host the annual Australian Motorbike GP Party which seems only fair after all the help MMJTBFC has given us and his mate Andy lets me watch the GP's live at his house. It's on October 14th I think.

In case I haven't mentioned it earlier, Zak broke his collarbone 5 weeks ago. Pretty much healed now but just needs the ok from the doc this week. May be just in time for his footie teams Grand Final.