NatureFootsteps Travels: 140921 Queensland, Ballina to Canugra

2014-12-29

140921 Queensland, Ballina to Canugra

Queensland, Australia 2014-09-05--09-25
140921 day 17, Sunday

click photo to view with Lightbox

© NF Photos 140921

We met at 6.30 ready to depart from the motel Avlon Gardens. But before we left the guide took us across the street to watch the flying foxes we had seen last night. One by one they were flying in to some trees in a park to spend the day sleeping hanging in the trees. There were 2 different species and they were much bigger then I had imagined. It was fun watching them. In this image I could count 11 of them. There was also a third species sleeping in the park. A man, probably homeless, was sleeping under a tree. The only one I have seen since I came to Q.

After that we drove to Lennox Head. New South Wales, a great place for surfers and caravan people. But that was not where we were going. We drew by the caravan park and stopped at an area with burned land. That´s the place we should investigate. The birds was great in the area but it was hard to walk as the burned vegetation was hard and pointy. And after a while we realised we were black from soot all of us. Among the birds were fairywrens, cockatoo and honeyeaters. There was also some exiting plants like the grass tree. Some of the vegetation is depending of being burnt more or less regularly. Interesting place even if we got dirty. After we noticed we got dirty we went out to a "road" that was easier to walk. And cool to see the unexpected color of the soil.

We took a quick look at the beach too.

Now it was getting rather late and we had no breakfast yet so we went back to Ballina to have some breakfast at a café. Today I had pancakes for breakfast for the first time in my life. With blue berries, icecream and syrup. It was ok as we already been up for several hours. And it was good too! And....it is good to have a guide with you. He knows where the public toilets are :)

Now we went south over Richmond River to visit Broadwater NP. Here are more moorlands and forests. But we could not go in to the moores as it had been raining earlier and the area was flooded. So we went to the forest instead. Only a few birds bot lot of cool vegetation. And a nice walk. I was certainly attracted to this tree and it´s "decoration". We were looking for koalas here but did not see any.

That took a while and at lunchtime we went back to Ballina and had lunch close to the harbour. As I was still full from that breakfast I only bought myself a Makadamia ice cream and I went to the water looking for seabirds on shore and surfers and boats on the water. And watching city life. And a gull taking advantage of human facilities. Drinking from the lover part of the water fountain. When the others were done they came to. For a little while before we headed up north after doing some shopping in a supermarket. No restaurant for breakfast at next nights motel.

We visited a few of the beaches north of Ballina and was lucky there was low tide. At the first stop we had a beautiful Eastern Rosella posing nicely in front of us.

Next was Flat Rock lookput with a lot of locks all over the safety fences :)

At 15.00h we started the trip to Canugra and reached the motel at 18.00. We made one stop during the trip. We walked along the road in a forest where I found thís beautiful tree. Broken Head NR

At the motell I was given room no 6 on the second floor without an elevator. But I got help bringing the suitcase upstairs. This is the last motel and we will stay here two nights. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant and we also went through the bird list after the dinner. Some people decided they would leave the cloths to a cleaning facility that was open but I decided I will keep the dirty trousers as a memory from the trip. And I still have them.

Then the usual shower and clean up the shirt I was wearing during the day.

Uploaded the images and then took a cup of coffee before going to sleep.

Spent the night at Canungra Motel, Lamington NP Canungra