Montville
Even though it’s called the Sunshine Coast, it still rains there and can get quite cold in winter. When it’s raining in the hinterland behind the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia it is even colder, as we discovered when detouring there after our few days at Noosa. The road into the Blackall Range is quite steep. At 400 metres Montville has its head in the clouds when it rains, and with the wind blowing from a southerly direction it’s cold in late June.
Umbrellas in the Rain - Montville, Queensland, Australia
Even though it was cold and wet there was a surprising number of visitors on the Monday we ventured into the hills. It was the beginning of Queensland school holidays and the rain didn’t deter large groups of people from visiting this picturesque mountain village.
Tracks
Its cold and horrible in Auckland today. Sudden southwesterly squalls with brief but intermittent bursts of watery sun. The lawn is so wet that muddy footprints are left where feet have trodden and tracks where the lawnmower has been. I don’t mind the cold, but the continuous wetness gets me down after a bit.
Tracks of a different kind are shown in this image.
Tracks - Fraser Island Ferry at Inskip Point, Queensland, Australia
During a recent trip to Australia we took a day tour to Fraser Island from Noosa on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland. This unusual tour traveled 120 kilometers up the ocean beaches north of the Noosa River to Rainbow Beach and Inskip Point in a 14 seat 4WD truck that had been converted into a bus. At Inskip Point one crosses the sandy spit to the ferry that takes you to Fraser Island. Both Fraser Island and the sand dunes north of Noosa are known as sand masses and are extensive national parks.
4WD Tour Trucks - Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia
Fraser Island is separated from Inskip Point by a 1 km passage. Flat-decked ferries from two companies compete for custom to take vehicles to the island. There are few roads on Fraser Island, and those that do exist are rough. The island is therefore 4WD country only. People visiting the island need to take all their supplies with them and remove all their rubbish when they leave. Despite all of this hundreds of vehicles cross to the island during holiday periods, taking their passengers to remote spots up the ocean coast for camping and fishing holidays.
Fraser Island - Holiday visitors travel up the ocean beach to find a camping spot
A 35 km drive up the ocean beach on the eastern side delivers visitors to Eurong Resort, the only resort on the island. From here, tracks in rutted loose sand lead through rain forest to inland freshwater lakes and walking tracks. There is even a chance to sight a dingo, Australia’s famous native dog.
Our visit was on a beautiful sunny Queensland winter day – not at all like the weather here at the moment!
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