The fungi of Coolum North

 

 

Spotted on Mt Coolum's northern access track the other day. (The one without the hundreds of other walkers and joggers on it.)

La Balsa - a park with a story

On the Buddina side of the Mooloolah River is a lovely little park whose name commemorates a great adventure.

In 1970 a crew of Ecuadorian expeditioners landed near here, after completing the then world's longest raft journey. They had sailed 13,700km on their balsa wood vessel, La Balsa, to highlight the likelihood of such journeys across the Pacific taking place also many centuries ago. They arrived here after 161 days, and thereby doubled the distance covered by Thor Heyerdahl's Kon Tiki in 1947.

More here, courtesy the Sunshine Coast Council: La Balsa arrival story

She 'popped a wheelie' (and nearly popped her head open)

A strange scraping noise as I was setting off on my morning walk today. It turned out to be a motorcyclist who'd just come off her brand spanking new powerful motorbike. I got to be one of those calling the ambulance for her.

I've called emergency services on previous occasions, and it's a strange experience. They're polite and grateful once they decide you're for real. But before that they're either robots, or people that sound like robots, while they work out where you are and whether you're a hoax.

 

Anyway, the ambulance station is only 2 minutes away, and the ambos were soon able to establish that she was probably going to be OK. "I popped a wheelie, and I lost it" was her probably very honest explanation. She'd landed on her brand new helmet's face shield, and it was very scratched. "First wheelie I've ever done!" So unfair.

Maroochydore might want to be a proud metropolitan future Olympic host city, but it's still full of country hoons.

Herding ducks

The sheep dog trials at the Maleny Show involved ducks rather than sheep, I noticed. All much the same, I guess. It was a very pleasant little outing to 'the Sunshine Coast hinterland's premier agricultural show' the other day. There were other fairground attractions too, including an excellent dodgem car experience!

Buderim's other population

 

 

 

 

The scene the other day in suburban Buderim's Janderra St.

Jungle Juice

 

 

Otherwise known as coffee art. I came across my first world class coffee art contenders this week, courtesy of the barista at Raw Energy, in Maroochydore's Wises Road shopping centre.

It's quite a thing, apparently. Take a look here too: Coffee Art search

U3A going strong

 

There are lots of us retireds up here on the Sunshine Coast, and lots of us are keen to keep learning. Hence a strong and thriving local U3A (University of the Third Age).

Here are some scenes from a 'History of the World's Religions' lecture the other day, at Mudjimba Community Centre. This course is delivered by the energetic and  personable historian Darrel Roche. 

 

There are well over 100 such courses on offer, and once you've paid a nominal joining fee, it's all effectively free.

Maroochydore's soggy yellow wall demolished!

It was a very wet election day on the Sunshine Coast. Old hands told me it hadn't been like this since the 'Kevin 07' election. This was taken as a good omen for the progressive forces.

At the Maroochydore State High school polling place, like elsewhere in the once Clive Palmer-held seat of Fairfax, there were swarms of UAP yellow people. They offered us unlimited freedom, and maybe graphene oxide detectors and microwave head shields to protect us from all those conspiracies. Lovely people all of them, but I suspect they've been well and truly seduced by good Trumpian Clive's wealth and seeming generosity.

There were red Labor people, and their local candidate and her daughters for a while. There were a couple of green Greens. Lots of blue LNP types including my new old friends, local member Ted and his wife. I think there was an 'Informed Medical Options' anti-vaxxer for a while, and mystery independent 'rebel' Sinim Australie was seen briefly. No Paul Hanson One Nation helpers though. They've all vanished this time, but several of her distraught supporters turned up, pleading for a how-to-vote-card. It was quite a show.

The omens proved correct (and the polls this time). Conservative forces were crushed, nationally anyway. Ted's back here in Fairfax, though his majority was halved. And the yellows achieved far less than had looked likely. Nationally, as we've been told a thousand times, it won't be easy under Albanese. But it probably won't be sleazy either. Progressive 'teal' independents and Greens look likely to share power with  Labor and Albo, its 'anyone-but-Scotty' Prime Minister. And the country will be a better place.

The culture lark

 

 

 

 

 

 

A magpie lark actually (Grallina cyanoleuca). He hangs out at Maroochydore's Culture cafe, just like we often do!

The foam that ate Alex!

The usually scenic Alexandra Headland beach has taken on a new look. I think it's to do with the yet-again enormous rainfalls in the hinterland bringing down organic matter, and the wild weather patterns causing it all to get churned up.

Something's up when there's three one-in-a-hundred year weather events in about that many months!

Who's this?

 

 

 

 

 

An alien visitor peers in on us!

 

 

I think it's an Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus). If so it truly is an alien invader. They're an introduced species. There are various native geckos too, which I'll be keeping an eye out for now.

Droplets

 

 

 

Observed on the footpath yesterday morning.

Protecting us?

 

 

ie: protecting us from what, and delivering us what?

Federal election latest: Ted bites the dust

 

 

Only his poster so far though. I love the symbolism, but symbolism only takes you so far, I'm afraid. Funny, in NSW the local councils crack down hard on election signage on public land. Queensland's a different country though, as I've observed many times.

 

It's half way into the election campaign, and it's all hotting up nicely.

Back to the Glass House: Mt Tibberoowuccum

It's one of the easier Glass House mountains, but a very nice little one, with great views of all the others. It's next to the bigger and scarier Tibrogargan, and you can access it from the same car park.

 

 

The approach to its little pointy summit.

Here's the view of Mts Beerwah and Coonowrin

 

And of Ngungun, Tibrogargan, and Wild Horse Mt.

White faced and poised to strike

 

A white-faced heron the other day near Coolum Beach. He'd seen something edible down there, and took up his sniper position. He then stood motionless for several minutes, and I gave up and walked away.