Cooee!

 

I ticked off another of the lesser Glass House peaks the other day. It's Mt Cooee, maybe so called because it's within cooee of big Mt Tibrogargan.

It's one of the lesser known and lesser climbed ones too. The track up it is not always well defined, though there are some pink tape markers at times.

Most days it would be a very easy walk, with perhaps an occasional scrubby interlude. This was shortly after a wet few days though, and the slippery rock slopey bits posed a bit of a challenge. Especially when I was being distracted by a noisy helicopter circling overhead, seemingly looking for someone to rescue!

There were at least two false summits, with cairns. The real summit, a few hundred metres further along and a few metres higher, didn't have a cairn.

 

Views from none of them were spectacular, but you did get to see neighbouring Tibro, where many of the real rescues take place.

Glorious Point Glorious!

 

 

How glorious is glorious? It's pretty good anyway!

There was a healthy and enthusiastic turnout for the Sunshine Coast Bushwalking Club's expedition to Point Glorious in Mapleton National Park, north west of Yandina, the other day.

A somewhat muddy patch at the start was soon left behind, and mostly we experienced perfect bushwalking conditions, trackwise  and weatherwise. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the early ups were a fraction taxing, but the group recovered in style with a very leisurely morning tea. During this I sighted a record number (for me) of comfy chairs being unfurled!

 

Before too long we'd gained a bit over 300m in altitude, and assembled at the Point Glorious lookout, for the superb views across to Mt Eerwah to the north east, and several other peaks further off to the north and north west.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: Sam Rowe

 

 

Then down via a different fire trail, past a sad looking mystery object: not one of our cars fortunately - an abandoned vehicle that may or may not have a dark secret attached.

Choice Coastal Cafes #4: Medinah Lebanese Street Food

 

 

This was quite a surprise. It's in the (surprisingly pleasant) shopping strip of Brisbane Rd, Mooloolaba, ie the non-touristy part of Mooloolaba. As well as very drinkable coffee, they were serving, as advertised, delicious Lebanese ...... street food!

Queensland Air Museum

 

I went to see the Queensland Air Museum the other day. It's in Caloundra, at the old aerodrome.

 

It's packed full of old planes, civil and military, in various states of disrepair. Aviation enthusiasts love it, I'm sure.

 

 

I specially liked the exhibits that commemorated various defunct airlines. Australia has a particularly rich aviation history, and lots of brave ventures have come and gone.

 

 

I got to pondering what exactly constitutes a 'museum'. If it's a collection of old stuff, then this is quite a museum. 

 

But if it's to do with a careful 'curated' display of old things, with attention to education, aesthetics, and comfortable sense of space, then maybe this place doesn't quite get there?

 

 

Some of it is rather jumbled and higgledy-piggledy, let's face it.

 

There's a similar museum in NSW's Illawarra, called the HARS Aviation Museum. That was a much better organised kettle of fish, I thought.

Four out of ten to this one then.

The soul trembles

 

 

And so it should now and again. Like when you visit an inspiring modern art exhibition maybe.

I called in on Brisbane's GOMA, the Gallery of Modern Art, yesterday. On show is an exhibition of the works of Chiharu Shiota, a Japanese performance and installation artist of some note. Here are some of the highlights.

A 'bora' and some sharpening grooves

 

 

A bora was a raised earthen circle, traditionally built by women, and used as a meeting place for all kinds of activities. In the local language it was called a 'durn'. There's a fairly well preserved one in the Glass House Mountains region, off Johnston Rd. Nearby, in fact 60m nearby, there was supposedly a 'kippa ring', a smaller circle in which adolescent boys were initiated into adulthood.

 

 

 

There's little info about where this particular kippa ring actually is or was. About 60m nearby is a flat bit of bulldozed land. Here's hoping that it's not there? Do let me know if you've any further information about this.

 

A few kilometres to the north, on the Old Gympie Road on the way upto Landsborough, there's Little Rocky Creek, and a collection of stone tool sharpening grooves.

 

Fine examples. I suspect there are more such places. Sensibly hidden away from the public maybe?

Mary Cairncross Reserve

 

 

Maleny has quite a few attractions. Quite the place in many ways. I checked out the Mary Cairncross Reserve yesterday, and wasn't disappointed.

 

It's not just a park or patch of rainforest with public access. It's got an excellent little network of easy walks, all well curated with educational signage etc. It's got a very fine little visitor centre too, a treetop walk, a cafe, and last but not least, magnificent views of the Glass House Mountains.

Conondale National Park

I ventured into the Conondale National Park yesterday. It's about an 80km drive from the coast, to the west of Cambroon, which is on the Kenilworth to Maleny road. I had to walk the last bit of the road, as my car might not have been up to it. Then I walked along fine and relatively untrodden walking trail, to an old gold mine. 

 

 

Most of the other park visitors were, as is often the case, people in four wheel drives, just, well, four wheel driving.

 

 

I was intrigued by this sign, advising me of the various things I should have taken with me. See if you can spot what particularly intrigued me! (Click to enlarge pictures)

More Maroochydore red

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cotton Tree actually, near the Boat Shed restaurant. Yet another red sunset, courtesy of that Tongan volcano.

Wan’diny NAIDOC Family Fun Day

 

 

 

It's been NAIDOC week this week (standing for National Aborigines and Islanders Observance Day Committee). We went along to a colourful event in Nambour's Quota Memorial Park today.