Weyba Downs (is where to watch Weyba)

 

I've written about the 'elusive' Lake Weyba before, and how it's a bit out of the way, requiring a bit of a hike to see it in all its glory. Well today I stumbled on the easy way!. 

 

There's an area called Weyba Downs, and you can drive right up to the lake, stroll along the shore, picnic in parkland.The lot! Just take Eumarella Rd, westward from one of the Emu Mountain Rd roundabouts, just south of Noosa.

 

 

 

Google Maps marks a 'Weyba Tree', which I think is this one. A lot of spectacular photography has been done of it at sunrise or sunset or both. I'll have to return and see what I can do.

Change the date

 

 

Even many in Maroochydore agree. January 26, the date marking the start of Australia's colonisation in 1788, isn't the date for the national day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As well as the official Australia Day events up and down the country, there were a host of Invasion Day counter-events today. Even Maroochydore managed a good turnout, with a gathering at the new city centre's Foundation Square. There were speeches, a smoking ceremony, traditional dancing and music. Then we marched down to the Cotton Tree holiday strip, with obligatory stops at the police HQ and the courthouse along the way. 

 

The big message was around 'Change the Date'. Most Australians aren't yet persuaded, but the logic is irrefutable: If a date is contentious, then it's just not the date for a day of national unity. So I predict it won't be long now till it's fixed.

More Golden Orb Webs!

 
 

 

 

Summer's here and the spiders are getting fat, getting daily bigger and fatter in fact. And thriftily bundling up a healthy supply of ready meals for hard times ahead.

 

 

 

Here are a couple more of our resident Golden Orb Weaving Spiders.

Alex's evening show

It's a great show most evenings on Alex Beach. The trainee surf lifesavers will be out there, rehearsing, competing, having fun.Whatever it is they do. Here are all the kayaks lined up, ready for the kayak rescue simulation race, or something like that. I got out of their way just in time!

Amamoor, mon amour

 

Doesn't make a lot of sense, that heading, but it sounded good. And Amamoor was indeed a delicious surprise when we got there. Just don't drink the coffee.

 

It's a tiny settlement 20km south of Gympie, and it's the turnaround station for the fabulous Mary Valley Rattler, sometimes known as the Spirit of the Mary Valley.

 

The heritage tourist train goes pretty well daily, as far as I could make out from its rather opaque website. And it tends to leave Gympie at 10am, arrives at Amamoor about 11am, and then spends about an hour turning around and giving its passengers a leg stretch, before rounding them up again and heading back.

I'd decided it would save a lot of trouble and expense if we just turned up at Amamoor for the 11am turnaround show. And I was right!

Rainbow (or is that 'Reddish & Brownish'?) Beach

 

We checked out the coastal settlement of Rainbow Beach the other day. It's named for the alleged rainbow coloured sand dunes in the area, and it's a popular tourist draw. 

 

You turn right at Gympie, and then turn right again somewhere before Tin Can Bay.

I must admit, I found the colours a little underwhelming. Reddish Brownish Beach might be more accurate. There's interesting scenery to explore though.

 

Many of the visitors are here for the for me inexplicable attraction of driving on the beaches. There's a lot of that goes on around here. And a lot of them come to grief doing it, I'm pleased to report!

Girl overboard (like mother, like daughter?)!!

 

A few weeks ago we fished a very pregnant (and somewhat distressed) Blue-Tongued Skink out of the swimming pool. See here: December post      Shortly afterwards we spotted her and her presumed baby blue tongue, roaming separately in the garden.

 

 

 

History repeated itself the other day, with the little one falling in this time. She managed to get herself onto the pool cleaner hose to await rescue.

Must get some tiny 'Beware of Pool Edge' signs installed, in Blue Tongue language, I guess.

Aussie World - its pub anyway!

 

One day I'll tackle the theme park itself, with its scary rides and all. Today was a day though for a brunch with a difference.

Aussie World's pub seemed to be all set up for such a thing, and we eventually navigated the system and got fed there.

The building has an interesting history. It was originally an Ettamogah Pub pub, as in the chain of them that started at Ettamogah, with their leaning walls and trucks on the roof etc. Then there were corporate realignments and legal battles, when the brands separated but it was temporarily still too Ettamogah-like.

Anyway, it's looking good now even if the breakfast is a bit strange.

Nambour's nice new no-name park

In Nambour they've just built a rather splendid new park, or at least, renovated a scrappy old one, which I never got to inspect.

Anyway, it's just to the west of Quota Park, on the other side of Petrie Creek. It's got some very grand murals, attractive open spaces, benches, and play areas, and it's generally rather classy.

 

It's going to be part of a continuous chain of parks and walkways stretching several kilometres through the town.

 

 

Funny thing though, it doesn't seem to have a name yet. I'll keep looking at the maps and through the council info. And maybe report back!

It's all about the web

 

The spider webs in the garden, that is.

Here's a St Andrews Cross Spider (Argiope keyserlingi), and a Dome-web Spider (Cyrtophora moluccensis) - arrowed - in our garden this morning

Nosy noisy & reclusive raven

 

An Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides). Or there again, it could be a Torresian Crow (Corvus orru). I'm having trouble picking the difference. Hadn't knowingly come across the latter before coming to Queensland.

Seen at Coolum Beach on Sunday.

 

And here's the nosy noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala), in Marcoola yesterday. They often do this wing mirror routine, I've found.

Eumundi market

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still going strong. Still enormous!

Crowded Coolum

 

 

 

 

It's New Year's Day, and it's a very crowded Coolum Beach. These tent things, 'beach cabanas' have been making inroads lately. And that's not helping.