Hiking, swimming and other weekend fun

Girraween & Stanthorpe - 5th to 7th October 2013

Another return visit to Stanthorpe, we love the area as there are lovely walks and everyone is very friendly. The days are incredibly hot and the nights freezing.  We camped at Bald Rock over the long weekend and managed to tag along to the local Observatory tour, it was awesome - he had his own dome and a great knowledge of astronomy, awesome night under the stars!

Shahn all rugged up outside the dome and telescope that he built in his backyard. It was a 46cm reflector cool images turns a small twinkling star into a whole mass of thousands filling the entire view finder.

Eak taking some creative pics of our campsite at Girraween!

Cooking some eggs, lovely day

Sphinx rock and Turtle Rock. There was this crevasse that split the two massive rocks, Eak being the perfect gentleman as always let me go first. So it was a climb up but a body width so I was trying to get myself up the higher step, turned sideways to get myself higher and got my ass stuck, Eak was pissing himself laughing and the guy above me who kindly lifted my bag out, was judging me but beautiful view from the top.

Video to show how graceful I am.  Hahaha!

Butt crack rock hehehe!

Climbing up the pyramids again!

The quick way down

Getting to the top of this rock was a mission, bit of rough climbing good fun

Because everyone that climbs up a rock needs to do a handstand, we love it!!!

Cunningham's Skink (Egernia Cunninghami)

White Rock Conservation Area - 1st December 2013

 Sunday afternoon wander before Eak headed back to Chinchilla for the week. 

We climbed up the side of this wee rock, and met a lovely lady up the top having her lunch and of course we chatted to her for an hour but she showed us another track out which was good. Nice walk.

Mount Norman  - 23rd November 2013

Another weekend walk, it was a pretty crappy day but that made it nice and cool for walking. It was quite challenging this hike, lots of steep sections and lots of stairs. Just stopping for a snack and some water before heading back down before the storm set in. When we got back to Ipswich there was a huge thunder storm that blew our power which meant homemade Sushi for dinner by headlight.

Having a snack up the hill, watching out for snakes with out gaiters on!

Enjoying the view watching storms build

Lace Monitor a big bugger

Mount Timbrogargen - Glass House Mountains 22nd December 2013

We have covered most of the Glass House Mountains now, Timbrogargen was one that Shahn never made it to the top of previously (in hindsight, a very clever move) it was a bloody tough climb - hot as rocks, vertical cliffs and pretty much a freestyle rock climb.  We have been doing a bit of indoor rock climbing so that helped. 

Climbing up Tibrogargan, Shahn did not enjoy this so much a bit steep and lots of shear rock, drinking litres of water and as the rock was so hot from the sun it burnt your hands as you climbed.

Sussing out the climb

The view down…..

Shahn was happy with the climb at this stage

The warning sign - rocks kill people

Enjoying the view from the top

Shahn looking really happy with life (just to clarify, it was 35degrees and very little wind.  We were so sweaty! I didn't make it up the top last time and I did it this time, on the way home I vomited in the service station car park from heat stroke and probably dehydration too - dedication I think, thoughts??)

Michael just living

Dragonfly

Bribie Island in the distance

Cootchiemudlo Island - 21st December 2013

We look gooooood.
So we caught the ferry 

Shahn kayaking and Michael paddle boarding.  Enjoying the South East QLD sun!

Also sailing at Wivenhoe Shahn dared me to see how easy it was to flip my boat so I got out there and put the hammer down and went as fast as I could until I over powered it and flipped the boat, Little did I know that with out extra body weight i was unable to flip the cat back over…… I must have been out there for half an hour until Darryl had to swim out to give me a hand. Lesson learned….. need a float on the mast or mast filled with foam and possibly a bit more weight or a longer rope. So I owe him one or two….

The Kiwi kids playing a bit of Mini putt and having a few light beverages