Monday 25 July 2011

FURTHER NORTH AND WARMER STILL

After leaving Kingscliff, I had more wonderful times with friends and relatives. A great evening of talking and eating and drinking with Colleen and Garry on their acreage at Tambourine. Two lovely days with cousin, Mary Ruth, much of it spent in her lovely apartment balcony overlooking the Brisbane River watching the sunset and sipping wine. We also set out to visit the Brisbane Art Gallery for a Surrealism exhibition but roadworks had us on so many detours we couldn’t get near it and we gave up. Then lunch overlooking the yachts at Manly with Val and Tricia. Great to catch up with them all.

While In Brisbane, I stayed in a caravan park that was the closest I could find to the CBD. Those that were closer, only took permanent residents. The park I did stay in had more permanent residents than tourists too. I have noticed this phenomenon – more and more people are living in caravan parks as the only affordable alternative. Some of the residences were old broken down caravans with a shack attached. Others were quite palatial and you could tell the owners took great pride in them with gardens and ornaments.

Today I headed north to the Sunshine Coast and am in a caravan park at Mudjimba, between Maroochydor and Noosa. I walked through the bushland to the beach. Beautiful.  Yes, parts of Queensland are close to perfect.

Mudjimba Beach late afternoon looking north
Mudjimba Beach looking south to Maroochydor


Standing on the beach, I looked across at a curiously shaped island, shaped a bit like a whale swimming south. Mudjimba Island – so of course I had to find out about it.

Mudjimba Island (Old Woman Island)

Some research on the Internet told me that  Mudjimba Island is also known as Old Woman Island and is one kilometre from the shore. It’s only accessible by boat. Diehard local surfers have been known to paddle half an hour, over a very deep hole filled with an abundance of marine life to reach the island. Apparently Sean Connory owned it at one time though it’s hard to imagine what on earth for. Another version of the story is that he and Diane Cilento spent their honeymoon night there which would answer the what for question. Apart from that, there’s nothing there except thousands of Shearwaters (mutton birds) that nest there.


An Aboriginal dreamtime story tells of the creation of Mudjimba Island. The story of two  men Coolum and Ninderry and a woman named Maroochy. In a fierce battle Ninderry knocked Coolum’s head from his shoulders into the sea to lie where it is today as Mudjimba Island.

I can hear the crash and roar of the ocean as I sit in the Tardis writing this.Life's good.

5 comments:

  1. Sounds fantastic, I'm quite envious. The photo's are great as is your blog(s).
    Paula

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well done veronica, the blog is great, I also love your photos and the descriptions of where you are and what you have been doing. How will you come back to cold old Melton. Perhaps babysitting will lure you back. HA HA. Having as much fun as us it seems. xx yve

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think I have it worked out now Veronica. xx yve

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Paula and Yve. Lovely to get your feedback.

    No, Melton is not looking very attractive at the moment. It's so perfect here. The temperature has been in the low twenties ever
    since I reached Byron Bay and there's been sunshine almost every day. Any rain has fallen at night. How perfect is that???

    ReplyDelete
  5. Veronica, camped at a cattle station, weather is perfect. Lots of bulls, buffaloes, kangas around in the paddocks, horses, guinea fowl and peacocks are just wandering around the vans each afternoon, The fowls and peacocks are nesting above our vans so we have to be a little wary of their "bombs". The views and smells of farm life are such a nice change from the caravan park in Darwin. Here for 4 nights. Its heavenly.

    ReplyDelete