shapeofthings | The Great Escape

Pomona (powerlines discreetly removed)

A couple of weeks ago Alex and I headed out of the city on a mission to Cooloola National Park, where we took lots of photos and generally had a very good time. Well I've finally got the films developed and scanned in most of the pictures from the trip so I thought I'd post them up to share. After a (barely) coffee stop in Eumundi we headed on up to Pomona, one of my favourite hinterland villages. The above photo was the first image I ever saw of Pomona and it was love at first site. Take the road in from Cooroy to be greeted by the view of this sleepy rail-stop township nestled under Mount Cooroibah in the Noosa hills. From Pomona we headed in to Elanda Point on the southern tip of the national park.

Elanda Point is a leased camping area adjacent to the park proper. I first discovered it on a uni field trip to study kangaroo behaviour. The place is home to a large mob of grey kangaroos as well as some rather fat goannas. More famoulsy though, the park sits on the edge of Lake Cootharabah, a shallow, brackish water lake perfect for sailing, canoeing and just taking it easy.

Having purchased our $5 day pass we had to abandon our plans for a barbeque lunch in light of a $6 firewood fee. Just as well as some barbequeing Brits were fighting for their lunch with a large, hungry lizard! Lunch plans thwarted there was only one thing left to do: go for a walk. An old timber mill was situated on the lake and you can walk to the old ruins. There's precious little left to see, though, and to me the surrounding flora and fauna were much more interesting, though I'll let you decide for yourselves...

A banksia in flower

A curlew attempting to blend in

Curlews are an interesting bird. They are most active around dawn and dusk and have a rather melancholy wailing call. Although shy, they can be found here in the city and are actually fairly large, around 40-50cm standing, and live in pairs. This one and it's mate were tucked away in this little fire scar, but within range of the wonderful tele-lens of the old SLR. Their chosen home also provided a pleasant view of this old chimney, pretty much all that remains of a turn-of-the-century farm house (well, along with the mango tree).

Despite the current drought there was still a bit of greenery and it was very nice to be out of the city. The park is mostly coastal sandy health and wet sclerophyl (tee tree) forest. When it's wetter the dusk is accompanied by the calls of one of our more unusual native frogs: the pobblebonk, the eastern variant I believe. Very little water about this time though, but the fan palms were still beautiful and small birds abounded, though refused to sit for a portrait.

Fan palm

Fan palms and paper-bark trees

The walk to Mill Point was over far too soon, and rumbling stomachs dragged us away from the park down to Boreen Point for some lunch, then on to Noosa Heads to stop a while by the ocean, but that adventure awaits recounting another day :-)

Mill Point