Maintenance done and dusted
Done, finished, it’s all over red rover! The last bits of maintenance are completed: the starboard engine is back in operation, with its new flexible coupling in place, we have a spare for the other engine, the TV is in the cedar cabinet with its new piano hinged door which looks like it has always been there, and the starboard toilet door frame which had a small crack in the veneer has been repaired. The team at 143 Boat Building really looked after us well as always. We said our goodbyes on Monday night and left the Boat Works early the next morning before the wind picked up… Phew!
Outings in the Gold Coast Hinterland
We were desperate for an escape! While waiting for the works to be completed, we headed off to the Lamington National Park at Binna Burra and the Springbrook National Park, doing multiple walks over a few days. It has been good for our body and soul and we thought we’d take you along for the hikes.
At Binna Burra, we discovered the Daves Creek Circuit, a 12km varied trail through rainforest, dry forest and the edge of the escarpment. The Tullawallal Circuit was a shorter but really attractive 5km stroll through gradually changing rainforest of strangler figs, plank buttresses, vines, Antarctic beech forest, where epiphytes and ferns were rendered more vibrant by the previous night’s rain. Here are the highlights of both walks in a slide show.
Then we moved to the Springbrook National Park and walked the 5km Purlings Falls Circuit. Lots of steps down to the bottom of the falls and back up, but what a magnificent sight. Again, here is a slide show.
Since leaving The Boat Works we have been anchored at Wave Break Island next to the Gold Coast Seaway, waiting for gale force winds and rain to abate so we can leave and head north. At least we have been able to catch up with a few more cruising friends on Alidade, Gipsy, Skellum, Zed… We are trying not to go completely bonkers with being stranded and connecting with like minded people helps.
Sv-Anui 
Wow, those forests are so incredibly beautiful! Nothing like that here. I am glad you guys are underway with a fresh new Anui! Be safe and well. 😎🇦🇺
Thanks John, tropical rainforests are amazing and the bird songs early in the morning add to the beauty. We haven’t gone very far with the boat yet as the weather is not cooperating, but at least we are at anchor rather than being stuck in an expensive marina. Take care.
Wow lovely pics of the bush scenery so glad all is completed at Boat works and return to the water
Hi Dianne. We were in the water the whole time, just enable to leave because of waiting for an engine part. But yes, great to be free again! The Hinterland was enjoyable and a good way to keep our sanity!
Very dense forest, lush vegetation. Those trees I’ve never seen. Wonderful falls! Thank you, Chris. 🙂
Thought you might enjoy this, HJ. We saw and heard lots of birds too, but I did not take the right camera for that… a bit too heavy for the longer walks.
Yay, you’re underway!
Enjoy your travels!
Waz
Thanks Waz – we’ll be in SE QLD for a bit longer but it is good to be out of the marina. Hoping to do a free-diving course! More on this in a later post.
Loved the bush photos, was good you were able to take a few walks and enjoy terra firma for a change. Have fun
Thanks Sue… it made a very nice change and discovery.
Love all of that lush green vegetation, Chris, especially today as we are experiencing intermittent snow and sleet. Your shots of the the waterfalls are breathtaking as well. It’s great to hear that the repairs are finished, though I shudder to think of the size of the final bill. Stay safe as your adventures continue.
Glad you enjoyed the rainforest and waterfall images, Mike. It was really special especially after the rains.
As for the final boat bill, well yes, that was nasty. Most cruisers say BOAT stands for Bring On Another Thousand. A friend of ours came up with another acronym: Bend Over And Take It! Very apt! But we do what we have to do so we can enjoy the next months of amazing cruising without worry.
When it comes to repairs on my house, I can sometimes delay them without consequences. As for your house, Chris, so many repairs are safety-related and it is prudent to keep everything in tip-top condition. By the way, the cabinetry surrounding your television is stunning. Wow!
Hi Mike. Yes safety is an important consideration on board, especially since we intend to spend time in remote areas. Re Anui’s cabinetry, it was one of the main things which attracted us to her. All Australian cedar inside.
I have to smile that you, living on a boat, manage to post such wonderful slideshows of what Australian rain forest/bush really looks like ! So many friends from the States and Europe, at the moment enveloped in masses of snow, have sent nature and forest photos and, with your permission I would like to reciprocate and show the huge variety of green nature provides for us here . . . also very much appreciate the wider views you present . . . Personally I feel rather amiss in having to confess that tho’ I lived some 13 years in the Northern Rivers and on the Gold Coast somehow the Hinterland remained just that . . . always did mean to go to Binna Burra 🙂 ! Glad Anui’s beauty and medical treatments are all over – do hope you can turn her nose northwards very soon . . . be safe, be happy !
So pleased you enjoyed hiking with us Eha. Binna Burra was good for the soul. Nature in its lushness took away weeks of frustration. It is a bit like snorkeling at the reef, once there you are immersed in another world and your worries dissipate. Feel free to share the post and thank you for doing so.
Enjoyed your bush pics ….. lots of good memories of our walks in those parks!
Glad you liked them. Our favourite was Tullawallal: narrow track edged with lots of ferns, spectacular gnarled trees, no one around.
NIce when you get immersed in all that beauty and there’s no crowds. We loved all the ‘exotic’ creatures in the parks, like pademelons, cat birds (evil cry), land mullet, but the best of all was the Lamington spiny crayfish ….gorgeous …. This summer we’re on the hunt for (photographically speaking) otters and puffins in the north of Scotland.
We have a soft spot for Puffins. Never seen them, other than in documentaries so counting on you to send us a photo!
Will do ….. if we’re ever allowed to go on holidays in the UK again!
I think I dropped of your list as well. How this stuff works still amazes me. The fact i can publish all around the world from a smart phone still blows my mind
It’s weird how we drop in and out! Anyway, both following again and we are enjoying your Flinders Ranges adventures. I agree about the amazing nature of blogging. A small group of followers from all corners of the world become very interested and involved. It is quite special.