NIGHTCAP NATIONAL PARK AND WHIAN WHIAN STATE CONSERVATION AREA - 2 to 4 SEPTEMBER 2020

 

NIGHTCAP NATIONAL PARK AND WHIAN WHIAN STATE CONSERVATION AREA

2 SEPTEMBER 2020

We left Lennox Head and stopped in Ballina for food supplies.

It took about an hour to reach Rummery Campground in Whian Whian SCA. We settled into our site and chatted with a few other campers.

After lunch, I had a bike ride along Mount Peates Rd. The road was closed but open for  bike and hiker usage. It was up, up and up from the camp area for about 45 minutes until I reached the top. There were a number of turnoffs along the way not indicated on the map. The ride back was an awesome fast downhill run back to the camp of about five minutes.

After dinner, we lit a campfire and had a few wines while watching the flames.

3 SEPTEMBER 2020.

A bit of a restless sleep.

After breakfast, we had a five kilometre return hike along the Boggy Creek track to Minyon Falls.

It was very pretty with deep dark pools of water and shallow rock cascades. There were many large tress but they were just babies compared to the huge remnant trunks of the past logging days. They were about several wildflowers in bloom along the way varying in colours from whites, to yellows to purples. A great walk.

After lunch, I had a mountain bike ride.

I rode out along the camp entrance road and turned right. After a short distance, I took a fire trail to the left – telephone road. It was up and up on this track with a big downhill on the other side. There were a number of turn offs and I chose one on the left which went down and down with curves and dense vegetation on either side. I kept taking turnoffs to the left hoping to make a full circle back to telephone road. These turn offs had some awesome ups and downs. I finally got back to telephone road but went the wrong way and ended on the other side of the park. It took me a number of goes down different trails but I eventually got back to camp. Such a fun ride!

We had an early dinner and settled back for an evening of wine and campfire and guitar.

4 SEPTEMBER 2020

After breakfast, we packed up and were back on the road to Hastings Point.

AUSTRALIA - Nightcap NP - Protestors Falls - HIKE - 29 September 2011

I arrived at Protestors Falls with the wind picking up and a light drizzle. There were no cars in the parking area. All mine!!!

The walk started as an elevated boardwalk through the rainforest. Nearer to the creek the boardwalk changed to a track that followed the bank of the creek past numerous cascades. This continued until the waterfall where there was a small rock scramble to get a view of the waterfall pool.

The water fell over the falls in a vertical drop. Very pretty! The pool is not for swimming as it is the habitat of an endangered frog.

Well worth the drive and walk.

AUSTRALIA - QUEENSLAND - Minyon Falls Flora Reserve - Minyon Falls - HIKE - october 2010

We followed a short walk to the top of the falls. There was an amazing view over the top and across to the valley in the distance.

While there we waved to people at the bottom.

We then drove to a different car park and walked to the base of the falls. The vegetation changed from dry to rainforest to a tumble of rocks at the base of the falls.

At the base, there was a small pool and majestic views of the falls which were in a semi circle shape. We had lunch and laid back enjoying the sun and clouds scurrying across the lip of the falls. So peaceful.

Then there were two drops of rain and two minutes later it was like a bucket of water over the head with thunder for the sound effects. We scurried for the relative driest of the rainforest.

We plodded our way back and upon return the girls freaked over a few leeches attached to them under their socks.