Final Days

Today was our final day at Nairana.  Over the past 6 weeks we have enjoyed many new experiences at the Park – some good, some not so good.

The last five days have given us brilliant sunshine during the day – the kind of weather that we had expected to experience at this time of year.  The rains that plagued many of our days in June and July were far from the ‘norm’ for this time of year.  They did, however, give us the opportunity to see a different ‘face’ of the Park.

Since our arrival we have sighted and recorded 118 different species of birds around the Park.  From the tiniest wren to the magnificent wedge-tail eagle the sighting of so many birds has been one of the highlights of this stay. (Oh, and the completion of the kitchen painting!!!).

Despite the rains, or maybe because of the rains, we have explored many areas of the Park that we had not seen on our previous visits.  This past week we explored the far northern boundary, new areas around Lake Eliza, and new sections of Kapunda.

At the northern end of the Park we found pockets of wattle and grevillea in bloom side by side; we took in a magnificent view from the highest point of the Park, and we sighted the red-backed Kingfisher for the first time. We also pushed the Kubota to its limit (and Mr R.’s driving skills) as we trekked along steep and boggy tracks and detoured around bog holes and creeks!

On our last trip to Lake Eliza we stopped to photograph the largest red kangaroo that we have ever seen (he would have been at least 7 feet in height) and then discovered Sandy Ridge.  This area was almost like a coastal foreshore and here we sighted and photographed the Mistletoe bird and videoed another red kangaroo.

Stopping for our regular cuppa at the Lake we took a short walk up the rocky ridge surrounding the Lake and spotted another lagoon that we had never seen before.  We also spotted a herd of feral pigs – 9 adults and 6 piglets in the area. We trekked into the lagoon and found more water birds and new vegetation.

Departing Lake Eliza we finally came across the site of an old mustering hut in an area called Police Camp.  Mr R. had been searching for this site for almost three years now, so that was a highlight for him!

 

Our final trip to the Kapunda area provided an opportunity to photograph red-tailed black cockatoos, red-winged parrots, the magnificent display of wattle in the area, and a family of grey kangaroos feeding along the track. 

All in all, this time at Nairana has given us another glimpse into the wonderful country that we live in with its diverse vegetation, flora, fauna, and weather!

We hope you have enjoyed trekking with us through Nairana. Please take the opportunity to continue to follow our little blog when we return to Toowoomba when we will have the time and technology to upload more photos of this wonderful area.

Confined to Barracks – or not!

Wednesday – What a difference a few hours of sunshine makes! The morning was bright and clear and we were spurred on to complete more of the painting tasks whilst it was dry enough to do so.  An afternoon short trip in the Kubota was a chance to check out the track to the tip flats and we espied a family of red roos in the open grasslands below the ridge.

Having checked the track earlier in the day, Mr R. decided it was a perfect evening to do some night driving.  So getting fully rugged up against the cold we headed back out to the flats eager to spot some night life.   The stars were amazing – not a cloud in the sky and the Milky Way was so very clear you could feel as though you could touch the stars!

Unfortunately, no owls or dingoes to be seen, but we did come across a small macropod on the track.  Mr R. snapped away whilst Mrs R. held the torch.  Great there should be some fantastic photos to identify the little guy when we get back.  Just check the camera and show me.  Oh, oh – they are not nice words Mr R.  What goes?  Dare I tell – the flash was facing the top of the vehicle and not the little animal on the track! Result – well no result really – just a black screen.  Mrs R. got one shot in but non-identifiable!    It was a very stressed driver all the way back to the homestead!

Thursday – Not a happy day at all!   

Mrs R.’s turn to have a dummy-spit this morning – woken by the sounds of heavy rain once again she was not impressed! 

Today the rangers, Matt and David, trekked up from Clermont to check the possibility of a ‘controlled burn’ for next week.  Obviously that was going to be a ‘no-go’ after this lot of rain!

Mr R. was not happy as the ride-on was taken away to be fixed – in Emerald and would not be returned before we leave, so the mowing won’t get done.

Even the birds stayed quiet today!

Friday – A day of release

After the dummy-spit yesterday all were delighted to see the sun shining, even though there was a bitterly cold wind blowing from the south.  A morning of painting and an afternoon of trekking.  We ventured out in the K. down the highway to Kapunda to check the rain gauge.  Not as much rain in the southern end of the park as at the homestead – only 54mm in four weeks – homestead had 64 in 6 days!

The wattle is absolutely stunning in that part of the park – even Mr R. could smell it!  Strong scents of honey and yellow carpets everywhere.  It was lovely to get out again. Won’t last long though as the dark rain clouds started to move in from the east again.

Sunday - After the Rain

At last the rain has stopped and we are able to once again trek around the park in the Kubota.  Some tracks were still a little boggy and impassable until today (Sunday) so it was with a little trepidation that we ventured out for a day of ‘sight-seeing’. Armed with cameras, binos, bird book, and video camera, and dressed accordingly, that is warm jacket, walking boots, and hat, we started out along the fire-break track to seek the entrance to Saltwater and Piccadilly dams. 

The fire-break was firm under wheel and we crossed the highway (after looking left and right of course) to trek into Saltwater first.  An amazing number of birds this time including a white-necked heron, great egret, black winged stilt, jacanas, grebes, darters, Pacific black ducks, and native ibis.  There was also evidence of pig activity around the dam, and a number of Dingo tracks on the dam wall.

Our venture into Piccadilly dam area was our first on this visit.  Very little bird life but Mr R. managed to snag a fantastic photo of a Whistler Kite in flight above us.  There were a few boggy spots along the track but the intrepid ‘Bota driver managed to get us thru with no problems.  We enjoyed morning tea in a relatively sheltered area near the dam before heading back out to the highway to investigate another track we had spied along the fire-break. 

Having once again crossed the highway, after waving to a few truckies and grey nomads, we found the track we had spied earlier.  To our disappointment it was actually the original track entrance to the homestead and we ended up on the main track to the house.

Undeterred and not yet willing to return to the house (who would after being confined to barracks for so long), we headed out to the Mistake Creek track – our favourite track.  This track had been very, very boggy after the last down pour and had been impassable for over a week.  Stopping at 3 mile creek we had lunch and contemplated the possibility of continuing onto  MC as the cattle had really churned up the track ahead and we couldn’t be sure it was dry enough to trek along.  But Mr R. said “What the hell – plenty of winch points if needed – let’s go for it”.  

So for the first time in 10 days we arrived at the Creek (only a few boggy waterholes to navigate!). Pig feed was, of course, all gone and we had three very large claw in our net. The Creek has risen a good 2 metres after the rain and looked as though it had been even higher than that last week.

So the sun is shining again and the tracks are drying out.  We have just five days left at Nairana and if the sun continues to shine upon us we shall be out and about the park every day – heading for the northern end on Monday in hopes to find the lagoons in that area, which according to the ranger is where we will find most of the waterbirds this time.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Sunday 15^th July – Yep! Those heavy, black, threatening clouds dumped a good 30 plus mm of rain on us during the night and throughout the day.  If the tracks were boggy after the last rainfall, they will now be impassable for at least a week unless the sun shines every day to dry out the ground. 

Sunday was another ‘non-event’ day as it was too wet and humid to even paint the kitchen doors.  So Mrs R. was able to justify spending the day stitching and Mr R. worked on his digital photos most of the day.  We did make a trip to Belyando Crossing for Mr R. to have a Works burger for lunch and even getting from the Homestead to the main road needed a little careful driving after a few sideways slides.  The river has definitely risen in the past week and there was evidence of a vehicle having been bogged on the side of the road.

Another wet weather activity – jigsaw puzzles!  We started the 1000 piece jigsaw earlier in the week when it was wet, so Sunday was a good day to complete this one.  A little ‘puzzling’ for Mr R. when putting in the last six sky pieces as for some reason they refused to fit in the empty spaces.  A little further investigation solved the mystery – Mrs R. had put the outside edge pieces together incorrectly – or so Mr. R. claimed!  Puzzle number two will be on the table if the inclement weather continues this week.

Monday 16^th July – The morning shone bright and clear although somewhat cooler with a souwesterly wind blowing.  Still, warm clothes and hot coffee got us off to a labour-intensive day.

More cupboard doors were prepped and painted and at the end of the day one door had been rehung.  Looks like we’ll get that painting finished after all.  Before and after photos to be posted when all is completed.

 

Late afternoon Mrs R. took a walk along the Homestead Dam track, and a short distance along the Mistake Creek track. Armed with camera it was not surprising to find a rather water-logged track and the little creek filled with water.  Don't be deceived by what looks like only a little water on the side - it is seriously boggy all along that track!  May be  more than a week for all this to dry out and be navigable in the Kubota again – and yes, you do hear a cry of despondency, as we have only 10 days before we leave the beauty and solitude of Nairana NP.!

Wet weather deters us not!

Alternative Activities

Track to Lake Eliza from Homestead

The rains have certainly curtailed our outings around the park this week.  We ventured out for a very short distance on Thursday and again on Friday.  The tracks to Lake Eliza and Mistake Creek are soft and boggy, and even the Kubota was sinking a little in the not so boggy areas.  We did, however, manage a couple of hours out in the park on Friday. We drove as far as we could and then hiked into the surrounding bush area.

Despite the rains, or maybe because of, there are some beautiful flowering trees in the park and a lot more small birds around.  We observed some wedge-tail eagles circling over the Homestead, and some beautiful, wee, plum headed wrens on the track home on Thursday.  There have also been a number of different birds around the Homestead grounds including a Golden Oriole, little friarbird,  brown honeyeater, and this morning Mrs R. spotted an emu on the track in front of the Homestead.

The rains have also brought out the magnificent golden colour of the wattle trees, and a number of different fungi on fallen branches.  So being wet is not always a negative in the park!

Confined to quarters a little more meant we finally started the task of re-painting the kitchen cupboards in the Homestead.  As you can see from the photos, the original colours were certainly not bright or cheerful.  When finished the surrounds will be painted a lime white, and the doors will be ice blue.  The old paint has to be stripped first (it is lead based of course) – that’s Mr R.’s job.  The doors are now being undercoated – that’s Mrs. R.’s job.  And if the rains stay away for the next few days we will be able to put final paint on before the end of the week when the Ranger will be visiting again.  It’s a fairly time-consuming task, but we have been asking to do it for the past three years that we have been coming here.

Very humid today but so far no further precipitation, so Mrs R. tackled the twin-tub monster, and undercoated another two doors, whilst Mr R. finished sugar-soaping one cupboard and stripping more doors, and attempted to start the un-cooperative ride-on mower.

At the time of publishing this post there are very heavy, dark clouds approaching.  Rain threatens but we will remain undaunted.

The rain continues

Tuesday - Another wet day!

Very unseasonal we have been told – just not the usual weather patterns – never rains this time of year, usually!!  Oh, well – what more can one do than take advantage of such an unusual situation. So, Mrs R. did just that yesterday.

Having been woken at 4.30am to an extremely heavy rain sound on the tin roof, when the body did finally wake fully at 7.30am the decision had been made.  It was to be a ‘forced’ day of rest and relaxation, which, to be quite truthful, was really not a bad idea.

Mr R. decided it was a bacon and eggs morning and the benefit of that was Mrs R. had breakfast in bed. What better way to start a day of rest? After breakfast it was all play and no work, in the clean sense of the statement though.

Out came all the stitchery paraphernalia – threads, needles, charts, fabrics, and a quilt Mrs R. is hoping to finish before leaving Nairana.  Wow, amazing how much one can achieve under ‘forced’ rest conditions.  That quilt WILL be finished before we leave here. And Mrs R. thoroughly enjoyed her day stitching tucked up in a warm bed in her new flannie PJs!!!!

Although yesterday was wet, Monday had been a gloriously mild day and we took advantage of the good weather and explored the southern end of the park.  We had attempted this part of the park when Mrs K. was here but at that time it was still a bit on the boggy side, so we had only covered part of the area.

Monday we trekked a good 40kms from start to finish.  We were delighted to spot a few new bird species amongst the familiar ( rainbow bee-eaters, wedge-tail eagles, pied heron, letterwing kite, and the little wood-swallow).  We will definitely have a choice of birds for our first volume of Flights of Fancy when we return home. The Nankeen Night Heron is in full voice at the moment and Mr R. would love to add a photo of that bird to his list. Feel free to check out the new photos on the Nairana Gallery page opposite.

Whilst on our trek Monday we finally discovered Corduroy Crossing, which is where we would be able to cross Mistake Creek to investigate the western paddocks.  Monday the creek would have been low enough to cross but after the rain yesterday there would be no chance to crossing now without getting bogged.  So we will have to wait another week (as long as there is no more rain) before going through the creek.

On the same track we came across a very old wild boar.  He was alone, ambling along the track minding his own business.  He didn’t seem to hear the Kubota when we were behind him and we think he may have been abandoned by the pack.  When he did finally see and hear us he bolted through the trees towards the creek.

  

Wattle trees at sthn end of Kapunda track

The southern and eastern areas of the park are awash with brilliant yellow at the moment with all the wattle trees in bloom.

 There are a lot of cattle in that part of the park and we would have counted at least 30 head on our drive. The Ranger is not as concerned this year as they are at least keeping the undergrowth down after such a long wet season with exceptional growth all over the park.

Pig trap had been raided again over a two day period, but not much point in setting the trap with the rain as we can’t access that part of the park – too boggy.  So that may now be a task for next week.

Well skies are grey once again this evening, with more rain pending.  At least it eased off this morning and afternoon and we were able to go for a short walk.  We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Feel free to add any comments to our Blog as we would like to know that there is someone out there reading our missives.

Return to the Park

We are once again back at Nairana. Our cupboards are once again fully stocked with some lovely fresh veg and meat – that should be a comfort to Mrs K. who seemed concerned at the quantity of goodies on our shelves during her brief visit to the Park!! – and some new stocks of wine, cider, and Crabbies!

We thoroughly enjoyed three wonderful days at the Pera Court Hilton with our hosts Mr and Mrs P.  Gourmet meals, fine wine, and wonderful company made for a most enjoyable, if but brief, time in the ‘big smoke’.  We even celebrated the Maroons State of Origin win (seven in a row) with our hosts and an old time friend, ‘Bloody George’, with lots of laughter, reminiscing, and loud support from the comfort of the lounge chairs.

Many thanks, once again, to our hosts for welcoming us into their home and hearts – we look forward to meeting up again in 2013 (despite Mr R. cringing at the thought of the bank balance after his visit to the local dentist and the efforts of Mrs R’s, albeit limited, shopping spree!!!!).

Looks like we were away from the Park at just the right time. The thermometer that records daily min and max temps showed a minimum temp of minus four degrees – and a max of only 21 -  brrrrr, sure would have been a cold night on Tuesday!

Graham is still ‘in-situ’ but no sign of our roo family – guess there are wider pastures to explore with sunnier days. 

After four days away we thought the first thing we should do on Saturday was to drive out to Mistake Creek to check the pig trap and our red-claw net.  Pig trap feeder was completely empty and there were a lot of prints in the area, so we refilled the feeder and will need to monitor the activity over the next three days to see if the trap should actually be set.  Our red-claw net was retrieved and there were 10 very large claw inside and a penny turtle.  We set the turtle free, back into the Creek, and two very small claw were also put back.

Jabiru and Great Egret at Mistake Creek

There doesn’t seem to be as much bird-life around at the moment – although we did spot two very large wedge-tail eagles above the Homestead.  No sign of the Jabiru down at the Creek – our second sighting of this magnificent stork may be the last we see of her on this visit.  Mr R. took some magnificent photos of the bird after tracking it down along Mistake Creek last weekend.  We are certainly gathering a large number of photos of the bird-life at Nairana.  Looks like a photo book project may be needed when we return home, with contributions from Mr and Mrs R. and Mrs K.

'Big Smoke' break

Time Away – Monday, 2^nd July

Aliens, Aliens!

We have now been at Nairana for three weeks – half way through our time away.  Our tasks to date have been easy to complete but there is a little bit of work to be completed over the next four weeks - starting with the repainting of the kitchen cupboard doors.  Looks like the aliens have hit the Park!!


We have enjoyed the solitude and quiet of the Park, broken only by the short visits of the Rangers and the lovely visit of Mrs K.  Food supplies – and drink supplies – are now reaching the lower end of isolated survival and it is time to make a short trip back to the ‘real’ world!

 ‘Real’ World Time – Wednesday, 4^th July

 Independence Day – Bastille Day – Townsville Day!!!  Here we are in the ‘big smoke’ visiting our lovely friends, Mr and Mrs P.  

After a very, very cool start to the day yesterday (minus 1 degrees) we packed up The Truck, shut up the Homestead, and headed north.  We were astonished by the amount of Road Kill we witnessed between Nairana and Charters Towers – obviously the excellent wet season experienced in the area over the past 12 months has increased the number of roos in the region.  The raptors (mainly Whistling Kites and Square-tail Kites) have a smorgasbord of meat to choose from. The region is lush and the cattle fat and plentiful.  Some of the landowners have actually replaced fencing and gates along their properties so they must also be gaining some benefit of the very good seasonal weather.

A short stop in ‘Charlie’s Trousers’ and Mr R. is once again happily smokin’ a peace pipe!  A very beautiful and historical town, a visit to CT is always a way of easing into the ‘big smoke’ lifestyle.

Our first evening, as always, was spent just catching up and for the two quilters it was time for Show and Tell and for the male species it was time to enjoy a few good wines and ‘talk the talk’.  Little realising the time, it was almost midnight before we headed for bed.  Overnight temps in Townsville were cool, to say the least.  With only 8 degrees registering it was a night to snuggle down under one of Mrs P.’s lovely quilts.

Today two creative Mrs’ joined forces and headed off for some girlie time together.  Wow, definitely feels like being in the ‘big smoke’.  Off in the little Focus we followed the plan we had made last night, only to find our first stop (a 2^nd hand book store) was a dud.  However, undeterred we headed straight for the Quilters Blessing and Scrapbook Heaven where we were undoubtedly comforted by the endless creative possibilities presented to us.

Laden with materials, of varying species, we headed off for a comfort stop, coffee and lunch at the nearest Coffee Club.   Surprise, surprise – CC was located conveniently in the Domain Centre with opportunities galore to explore more ‘girlie’ purchases.

All in all, a very relaxing but motivating day in the ‘big smoke’ – just a taster of more to come tomorrow.  

Celebrations & Discoveries

Wednesday - Friday, 27th - 29th June

Birthday girl

Wednesday and finally some sunshine! After three days of drizzle and miserable weather we were finally able to take Mrs K. for a drive into the Park mid-afternoon.  Cosy with three adults in the Kubota but all added to the fun of discovering “new” areas of the Park – and nice to get out and about on Mrs K.’s birthday. We did, of course, start celebrations early in the day with champers and fresh orange juice to accompany home-made scones with jam and cream – yummy on such a dreary morning.

Cool, cool, dudes!

Our ‘safari driver’ took us along the track to Mistake Creek where we were able to check our red-claw net and check the feed in the pig trap.  He timed it just right on our return journey for all avid photographers to capture the first real sunset we had seen in two weeks – some lovely photos but we will have to wait until we get home to make them available for you to view – country ‘dial-up’ is really the pits and one wonders if these remote areas will ever be dragged into 21^st century technology!

A ‘birthday’ dinner was naturally the order of the evening – home-made lasagne and salad followed by pavlova with chocolate cream and pineapple – all washed down with a couple of glasses of bubbly. 

Thursday was bright, sunny, and a day filled with laughter.  We travelled along some tracks that Mr and Mrs R. had not been on before – a little rough, bumpy, and muddy in parts, but the trusty little Kubota managed to get through it and once again we managed to get to Mistake Creek to gather a few more red-claw from the net.  Rule of thumb, apparently, is no red-claw in the months without an “r” but doesn’t seem to apply this season as we have enjoyed a few tasty morsels this past week.

Entertainment earlier in the week was provided by Park residents, The Roo Boys and Family.  Some great sparring and judo moves right in front of the Homestead, captured on video – the screening of which will take place after 8^th August.

Little Eagle

Friday was our last opportunity to show Mrs K. a little more of the Park and we ventured into ‘unknown’ territory – only to find we had to turn back because of heavy debris on the track. Undaunted we continued onto another ‘new’ paddock to be entertained with Flights of Fancy starring Little Eagle, Whistling Kite, Basa, and an assembly of tiny wrens and finches.

As disappointing as the weather was earlier in the week, it was lovely to spend time with our youngest daughter – just a shame we were unable to spend more time out in the park with the cameras – maybe another year!