Blog Now Closed

Thank You for joining me on my adventures over the past few years, but it's time to close it down.
Tracey =^..^=

17.03.12 Cobb & Co 9 Mile Camping Ground

On the road at 0800.  Day looks perfect all around.  A little cloudy, but fine.  On the highway, over the Gateway Bridge, traffic is excellent. 
Extreme Swag II - built by gaffer, velcro and beer.
Passed this guy on the way up and the way back.  He headed toward Caboolture.

We head up the Bruce Highway past Caboolture and Bribie and reach White Horse Mountain only to find we’ve hit rain.  It continues all the way to the camp ground.  Glenn is keen on the idea of turning around, but it might only be raining here, since Gympie is a full hour or so away.
We head north past turn offs to Nambour, Yandina, Eumundi, Kenilworth, Imbil, then strike the debris caught up on the road.  Past turns offs to Traveston and Amamoor and finally find the Matilda servo I remember from many earlier trips up and down this part of the highway.  Our turn is to the right directly in front of it.  We are still about 12k south of Gympie.

We travel some 5k down this road, keeping an eye out for promised signs.  Seeing one, we turn right again and hit the dirt.  Almost at once, we see debris from flooding a few weeks prior to our arrival.  It’s distressing to see it spread so far and so high ... over our car roof in fact.  At the end of this short dirt road, we head right again and see our destination up ahead.  As promised a wine barrel bearing the camp grounds name has been strung from a high branch, so we turn right one more.
The driveway is long and rather mushy.  Their dam is overflowing and there is even a bit of a puddle to cross.  The road has been paved with bricks in the past, but some are now missing.  The road would be fine for 2wd vehicles, if a little slippery.  Glenn’s 4wd handles it well, but he pops it into high4 before we head up it.  Safer for all if we don’t do more damage to the road.  At the end of the tree lined driveway, we come across a large shed with a sign beside it.  STOP and various rules.  I hope out and realise I perhaps should have bought some gum boots with me … thongs just wont cut the mustard here and crossing the muddy driveway I must look like a sports car going up a 4wd track.  Making it across with the least amount of grace, I approach what indeed looks like an old Cobb & Co coach stop.  Bric-a-brac to be found all around … I wish I’d taken photos.  I find it hard to know exactly where to look.
I’m approach by a lady who I believe to be the proprietor and we quickly get down to business.  Once paid and logged into her diary, we go about the process of being told of a selection of spots that would be to our liking.  She’s allowing us to have the dogs off leash as we’ll be camping quite a ways from anyone else.  There is a 60th birthday party tonight and they have exclusive access to the camp kitchen which I believe is huge.  We are advised not to cross the creek at the end of the billabong in our vehicle as a 2wd got stuck there yesterday after being told not to.  We can go where ever we like on their 50 acres that’s been mowed.  Everywhere else is a little on the boggy side.  She even mentions that they had been air lifted out during the floods 2 weeks ago.  Imagine that?  They had 138mm one day and 84mm the next.  She also mentions that we are the only spot in Qld that has rain according to the BOM.
So, Glenn and I do a bit of a walk to see where looks good and make decisions about the best approach.  We’ve positioned ourselves to the left hand side of the track in and right down near a bank of trees.  It seems peaceful, yet far enough away from the driveway and road so as not to be overly annoyed by the sounds of cars, and far enough away from the party for the same.
Pups out, camper goes up.  We get a break in the rain to construct our canvas home and we are happily seated before lunchtime.  It appears we’ve got a few sand flies about as well.
The rain eases as we sit and we decide to investigate the rest of the campground where possible.  We head down the fence line and past an Eco Tent, then through the play ground to the billabong. 



Skirting that we head into the camp sites on the western side and see where we’d like to be if we next came this way.  I note a few canoes and other water craft left upon the shoreline for the convenience of the campers. 
We let the dogs off the leash and they enjoy wandering around sniffing.  Telashi makes a bee line for the water and swims to follow us along the walkway until there is no billabong left to swim in.  We head along a walk into the jungle along side Six Mile Creek hoping to see what the level is like.  It’s rather fast flowing and I have to pull up Telashi quickly before she launches into it.  Due to the steepness of the sides, I doubt she’d have been able to get out.
We amble back to camp slowly.  Once back into the main camping area, we see a buggy being pulled along by two horses.  Not sure if they come from this property, but I’d say it’s very likely.  The go up and down the track a few times before we are out of sight of them and heading back to camp.  My feet are sodden and I have grass seed and mud up my legs, but I’m happy to be back in a comfortable chair at camp.
 There is our camp.
It rains on and off for the remainder of the day and into the evening.  Trains go past on regular intervals both north and south bound and you can hear them for miles to the south.
Dinner is another wonderful stew and relaxing in front of the OzPig is also good.  Our camp floor is getting a bit squelchy under foot in the main traffic areas, but the dog beds are still rather dry underneath which is excellent.  I note a few little visitors to our campsite before we head to bed.  Once darkness settles in, so does the rain.  It continues all through the night and it’s glorious to fall asleep to the sound of it on canvas.
18.03.12
Next morning it’s still raining, while Glenn makes coffee.  We decide that relaxing in bed for a little while is a good thing.  Whilst we are doing this, the proprietor comes over to our camp and mentions that the creek is up and it might take a few hours, but thinks it’ll get cut off again.  We thank her for the info and decide to pack things up.  In the rain.  And it's extremely squelchy under foot.  I once again think of gum boots ...
We are packed and on the road by 0938 and heading out to see how much further the creek is up.  Still aways under the bridge, but with the constant rain, who knows how long it will be before it does reach the top.  Gladly, that will happen after we’ve gone.
We drive home in rain till about the same place as it started.  We are home and unpacked and letting things dry by 1230.  Even have the camper up and drying as best it can.  Sun keeps shining though so I doubt we’ll get what’s going on just over 2 hours north of us.
I know we’ll be back there once it stops raining.
Trip Kilometres:  368
Trip Duration: 48 hours

3 comments:

Jon Burrell | Tentworld said...

Very well written! Rain is great to sleep to in a tent, not as fun to pack up in though!

Mark Pray said...

It's good to know that they allowed dogs coz there are some who allow us to bring one in our cap. It's a good place to go on camp. This is definitely worth the read!

Kit_e said...

Thanks John! We have a 75% chance of rain by simply hooking up the camper ... especially when we head north.

Yes Mark, it is great to know where the Dog Friendly Places are. Click the Dogs label for a few more, as we are taking the pups with us every trip now.

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