09.07.11 Pardise Valley

Another beautiful clear and crisp Winters day for camping.  This weekend we are off to Paradise Valley, a small, privately owned campground along Lions Road and only 18k's from the NSW border.  Since we won State of Origin through the week, it's probably a good idea not to venture too far into the losing state. 

At 0900 we are on the road and heading towards our destination.  Glenn has picked this site for the weekend.  The day is cool, clear and we are both wearing jumper and beanies!
  Definitely Jumper Season of late, much more so than last year around this time.  The drive is relatively uneventful and around 1030 we are there.  The campground is around 200 metres from the main road, over a crossing on Grady Creek, and is easily accessible for 2wd vehicles in good weather.  The main house (Office) is high above both front and rear lawns on a hill, and you are required to pay for your stay prior to setting up your camp.

Front from owners driveway.

It's $7.50 per adult per night here and you may camp where ever it has been mown.  The owner says we are crazy as it was really cold last night and at least we are off the ground.  Apparently, we aren't the only crazy people camping around this time of year at this location, however we are the only ones this weekend ... lucky us.  We've agreed that camping on the rear lawn is where we'd like to be.  So, I pay the owner and Glenn drives down the steep drive.

Rear Lawn is in two parts.  Looks like Glenn is heading to the second part.

So Glenn picks the spot and we set up our camp.  Once happy, we head to the creek.  Grady Creek is a small babbling waterway very similar to Running Creek next to Andrew Drynan.  We test the water temperature and find it's a refreshing 7C so I think swimming is ruled out this trip.  Let's take a walk along the creek and check out the rest of the camp ground.  The owner tells us there are Platypus in the creek so we keep our eye open for a glimpse, but it's not to be this trip.  I suggest they are layed up in their subterrainian homes with the heater going full blast!  Not a bad idea either. 

Both front and rear sections of lawn are quite large and could potentially hold many campers, but the owner like to keep things small.  If you are thinking of camping here around Easter, you will need to  book so that she can keep the numbers to a minimum.  This is an idea which I like.  Only the front has toilets and cold showers (2 of each).  The creek is an easy walk from the camp and would keep one entertained during a hot summer weekend.  There are several large deep sections as well as rapids.

The property has the creek as one boundary and a train line as the other.  So expect to hear the train at times, just like at Andrew Drynan, but a smidge closer.  Most are product transport and are up to 50 cabooses in length, but this one only had 10 passenger cabooses.

We wander to all accessible areas of this property and come across vehicular access to the train lines.  This particular bend is above our campsite. 

We also head up a not so well used walking track and find an old house that appears a little forgotten about yard wise, but when we get a little closer, we can see it's been completely eaten out by white ants.  I don't think I'd be wandering about on it's floors ... what's left of them, but it was interesting to see.  It's right in front of the rail line and high above the creek, but we can see no way a vehicle could access it ... other than driving down the line itself.  We decided to head back to camp for lunch and a train goes by ... all 2 yellow engines and 43 cabooses of it.  Kewl!

As we eat our corned beef and salad sanga's, we can hear Bellbirds, Whipbirds, Crows, Kookaburra's, and some parrots.  Nice.  We can also hear someone on either a mower or whipper snipper.  It's not our host, and it is a lovely Saturday.  Guess if I was at home, I too might be doing yard work.  It's not overly annoying, but it is breaking through the complete serenity of the place.  We continue to relax and keep getting visits from a particular bird.  He's a Silver Backed Butcherbird and rather inquisitive.

 He checks out all our stuff ... and leaves a message for Glenn on his chair.

He checks out the timber box, the axe, what's in the car, Glenns chair, the view from every rope we have, the tray of the ute, the awning roof and alarmingly from the chimney of the OzPig whilst it's going.  Thankfully he didn't hang on there for very long, but I was worried that he'd burned his little feet, but when we saw him next he appeared fine.  Phew!  I know you aren't supposed to feed them, but he did seem to like the left over corned beef.  He even bought his girlfriend with him the next time he came to camp, but we didn't have any leftovers for her.  I gather he didn't take anything home to her either.

Glenn asked out of the blue "How much are those 120's?"  I replied "120 what?"  Glenn laughed at my reply.  We've been investigating solar panels for a little while now and I didn't realise what I had said until it was out there.  We've been thinking about 120 WATT solar panels.  LOL!

As the sun starts to go behind the trees, we decide to heat some water for showers as it's getting cold.  The day had been a overly sunny 18C, which plumetted to 11C at 1714!  The mowing had ceased an hour or so before and as we start to cook our dinner for the night, another neighbour starts to play Doof Doof!  Heavens Above!!  It was to continue all night ... not loud, but an annoyingly present thump thump in the distance when the wind was blowing from that direction.  *Sigh*  Dinner was  wonderful though.  Kept warm in the camp oven as the temperature plummetted further the darker it got.

I purchased some thermal leggins and thermal long sleeved shirts for us both through the week, hoping we'd never have to use them, but ensuring they were washed and in our kit for winter camping.  We both donned them this night.  We got the OzPig literally glowing but decided after 1900 that the warmth of blankets was the go.  I know the owner said it was cold but she didn't say it was absolutely freezing!  We thought of her up in her house ... probably with central heating ... or a roaring fireplace ... checking out summery places to go camping on the internet.

We didn't realise how cold it was going to get.

Through the night, trains went passed.  The Doof Doof continued.  I awoke at every train.  I also awoke to some "dripping" on my head.  I felt the blankets above us and they were wet.  We'd left teh tropical roof vents open and several windows, so were perplexed at why we were wet.  Glenn needed to visit the mens room, so he grabbed one of our canvas walls and threw it over us and we were a bit warmer (did I mention it was freezing?).  A very restless night was had by all ... with blankets and canvas over our heads.

Next morning we awoke rather early for us.  About 0800.  Glenn went out to make coffee.  He called me outside.  I didn't really want to go, but he insisted.  The sun hadn't cleared the tops of the trees yet and it was indeed a Winter Wonderland.  Ice coated everything ... yes everything.

On the Car ...

 On the grass ...

 Glenn was worried he wouldn't be able to start the car ... least of your worries Darling ... you have to touch the door handles first!!!!!  Usually silver, but now glowing white with ice ...

Oh My God!

 Yes that's a coating of ice on our canvas!

 Sparkles in the sun ...

 Where the sun hasn't reached, there is still a coating of ice ... long after it's burned off everything else.

We reheated left over dinner and drank lots of coffee, and now I need to visit the Ladies Room, but there is NO WAY I'm sitting on that!!!!  LOL!  Think I can hold it.  I did say the ice was on everything didn't I?

By the time it was 1000, the temperature had reached a fantastic 28C in the sun and we had shed our thermals and just about everything else.  Still not swimming though as the water is only slightly warmer than yesturday at 8.2C.  It's still 15C in the shade however. 

My little mate the Butcherbird returns and hassles us for breakfast, but we aren't giving in this time.  Good to see that he hasn't had any issues with landing on the Pig last night.  We slowly start to pack up ... things firstly have to thaw then dry.  The Swag got completely saturated inside and out.  Today we can only hear bird noises.

Crimson Rosella.

 I think this is a Wedge Tailed Eagle, but feel free to set me straight.

By 1330 everything is dried and packed away and the only thing left to do is head for home. 

I'd heard that Wyaralong Dam between Boona and Beaudesert was open to the public finally, so we decided to head over to check it out while we were in the area.  It's about 13k along the Boona-Beaudesert road on the northern side.  Unfortunately they have made no allowances for anything but tent camping.  I've emailed them and they may consider opening another site with camper trailers and caravans in mind in the very distant future ... guess we won't hold our breathe?  But it is a great place to have a BBQ and bring the bikes or canoe's ... it's a recreational area with these activites in mind.  In a few years, once the tree plantings are established, it will be a nice place to visit.

2 more nights and we've spend 30 nights in our Aussie Swag!

Trip Kilometres: 275.5
Trip Duration: 48 hours