Cania Gorge 2014

[Rumpig]

here's a copy of a trip report i'm in the middle of doing on another forum. not sure if DJ (was he the trip leader i think?) is doing a club report or not, so thought i'd add this here as i go....though only done a little bit of it at the moment.

CANIA GORGE 2014

This trip was done over the recent 2014 Easter / ANZAC long weekends. Along for the trip are our family, the wifes sister and partner, the mother inlaw, the wifes cousin and partner, and a heap of members from our 4wd club. Some people such as the wifes family and some club members are only along for the Easter duration, but others like ourselves have taken the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday off of work to extend our trip over the 2 consecutive long weekends to make it a 10 day break.

DAY 1

Well night one really....It's the Thursday before the Easter break and i was hoping to finish up at work around 3.00 p.m so i could race home and start packing the camper trailer, as i was walking towards the front gate i got a phone call asking me to wait back for a tilt tray driver that was coming to drop one of our forklifts off onsite  luckily the tilt tray arrived a few minutes later and i was away from work about 3.30 p.m, the driver of the tilt tray told me he'd come from the Northside of town and had seen 4 accidents along the way, so i was glad we weren't planning on leaving Brisbane until atleast 7.00 p.m tonight in hope the traffic will have cleared by then. Tonights destination is the SIL's property up at Gympie, both our kids have been staying there the past week with their Nanna whilst on school holidays, so we have an uninterrupted run at packing the camper and are finished much earlier then expected a touch after 5.00 p.m    we make the call to grab some Hungry Jacks for dinner tonight before we leave, more so out of convienence then anything as there's one just down the road, and by 6.00 p.m we are fed and showered and ready to rock and roll. Last week we had to drive to Gympie for the MIL's 70th birthday party, we made the mistake of leaving around 5.30 p.m which added an extra hour onto our normal travel time there, so i was wondering if leaving at 6.00 p.m was really such a good idea or not  We ended up leaving at 6.00 p.m and to our surprise had a prety good run all the way there, arriving just before 8.30 p.m and this even included a stop at the Matilda servo outside of Gympie to refuel before our early morning start tomorrow bound for Cania Gorge. As per usual we saw bugger all police on the road, i recall seeing one speed camera and one mobile patrol car in the 200klms we'd just driven....i'm yet to see a "Easter Blitz" go past sunset when we head away at this period.
Arriving at the SIL's i grab a can of Bundy from the fridge and walk inside expecting to watch the footy, it takes me a few minutes to realize that today is Thursday and not Friday and there's no NRL on tonight :oops:  :lol:  :lol: i settle for watching the gAyFL for a while before calling it a night as we have an early start tomorrow.

DAY 2

Alarm goes off around 4.45 a.m as we want to get away by 6.00 a.m this morning in order to beat any Easter traffic, surprisingly we get away on time after a quick brekky and coffee, but our drive North through Glastonbury for the Wide Bay Hwy was fairly slow going in places due to the heavy fog about some low lying areas. The fog was abit of an issue for a good part of the morning until we reached Gayndah, we ended up stuck behind a few slower vehicles in some places due to not being able to see far enough infront to know if it was safe to overtake or not. In the end we just poked along behind the slower vehicles, as it wasn't worth dieing over to arrive at out destination a little bit earlier. In Gayndah we waited about 15 - 20 minutes for the wife's cousin and partner to join us before pushing onto Cania Gorge. Whilst waiting in Gayndah some of our fellow 4wd club members go past and we give them a wave and say we'll see you down the road later on. Our travel partners soon arrive and we are soon on our way once again. A short while later and we are driving into Eidsvold, we see our fellow 4wd club members at the service station and hear over the uhf that they can't refuel as the EFTPOS is down and cash only available, luckily they have enough fuel to make it to Monto so they join up behind us and we make a convoy run from here on. Surprisingly this won't be the only time over the weekend fuel is hard to get for some, a few days later we hear the tanker didn't arrive in Monto overnight, so the diesel had run out at the only place open on a public holiday, and some people were left waiting until after 10.00 a.m when another tanker finally got there.
The run into Monto was uneventful, traffic was pretty light alround and we made good time. Arriving in Monto some people needed fuel and some needed some other supplies like bread etc, we left them to it and pushed on to the caravan park at Cania Gorge that we'd be calling home for the next 9 nights. It was around 10.00 a.m when we arrived and we quickly checked in and set up camp at our powered site, we chose powered for the stay as it was only $60 extra, and for that price i couldn't be bothered mucking around with solar panels the entire time we were there. We spent the arvo doing bugger all, just lazed around camp and had a few drinks to finish the day off.
About the only thing worth mentioning for this afternoon was that Peter and Fran came to say gidday to us all, Peter is the head Ranger of the local National Parks and his wife Fran happens to be the sister of one of our 4wd club members, so we have plenty of local knowledge available to us, and we even have them acting as our tour guide for tomorrows drive  

WHERE WE STAYED





TAKE NOTE OF THE STOCK SIGN... THERE'S PLENTY OF COWS ON THE ROAD AROUND THESE PARTS

[Rumpig]

DAY 3

Todays plan is a drive to Kroombit Tops National Park with Ranger Pete (on his day off) leading the way, the route we take is the same as you'd normally do on your own, but getting some local knowledge of stuff pointed out over the uhf as you go along certainly added to the drive today. We had an 8.30 a.m meet up at the front entrance of the caravan park, we got away a touch before 9.00 a.m which was later then we had hoped for but so be it.
It was a righthand turn out of the van park and a short kilometer or 2 run on the bitumin before we were turning left onto our first dirt road of the day, a nice graded gravel road but a pleasant change from yesterdays bitumin highway run to where we are staying. We followed this to the end after an easy creek crossing / causeway or 2 and turned left once again back onto a bitumin road. A short distance up ahead the bitumin ends and turns back into a good gravel road again, at this point Pete tells us to look left and mentions the house we are looking at is where Queenslands biggest ever gun and ammunition haul was found back at the end of last year http://www.news-mail.com.au/news/detectives-seize-significant-haul-firearms-and-amm/2097839/

THE PROPERTY WHERE THE GUNS AND AMMUNITION WERE FOUND



Continuing on, Peter points out creeks along the way and tells us where they run to etc, if only all our trips had someone leading the way with such local knowledge i think to myself. We've done this same drive about 7 years ago now, the roads are much like i recall and whilst it's not a hard drive to do, it's definately worth doing for the scenery along the way. The drive itself runs through different properties along gazzetted roads, there's some gates to open and close along the way, so as is the custom, be sure and leave them either opened or closed as you find them.

SOME OF THE DRIVE TO KROOMBIT TOPS NATIONAL PARK





You'll be doing well if you get yourself lost on this drive, there's plenty of sign posts along the route showing you the way to go, so just follow the signs and pretty much stay on the main tracks.

ROAD SIGNS ALONG THE WAY







MORE OF THE DRIVE TO KROOMBIT









There's a pile of creek crossings to do along the way to Kroombit Tops, at the time of our visit they all had water flowing in them, i don't recall this being the case last time we were here, so it made for a nice change to the trip from last time. Pretty much all the creeks we crossed had a nice hard rocky base to them, this route had been closed for about a year and a half after the major flooding that decimated the area back on Australia Day weekend 2013, and after lots of major repair work has only just reopened in time for the Easter holidays   

ANOTHER CREEK CROSSING



Before long we were entering Kroombit Tops National Park itself, i stop for a quick pic at the sign, before continuing on along the drive. As you drive along the road in the park climbing up higher in elevation you may notice the white trunks on some of the gum trees, Peter tells us these are Sydney Blue Gum trees, and this is the furtherest point North that they grow....more interesting local knowledge    The road starts to climb in elevation as you enter the National Park, and also starts to become quite stoney. A touch further on we stop for morning tea, and due to the sharp rocks on the road, many of us decide now is a good time to air down the tyres some.

ENTERING KROOMBIT TOPS NATIONAL PARK



MORNING TEA BREAK...AND YES WE DO HAVE A BIG GROUP ALONG FOR THE DRIVE TODAY...LOL

[Rumpig]

DAY 3 CONTINUED...
Originally we were thinking of having morning tea at the lookout further up the road, but there was another 4wd club infront us and we took a punt that they'd be stopping there for a bite to eat, so that's why we stopped where we did. With our food and drinks break complete we jump back in the vehicles and continue on up to the lookout. Arriving here we find the other 4wd club is just starting to leave, so we were right in thinking they'd be here, lucky we stopped where we did. We give it a few minutes and the others all leave giving us some room to move in the carpark area, there's a few other people about the park today so it's turning out to be quite a busy day people wise. The lookout carpark has a pit toilet block at it, some make use of the facilities and the rest make the short walk to the observation deck less then 100 mtrs away. Keep an eye on any young kids whilst here, there's signs warning of the cliff faces and the big drops over the edge surrounding this area, if someone where to fall over the edge here it would certainly be to their death. The cliff face is fenced to prevent this from happening, but young kids could fit through the gaps if you weren't keeping a good eye on them.

KROOMBIT TIOPS LOOKOUT



MOST OF OUR GROUP AT THE LOOKOUT PLATFORM



THE VIEW FROM THE LOOKOUT, LOOKING EAST / NORTH EAST TOWARDS GLADSTONE & LAKE AWOONGA



Knowing the other 4wd club is headed to the same next place we are going to, we take our time here and don't rush off. The next stop for today is Beautiful Betsy, it's a plane wreck site of a crashed WW2 B-24D Liberator Bomber. We eventually continue on our way to the crash site and as we drive along i notice a small memorial on the side of a tree, i quickly pull my vehicle over and walk back to the tree to see what it is about. The memorial is in memory of a timber feller by the name of Glenn Hockey, who was killed in 1994 whilst cutting down trees in the area.

TREE MEMORIAL





Back in the vehicle once again and i'm soon jumping out to take yet another photo, the sign mentions being a 4wd only road from here on in, but in reality..... so long as you have a high clearance vehicle, in good weather conditions a 4wd isn't necessary at all. I will say though..... if you plan to take the track back from the bomber site via The Wall instead of the track you go into the bomber on, there are some steeper rocky sections of road that aren't really suitable to 2wd vehicles, i actually engaged lowrange 4wd a few times just so i didn't have to ride the brakes down the steeper sections of rocky hills.

ROAD TO THE BOMBER WRECK



Arriving at the bomber site the other 4wd club aswell as a few other people have taken up all the carparks, Peter jumps out of his 4wd and unlocks a gated road at the far end of the carpark, allowing us to all drive in there to the surprised looks of the other 4wd clubs members...lol. Many of them think we are continuing down this road, but all we do is park here and return back out once we've finished looking around the wreck site. It's now i'll explain just how the plane wreck was found seeing we are parked on this road. The plane went missing on 26 February 1945 and the wreck lay undiscovered right up until 49 years later on, on the 2nd August 1994. A park Ranger was checking the results of a controlled burn-off in the National Park, he saw something glinting in the sunlight and walked over to see what it was. The road that runs through the car park (now gated) was in use the entire time the plane wreck lay undiscovered, the wreck was only a few hundred metres away from the road, yet nobody knew it was there until that day the Ranger stumbled across it.
It's a short walk from the carpark to the crash site, there's a loop walk to do here and you'll be amazed at the amount of wreckage scattered about the crash site as you walk along. Along the route is some information boards that not only give details about the plane and it's ending, but also give an insight into the 8 people that were aboard the plane who died here aswell.

BEAUTIFUL BETSY CRASHED LIBERATOR BOMBER SITE

[Rumpig]

that's all for now, i'll post the rest up when i write it over the next few days.

[Rumpig]

DAY 3 CONTINUED....

With our look around the plane wreck site complete it was now time for lunch, the carpark area here is a bit of a dust bowl so we decide we'll drive down to The Wall campground which is not real far away, and we'll have lunch there. Retracing our path back to the main loop road, we turn left and head towards "The Wall", there's another 4wd only sign located here so i take another quick pic before we move on to our lunch spot. As i've mentioned previously, the drive up until this point is not really a 4wd track in good conditions, but from this point on it becomes slightly more of a 4wd track, though i wouldn't consider it a hard drive by any means. There's a few steepish (nothing extreme) decents and climbs along the way, the loose rocks are what make it unsuitable for your standard 2wd vehicle, i'd be more concerned about puncturing a road terrain tyre then getting stuck from a lack of drive to the wheels though, as it's pretty easy going really. We arrive at The Wall campground and there's only 1 person set up here camping, it's not an overly large area to camp at and it has no facilities, but a nice enough spot to spend a night or 2 IMHO. We spend about 45 minutes having lunch here before moving on once again.

GOING BACK TO THE MAIN LOOP ROAD (it's one road in and back to the bomber from turn off)



HEADING FOR THE WALL CAMPGROUND



SPOTTED A FEW OF THESE ABOUT THE PARK, SO WATCH WHERE YOU WALK



THE WALL (the main feature of the campground)



Continuing on the loop road it's now a One Way track from here on, you can go back the way you came to The Wall as a 2 way track, but if you do the full loop it's now One Way only. If you look at this PDF you'll get a better idea of where we drove today and where we are going, we came from the bottom right corner of the page, did the entire loop road and will be exiting the park towards the top centre of the page  http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/kroombit-tops/pdf/kroombit-tops-map.pdf .
Rejoining back on the main track we came onto the loop road on, we are soon taking a lefthand turn at an intersection to head out of the park towards Calliope. There's a few blind corners along the way and the sun is making it hard to see in a few places aswell. We soon pass by / through The Barracks campground and note this as another nice little spot to spend a few nights, there's no facilities here either but it seems a touch more popular then The Wall as an Easter destination.

THE LOOP ROAD AFTER THE WALL (slightly more 4wd like, but not hard to drive)





THE BARRACKS CAMPGROUND (alot more area off to the left that you can't see)

[Rumpig]

Continuing on straight through the camp ground and a short while later we are taking a lefthand turn off the main road onto another 4wd only track, this track is definately not suitable for a 2wd vehicle due to several steep climbs and a few creek crossings that can get quite deep if recent rain has been about the area. 2 days before we drove this track one creek was bonnet deep according to Peter and 2 days before that was windscreen wiper deep. The Razorback Track as this is known, would be one of the highlights of our drives across the holiday, i'd never heard of it before yesterday, but if you're in the area and don't do this drive, you are missing out big time IMHO. There are several spots along the track that are very much what i'd call Victorian High Country like, and when you get to the ridgeline section that the Razorback Track gets it's name from, you'll understand what i'm talking about (there's no sign that indicates this spot, just a lockable yellow steel gate on a ridgeline). Once again this drive isn't what i call difficult, several times i engaged lowrange 4wd for the steep declines to save my brakes from overheating, and there were a couple of steep inclines that lowrange would help you not to tear up the track as you climb to the top....i only wish i had a GOPRO camera or the like that showed this drive and what it was like. Peter mentioned there were several other tracks like this one about the surrounding area, so next time we head back here we'll be quizzing him where they are exactly 

TURN HERE FOR THE RAZORBACK TRACK





 I know i've mentioned already the positives about travelling with mates in a 4wd club as they know people and know places you don't know, but sometimes there's a downside to travelling in a group, AND DUST IS IT!!!!!. Seriously...dust and an afternoon setting sun with little to no breeze about is not a good recipe  :evil: Serveral times as the afternoon rolled on we found ourselves stopping for the dust to try and clear so we could see where we were going, and trust me, you don't want to drive off of the edge of the road in some of the places here...it's a long way down!!!!

BLOODY DUST!!!!



BUT WHEN IT CLEARS YOU GET TO SEE THIS.....





Somewhere along the track we stop high up on top of a hill with an absolutely breath taking view, we all hop out of our vehicles here and stand looking out over the far horizon infront of us    The view taken in we need to push on as the afternoon is fast getting away from us, and we don't really want to be driving this track in the dark as we plan to be at a pub in Biloela for dinner by then.

A FANTASTIC VIEW HERE



WE SPOT CALLIDE POWER STATION OFF IN THE DISTANCE AS WE DRIVE ALONG



It's a touch further on here where a fantastic day out turns to poo :!:  :!:  Driving slowly through a no more then knee deep water crossing i come out the other side and the vehilce is running a touch rough, i think to myself that it's strange this is happening and consider pulling over to pop the bonnet and check the air filter......though for some reason i don't. A few hundred metres up the track we have the crossing that was bonnet deep 2 days ago, it's now not that deep but still has some depth to it.

DEEPEST CREEK CROSSING OF THE DAY



I slowly cross through this creek and pull up over the other side with the vehicle still running rough. I shut the vehicle off and pop the bonnet, open the air filter box to find a pile of water inside  :shock:  :shock:  Removing the air filter water pours out of it, and i stand there shaking the filter through the air trying to remove as much water as possible. I grab a rag from the back of the fourby and one of the other guys starts drying the water from inside the filter box. We notice we can see a large hole in the side of the filter box, and realize the dust cap sub assembly from the bottom of the filter box is completely missing, and that's where the water has gotten in. With the box now dried and the filter shaken as much water out as possible, we replace everything back in position and restart the vehicle to see what happens. It runs much smoother now and a sigh of relief is given, we all start to drive off. Watching the temperature gauge i notice it starts to rise quite dramatically, i drive on hoping the moving air will start to cool things down but this in not the case. I radio to the others i still have a problem and we stop once again. Shutting the vehicle off we pop the bonnet once again and have another look around. Straight away we notice the fan blade is completely destroyed, how the hell we didn't see this before is behond us, as 6 of the 8 fand blades are completely busted and a 7th one has the end broken from it also. It's now starting to get dark as the sun is starting to set, and we are still in the middle of the bush. We make the call to tow the vehicle out to a CWA hall just outside of Biloela using a winch extension strap whilst we still have some twilight, where we'll look at removing the fan and possibly driving the vehicle back to Cania Gorge tonight in the cool of the night. Getting towed out around the windy tracks wasn't much fun, occasionally i'd start the vehicle for a short burst to get a brake pedal back if i needed it, but for the most part it was hang on and use Popeye like arms to avoid the trees and cattle grids...lol.

GETTING TOWED OUT (by a Patrol...ohhhh the shame...lol)



It was pretty slow going and eventually we arrived at the CWA hall, we set about removing the fan shroud (this was busted in several places) and also eventually managed to get the fan off aswell (it's not much fun doing this at night under torch light, who'd want to be a mechanic...lol). We were still undecided how it'd go on the drive back to Cania Gorge, i said i'd keep an eye on the temps and worst case scenario we'd call RACQ to come get the vehicle. Just as we were ready to leave someone piped up suggesting we loosen the radiator cap for the drive back, it was here Darren removed the cap completely and commented that there was no fluid in the top tank (not sure why we hadn't thought to check it earlier actually). I made the comment that i had checked it last weekend and it was full, so we poured the contents of the overflow bottle into the top of the radiator, and with torch light shining down the back of the radiator, i watched it pour straight out through a hole near the bottom onto the ground. The call was then made to tow the vehicle into Biloela and i'd phone RACQ to get it towed back to Cania Gorge tonight, there was no point leaving the vehicle in Biloela as it was now Saturday night on Easter weekend, nothing would be open anywhere until Tuesday morning and i'd sort it out then for getting the parts we needed.
After a bit of toing an froing with RACQ, i eventually managed to get them to send me a tilt tray, i have Ultra Care cover and the lady was trying to make me claim it as an insurance job, eventually i got my way and they sent a tilt tray that drove us (me and the vehicle) the almost 100 klms back to camp. My other 3 passengers were farmed out to mates vehicles for the drive back to camp, so whilst their dust was a problem with them along for the drive today, it now turns to a blessing having mates along there with you on the day.
We arrive back at camp a touch after 9.00 p.m, i know i haven't mentioned this earlier, but both our kids were back here with the SIL and MIL today, our 2 passengers were the wifes cousin and his partner. We decided they should come with us for the day as their vehicle is a stock standard 4wd with no snorkel, and we didn't want to risk it on the creek crossings.....isn't that ironic...lol. We have a few drinks at a mates campsite before being roused on by the owner of the van park for being too loud (it's now just after 10.00 p.m)....we call it a night and go to bed hoping the Easter Bunny will find us during the night   

ALL HANDS ON DECK...OPERATION REMOVE FAN BY TORCH LIGHT



HEADING BACK TO CAMP....(best fuel economy of the trip for me here, 0ltrs / 100klms...lol)

[jay]

Wow mal, what an amazing write up.... I really loved this trip, had so much fun. Cania gorge is just beautiful cant wait to go back. We went to the month show and we won the best 4x4 and work ute so now we need to go to the  regional finials to see if we can qualify for the state finials... And yes at the show I gotton bitten by a baby goat and it really sliced my thumb lol... Xoxo

[Donkey Kong]

Oh the Shame of it Rumpig being towed by a Nissan you wont live that down for a while 

[Chucky13]

NISSANS been recovering TOYOTAS since 1967

[Rumpig]

Oh the Shame of it Rumpig being towed by a Nissan you wont live that down for a while 

meh..i recover 2 Nissans at a time with my Toyota, you recovering one vehicle is just a warm up for Toyota drivers and nothing to brag about mate 

[Dixie]

Wow where was that Mal??

[Chucky13]

Yeah Mal where and when was that exactly I am sure you would have some pics to back that statement up mate

[boxxy]

Yeah Mal where and when was that exactly I am sure you would have some pics to back that statement up mate

Yeah unfortunately he is right  This was on our 2010 Desert Trip and Eaglehawk (Peter and Esther) initially got stuck and then MrMac (Glenn Wright) got stuck trying to get him out, mind you they only had to be "popped out" but yes Mal did recover not one but two Nissans at once and he will live on that glory for years to come 

[Rumpig]

........ but yes Mal did recover not one but two Nissans at once and he will live on that glory for years to come 

dam straight i will...YEAH BABY!!!! 

[Rumpig]

DAY 4

It's Easter Sunday morning and the bunny has paid the kids a visit during the night. As i was getting up early this morning i noticed him cruising past heading for home after a hard nights work, so i waved him down and invited in for a Bundy to say thanks for finding the kids whilst we were on holidays.

EASTER BUNNY CRUISING PAST (no surprise to see he drives a Landcruiser, a bunny of good taste...lol)



HAD HIM HANG OUT FOR A FEW MORNING HEART STARTERS TO SAY THANKS



After a while the bunny had to go and it was brekky time for me anyhow, that out of the way we jumped into a few mates vehicles and headed just down the road a touch to the National Park day use carpark, where some of the locals were holding a small weekend market. The market as i mentioned wasn't real big, nothing really for the guys to look at as it was mostly arts and crafts stuff, but there were several people selling home baked goods there aswell as fresh fruit and veges, so i grabbed some ANZAC bicscuits and a banana bread   
After the market we headed back to camp, we didn't do bugger all today except sit and relax from memory, the more energitic of our group got a cricket game going for quite some time, and others of us just sat back and watched whilst enjoying a beverage or 3  i thought about doing some work on my fourby but decided to give that idea a swerve for today. At some stage during the day the kids had an Easter egg hunt, we got a fire going as the afternoon rounded off and spent some time that evening sitting around it having a few more laughs and a few more drinks (some of us had a few more then others though, no names mentioned...lol). Actually thinking back now i'm pretty sure we may have removed the radiator from the fourby this afternoon aswell, but it was only a small job and hardly worth mentioning as nothing else can be done until Tuesday morning now anyhow.

THERE WERE SOME DODGEY LOOKING EASTER BUNNIES ABOUT THE PARK TODAY



DAY 5

Another day of not much planned for today other then relaxing, some of our crew have to head back for home today and work on Tuesday, so we lazed about camp watching them pack up and eventually say goodbye to all those who have to go. I mentioned a moment ago that some of us may have had a drink or 2 too many last night, well it was one person actually and it's my lovely wife whom i am referring to here. With friends like we have who needs enemies i say...lol...Sarah came up with the great plan of telling the misses she was so pissed lastnight, that she went missing for a while and they found her fast asleep in the toilet cubical, and that her sister then had to climb under the locked door to get her back out again before i then had to put her to bed (none of which was true by the way, well she did need a small hand getting to bed...lol). We all thought it sounded like fun, so went along with the story much to the horror of my wife who seemingly for some reason couldn't remember that happening...lol. The misses may not have found out the truth until a day or so later, so we had plenty of laughs at her expense...lol
A touch before lunch time, those of us who are left here jump into the vehicles and head to Lake Cania for the afternoon. It's another cracka of a day weather wise and the sun even has a bit of a bite to it, the kids make a bee line for the water when we arrive at the dam and most of the adults throw out the camp chairs under the shade of the surrounding trees, and sit back and do some more of that relaxing stuff.

RELAXING THE AFTERNOON AWAY AT LAKE CANIA



KIDS PLAYING IN THE WATER



After a while it's time to eat, and thanks to Rick bringing along his cooker we had some toasted sangas for lunch....it's amazing how toasting a ham cheese and tomato sandwich gives it a much nicer taste then when they are just eaten on untoasted bread i think to myself...lol.
Lunch eaten and the kids head back to the water whilst i grab the camera and go for a walk around part of the dams shoreline. Last time we were here about 7 years back, this dam was lucky to be at 30% water storage capacity from memory, it actually could have been even less then that, i just know it was nothing like the 90 something % full it now is. Last time here we could drive the fourby down the end of the boat ramp and around the corner some, and park up down by the water to walk around the place, but now due to the height of the water you can only park on the bitumin carpark area. I head around to the left of where evryone is sitting to where i see some trees sticking out of the water, i spend sometime taking pics here before eventually heading back to join the others.

TREES IN THE WATER AT LAKE CANIA



Walking back to join the others in the hot sun i get a bit of a sweat up, the sun definately has a bite to it today. I ask what the water temperature is like and expecting others who were swimming around earlier to say it's pretty cold, i am surprised to hear it's actually quite nice. I then make my way down to the waters edge and jump in the water to cool down...well when i say jump in the water i mean hobble over the sharp rocks that can't be seen under the water actually...lol. Seriously, the rocks were pretty sharp where i entered the water and my bare feet weren't enjoying the experience of trodding over them, but once past them i could swim around and enjoy the water, which was nice. I took a different path to exit the water getting out and there were much fewer rocks about the place, maybe i was just unlucky where i entered the water as far as sharp rocks go, but just be careful as you may find them like i did.
Some time later in the afternoon we call it a day and head back to camp, we take a small detour down a dirt track to the right along the way just after leaving the dam carpark which leads us to the dams spillway. The damage done by last years flooding is clearly eveident here, the concrete causeway is ok but below it you can see the earth of the waterway gouged out big time, and where a track once ran across a small waterway (i assume) is now barracaded off with no access to the area being allowed.
From here we head back to camp and some of us get ready to go visit Ranger Pete and his family tonight for a bbq dinner and a bon fire. More importantly though Wests are playing Parramatta this arvo in the NRL and Pete's place is the nearest location we have available to us to watch the game...lol. Arriving at Peter and Frans place just in time for the game, some of the guys make for the lounge room and the rest of the crew (not everyone came for dinner out of our group, some stayed back at camp) sit back in the backyard listening to Rick swear at the telly as Wests tried hard to loose the game...I may or may not have been yelling and swearing with him though...lol...in the end Wests won a nail biter of a game, and happy with the end result we ventured downstairs to join the others in the backyard. Peter cooked up a beaut bbq and Fran made some great accompliments aswell as fantastic desserts for us, the hospitallity they've showed for near complete strangers is amazing and very much appreciated by all of us. After dinner we walk over and get the bonfire going, it's now i regret leaving my camera back at camp for the night, as the combination of the setting sun over the mountain range in the distance and the roaring bonfire made quite the spectacal IMHO. We sat around the fire talking B.S for a while and enjoying a few drinks before eventually calling it a night, thanking Peter and Fran for their hospitallity, and heading back to camp where we then went to bed....the end of another beaut day at Cania Gorge.