Last night’s sunset at Noosa was quite spectacular and we were in bed relatively early after dinner.
After a week of travelling, we were up out of bed so late this morning that we missed breakfast. In the end, we sat at a table by the pool, had a coffee and eventmualy ordered a toasted sandwich for brunch. It was so relaxing that I was getting stressed. Then it was time to go exploring.
We headed up the road toward a town caled Kin Kin. On the way, we found the town of Pomona with Mount Cooroora standing out starkly in the background. The peak is a 439 metres high intrusive volcanic plug and is the highest point and main feature of the local Tuchekoi National Park. It is remnant volcanic plug caused by solidified magma in the throat of an old volcano. Over millennia, the softer volcanic cone and ash has eroded, leaving this plug (and others) as a stark peak on the relatively flat landscape.
At a road junction near the town of Cooran we found a sign pointing to a lookout about 4 kilometres away. Just after the intersection, we were surpised to see trees covdred in objects that we thought were pine cones. On closer inspection, theese objects were hundreds of fruit bats or flying foxes.These animals eat fruit and other plant matter, and occasionally consume insects as well. They locate resources with their keen sense of smell. Most, but not all, are nocturnal. They may have some ecological value but in terms of human contact, they are the reservoirs of rare but fatal disease agents including Australian bat lyssavirus, which causes Rabies, and Hendra Virus. Seven human deaths have recently been traced to these two diseases.
The road to the lookout was steep and windy. It crosssed several streams and seemed to rise at a very steep angle.
I expected the lookoput to be in the middle of nowhere but wen we finally reached it, we found a party of about fifteen peple having a picnic. Obviously. Local people know all about this forest place which offers a view for miles.
Back on the main road again, we finally reached Kin Kin. It basically consisted of a pub, a general store and a caravan park on the football ground.
Our map showed a nearby National Park so we drove across to it at Boreen Point and found an entire eco-village. The cafe not only had a good cofffee for Jill, but it also had a microbrewery. I enjoyed a very nice Red Ale. Accommodation consited of a caravan park and some eco cabins and glamping tents.
