After months of planning, eleven Bundaberg Four Wheel Drive Club Inc vehicles left on the Gorgeous Gorges Tour to take in the sights of North Queensland.
The trip was over two weeks as a quick loop taking in the sights of Porcupine Gorge, Charters Towers, Agate Creek, Cobbold Gorge, Undara Lava Tubes, Ravenshoe, Paranella park , Ingham and lots in between before the run home.
Porcupine Gorge encompasses sandstone cliffs and lush vine-forest fringing Porcupine Creek, providing a striking contrast with surrounding flat plains.
The gorge is an impressive canyon that has been carved into the landscape by the eroding action of Porcupine Creek spanning hundreds of millions of years.
In the wider section of the gorge the creek has also created the Pyramid, an isolated monolith of multi-coloured sandstone rising from the floor of the gorge, shaped as its name suggests.
The short walk to the Pyramid lookout is well worth the scenic views over the gorge.
Set up camp in the camping area and enjoy the solitude of the outback.
Agate Creek, a gem fossicking area had the group in search of all things that looked different to just rocks.
It would have been handy to have an idea of what we were looking for before we arrived. With the help of some friendly campers we managed to confirm that some of what we had was the rocks that the area is known for.
Cobbold Gorge was a bit of a different camping style for us, with the infinity pool and swim up bar being a favourite of the group.
Yes, the gorge and it’s Glass Bridge was very “Specky”, but the resort was a bit of luxury for us.
Some members got to take a helicopter flight to get an aerial view of the rock formation.
Undara Lava tubes are massive.
An interesting area which is a hidden gem in the vastness of the outback terrain.
Guided tours gave us an insight into how they were formed and the history of the National Park surrounding the area is very fascinating.
A leisurely stroll around the rim of a volcanic crater gave us a different view of the landscape.
The tubes can be picked out by the change in vegetation. See, we did learn stuff.
Ravenshoe, the highest town in Queensland, was our next stop.
We know why the mountain close by was called Misty Mountain, because that’s the type of weather we had for most of the stay there.
Millstream Falls, the widest vertical drop waterfall in Australia was impressive, the Tully falls, once considered the most impressive falls on the Australian Continent, on the other hand left a lot to the imagination, as they weren’t flowing (might have had something to do with the Hydro Power Dam).
The small town was a stroll from our campsite, and the Highest Pub in Queensland had to be on our list to visit.
Paranella Park , one mans dream, was up there with one of the best places of the trip. The day and night-time tours gave an insight into a mans single handed efforts to build this amazing place.
The endeavour that went into building the structures back in the day would have been enormous.
Ingham was the last stop for most before the members split off to either head home or continue travels.
The trek to Wallaman falls, the highest vertical drop waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere, was to be the last spectacular view of the trip.
The weather decided that if you want to be rewarded with the view, the effort needed to be put in.
Yes the hour walk down, and then back up was one of the most talked about parts of the trip, well when I say talked, it was more like most complained part of the trip.
A trip heading out onto the back roads sorts out your gear. Broken tow hitches, cracked rims, battery issues, dust issues, overheating engines all play a part.
We can’t leave out our newest 20 year club member, Rob Jorna, who seems to have issues with wheels on most of the big trips, and this time didn’t disappoint.
Due to the all familiar feel when somethings not right, Rob stopped before any real damage was done and tightened his wheel nuts on one rim, saving the day.
There was a lot more that happened along the way and will be talked about for years to come.
We have some amazing places to see in this great land of ours and can’t wait to get out and explore some more.
To find out more on the Bundaberg Four Wheel Drive Club and activities we have on, contact us via email, info@bundaberg4wdclub.com, on the net at www.bundaberg4wdclub.com or catch us on Facebook or Instagram.
Brad Praed
Bundaberg Four Wheel Drive Club Inc.
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