We love wandering with our Jeep Wrangler & camper trailer, mainly down the back roads & 4wd tracks, not knowing where we will
be camping each night, but with a general idea of the direction we are
ultimately travelling in. Before leaving home research is done for possible
routes using paper maps, digital maps on the computer as well as internet
sources like Google Earth, Where is etc.

Campsites are considered using WikiCamps, which I have
downloaded onto my computer, the Camps Australia Wide book & other
publications & web sources. Many years of collecting national parks & state
forest information handouts as well as the handy Cartoscope touring maps,
show places of interest & are a great asset to pre-trip planning. Best of
all you cannot go past helpful local knowledge to find those out of the way
campsites or the personal knowledge of those who have gone before.

onto the back roads

We drove up the coast from Newcastle & finally got off the
highway at Coffs Harbour onto the Orara Way, a quieter back road that runs
parallel to the busy Pacific Highway, where we stay overnight at the
Recreation Reserve in Glenreagh. Shannon
Park next to the Orara River is one of our favourite cuppa stops when we are
passing through.

Glenreagh showground

Orara
River at Shannon Park

flooded
gums

We continue along the Orara Way to Grafton & head to Copmanhurst
where our trip really begins, following
the Clarence River up to the Queensland border mostly along the Clarence
Way but with a few deviations. The majority of camping here is on private property so local knowledge
is the best source. We spend a couple of days in two different camps for a
change of scenery, entertained by the various honey eating birds feeding on
the flowers of the weeping bottle brush that line the river banks.

Clarence
River camp

still
morning on the Clarence

low level
bridge

friar bird

blue-face
honeyeater

scarlet
honeyeater

We hit the Bruxner Highway & headed to
Tabulam & top up the fuel tank. We had planned on taking the
dirt road though the Richmond Range National Park, however the
dry weather only road had a sticky surface after a few days of
rain, so we turned around & back tracked a kilometre or two to
the Urbenville road getting onto the dirt just before Bonalbo.

It was a nice drive through the rainforest with a couple
of steep creek crossings to Peacock Creek camping area in the Richmond Range
National Park. There was plenty of bird life around as we had lunch, but decided to
keep going to the next camp.

rainforest
creek

blue wren

satin
bowerbird

We travelled along bush tracks past Toonumbar Dam to Iron
Pot Creek camping area in Toonumbar National Park. The camping area is not very camper
trailer friendly with each campsite surrounded by bollards, however we
managed to set up the camper trailer in a wider parking bay, still allowing
any traffic to drive past. The whole camping area is enveloped in rainforest
with native ginger as the prominent understorey plant. It is on the list for
a return visit.

plenty of
room, but not for camper

rainforest

eastern robin

Our intended route had a road closed sign & locked gate owing to a
land slip, so it was a longer round trip to Woodenbong via Kyogle
with morning tea in the park.

We were lucky enough to get a
glimpse of a yowie in Woodenbong. It was a smelly creature & looked very scary, so we did not
approach. Imagine coming across that in the dark.

An opportunity to get fresh bread & milk.

Continuing west along the Mount Lindsay Highway we turned
off at Old Loreelah for Koreelah National Park. There are several large open
grassy sites with plenty of trees for shade in summer. Not far from camp
there is a walking trail to a waterfall & a good looking
swimming hole.

spacious
campsites

broad-leafed apple

waterfall

Barney Bluff

late
afternoon walk

over the border

The next morning we drove up Head Gate Road &
through an old border gate into Queensland. There was a long
steep climb to a magnificent view at Carrs Lookout which looks out over the Condamine River
& the head of the Murray/Darling Basin.

Wilsons
Peak

Carrs
Lookout

Not far down the road from the lookout is a short walk to the forty metre
high Queen Mary Falls. It would be great to see the falls after heavy rain. A little
further along the road is Daggs Falls which has a viewing platform built out
over the cliff face.

Queen Mary
Falls

Queen Mary Falls

Daggs
Falls

Just before Killarney we hit the dirt once again through
the Condamine River Gorge. It is part of the Bicentennial National Trail & has
fourteen unformed gravel creek crossings, the bottoms of which range from fine
gravel to larger rocks. The scenery in the narrow gorge is dramatic with
rugged rocky bluffs towering overhead & pockets of lush rainforest filling
the numerous side gullies. The gorge road is only open on weekends to public
traffic.

river
crossing

river
crossing

look out
for cows

Keeping to the back roads we drove to the Main Range
National Park with an overnighter at Spicers Gap camping area. We could hear the trucks
labouring up through Cunninghams Gap some distance away.

towards
Main Range

Spicers
Gap

Next morning we drove to Cunninghams Gap & stopped for a
short rainforest walk in the national park. The trees were filled with
birdsnest ferns & staghorn ferns. A welcome morning tea was had after
the walk.

birdsnest
ferns

staghorn

walking
trail

We exit the Cunningham Highway as soon as we can onto the
Goomburra road & then the Gatton-Clifton Road, staying at Heifer Creek on
Ma Ma Creek for the night. This would have to be the most colourful camping
area we have ever stayed at with both the Jacaranda & Silky Oaks in flower.

Heifer
Creek

jacaranda

silky oak
& jacaranda

After a bit of grocery shopping in Gatton we met up with Matt &
Wendy where we have lunch at Helidon with a pair of Tawny Frogmouth
chicks looking down at us. The town looked fantastic filled with colour from
the flowering jacaranda trees.

shady park

tawny
frogmouths

colourful
streets

Once again we take to the back roads. By this stage the
drinking water tank needs to be refilled & clothes washing to be done, so we stay
the night in a caravan park at Crows Nest. There is a large grassy
non-powered camping area out the back. We cannot believe the number of
different birds around. In town we look at trading the Jeep up on a bullock
team.

bullock
team

grassy
sites

Jeep
sunset

crested
pigeon

willie
wagtail

galah

red-rumped
parrot

grey-crowned babbler

grey-crowned babbler

apostlebird

plumed
whistling-duck

royal
spoonbill

The next day we drive out to Crows Nest National Park &
do a short walk along Crows nest Creek to a waterfall.

walking
trail

crows nest
creek

bottlebrush pool

Continuing along the back roads we get a view of Lake
Cressbrook & drive past a stand of tall grasstrees, spending the night at
Cooyar.

lake
cressbrook

grasstrees

There is a free camping area in the spacious Swinging Bridge Park
at
Cooyar with large scattered trees for shade. The amenities are a short walk in the park
over in the next street. Even though the suspension bridge has
guide ropes it gets a good sway up walking across. Lucky the
pub is on the same side.

swinging
bridge

drovers
rest pub

dollar
bird

forest
kingfisher

kookaburra

black-faced cuckoo-shrike

pale-headed rosella

thunderstorm clouds

forest kingfisher

It took 100 men thirteen months to hand dig the Muntapa
Tunnel in 1913. The tunnel was built to support the development of small-scale
agriculture in the area and to provide Toowoomba & the Darling Downs with
access to timber reserves at Blackbutt & Nanango. It is the only tunnel in
Queensland that crosses the summit of the Great Dividing Range. The formed
concrete tunnel is 280 metre long with cuttings at each end. At the north
eastern end the cutting extends about 38 metres from the entrance, while at
the south western end it curves towards the south and extends about 150
metres. There are steel fences inside the tunnel to protect the colony of
bats.

The workers lived with their wives & families during the
tunnel construction. The remains of the camp can still be seen, including
the stumps of the school, stumps for flooring of tents & brickwork of the bakery.

rail
tunnel

tent floor
stumps

remains of
bakery

The Palms National Park is about ten kilometres from
Cooyar near Toowoomba Qld & comprises of two sections. The south western
section was created in 1950 from several blocks of land. In 1927 Charles
Boldery donated five acres of his 318 acre property to the Rosalie Shire
Council so the rainforest pocket would be protected & people could visit &
enjoy the natural beauty.

picabeen
palms

picabeen palms

picabeen palms

We followed the new England Highway to the end at
Yarraman & then veered north along the Burnett Highway to Nanango where we
spent the night in the free camp at the local park. Next morning we
continued on the back roads over the Brisbane Range & followed the Brisbane
River to Linville where we had a rest stop at the Linville pub.

scorpion

brisbane
river valley

glory days

lemonade &
ice cream

railway station

From Linville it was down to Clancys Creek camping area
in the Benarkin State Forest where the Australian CamperTrailers
'Remembering Neil' weekend was being held. Setting up in 35 degree heat was
no fun. We attached the awning walls supported by poles to provide extra
shade which also allows any cooling breeze to flow underneath. Afternoon thunderstorm
clouds began to develop & by late afternoon the heavens opened. Matt was
surprised to see his rain gauge showed 80mm of Queensland's liquid sunshine had fallen.
You can't trust mates with a good sense of humour.

The next morning was fine & cooler after the rain. The
creek which had no water the previous day was now flowing. Afternoon happy
hour was held in honour of our mate Neil with clouds once again threatening the
evening.

shady camp

threatening sky

it rained

& rained

liquid
sunshine

sunny
start

flowing
creek

happy hour

might miss
us

the road home

We now start the return leg of our trip,
south again with Matt & Wendy and Lindsay &
Robyn, driving through Moore & stopping at Esk for supplies & lunch. We
continue down through Laidley, Rosewood & pause at Cunningham's Lookout near Warrill View.

nearly our
place

travelling
companions

cunninghams lookout

cunninghams lookout

border
ranges national park

Down
the back roads to Boonah & Rathdowny with
breathtaking views of the Main Range National Park where we had camped only
a couple of weeks before. That part of our trip seemed like a long time ago now.

main range national park

Finally arriving at Andrew Drynan Park on the Lions Road
near Kyogle for a couple of days to explore around the camping area.

Andrew Drynan Park

morning stillness

morning
camp

sunset glow

kookaburra
feeding

young
kookaburra

little
corella

yellow-tailed black cockatoos

feeding
young

galah

rainforest
pocket

stinging
tree

rainforest pocket

Running
Creek

We say goodbye to our travelling companions & drove down to Grafton along the Summerland Way
where we end up getting a little lost
around the streets looking at the jacarandas in flower, but find
ourselves driving through a street lined with huge fig trees - a bonus.

jacaranda
trees

fig trees

fig trees

Back down the Orara Way to Coffs Harbour & an overnighter at
Gumma Reserve near Macksville, one of our favourite camps.