THURSDAY 21 JANUARY STANTHORPE
It began to rain during the night – light, but steady. Later in the morning, it eased off, then stopped.
I went to the doctor at midday, got the required script and took it to the chemist to be filled – they have to get it in. It is a good thing we are not moving on soon.
After lunch, went for a drive to have a look at nearby Girraween National Park. Access to the key features of this park is much easier – on sealed roads. But we had to go south to Ballandean again, and a short distance south of there, turned east and on into the National Park. From Ballandean and south, could see a low range in the distance. There were lots of semis on the highway, until we turned off.
It was a pleasant 6km drive from the highway, through a narrowing valley, to the Parks Office, and the parking area, in a fairly open area. Girraween National Park is based around huge outcroppings of granite and associated loose boulders.
The granite dome of The Pyramid in Girraween National Park
I got a map at the Parks Office, which had a sizeable lizard of some sort, roaming around the floor, eating dead flies!
We decided to tackle the Pyramid walk. It started through pleasant country rather reminiscent of the Grampians. Crossed Bald Rock Creek, which was really pretty, not far from the start of the walk. We could see The Pyramid in the distance.
The walking track crosses Bald Rock Creek
The track took us steadily uphill, with lots of sets of rock steps. Then we reached the base of The Pyramid – a granite slab that rises steeply, but is broken here and there by little gullies with trees in. It was most photogenic.
The very photogenic Pyramid walk
The bare granite surface was really steep climbing. We followed white paint dots on the rock, which showed the advisable route to take to reach the top.
That is the way we go – up!
Following the white dots upwards
We were not all that far from the top when got John vertigo and couldn’t go any further. At the time, we were on a very exposed and seemingly steeply falling slope, near a little balancing rock that sat on the slope. It was very similar to the situation that defeated John when we tried to climb Ayers Rock in 1993 – a steep drop off. It is rather ironic, because I was managing the climb quite well, yet I’m the one who normally cannot manage heights at all. Again, a repeat of Ayers Rock.
This is just about as far as John can go
John was not happy with himself, but I felt we were high enough to get good vistas, anyway, and I was rather concerned about his hip/leg on the steep return downhill. He managed that alright.
The vista from The Pyramid, over the central valley at Girraween
Going down again – very steep and nothing to hold onto
On the walk back, took the long way round, via the Granite Arch loop track.
On the Granite Arch Loop Track
It was a great afternoon’s walking. I think we did about 5kms.
There are other walks at the Park that look enticing and the two camp areas seem attractive, and with hot showers! No power, though – and we do not have solar yet. Access with our van would be no problem. It is certainly not crowded, even at this time of year.
On the drive back, stopped at a roadside stall and bought a tray of nectarines.
We drove 90kms today.
Tea was soup, ham, coleslaw and mashed potato.
This Adventurous Age 