Weekend Retreat

New state - new sights to see. I have a love of "knowing my way around" and I've got a lot to learn in Queensland. Add to that - we have deliberately decided not to get so involved with all the church responsibilities we had in Melbourne, so we do have more free time on weekends. Consequently, we have adopted a policy that we will do a family outing together each Saturday, and explore the areas around Brisbane together.

Our first outing was to somewhere I had been before, although briefly, and only with Josh and Ness. I therefore knew enough to know Shelley would love it. We headed up to O'Reilley's in Lamingon National Park atop the magnificent Green Mountains. Barely 90 minutes drive from home, and that including a very leisurely climb into the mountains, there is a veritable oasis of wonder. Sitting just north of the NSW/Qld border and atop a plateau in the Macpherson Range (the watershed of which is the border line), O'Reilley's Guest House is surrounded by dense and complex rain forest. A wonderful place for a picnic or cafe meal, not to mention to stay if you had more time, it is surrounded by a network of sensational walking tracks taking you deep into the rainforest proper.

Getting there is at least half the fun. The road leaves the little village of Canungra, winds along a pretty valley between steep sided hills, then crosses the river and starts to climb in earnest. After six or seven kilometres, you reach the top of the ridge, and are presented wtih dramatic views of the valley you have just left as well as the next one across. The road then follows this ridge to the south, ever increasing in height, and the views in either direction continue to broaden. Finally, the steepest part of the climb is over and you arrive on the plateau - which is in itself sloped with the highest part on the southern edge. Almost immediately, the woodlands give way to rainforest, and the road disappears into a tunnel of dense foliage - for much of the route, only enough has been cleared for a single lane of traffic, and even this weaves between the biggest of the trees. For much of the rest of the trip to O'Reilley's the rainforest gets denser and deeper and despite the bright sunny day it is like driving into the dusk. Headlights on, you pick your way ahead, generally at little more than the signposted 40 km/h limit. Oncoming cars are tricky, but after a while you find yourself happy to pull into one of the passing bays provided and let them go as it gives you a few more moments to appreciate the forest that surrounds you.

By the time we arrived at O'Reilley's, to our disbelief, it had become cool - almost cold. Our warm summer outfits were suddenly quite inadequate. The air was moist with condensation - we were literally in the cloud, although it was only light. The balcony at the cafe at O'Reilley's gives a bit of a view of the valley far below, but for the most part this is not a lookout so much as a rainforst experience. We headed off along the boardwalk through the forst to see more - and a few minutes later found ourselves at the famous tree top walk. There are a few of these in Australia now, but this is the original one and perhaps the most remarkable. It is also free, although you are asked to make a donation and most were happy to reach into their pockets by the end of the walk. The semi-circle walk is strung between trees up to 30 metres above the floor of the forst and it swings and bumps about in the breeze and as you walk. At the highest point, you find yourself mid-way up an immense rainforest tree - and in case you really want to experience the true drama of the tree tops, a ladder rises steeply in a cage to a tiny platform another 10 metres up, and then yet another takes you to a perch that can best be described as awe-inspiring, virtually sitting in the crown of one of the largest trees in the forest.

The family loved it - I loved it! There are lots of other walks in the area, and there is also a second point at which you can connect with the national park at Binna Burra Lodge. We might head for that one next time we come this way. This could become our new "blue mountains" - the bush retreat we take our visitors to and show off the best of our new state.

A great day out, and a great introduction to the new policy of Family Days on Saturdays.