Winter Weekend Getaway

We were invited to join a family, from Gemma and Ruben's school, at their holiday home, the Bear's Lair. We passed through the rural town of Canungra before winding our way up into the mountains of Lamington National Park, hugging the steep side of the mountain along, at times, a one-lane road. It was very dark so we had no idea what lay beyond the narrow strip of road illuminated in the headlights in front of us; we would have to wait until the morning to see our surroundings.

We awoke to a beautiful and crisp (the Aussie term for anything below 15 C) morning. As we sipped our morning coffee, we were treated to visits from a variety of rain forest birds (pictured below are King Parrots) and wallabies. The views looking out at the Darlington Range and surrounding rain forests were stunning.

The kids had fun riding bikes around the property and playing badminton but the real highlight of the day was hiking in Lamington National Park. This park covers over 20,000 hectares and is part of the Gondawana Rainforests of Australia which is a World Heritage area. Lamington Park makes up some of the largest subtropical rainforests in the world, and they are truly magnificent.
We walked through the Green Mountains section of the Park along the Morans Falls and Gorge trail. Ruben and his friend Tom raced ahead to lead the group on the 4km walk. The forest was filled with the sounds of Bowerbirds, parrots and Rosellas, lush plant life and towering Antarctic Beech and Strangler Fig trees. Once we reached our destination we were rewarded with views of the neighbouring ranges and the Moran waterfall.

We went to see the famous O'Reilly's Guest House and took a walk along the Tree Top Track - a series of suspension bridges 15 metres above the forest floor. These bridges lead you through the rainforest to give an up-close view of the plants and flowers. There is one viewing platform that gives you a view, and experience, to remember. We took turns climbing 30 metres up a Strangler Fig. I think Dave was the most scared of all of us!

At the end of a great day hiking (and climbing) in the rainforest we were whisked off to one more 'must do' - watch the sunset from Kamarun Lookout. So with wine, cheese and crackers in hand we made our way to the lookout. It was beyond beautiful - we had clear views to the Goldcoast, Brisbane and the many ranges to the west. I will leave you with a series of pictures from this spot, click on them to enlarge.

While we miss our family and friends from home, we have been making new friends who have welcomed us with open arms and shared their special places with us.

Until next time,
love Heather, Dave, Gemma and Ruben