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Car trip
Left this morning about 6.30 and headed up to Canungra as I have wanted to have breakfast there for quite a while. Very cold this morning-for a Gold Coast person!
Arrived about 7.00. The Outback Café is on the right as soon as you get to Canungra coming from the Gold Coast-very big-seems to be almost a house that has been converted to a café. Has a wide verandah along 2 sides. Very few people here, so walked to the other end of town-about 400 metres. There was another café- Café Metz, and it had a lot more people eating and talking so decided I’d try it. Went back for my wallet and cameras and then ordered the Big Breakfast and a flat white.
The coffee-$2-came in about 2 mins and was in a big mug-that was a positive sign. Coffee was good and hot.
By this time the town was starting to fill up-with bikies!
No-not the gangs, just mainly blokes on their bikes. Seems to be a ritual for them to have breakfast at Canungra on a Sunday morning.
Breakfast arrived within 10 minutes, was Big and well presented. Plenty of bacon, 2 eggs, 1 large sausage ½ a big tomato and 1 slice of thick toast-biggest breakfast I have had for a long time.
Walked around the rest of town, took about 15 minutes. I was interested to see the hotel-it has a Tudor look to it. Pity it was so early as I would like to see inside.
Back on the road, through Biddadabba, Wonglepong -heading to the Lost World Valley. At Darlington Park I was surprised at the number of campers at the camp ground.
After a toilet break, I continued on and came to a gate across the road. I wasn’t sure if I could go on, so I backed up a bit, took a side road and asked at a house. Nice bloke came and steered me in the right direction-I had been at the right place and the gate is only there because there is no cattle grid.
The scenery is terrific-high, steep to vertical mountains, plenty of trees and birds and no other sounds. Very peaceful!
There is a small parking area and then a short walk to the stream bubbling down to the Albert River.
The bloke who gave me directions told me to go up another road for some great views-they were, and to also go across the hills to Christmas Creek. This wasn’t in my plans but decided to do it as I was in the area.
Glad I did because it is another beautiful area.
I came to a track leading into the bush and decided to follow it-silly in a way because it was very narrow and rough-more for 4WD. Had to get close to the edge a couple of times to pass oncoming 4WDs and eventually came to a creek which was a bit to high to risk in a sedan.
Very hard to do a 3 point turn in a road that is only slightly wider than my car-took about 8 points!
Back along the road about a kilometre is the Stinson Memorial Park-this was the place used during the rescue of the survivors in the Stinson air crash in February 1937.
I’d forgotten to pack a water bottle, so decided to head back to Beaudesert to have lunch as there was a Woolies there and I could buy some. All the parks along the way so far had warned to only drink the water if it was boiled first.
There is not much to Beaudesert, but it seems to have at least 3 community radio stations!
Had my sandwich and a welcome drink and then headed to Jimboomba-which was a disappointment. I had imagined it to be an old town-but it seems to be just a series of modern shopping centres. Maybe I missed the old part!
I returned home via Logan Village and then the madness of the M1.
Altogether a really great day-getting away from the Gold Coast and seeing some of the bush.
Altogether I covered 270kms.

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I’m 67, retired and still active. I have my own car, enjoy driving but the cost is pretty high these days. I’m moving from the Gold Coast to mid north coast in NSW soon, but want to see as much of Brisbane and SE Qld before I move. What better way than to use these off peak services-and save money on car running expenses.