Ted Smout Bridge Opening

The Ted Smout Bridge was recently opened (July 11 2010) and we had the opportunity to undertake the 2.7km walk across this road bridge that will act as the south-bound traffic lanes connecting the Redcliffe Peninsula with Brisbane. This bridge not only supports the road traffic but also pedestrian and cycle traffic on a separated area and also has a fishing platform in one of the channels off the eastern side of the bridge.


Now that the new bridge is open, two of the three lanes on the Houghton Highway are now permanently north bound, with the third lane currently closed until the maintenance of this bridge has been finalised with all three lanes to be open to traffic north bound at the completion of the project. The contractors are also currently demolishing a fair chunk of the heritage listed Hornibrook Bridge. This is a sad sight, but something that has been proposed as part of the project for a long time.

The day of the opening was well organised with a limited number of 'tickets' issued to ensure that the bridge wasn't clogged with too many people ensuring the walking pace was appropriate for all people. Also the use of buses at each end of the bridge meant that you didn't have to make the return bridge walk if you didn't want to. Phew!

Underwater World, Mooloolaba

A weekend trip to Underwater World at Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast kept us out of mischief for an afternoon. We were looking for an activity that was suitable for a potentially rainy, cold weekend and this certainly ticked all the boxes. Mooloolaba is an easy drive from Brisbane that takes about an hour and a half up the Bruce Highway.

The 'aquarium' isn't as big as I remember, but certainly kept us busy for an afternoon. Unfortunately the staff didn't seem to have the same enthusiasm as many of the visitors.

Some of the highlights were some interesting freshwater creatures, including lung fish, large Japanese spider crabs and a nice exhibit promoting native frogs. The marine tunnel was still great and the seal show was interesting but a little lack lustre. The part that I found most interesting was actually a photographic exhibition on the topic of invertebrates.

Overall a good afternoon out and would certainly keep the kids (probably older than a toddler/baby age group) entertained on a rainy weekend. Another positive was that the facility didn't actually feel crowded and we were able to access all of the exhibits without much difficulty, this was surprising considering it was the Queensland school holidays and Underwater World had a Shrek promotion on as well.

Out of the Box Festival

My toddler and I headed to the Out of the Box festival that was being held in the Performing Arts/State Library/Art Gallery precinct in Brisbane. There were a lot of ticketed events...we attended the Grug show aimed at the under 4 audience. The set was excellent, the show entertaining and a good sized audience that allowed parents to sit with their children without hindering the view of others.

There were also a number of free events, including story telling, music stages and crafty activities. These were excellent and high quality, all with an educational theme.

There was also a lit maze that allowed exploration for the children. We didn't however venture into this due to queue and the expected wait time, but the photos I have seen of it, made it look like a great experience for parents and children alike.

Overall, what a brilliant idea for the education and entertainment of young people in Brisbane. Certainly looked like it was a hit with the school children and their teachers.

Farm Day complete

Farm Day was brilliant. We spent a weekend at a cattle and sheep farm near Goondiwindi. I recommend everyone who is interested in learning more about farms nominate for the next Farm Day in 2011.

We did so much and our farm family was brilliant. I learnt to ride a motorbike and a quad bike, we had a dinner party with one the neighbours, morning tea with another neighbour, did pregnancy testing on the neighbour's cows, learnt about jojoba beauty products....from paddock to product, fed baby lambs and the chickens, played with an alpaca, sheared a sheep or two, moved stock between paddocks, learned how to use a cattle crush and a number of veterinary tools and just generally had an awesome time.

We were fed like kings, shown how the farms works day-to-day and felt truly accepted by the 'country family' despite the fact that we were true city slickers.

If you're interested in knowing more about this initiative, registering for next year or just want to see what some of the city families got up to on their farms have at look at the Farm Day website: www.farmday.com.au

Farm Day

Well we have had a farm matched to our requirements under the banner of the Farm Day (city families meeting country families). We are heading off to Goondiwindi, close to the New South Wales- Queensland border (approximately 4 hours from Brisbane). This should be an interesting weekend as I am certainly not from the country and certainly looking forward to experiencing first-hand the work that a country family is required to do day-in/day-out.

Let you know how we go!

Paddy's Flat, New South Wales

We decided fairly last minute to head off for a camping expedition on the Labor long weekend. After a little bit of internet exploration we found a place in northern New South Wales called Paddy's Flat. The camping area that we chose is about 50kms south of Tooloom on the Clarence River (about 4.5 hours south of Brisbane).



Our trip took us through Beaudesert, Rathdowney, Wodenbong, Urbenville and Tooloom. After heading through Tooloom we located the Paddy's Flat road which becomes dirt fairly quickly after the intersection with the main road. This road is not only dirt, but fairly bumpy (although still manageable most likely in a 2WD) and there are also a number of old wooden bridges which aren't particularly well maintained to cross.

After travelling down this road for about 45mins, we reached our destination. And what a spot. Right on the banks of the upper Clarence River. One side steep cliffs and the other a nice "sandy" (river sand) flat with grass verges available for camping upon. So blissful. The days were beautiful and the nights were manageable temperature wise. The land is apparently grazing or camping reserve, meaning no camping fees or rangers monitoring, also means no facilities.

Overall it was an awesome spot and a place that I would recommend to campers.

Beeburrum West State Forest - Wamuran

So excited because we went for a short walk (about an hour) in the Beerburrum West State Forest. This was exhilarating for me because I have travelled many a times through this forest but always in a 4WD (as with Mt Mee). This time the other half recognised the dogs needed a walk, as with the toddler and myself, so he suggested a walk whilst he mapped a 4WD track.

Beerburrum State Forest is north of Brisbane near Wamuran (about an hour north of Brisbane on the D'Aguilar Highway). It is a mix of pine forest and native eucalypt (gum) forests and has a large number of tracks (most of them are about a car width wide). The park offers tracks that can be utilised by all number of recreational vehicles, including 4WDs, motorbikes and mountain bikes, with some of them being quite extreme offering excellent roll-over opportunities.



Our walk followed a number of the vehicle tracks and I think when we passed one group of four-wheel drivers they were a little bewildered as to where our car might have been. Certainly unusual to see people just walking around the part of the park we were exploring. The tracks were a little muddy still with all the rain we have had in the last few weeks, but nothing that prevented us getting around the park.

We saw a few bird species, a snake rapidly slithering away from us when we startled him on the track, a number of 4WDs (from the daytripper through to the serious four-wheel driver) and a couple of motocross bikes. Overall a nice leisurely stroll up and down dale in a big loop returning to the car after about an hour (we took a GPS with us to confirm that we would get back to our 'car park').

Nice weather and something a little different for us.