TRIP REPORT : Condamine River Run - 5th April (Many Pics)

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

G'day Adventurers,

I'm curious what the Condamine River will look like after all this rain. Tomorrow is supposed to bring another drenching and Sunday should have some sunny patches.

Last time I was up that way in the wet, the river was still very passable, so I would rate this as a soft-tour. However, in the event the river crossing is menacing, then it will be great to drive up to the spectacle, take some pics, and turn back the way we came.

The tour plan:

• Meet at: Cafe 17, 17 High St Boonah.[/*:m:3a50x8qh]
• Date: Sun, 5th April (yep, this Sunday).[/*:m:3a50x8qh]
• Time: Say 8:30am for a 9:00am departure; I'm flexible if there is enough interest.[/*:m:3a50x8qh]
• Weather: Some sunny patches. Bring a brolly.[/*:m:3a50x8qh]
• Tour:As per Dirty Weekends, Tour 15 - Condamine Gorge.
  After meeting at Cafe 17, make our way out to Queen Mary Falls via the black-top. Picnic lunch at the falls area and perhaps take in one or two of the walks. Return via the Condamine River crossings.[/*:m:3a50x8qh]
• UHF: Channel 15.[/*:m:3a50x8qh]
• Some things to bring: Picnic lunch or buy snacks at the basic shop at QM Falls, camera, umbrella, walking boots - there will be mud :shock:, 2nd pair of clean shoes, maybe a towel, etc...[/*:m:3a50x8qh]
• Previous Trip Report: June 2008[/*:m:3a50x8qh]

Any takers?

LFaR.

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Re: Conadmine River Run - Sunday 5th April

Any takers?

LFaR.

I wish
When Zo mentioned the out-laws were coming I said you beauty... I can go on a day trip... she looked at me and said... not likely, if I have to deal with them, then you do too

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Re: Conadmine River Run - Sunday 5th April

I'll let you know how it goes and have some pics for a report. Enjoy the the out-laws Leon .

Cheers,
LFaR.

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Re: Conadmine River Run - Sunday 5th April

I'll let you know how it goes and have some pics for a report. Enjoy the the out-laws Leon .

Cheers,
LFaR.

Look forward to the report

[bunsen Member Find all posts View Profile Close bunsen]

Re: Conadmine River Run - Sunday 5th April

It was fairly dry on the coast today, but there is a large band of rain coming in from the west.

I wonder how it went?

[esie Member Find all posts View Profile Close esie]

Re: Conadmine River Run - Sunday 5th April

Oh crap! I wish I had checked the forum sooner, we didn't go riding yesterday because of the weather, but would have been more than happy to venture out in the car!

Hope you had a good drive!

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Re: Conadmine River Run - Sunday 5th April

Back from the trip and the damage is all fixed... but more about that later.

I did this one solo, and may have a few new trails to try next time others are out that way. I can't resist a side-track and there were a couple of bewdies 8).

The day started nicely with sunshine and cool temps. Starting at Bonnah:



The rain cleared the skies for some great pics:



The road up is narrow, winding, and picturesque:



As I gained in altitude, the clouds closed in:



The first waterfall was a sign of things to come. Plenty of water over the cliff:



More stunning driving, with the cloud cover never far away:




First little excursion on foot was the Moss Gardens. Totally tranquil... Feng Shui was born here :









Continuing on, I soon found myself at the Queen Mary Falls park. I took the scenic 2k walk and Queen Mary Falls was going off:



Further down the road is Daags Falls Lookout:


Over lunch, I noticed a couple of interesting trails marked on the GPS. As the Prado pulled up at the gate:

It flung open in welcoming abandon:





So I could lay my tracks:



What is it about mushrooms... especially when they look like this?







The trail appeared to link up with another section of highway, but it started getting a little slippery, and with only GrandTreks for grip and my MaxTrax for recovery, I didn't want to risk going too far solo:



Luckily, the MaxTrax stayed in the car as I considered what shoes the Prado will be wearing next time I come out this way. This clay is really sticky...



I was relieved to manage to climb back to where I started to continue on the journey. Next stop was at Daags Falls Lookout, then onto Browns Falls for a short walk. The sign said you had better be able-bodied for this walk and just to emphasise the point, they put this crafty little turnstile, that presumably only able-bodied folk could pass :P



Browns Falls circuit follows the creek bed and has you often crossing the creek. A pair of waterproof boots is a big help here. I started to appreciate the need to be able-bodied. The steady flow of the creek is regularly broken by small cascading waterfalls:





These are just a teaser for the grand finale. I knew I was getting close, cause I could feel the breeze stirred up by Browns Falls. How cool is this...









OK, OK, enough waterfalls for now. Back to the Condamine River. The crossings were quite fun once again and helped to loosen off all that mud. Water-level was about half-way up the wheel. It's a bit hard to get meaningful shots whilst driving... so here's just a small taste:









I continued following the trail as per the Dirty Weekends Guide. It finishes shortly after passing Maroon Dam, here is just a small piece of it:



Now, if you have managed to read all this way, then you deserve a little more . You see, I set my GPS to take me home via the shortest-distance. I like that option, as it often takes me via some interesting roads. In this case, 'interesting' was an understatement. In fact, it took me over some of the best 4WD'ing terrain I've experienced in SEQ. Truly, truly, truly amazing stuff. Majestic views, muddy climbs, unbelievable (2nd Start, low-locked) step-ups that left me thanking I was driving such a capable vehicle, very very steep muddy descents (more low-locked), pushing through saplings on trails, long left deserted. The whole time, my GPS was calmly telling me: "Turn Left onto such-and-such a road in 200m". How could it speak so calmly; I wondered.

It started simply enough, with a turn-off before I reached Rathdowney onto a road that cautioned: "Dry Weather Only". I soon found myself traversing knolls of gated farmland:



Pushing on through many many gates, I was soon on rutted bushland tracks:







An enormous eagle flew some meters over my bonnet, kangaroos were darting along fence lines before they found a gap and launched themselves across the path of the Prado and onward to the safety of the other-side. There were many gates that were signed "Please shut the gate". I traveled for probably 40 minutes when I came to one signed "Keep Out". :?: :?: :?: :?:

What does it mean to say "Keep Out"? As far as my Garmin GPS was concerned, this was a gazetted road, [City Navigator NT 2009], albeit, not a typical city road . Considering the time-of-day, distance travelled, and terrain I had just crossed, I felt it was best continue forward through the gate and if someone asks what the hell am I doing there, all I could do is explain that my GPS "told me to".

Through the gate and around the next bend was a seriously narly step up - now I understood the "Keep Out" sign! Low-locked, let the wheels find the ruts, be pushed around by mounded tree roots and the sure footed Prado found its way to the top with considerable ease!

Wow! I love my Prado, I love my Prado, I love my Prado . Oh, and my GPS for getting me here.

More gates:



Somewhere along the trail, I picked up a hitchhiker whom I carefully relocated:



I did meet one of the local property owners, who could barely believe I had crossed through this terrain. He was very obliging (as he stood with beer in hand leaning in through my passenger window as we chatted about all sorts of stuff). Anyway, he mentioned that he doesn't mind people coming through his property. He wasn't sure his neighbour felt the same way though.

I showed him my GPS, and explained how it sent me via this crazy route, (I was still grinning). He explained I'm not the first one, but that road should not appear as a road on any GPS.

All this excitement in one day!!! However, it wasn't entirely without incident...





Keep an eye out for my thread on reconditioning sidesteps. All fixed now, and before I had to admit any damage to she who matters most.

It took me about 2.5 hours to remove the mud and clay. It probably took me another three hours fixing the damage and more cleanup.

Go and get dirty!

LFaR.

[wengnuts Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close wengnuts]

Re: TRIP REPORT - Conadmine River Run - 5th April (Many Pics)

Excellent trip report LFaR! Very good pictures mate . Btw, what type of camera did you use, the picture qualities are very rich and sharp.

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Re: TRIP REPORT - Conadmine River Run - 5th April (Many Pics)

Excellent trip report LFaR! Very good pictures mate . Btw, what type of camera did you use, the picture qualities are very rich and sharp.

These were all taken with our compact Canon IXUS 860 IS. When I'm shooting outdoors, I especially like the "Foliage" setting, which tends to cause the colours to *pop* off the page. Whilst it's not as feature reach as our DSLR, it easily fits into my pocket .

LFaR.

[Richoson Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Richoson]

Re: TRIP REPORT - Conadmine River Run - 5th April (Many Pics)

Hi LFaR

Looks like you had a great time, the pics were great, next time you want to do the trip I'm in, maybe a bit more lead time though.

Regards, Richo.

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Re: TRIP REPORT - Conadmine River Run - 5th April (Many Pics)

G'day Richo,

The Condamine Gorge is a fabulous day out. If you take the side-tracks, then it adds a whole new dimension, and puts the Prado to work.

Yeah, I hear you about more lead time. My plans changed and I wasn't going to spend it indoors when the mountains were beckoning. I figured late-notice is better than none at all , but I anticipated it would be a bit tricky for most people.

Cheers,
LFaR.

[WATTSY Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close WATTSY]

Re: TRIP REPORT - Conadmine River Run - 5th April (Many Pics)

Hi Matt
Great job,you have that drive and take pics trick nailed. You should have another trip up that way, with a bit more notice and your navigation skills I'm sure a few more PP's would tag along.

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

Re: TRIP REPORT : Condamine River Run - 5th April (Many Pics)

Noice write up.

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Re: TRIP REPORT : Condamine River Run - 5th April (Many Pics)

Great pics there LFaR... you certainly have a good eye for a top photo.

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Re: TRIP REPORT : Condamine River Run - 5th April (Many Pics)

Great report Matt... almost as good as being there NOT!!! :cry:

I really like your GPS... it takes you to some pretty cool places 8)
I hope I can get a pass-out soon... it's probably a bit soon to bring the little one. I'll wait till she atleast has some head control 8)