After breakfast Lynda made up a picnic lunch and we loaded our bits and pieces into their car and set off towards the Springbrook National Park. The weather was looking a little foreboding but at least it was not raining. By the time we reached the park there was a heavy mist present but our first stop at one of the lookouts was amazing as there were views right across the valley through to Surfers Paradise on the coast. We also stopped at Twin Falls for coffee before going to the lookout where the Falls were clearly visible.
We had only gone a few yards into the undergrowth before reaching a picnic table where we stopped to make our coffee. Lynda looked down at her leg and there was a leech attached to it. With a quick flick of the wrist the leech was detached from her leg, which then made us all inspect all our bare bits of flesh. After the Twin Falls we departed to go to the scenic lookout called The Best Lookout of All, but it was covered by thick heavy mist and low clouds rendering visibility down to a few hundred metres at best. Given that we were some considerable height above the ground, being able to see a few hundred metres meant that nothing apart from a few tree tops were visible. However, with just the odd tree poking through the mist and clouds, there was a certain mystical aura about the place. Also the scenery made a change from the spectacular golden beaches that we have been experiencing for the past four days.
We then drove some considerable distance to the Numinbah Valley where we stopped to eat our picnic in one of the designated areas. The weather was still grey and damp but the rain was holding off. After lunch we trekked through the rainforest to the Natural Bridge, which is a place where the river has eroded a block of basault rock through to an area of soft rock to form a cave and waterfall. Within the cave are thousands of bats and glow worms hanging from the ceiling. The smell inside the cave is not as pleasant as it should be due the high volume of bats poo on the floor.
As we walked through the rain forest we saw beautiful plans and ferns growing in and amongst the trees. The scenery in the rain forests is quite spectacular and the fact that it was damp and grey probably made it more interesting than had it been a bright sunny day. Having said that, the lookouts are unquestionably better when the weather is brighter.
After leaving the Numinbah Valley we headed for somewhere completely different; a place called Nimbin, which is where a commune of hippies are permanent residents. The place is steeped in 60’s flower power culture and the shops reflect this in their unusual nature, as you will see from the picture below.
There were lots of galleries and places selling ethnic goods as well as a few places that you would not find in the average high street. Whilst selling drugs is illegal in Australia, we can only assume that the police must turn a bit of a blind eye to some of the strange shops in this town. Apparently Byron Bay used to be just like Nimbin until the new youth took it over as a surfing resort.
We are very grateful to Ray and Lynda for ferrying us around today and sharing the delights of their country with us.
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