Drive Time

The rains have stopped. For now.

Nick and Nora are planning to take a drive around the Gold Coast Hinterland to see the effects of the tropical low which has crossed the coast in northern New South Wales.

Since we're driving we'll pack a bottle of lime and soda for the journey (we'll save adding the gin until we get home).

One place we will get to see is Canyon Lookout at Springbrook going via the Numinbah Valley.

The last drive Nick and Nora undertook after similar weather conditions turned the normally dry rocky escarpment below the tree line into a spectacular ribbon of waterfalls.

Magnificent.

One can drive to the lookout via the picturesque hamlet of Springbrook which is part of the world renowned Springbrook Plateau. Canyon Lookout views across to at least three waterfalls and has two quite accessible walking trails. One perfect for a short stroll, the other much longer.

At right is the only significant building in the Numinbah district - the ubiquitous small town landmark, one that is uniquely Australian, called the 'School of Arts' Hall which, depending on its need, becomes a town hall, dance and entertainment venue, exhibition centre, school or emergency services HQ.

UPDATE: Nick and Nora have just returned from their Hinterland drive not getting as far as they had hoped.

Energex crews were working to restore electricity and road crews desperately busy clearing landslips and trying to repair washed away roads.

Everything was sodden. Ground that was drought parched and cement hard just few months earlier had so much water that its excess oozed out of the ground with every step. Where it could, water answered the raucous call drawing itself closer to the Nerang Creek.

The creek is generally a genial, bubbly mild-mannered thing, hidden mostly by tall trees, thick shrubs and grasses. Today it was a gang of soccer hooligans pressed shoulder to shoulder to take all of its natural path and then some, cutting an 80 metre swathe in some places. Wholesale bulldozing would have be hardly less devastating.

It was shortly before Natural Bridge, around 1.30pm, when were were turned away. A grizzled and weary looking man wearing his high visibility yellow rain jacket walked up to the car.

You could tell he'd been answering the same question for what seemed like hours. Perhaps it had been.

"So, what's the answer to the question you've undoubtedly been asked for the 72th time this hour?" asked Nicky.

The man smiled wanly.

"Landslips, road washed away, water over the road. You'll have to turn around."

"How long have you been out here?"

"Since six this morning. Yeah, my boss phoned me and I said to him I'm on my weekend off. He said, 'c'mon, it'll only take a couple of hours'. On top of that it's my birthday."

We wished him a happy birthday and asked him if he would like a slice of the cake we had brought for the picnic.

He declined and we turn around.

By the time we'd reached the turn-off up to Springbrook, Main Roads had erected barriers barring any further traffic in.

We ended up at the Canyon Lookout and discovered a sign that we'd passed many times but had never really noticed.

The date at the bottom of the plaque reads:

Queensland Forestry Service
Warrie National Park
Springbrook
Dedicated 11th March 1937

This might give a clue to the date of the pin dish above.


So what was the view like today? Well certainly nothing like you see in the souvenir. You could barely see to the other side of the canyon but as the cloud drifted through you could see several spectacular falls.

As always click on the images for larger versions.