BILOELA to CANIA GORGE

31/07/05. We are now on our way to Biloela our 17th Camp stop, this spot is only $16.00 a night and it has a Pool - plenty of hot water for our showers.
Tonight we have gone up to the local RSL club for Dinner, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity the meal finally arrived and it tasted like left overs from the night before, we should have gone to a pub instead.
Up early next morning showered and had breakfast we are going to Callide Dam to try our luck at a spot of fishing, on arriving it was blowing a gale the water level in the dam is very low and at the waters edge there were a lot of Fresh Water mussels but they had already been opened,it is too windy to fish today.
On the way back to camp we had to buy Petrol as there is no Gas on the Country Way, we have been told for the next 400 kms, we will just have to purchase petrol - next morning we are off to see the Singing Mountain (Mount Scoria) at Thangool, this huge Monolith is of solid stone and when you hit it with a solid object it makes a metallic sound. We were having lunch at this rest stop when a Magpie decided to dine with us he was not afraid of us and we could hand feed it with ease, this is a lovely area but very isolated and you can not camp here.
3-8-05. Today we are further down the track at Cania Gorge, when we arrived here we both said wow this place is so good, a huge canyon with a solid rock wall opposite the Caravan Park and the grounds so green there is no drought here and also no phone coverage and no shops " we will save some money '' and a great pool to swim in.
The wildlife here is abundant with Rainbow Lorakeets in big flocks which are fed at 4pm each day, and Whip tail Wallabys are hopping about and can be enticed in close with a slice of bread, and also there are a few Grey Roo's, Padymellon's, Blue tongue Lizard's, Butcher Bird's, Eagle's, Falcon's, Kite's, Crow's, Magpie's, Galah's, and at night you can here the Owl's hooting.
There is a Deer (Deere) and a Shetland Pony named Rosie which the deer is always butting it and also Rob the caretaker, he is lucky that the deer's anteler's have fallen off.
8/4/05. Last night was the coldest night since we left our old home it was close to zero we think. We drove into Monto to see the old heritage building's - the street's are so wide, surprisingly most of these small town's do not have bank's, only ATM'S and no gas for the car only petrol. Sandra checked Lotto she has won $17.40 - back at camp it is hot - we went for a swim, Sandra was first in as usual and I asked was it cold in, she said No - so I dived in and came up screaming it was Freezing - San was in her element laughing so much she almost peed in her cossy wot a B---- the other Vaner's came out to see what the commotion was all about and I bet that they could be heard back in Monto "Bloody Idiots" . Next day we went up to Cania Dam - the land that it was built on belonged to Edward child's. The child's Family lived there from 1876 to 1976, in that same year the construction of the dam began and it was finished in 1982 - the catchment area covers an area of 280 sq kms.
The picnic area is well kept with the usual BBQ`s covered shelter's etc and the bird life is terrific, a Blue Faced Honeyeater came and had a drink from the can of cola that I had in my hand. We had done a 6km bush walk the day before along the canyon floor and then up to The Drooping Rock & The Dragons Cave - the going was very tough and san could only manage to walk about half way. We had sighted a lot of E'agles soaring high on the thermals they look so graceful, the walk has taken about 2 hours and was very tiring it was good to get back to the car park and have a cuppa, San spied a one legged Butcher Bird that she nicknamed " Stumpy " we have seen this bird at a number of previous places, strange the way it watched us. Later back at the camp we had another good happy hour with some new friend's that we have met here. 9/8/05. We woke up this morning with so much mist around the Gorge that San just had to take another Photo. There was a group of year 7 (6th class in QLD) Kids nearby camping on a school excursion they were in 60 tents, a lot of kids all having a ball, they were up early the next morning to move on to the coast and they all waved and blew kisses to us - such well behaved school kid's, we also leave this morning.