Heads of the North Coast (marine version)

Bird of the Day:  Bar-shouldered Dove- not frequently seen and in an interesting venue.  Contenders included Topknot Pigeon, and Pacific Baza.  The Topknots get a big tick in the flocks arena for turning up in a mob of about 200 at Hosanna this morning.

Plant of the Day:  Pandanus at Fingals  Head, complete with fruit in various stages of ripeness.

Scene of the Day;  Rainforest along Hogans Rd from Biambul (sp) to North Tumblegum.

Art of the day:  Wildlife mural along the Tweed River in Murwillumbah

Typically Australian thing of the day:  Workers in Hi-vis jackets doing various things of a municipal nature everywhere we went.

Maximum Temperature  20 Minimum temperature  10

Distance traveled  with camper 0 without camper 90

We had a reasonable nights sleep apart from some idiot fellow camper driving to the amenities and slamming hs car doors a few times at about 5am.  I couldn't quite bring myself to emerge from my warm and comfy bed to go and describe his parents to him (and inquire why they never married).

We decided that the first business was to take Tammy for a walk round the property.  We were a little concerned about meeting the Great Dane (somehow the "Hound of the Baskervilles" kept echoing through my mind).but it didn't appear.  The layout of the place was rather good as a family fun-park, including this sauna: the ambient temperature was about 10^oC which is only about 20 degrees above that normal for using a sauna!

Another view of the dam, including the surrounding hills.

Getting to Muwillumbah we took ourselves to the Visitors Centre.  Fortunately we weren't towing the camper as there is nowhere to park one!  I asked the lads on the desk about thi and they more or less shrugged their shoulders and agreed it was a problem!  They were able - after consulting Uncle Google - to tell me where the War Memorial was.  (It is quite surprising how many people, including in Visitors Centres, are unaware of their local memorial.  They generally know where the ANZAC Day ceremonies happen however.)

A Farmers Market was advertised at the Showground so we took ourselves off there.  While a little smaller than I remembered they had a couple playing pleasant music.

Tammy was a great hit with this family.  It's the first time I have been thanked for allowing her to be patted by small children!

This mural runs along the banks of the Tweed for about 200m, generally covering natural history.  We kept intending to study its entire length but never got around to it.

This was near a Magnet Mart which I needed to acquire an additional power lead for the camper, to reach the outlet at Hosanna without leaving an arrangement that was liable to trip people up.  Having done this we went off to the Tweed Regional Gallery.  Since we were last there they have extended the place and added a Maragret Olley exhibit, reflected in the decoration on the pylons in the car park.

The car park was full, as was just about the entire road outside,  It is a very popular spot, and quite justifiably so in our opinion.  Tammie and I went for a walk, which was quite tricky as the road is both narrow and surprisingly busy.  As before I was amused by this work ("Pursuit", by John Petrie).

We decided that our main business of the day was to go to Fingal's Head to check out the whale situation.  On the way I agreed to try to find a small town on the Tweed which a craft gallery at which Frances loved a bench seat.  This turned out to be Tumbulgum (which I was later advised has to be pronounced Tumbulgum, rather than like Tumblegum, which is how another town- on the far side of the Ranges but also spelt Tumbugum - is called.  Here is the Gallery.

The bench seat is no longer there: it is right outside my study window!

They also have an interesting Memorial in Tumbulgum, in the form of gates to the sporting arena.

Having resolved the matter of where some Camphor-laurel items belonged we betook ourselves to the vicinity of Fingal's Head.  I have not been able to sort out in my mind what this name means.  In the Hebrides (and the opus of Herr Mendelsohn) one has Fingals Cave and I am sure that someone's Head is around the Giant's Causeway.  However this is the only place as far as I am aware that hes conflated the two concepts.

Here is an image of basalt columns.  An astute viewer will notice the total lack of cetaceans.

There was a good supply of fruity pandanus.

We walked along the beach a tad, being interested in the antics of some youth, hose Golden Labrador was about a kilometre up the beach.  When yelled for it rushed off in the opposite direction to monster some totally different people.  I suspect the breed does OK in obedience trials, and the eating reflex, but has a few issues when other elements of mental activity are tested.

We then moved on towards Tweed Heads to see what the Visitors centre could deliver in the way of directions

• to the War Memorial in town; and
• from Muwillumbah to Vintage Lakes, where I had an appointment for birding the next morning. 

They were spot on with the War memorial (some 50m from the VC).    The antics of the wedding party in the park were quite entertaining but I felt it intrusve to peer too closely.

There was some difficulty with the Vintage Lakes issue as their directions appeared to take me though the cane fields rather than along the Highway, which seemed daft.  Also they didn't have a map that I could take away, until they found a copy (marked "Do not Give Away") of the previous year's Guide.  They gave it to me!

We then went for a stroll around the area, noting that in this town they have got the bonsai situation well under control, apart from the matter of fitting the outcome on a sideboard.

Perhaps they have big sideboards up that way?

We then found our way back -  with a pound of luck and the good will of various deities - through various side roads and interesting byways - the rainforest reserve on Hogam's Road was excellent - to Tumbulgum and thence to Hosanna,

Tea was cooked: that is steam rather than smoke or flames!

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