Tapp's Travels

The River Mooloolah is not a particularly grand river.  It’s catchment area is not huge – certainly by Australian standards.  In fact, it’s TINY at about 225 km² compared with the approximately 1.2 million km² which drain into Lake Eyre!  (That’s about one sixth of the total area of the country.)  Of course the area covered by Lake Eyre itself, when full, is best part of 50 times the whole of the Mooloolah’s catchment area.  (In the near future, I think we may be discussing the frequency of Lake Eyre being full.  But that’s another part of the story!)

The Mooloolah flows to sea a couple of kilometres south of Mooloolaba at Point Cartwright.  About a kilometre, before it reaches the sea, the south bank transmogrifies into a beautiful park.  La Balsa Park. 

Stretching from the boat ramp near Glenda’s brother’s house, it runs to the start of the walk around Point Cartwright.

On a Sunday evening we took a stroll through the park.  A stroll might be stretching a point!  We parked our two camping chairs in the shade of a palm tree and settled down to watch the scenery and passing strollers!  Very relaxing.  As the sun started it’s slide toward the horizon, we did end up meandering along the riverside park.  We discovered a complete spectrum of folk with the same idea as us.

Immediately, we came across a couple of campers preparing their evening meal at the rear of their camper at the roadside.

It looked to us as if they were out-of-towners.  Why else would they be struggling with their tiny gas cooker when, less than 50 m away, there was a free-to-use, council-provided (and cleaned) gas BBQ.  Still Jean and Peter seemed content – and were probably preparing to camp just where they were parked!  Rules here are quite relaxed about “wild” camping.

Ten metres on, and we were accosted by Bill and Phil.  Sitting on the tailgate of their ute which was jammed full of surf boards, wet suits and crates of beer.  When we stopped for a chat, they told us that they couldn’t provide us with chairs, but beers were possible!

Then we met a very distinguished family picnic.  To maintain confidentiality we might call them Jake, Jane, Janet and Jonathan!  Their territory boasted a carpet, a table with table cloth, proper camp chairs, “fizzy drinks” all round, nibbles AND flower arrangements.  Two vases full!  They also had a string of battery-powered lights for when dusk arrives!  Very sophisticated!  Very organised!

There are a lot of dog walkers out and about.  Some actually walking and some just enjoying the evening light from the tailgate of their car.  That’s Don and Diana by the way.

(The dogs, that is!).

On the path we came face to face with Penny, a glamorous lady on a yellow bike (non-electric – good to see they still exist!).  She reminded us of a Penny who Glenda met in very similar circumstances while I was in England.  Except that Penny had a pink bike (or was it lurid green?  It was distinctive, anyway!)  The “original” Penny now lives out in the sticks, on the very edge of the ridge running south west-ish from Malaney.  We are still hoping to visit this trip!

Another very distinguished group of young ladies was having a “Galentine’s” celebration.  That’s Valentine’s for gals, we were told.  They were all making jewellery as a group activity.  Again super-highly organised.  Obviously they had a good team-leader!

I volunteered to photograph them, hoping for an email address to send the photo too.  That ruse didn’t work, I was just given ten phones with which to take ten photos!  Canny girls!  Sorry, I’ve forgotten all their names!

We were buzzed by a group of lads riding e-bikes and scooters.  They were past too quickly to get a photograph!  Queensland is about to bring in legislation raising the legal age for riding e-bikes by two years to fourteen, outlawing the upgrading of their power, mandating helmets and introducing a licensing scheme.  Possibly increasing parental responsibility for their wayward (mainly) sons.  Good luck with all of that!

A group of tai chi enthusiasts were actively engaged in celebrating an afternoon outing.  They normally meet at 06.30 opposite La Balsa café.  So here they were at same sort of place.  But totally different “climatic” conditions!  “We need more shade!”

A lady (Barbara) was quietly trundling along the pathway in her electric wheel-chair with her companion (Brenda) in tow.  Well below any speed limit, but still enjoying the atmosphere in a refined sort of way.

One family picnic was disturbed by the urge to fish.  The young lad in question managed to catch a fish as we walked past … then another as we walked back.  Dad was required to unhook and return the fish to the river.  In all of our visits to this park over the years I have only ever witnessed two fishing successes previously.  So this lad holds a record as far as we are concerned.

A game of badminton was in progress in one of the relatively open spaces.  However, the world champions of the sport, shouldn’t be too worried about the competition.

Of course, there are always those who prefer to experience the park from.the water!

There were a number of young women lying flat out in full sun.  Baring virtually everything!  Why do they do that?  Haven’t they heard how bad the rays are for you – even if the effects are not always apparent until later in life.  (That reminds me, following a full skin check, I have to have four bits of my precious skin removed next Wednesday!)  To be fair to the girls, the heat was going out of the late afternoon sun, but even so … 

By the way, I was disallowed from photographing said bodies by my editor-in-chief.

So many different ways to celebrate the same thing – a peaceful evening in the park!

We had to get back to our chairs for a rest after all that exertion.  To enjoy our drink of water, with no nibbles, no flowers and certainly no battery operated illuminations!

But, that was a Sunday afternoon well spent!  And, perhaps, a good point at which to end this episode!  Remind me to tell you about the slippery steps in Vietnam some time!