clouds

​Those of us from Brisbane really are spoiled for choice when it comes to bushwalks right on our doorstep. Within an hour’s drive west of the Brisbane CBD, there are dozens of walks meandering through beautiful, pristine nature. Mt Cootha is the obvious choice and one that many people default to when going for a day hike from Brisbane. Mt Cootha is great, don’t get me wrong, but there are so many other awesome options out there that are much less crowded. Personally, I prefer hiking tracks with fewer people as this makes it easier for me to relax and enjoy the tranquillity of nature. The Gold Creek Reservoir Walk is one of my favorites. Source: www.bushwalkingblog.com.au/gold-creek-reservoir-walk/

Pentecost Island is an uninhabited island located between Hamilton Island and Lindeman Island. It was the first island in the Whitsunday group to be named and the only one in the group named by Cook, in June 1770 with the phrase 'More remarkable than the rest (of the Cumberland Isles), being small in the circuit, very high, and peaked and lies EBS 10 miles from Cape Conway'. It was on the feast of Pentecost, during the festival of Whitsun, that the crew of the Endeavor found themselves sailing between inhabited island paradises dotted throughout the crystal clear waters of the Coral Sea. Pentecost is an ancient Jewish Festival and it was during Pentecost after the crucifixion of Christ that the Holy Spirit was visited upon the Disciples. This visitation is celebrated in the Christian Church on Whit Sunday and therefore the association between the names Pentecost and Whitsunday is obvious. The island has the distinction of being one of the features sketched by the artist on Endeavour, Sydney Parkinson, during the voyage along the east coast of New Holland. Two pencil sketches were made, one from the south-west and another from the west, both illustrating the distinctive profile of the island. Another sketch was made by crew member Charles Praval but is more distant and less detailed. The peace and tranquility of this passage belied its unpredictable and violent beginnings. Formed 110 million years prior; born of raging volcanoes and the violent realignments of the planet's tectonic plates; centuries of debris fused into solid rock, and by the time Cook ventured north through the passage the beauty of the area was undeniable. Despite its inhospitable structure, on 22 February 1934, Edward Alexander Roberts applied for occupation license 556 over the island, though it is difficult to fathom what use it could be put to as there is practically no level ground on it. In the event, the Minister for Public Lands refused the application on 7 March 1934. The island was declared a national park in 1938. In some older writings, the island is called 'Lion Island' presumably because someone saw in its profile the shape of a crouching lion, but it takes some imagination to believe anyone could see the shape of a lion here. Source: www.australiaforeveryone.com.au/files/qld-tropical/pentec...

Burleigh Heads, or simply Burleigh to locals, sits like a cool comma between Surfers Paradise to the north and Coolangatta to the south. It’s a picturesque punctuation mark along the Gold Coast and most definitely somewhere to pause. The Burleigh foreshore is home to towering fragrant pine trees characteristic of the coast . Source: www.destinationgoldcoast.com/places-to-see/burleigh-heads

The Aboriginal Dreaming Story of Burleigh Head "Jellurgal (Burleigh Head) was once a flat and unbroken stretch of sand dunes. The Creation Spirit, Jabreen, transformed it into a rocky outcrop. One day his pathway led him to the ocean beach where he took a long swim to the horizon and back. Emerging from the water, Jabreen, a giant of enormous stature, rose up to his full height and raised his arms skywards. As he did, the level ground followed his hands upwards to the level of his fingertips, thus forming the headland of Jellurgal with the rocky fingers pointing seawards." Source: www.aussietowns.com.au/town/burleigh-heads-qld