Ralda owns a small mountain near Dorrigo...

... and is very particular about the kind of visitors she admits!


More than 20 years ago she cleared the top of the mountain and built a beautiful house and surrounded it with what is now a glorious garden.


Here's Cockscrow, her guest house that we stayed in.




Here's Ralda, and Taxi, taking in her favourite view:

Her garden is alive with animals and there are always a dozen rosellas and scores of fire finches visiting the feeders on her verandah.

Ralda has an inscription in her kitchen: Wake up and Start Dreaming Properly! What dreams you can have from this oversized swing at the far end of her garden!

These lemons were picked in the garden. Someday soon Chris will paint this still life.


Ralda with her favourite portrait.


Taxi is always at her side.

We spend a delightful morning with Jeremy, Jane and their boys. Jeremy built this Balinese pavilion and all the furniture in it.


Jane is a talented ceramist and painter. The whole family is awash with creativity!


Jeremy took us up to see his kiwi fruit vines...


... and Chris got to enjoy the country practice of opening and closing gates.


Afterwards he sent us off to see an amazing stand of old growth tallowwood trees.

All too soon it was time to get back on the road.


We spend a stimulating evening with my gracious old mate Ove, who wears shoes no more often than he did in Uni days, but is now one of the world's leading authorities on the Barrier Reef.
 

After a few days at Noosa recuperating from Ove's libations, we took the ferry to Fraser Island.

That dreamy holiday glaze.

We stayed at Kingfisher, an eco- resort. We can recommend it.

The pool area at sunset.

The walkway to our room.

Late afternoon sun on the melaleuca near the resort.


A lone mangrove at high tide.


Grace digging in the sand, competing with the tiny Sand-Bubbler crabs which were responsible for all the tiny bumps in this photo.


A close up of their handiwork.


Chris and Grace went on a whale watching tour, and saw many humpbacks.


Coming back, Grace assumed a familiar boating position.

Our last day on the island we rented a Landrover and took off along the sand tracks that form the only roads on the island.

Parked at Central Station.

On the road to Lake McKenzie.
 

Lake McKenzie is a pure freshwater lake perched hundreds of metres above sea-level. Its sands are stunningly white and its water is so clean that almost nothing grows in it.


Wanggoolba creek flows silently, and almost invisibly over its sandy bottom.


Lake Birrabeen is every bit as beautiful as McKenzie and much less visited.


We had our picnic there.

View from the lunch.


View back to the lunchers.


Then it was on to Seventy-Five Mile Beach, the main thoroughfare of the island, where everybody drives at least 60 km/h. Look out for the creek washouts!


It's hard to get lost, but if you don't watch the tides you are liable to get stuck and experience what the rental company cheerfully referred to as the "$50,000 car wash." We studied the tides closely.

4WDs are not the only things you have to content with on the beach! These planes land every 15 minutes or so.

Swimming in Eli Creek, just above where it meets the ocean.


It was getting on in the day, and the tide was coming in. Time to head for home.

- Fin -