Mount Surprise Monday 20th September 2010

 At this stage I must admit it is incredibly remiss of me for me to have not put a couple of VERY important photos in this blog. Our connection to the internet has been erratic so I am going to use that as an excuse.
Anyway - HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Sammy and Chris - very proud parents - and to Toni - very proud Nana, and we (Terry & Val) are so pleased to welcome our first great grandchild. That means my Mum is a great great grandmother!!!!!!!!

Mum Sammy, Dad Chris, Baby Jye.

What a great looking kid, handsome like his great grand dad!!!!!

Well today is our last day in Mount Surprise. It is quite incredible that even though Australia is a huge country - it can also be very small.
When we were in Cooktown Van Park (very nice place to stay) we met up with friends from Hervey Bay (Murray and Debbie) . When we were in Atherton we met a couple and he knew several people I knew about 40 years ago.
Yesterday, at the Bedrock Van Park (also a very nice place to stay) a van pulled in next to our site - friends from Browns Plains (John & Julie)!!!!!!!!

Pool at Bedrock Park

If you make the pic larger you might be able to read the sign - the stump contains an urn!

Guess what it is. Will tell you soon......

The park is full of these birds. Apparently the are called Apostle Birds, They spend most of the day on the ground and are really noisy.

Storm brewing to the East of Mount Surprise.

Same storm - little bit later. Mount Surprise received nothing. Too early for rain apparently

 

And what is the photo of - it looks like piece of soft coral waving in the current in real life. It is a blossom from some sort of bush. Most of the blooms had fallen to the ground.


LATE BREAKING NEWS..........our sore bodies would not allow us to go fossicking today so we went to a local gem shop instead - he conducts fossicking tours and brings back to his shop wash from the diggings. We purchased a bucket of wash and SURPRISE SURPRISE we found one piece of Topaz that we are getting facetted and Val will have it set into a ring, flanked by some of the sapphires we have found previously. We also found a piece of Topaz about 2.5 cms long - eventually I will try to work it so that it can be used as a 'natural' Topaz pendant.

Our next stop will be "The Lynd" Oasis Roadhouse - it's about halfway from Mount Surprise to Charters Towers. Stay tuned..............