Too nice to work

[Cormanus]

There’s something lovely about South East Queensland in the autumn and spring. It’s warm during the day (mid-high 30sC) but cools off nicely in the evenings (low teens C). The quality of the light changes; there’s a clarity about it that is missing in the haze of the summer. It’s glorious riding weather—it’s almost necessary to start putting layers into my jacket in the crisp mornings.

On Wednesday I got up intending to have an industrious day of chores about the house—my funny little shed needs tidying; there’s work to do in the garden and about the house. I did some of it, but it was too lovely, so I said to my wife, “Damn it, I’m going for a ride.” To her credit, she said “Follow your impulses.”

I decided to ride north to Rainbow Beach and Inskip Point, one of the points of departure for Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island. It’s also increasingly known for its dingo population which is becoming more and more menacing to humans.

There’s the usual map of the ride here.

This is the hamlet of Kin Kin which is at the end of a glorious set of twisties. I hope the photo gives some idea of the quality of the light. That’s the only reason it’s here.



The glorious Cedar Pocket Road I’ve talked about before, but this time so much greener as we’ve had several inches of rain in recent weeks.





The Cedar Pocket dam in the background. Last time I was here a few weeks ago it was nearly empty.



The road takes you through Tolara, a commercial plantation pine forest.



Then back to the more Australian bush.



And the undulating straight into Rainbow Beach.



The CB at Rainbow Beach, Pacific Ocean in the background.



And then at Inskip Point with the beach at Fraser Island in the background.



Pelicans. How they ever fly is beyond me.


Sheoak trees (I think) line the road from Rainbow Beach to Inskip Point.



Looking south from Inskip Point to Rainbow Beach.



Then back through the pines and on to a different road for the last stretch to home. Different scenery again.





Finally up Mt Wolvi to the lookout.





Better than working at home. Another 264.5 lovely kilometres, and the bike gets better and better as it approaches 10,000 kms.