Camping with two tents is not too intense for car camping.

So, after a few days in the bush, I visited the town of Atherton. Partly, I needed to do some shopping, but I also wanted to visit a museum called the Crystal Caves.

The shopping had one amusing moment. Atherton is no hippy village, but a farming town with tourism supplements. I dressed accordingly, to not freak out the normals: thoroughly washed, shirt and shorts, shoes with socks, even! When I went inside the shopping centre I even took off my hat and sunnies, to complete the Polite Young Man disguise. Yet, I still seemed to be getting disapproving looks from the little old ladies of the Country Women's Association. Sod 'em. I did my shopping, and as I was going through the cold-goods aisle in the supermarket, felt that it was bit chilly. Then I realised I had the top FIVE buttons of my shirt undone, down to below my navel. :smack: :lol:

Then to the Crystal Caves, which is in fact a shop in town.
The museum section is done out cave-style, with foam walls and stalagmites and stuff. You get a helmet with a light, partly as a gimmick, but also because you'll bang your head. You are encouraged not just to photograph, but in most cases, to TOUCH the displays.

Some fancy quartz crystals (no touching these)

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Fossils, including trilobites, and the cave decor:

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A darkened room, with a ceiling of thinly sliced back-lit agates.
There was another dark room with black lights to make minerals fluoresce (not shown).

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This artificial fountain, using four tons of rose quartz.

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Backlit trilobites? :tinfoil:

The star attraction, the Empress of Uruguay.
This is an amethyst geode. At 3.4 metres long and 2.5 tons, it's the largest known one in the world.

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This weird geode has quartz stalagmites rather than regular crystals.

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Display cabinet:

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More display cabinet.

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More at http://www.crystalcaves.com.au/ especially better pics of the empress.

How big is the geode with quartz stalagmites?

that shop rocks!

Sorry if this is getting repetitive, but then I went camping again.

There was a flat open campground, formerly a special camping area where various Aboriginal tribes would gather to settle disputes - usually by a fight - and then make up and hang out for a few weeks afterwards.

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The swimming hole was this river that had a clean gravel/pebble bottom and perfect visibility. Which was good, because there are freshwater stonefish (venomous) in it. The area also had swarms of march flies (horseflies, to some of you), stinging trees, and a lone dingo that wandered through the campground at night. The rangers (who were local Aboriginals) told me with the stinging trees, an untreated sting will cause severe pain on contact with water for up to three months; but "treated" stings only hurt for about a week, and "treatment" is to piss on it. I wonder if that's just a prank they play on tourists?

While I was here I had a few spare hours, so I got the tool kit and had a look at the funny brake-light/indicator thing. I did plenty of probing and jiggling and such, even threatened it with duct tape and WD40, but without success. Meh.

Nearby was a mountain I wanted to climb:

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It is called Walsh's Pyramid (duh, it's a cone) or Banda Djurraga Murgu, Hill of the Scrub-fowl Nest-mound.

It was hot, and I wanted to see the sun rise from the summit, but didn't want to tackle an unknown trail in the dark, so I packed a bit of gear and started the hike at 4.30pm, although the temperature was still about 30. I was soon sweat-soaked, and the sun set when I was about half-way up. I did the third quarter by twilight, the final quarter by moonlight with a bit of torch use.

I made the summit without trouble. There was a strong southerly blowing, and it was moist and cool. I ate, and started to rug up. Two jumpers, extra socks, and a beanie, but I was still cool, and it was only early. I put on my full goretex rainsuit, but was still a bit cool. I got into my survival bag, a large orange plastic bag. This gave me enough shelter from the wind, but being non-breathable plastic, mean all my sweat etc stayed inside it.

Of course, the only real worry was thunderstorms. There had been a few in previous days, and this summit was NOT a good place to be. Granite and lightning play well together. It was a good thing I was too uncomfortable to sleep properly, because every 20 minutes or so I would do a scan of the weather. I've had thunderstorms approach me while camping before; you get plenty of warning with the light flashes in the sky and then the noise. Any warning sign like that and I was OUT OF THERE, dark or no dark.

Well, the night passed uneventfully, and dawn broke. Alas, it was a little cloudy, the views were rather fogged out! Just below the summit I took this shot, showing the shadow of the mountain with it's cloud hat.

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As I descended, I met about a dozen other hikers in small groups coming up. I went south and found a roadhouse for more bacon and eggs.

Meanwhile, George TheCow was off at the beach. It is scenic, but no good for swimming, due to sharks, salt-water crocodiles, and two types of venomous jellyfish.

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Backlit agates, blacklit flourides, spotlit trilobites.

This is going to be in the test.

Umm, about 60 cm across, I think.

:rolleyes:

But of course. :unsure:

Did I mention the lasers?

I assumed in this day and age, what with Australia being a most modern first world county, they all have lasers. :haha:

All except the march flies, which spit molten lava as they bite. That's what it felt like.

Hm. Fresh and saltwater crocs. Venomous fish; trees that try to kill you; sharks that act like the own the place; lava spitting flies; dropbears....way, waaaaaay worse than Florida.

but beautiful, beautiful. I'm so glad you shared this trip with us. I've never seen so much of Oz! (the real Oz not the bullshit Oz).

And you hiked that? I'm getting a-fib just thinking about it.

Congrats on a superlative vaca.

PS - in pic #97 there is a ripple in the middle of the water.


That's a man-eating croc.

They're everywhere.

PPS- amethyst is my birthstone.

I'd love to have you ship the Empress to me.

I'll PM you my addy.

;)


eta: would also just ADORE the rose quartz fountain. I'll pay extra for shipping.