After some concerns about the weather and possibility of rain at Levuka, the Xmas gathering was postponed. Some of us decided to meet up at One Putt's Waterhole near Imbil to have a weekend away. I left the Gold Coast about 8:30 am on Saturday and headed north via the highway stopping for morning tea/second breakfast at the Mobil servo at Wild Horse Mountain. Brett texted to say he was on his way from Brissy so we agreed to meet up in Imbil for lunch. When he arrived a little after midday we couldn't find any thing to tempt us for lunch so we headed out to Borumba Dam and found a nice shady spot, with a breeze and a view.
The hand made sandwiches were first class and the coke was chilled so we were happy. Then we drove past the camping area at the dam and a very nice looking swimming spot which we would return to. Onto the dirt road and off to the forest reserve dodging a couple of sleepy looking cattle. We got to our usual camping area and found no one there so we went for a bit of a walk to pay our respects to One Putt's waterhole. There were a few people further along the track looking like they were trying to burn all the available wood in a smokey roaring camp fire.
As it was quite warm and muggy (about 32 deg) and there was no water in the creek we headed back to the dam for swim. The water temperature was quite chilly and we took awhile to inch our way into water. Once we had got used to it, the water was very refreshing, so we ended up sitting in the shallows sipping on a bundy Dark and Stormy (why do they taste so much better when drunk outdoors ?). We were entertained by a nearby family having a water fight that escalated from splashes and cups of water to buckets dumped unexpectedly on the mum.
After we had cooled down, it was back to OP Waterhole to check if anyone else had arrived. On the way in we spotted a SWB Landie Defender which looked very like Suek from the forum, so after a quick chat they (Sue and Peter) followed Brett and I back to the camping area to set up for the evening. Back at the camping area the other group had been joined by a hilux ute which they had tried to drive up the dry creek and got stuck in the waterhole. Earlier they had told Sue and Peter that they were fine and had recovery gear. But when we arrived they came to borrow a snatch strap because their rope had broken. I lent them my snatch strap and a couple of shackles but I don't think the shackles were used in the recovery.
We set up camp and sat around the fire for awhile as we introduced ourselves and shared a couple of drinks, the Dark and Stormys were still tasting bloody good. As it started to get dark Shane rolled up from a day photographing a comp just up the road at Landcruiser Mountain Park and put his can of spaghetti and meatballs in the fire while we cooked dinner. I don't think I managed to kill off Brett with some toxic(for him) mushrooms as we cooked our steaks on the Biji Barbi. There was a bit of a breeze to cool things down a bit so we sat around the fire for quite awhile before everyone hit the sack. Not long after we went to bed it sounded like one of the couples from down the track had a blue and one of them stormed off before being followed by a car. I think they sorted things out after awhile.
Next morning we were awakened by the throaty roar of the hogmobile. Andrew and his neighbour (Greg) had stayed at the caravan park in Imbil with their respective vans and partners. We had a coffee and sat around the fire for awhile but it was getting hot very quickly, so after Hoggy left we all packed up camp. Shane headed back to LCMP for some more photography, Sue and Peter headed in to Imbil, while Brett and I decided to head home via Kilcoy and Somerset Dam. We took the back road to the entrance to LCMP and then headed to Kilcoy, as I was trying out some new maps on my iPad we made a detour down through Monsidale and it turned out to be a pleasant drive.
After a quick morning tea in Kilcoy we headed to The Spit at Somerset dam and had a very relaxing swim and a drink. Then we headed off to Esk and then onto Brissy. The temperature soared to 36 dg near Ipswich so we just cranked up the air con and headed east. I turned off to the Logan Motorway while Brett headed into Brissy and home. The closer I got to the coast the cooler the outside temperature got, until finally at home it was a chilly 28 degs. After unpacking the car, getting all the camping gear sorted out and writing up this trip report, I went for a walk down to the beach for a quick swim to cool off.
Borumba Dam Lunch with Brett 2
Camping OP Waterhole
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