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Binna Burra and the Best Bushwalks in Lamington NP · Everyday Hiker

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Do you love hiking?
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Getting out in nature, exploring new places, and want some inspiration.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you're in the right place.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Everyday Hiker Podcast.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Beck, and I'm your host.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: I live in the beautiful Southeast Quinton region of Australia.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: So many of our hiking ideas feature this area, but we've also got some great travel inspiration for you, plus special guests, practical tips and guides to hiking to share with you.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: And if you like what you hear, please follow me, share with your friends, rate my podcast, and send me your feedback.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, today I am so lucky to be here with a very special guest, Suzanne, and I am up at the beautiful Binnaborough in Lamington National Park, and it's a little bit rainy, a little bit cloudy, but can still hear the birds and wonderful views.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I have invited Suzanne to come and tell us a little bit about herself first, but also share as a local resident to the park her favourite bushwalks in the area and some also some tips to share with us about where to stay, what to do, and maybe who to join.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: So welcome Suzanne.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Oh awesome, thanks back.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_03: How much fun is this?
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_03: Talking about my place that I love to wander in pretty much nearly every day.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: You're very spoilt to be able to go out every day on the trails, and I'm sure you see something new every time you do.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: That's the wonder of a magical place like this.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: So Suzanne, let's kick off by saying what's your connection to Binnaborough?
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so it's we've been in this area now, or living, I suppose, um, on the mountain over 25 years, um, and either in Lower Beachmont or Beachmont now closer to the park.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so the connection has always been when you come to an area, first off, you go, right, okay, well, how can I be involved?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: What you know, our kids were quite young, let's get them involved in nature, let's get them involved in community um uh projects.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and the first of those, I suppose, is Binnaborough Lodge being at the end of the road.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_02: And so we became shareholders, um, and then over the years um had done little instance of work there and guided some stuff, and um, you know, and so my husband's the chair of of um chairman of uh Binnaborough.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_02: Uh and I am involved in the Levington Natural History Association and have been for many years now.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so all of those things um keep on connecting and the that sort of you know that wonderful umbilical call back to the park always and back into the park um and sharing knowledge with people who who come here.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Wonderful, and so 25 years you will have seen it all bushfires, flood, rainy days, sunny days.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um you really know the park quite intimately, I'm going to suggest.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely, and um being part of that community, I'm also a an active firefighter, so um the 2019 um Black Summer Fires were you know parts of the firest that I saw burning were not necessarily the best experience that I've ever had.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but being able to, you know, uh help uh um in the regeneration of that through the Levington Natural History Association.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um we went back in and started you know um planting new trees and being involved with the QPWS Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_02: So um I suppose that was part of the healing from that period too.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, absolutely.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: And and Bitaburra, we were talking before, it's a Brisbane favourite, and I've just driven down from Brisbane this morning.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, a little bit of road works, otherwise I would have been here in under an hour and a half.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, so not far, but I guess about an hour into the drive, you start to realise you're a million miles away from Brisbane, and that's the attraction, isn't it?
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, apart from going through the beautiful um you know, little country town of Canungra, you start to get into the farmland, and today you know, I'm driving up through the clouds to get up here.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: It really is a very special place to come, but so accessible for the weekend.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, absolutely, you know, and um as I and I volunteer at the information centre, um, and normally we find they're the ones who come in who do want to find out information, you know, the ones who hit the trails at 6 30am in the morning and do the big walks, you know, they know what they're doing.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_02: So, but the ones who come in are genuinely interested.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_02: What's available?
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_02: What you know, what can we see?
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_02: We've got this amount of time.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's also the best opportunity when we have people coming in at two or three o'clock in the afternoon and going, you're going where?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_02: You're walking to a rally, so you know, it gives us the opportunity to um shape their experience within the park and value the park.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_02: I think one of the things, and um often you know, we have those who have you know walked the trails or or or done quite a lot within Levington National Park, um, and they've gone, oh, we've done all the trails.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, oh, have you?
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_02: Well have you done it in reverse?
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_02: Have you, you know, gone in different seasons?
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_02: Have you gone during the rain and the mist is exactly the times when I love to go.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_02: The forest is like a it's uh jewels, you know, all the leaves are shining, you know, you get to see different wildlife, you get to hear different wildlife.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um uh, you know, you you I suppose uh taking advantage of each of those seasons where you you go on a track and return on that track, you know, see it from a different angle or a different perspective.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_02: So that's pretty much what we're on about, you know, this sort of um month, I suppose, with our members is you know, walk with a different perspective.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, try try a different track, a different direction, or you know, observe it from a different angle.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: And much as I love and use all trails, it's not always right.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: So that local knowledge of what's open or what's the best track for today's conditions, not absolutely what last week or last month was when the last person wrote a review, but what's the best one today for today?
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I actually advocate stopping the information centre, having a quick chat, even if you've got a plan in mind as to what you're going to do.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it doesn't, you know, either um, I mean, we're on the Vinabara side of the park, and you know, like it's a upwards of nearly over 21,000 um habitats within the park and over 130 different walking trails available.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_02: Who better to talk to?
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_02: Either the information centre, um normally on the weekends, um you don't see too many of the rangers as they are from you know during the week, but seeing them on the trails and asking them when the information centre has all of our current conditions about the trails, yes, it is on the website, but sometimes it's a little hard to find, and you're absolutely correct.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_02: Our concern, I suppose, is that when people see these online trails or see these new sort of you know bounced up on their media feeds, this is the place to go.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_02: But are you able to go there?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_02: Is it on track?
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: Is it you know, where is it?
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, can you do it safely?
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_02: You know, um, about going into the park sometimes is just is enjoying the trails that have been cut specifically for you, but the information um stopping at the information centres, um honestly, it's just adds value to your walk every time.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Because it can spoil it for you a little bit, and we're going to talk about trails in a moment, but yeah, I I've been up here on a day where it was um, you know, there'd been a lot of rain and it was slippery and it was muddy.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: And if you didn't have the right shoes and but you know, for someone like me, some poles to help for you know, so you're not falling over every five seconds and you can ground yourself a little bit, if you don't have enough water on a hot day, uh things like that, you start down these trails and you've gone too far before you can do anything about those conditions.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_02: And the information centre um volunteers are there to give you an alternative on those days, and because people come up and they're so fixated on they're going to do this walk and then you know, and then get there, and like you said, the experience is not to the best.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_02: So that's what they're there for is to give you an alternative, still a fantastic walk in the park, but suited for what you're wearing, suited for the age of the people you're with, um, and their agility.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, if they're looking to do an hour to six hours, um, you know, that's pretty good.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_02: It's gonna change.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you can do that on the minibor side.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: Well, let's kick straight into that.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a novice bushwalker, I'm keen to get out in nature.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've come up for a Sunday and I want to do a walk that's no more than five or six kilometres.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: Where am I heading?
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, look.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_02: First of all, we check the knee conditions of a few people uh because there is a couple of um walks that fit that billing quite well, and so I often call them.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_02: So one is your huffy puffy walk, uh, and that is to the um gorongral track, and that goes down to the Kubra.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_02: So um guess what?
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_02: There's a couple of hundred steps um that go down, and they're the same amount.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_02: They're coming back up again.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: So that one is your huffy puffy, but it is the geological walk within the park.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_02: It's not suited for all fitness.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_02: The one that I would probably say, look, Talawalal is the number one little circuit, that's perfect.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_02: It's five kilometres, and it's really the micro link of that um to the Gondwana um uh ancient forest um that you know we often hear about, but don't quite know what that means.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_02: And there's a nice new sign now on the entry to that park, um that track, um, and it's up past the Binabarra tea house, and they call that the Binabarra Trailhead.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and most of the trails within the park, or a majority, feed off that border track trail, and that border track trail is you know 22 odd kilometers over to Green Mountain side of the park, but it feeds it off, so you are able then to do this really amazing look, five kilometres, about an hour and a half, that's all you'd need, but you're you're going along a collective of an in-forest experience, and so on a day like today, you'd have the mist filtering through these booyongs, and then you get to a point and you walk up to where you see the most northern part of where the Northophagus Moreae, which is the Antarctic beech trees, they're all clustered around in a little clump, and it's really quite a spiritual experience.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know, no other word to explain that.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_02: You sit up the top and you have these, you know, these uh amazing trees surrounding you that you can almost sort of hear the forest, you know, and you move back out and then along and back down.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_02: The the great way of doing the loop track and then coming down the border track, you're going downhill, so you feel as though you know you've you've got a good sort of end to the walk.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but the epiphytes, you've got your catbird songs, you've got um uh the wonderful um uh you've got the pitters that live within the forest, so they're the jewels of the forest, the birds, and they sound like walk to work, um, is their sound.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you've got your brush turkeys, you know, there's a whole lot of activity if you slow down and just enjoy it.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: And that's still a good size walk, enough to warrant a muffin with your cup of tea or coffee when you get back to the tea house.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely, or a refreshing ale towards the end of the day.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_02: But yes, um but the beauty of that one is that it's a walk for any time of the day.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um, keeping in mind we're now slipping into autumn and into winter, the park gets dark earlier than outside.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_02: So coming up through to autumn already now, it's getting dark within the park at about five o'clock.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_02: It's not to say there's no gate to close the park at night time.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_02: However, what happens if you miss a trailhead or if you miss a connection, if you're not familiar with the trails, all of a sudden you could be on that 22-kilometre trail to the other end of the park.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_02: So you need to be careful when you come to any of those junction points that you're following the right arrow back to where you started.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: You started, especially if one of the criteria was that you're a novice bushwalker.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_02: So we often yeah, and I think you'll you're you're you and yeah, look, even though it's a five kilometre, you still take your water, you still, you know, you need to still have still wear your proper shoes.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: To wear your proper shoes.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry, flip-flops, thongs, yeah, you're not gonna do it for us up here.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um whilst the trails on those shorter walks, um, you know, they're good underfoot.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_02: You're still going to have tree roots, you're still going to have they have these little sort of rocks that divide um off the trails for drainage.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, you still have to watch your step, you know, as as you're going to be.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: There's going to be tree on the paths.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_02: There's going to be three on the path.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_02: If it's rained, yes, it's going to be wet.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, it's going to be.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: You know, that particular walk is pretty good.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's when you go out into the park further.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um, if it's rained, yes, you're going to experience a little bit more mud, and yes, you're going to get bleaches.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, you're going to get those things.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: You just be aware of that and be ready for the walk.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: So we're going to stretch our legs and we're going to do 10 to 15 kilometers, maybe.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, it's probably the sweet spot for the day walkers.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: It is a sweet spot.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_02: Oh.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_02: Dave's Creek is still my number one option on that.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so Dave's Creek is um up the border track, trailheads easy enough.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_02: And please, oh, please, if I may, just remind go on, do go on and ask for Queenslake Park's um just Q QPWS track closures.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: And so you can easily pick that up and it tells you you know which ones are closed.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, be prepared.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_02: On that same site, you can download your map of the park.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_02: So just go QPWS Bidabarra map and it pulls it up as a PDF and you can load it up onto your phone.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_02: There are QR codes and stuff available in the park, but it depends on what phone service you have.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: Depends on you might have a bit more limited service in use in the park.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so come prepare, come ready.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, then you pretty much come in, check with the volunteers at the information centre every weekend.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_02: They're there.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_02: If not, you'll see the ranges during the week.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the centre is still open during the week, so and it gives you an update of what park tracks and stuff you need to be aware of, as well as up the top at the trailhead at Binnaborough side.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um so when you're doing that, you'll take it about why Dave's Creek is the best ecology walk in the park.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_02: So you can really get a taste of from your regenerative forest to your prime forest to your heath to your sedge to your views to your tea trees, to you can scooch off and do a little waterfall.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_02: You know, there are it's pretty much in all of what the park has to offer within you know a 10-12 kilometer walk.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_02: It's perfect.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: That was a cave, a cave with view.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_02: Well that is true.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_02: That is true.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_02: There are a couple of others that are my favorite.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_02: If you don't I I have a couple of track-on-track walks that aren't as they're almost like the secret walk, they form part of the ship's turn walk.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_02: But I just do them as a track-on-track.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I often one of them is Upper Ballon Dewey, and so it is on the way to Dave's Creek, and you sort of slip off as if you were going to do the the big walk.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the ship's turn is that's a that's a definite big walker, and do that with a friend or a club, um, because it's it's a big one over six hours or so.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: But the upper ball and dewey one is my I call it my waterfall cascade walk, and it's gorgeous, and so it moves along um down past the caserinas, you go past a number of cascades where you know you can see the the Lemmington Um Cray Um, and you can move to the top of the falls, switch it back over the falls only if it's possible.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_02: Don't wet conditions, don't go, don't cross flooded creeks, people.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then you can sit at the top um waterfall, and the other one is the lower Bellan Jui, and so it's pretty much what they call the saddle um trailhead next to the Binnaborough Welcome Building, and you move down that track um and see you know 100 and odd meter waterfall um and then back on the track itself.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: It's the Huffy Puffy walk again because you are moving down about 200 metres or so, and then back up 200 metres.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um so I'm gonna guess that you're going to say for that long walk that shipstern is gonna be is gonna be up there, but I but look, I could take the words out of your mouth.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_02: It is the walk, okay.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_02: The walk of the park.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, like it's really it's an exceptional walk.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um what times of the year doesn't really matter.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_02: I do prefer to do it in a combination of coming into the season now, past the rain a little.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sort of more of a winter springtime, um, only because I like the the wildflowers, and on that track in particular, um, it's really quite incredible.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, go early, you know, be sensible with your walking, um, with the um idea of the walks, um, any distance, it's and on the um parks um website, it'll give you an idea of how long things are, um, but you they work it out on three kilometers per hour.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_02: So that's a good indicator of you know, most people walk about four kilometers per hour.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but if you're looking to do any of anything above, you know, 12 kilometres or so, it's an early start.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_02: Let's not get, you know, try and get to the park at lunchtime and then do ship's turn.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_02: It's that's no.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's just not sensible.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, so they really need to be out by 9 a.m.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_02: So it's sort of one of those most that do the ship's turn, they're on the tracks.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, they get a coffee at the tea house at eight o'clock and then they're off.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, or they go early, early and get a cupper on the way home, you know.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_02: So um with the other ones, you just have to be mindful of your timing and make sure that you know, if and be sensible about it.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_02: You know, if you're wanting to even do the 10-12 kilometers, it's still gonna be about a three and a half to four hour walk.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_02: So you're gonna take that into consideration.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, bring along snacks, make sure you know you you've got fortification as you're moving along the track and water, and you know, always let people know that if you are doing any of these walks, there's often with the walkers' clubs they say don't walk alone, but some you know, I we have quite a lot of soul walkers within the park.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_02: And if they're doing any of those longer three and a half to four hours, they just ring home or ring a friend and go, hey, I'm about to head off on a walk.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: Please remember to let them know that you've returned.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely, just so they don't stress about it.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_02: But the longer ones like Shipstern and stuff, no, don't attempt those on your own.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_02: They're they're too long, they're you know, those ones you do with a friend or do with a walking car.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now I know Coomra Circuit is a bit of a jewel in the park as well.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_00: You were telling me earlier it is closed at the moment.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I should have I should have sort of said it's quite nice to sort of still go to the fours, isn't it?
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: God, I shouldn't have covered so many of the 10 kilometers ones.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: Beck, you're not being fair to me today.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's hard to pick just one.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: Honestly.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so yes, the circuit itself would be, and it's really interesting, and there'll be a few of the viewers that are uh listeners, I should say, and they'll come back and go, no, no, no, the Coomra Circuit is you know far better than a shipstone.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um both are the jewels within the park, and I think the Coomra Circuit actually sits up there as like the top five walk that you do within Queensland.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know, I could be just making that one up, but anyway.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but unfortunately, um we're still clearing stuff from ex-tropical cyclone Alfred and then this and that, and so it's a big job for the Rangers at the moment, and they're doing a fantastic job.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_02: And what they've had to do is close the circuit just at the waterfall platform.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_02: So you can still go to the platform and back again.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and it's really funny.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_02: I was talking to one of our members recently, um, she's also um within uh Bushwalking Club, and she said she had sort of said to the group, right, we're going to the groomophores and back, and they all went, Oh well, what's what's the point of that?
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_02: And after they did it, they were like, Whoa, how amazing! returning on the same track, and we saw completely different things, you know, and so there were Like land mullets that came out at the beginning, and then there were spiny crayfish at the end, and so it was really quite rewarding for them.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: And they had uh quite a nice sort of scientific view of that particular walk.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and it's still lovely to actually get to you know the end and see a number of the the water.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: And the views from the platform are still spectacular.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: And look, let's on the plus side, we don't have that, you know, sort of you know, leachy, as leechy, windy sort of track, which is amazing when you see it on water.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_02: Like skip hippity hop across some of the the stone crossing crossings, like this on, you know, beyond from the cantilever.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_02: So the circuit is not for everyone, yeah, it is for the agile ones.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, often within the information centre we have these wonderful little um information sheets, and so you know, for volunteers it's just a quick reference, um, and also for people who can take a photo, it's like right from a 30-minute walk up to an hour or up to a couple of hours, up to three minutes.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_02: And then photo say because it's constantly, how far is it to a waterfall?
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, and these are the waterfall options.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_02: However, the volunteers have sort of gone, well, you need to walk into a waterfall at our park, you just can't pluck a car, and there it is.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but you know, that's part of the experience.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: And look, let's talk about making this a day trip or a weekend because there's some wonderful, wonderful food and accommodation options up here at Pinaparo.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: And we did talk before about overnight hikes, and and I always recommend when people are asking that question to stay at the campsite because accommodation is ranging from your basic you know, spots on the earth that you can throw up your tent and have your shared kitchen, the safari tents.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't want to pitch your own tent, we talked about the bushwalkers' huts, which is just a fantastic addition.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we've done that.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: We come up on a Friday night, throw your sleeping bag down, so you're there first thing in the morning, um, and ready to get on that ship stern or that really long walk the next morning.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's basic, but it's actually fantastic.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: You're dry, you're warm, and it's so affordable.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: I've probably taken some of your thumbnails.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_02: Well done back.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um but we've also got the comforts of the tiny wild houses and the Saskai Lodges for those who you know wanting to not just have you know a place on the bare earth and mid-year Binnaborough's um will be reopening, you know, its its accommodation back in the main lodge.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_02: So we're very excited about that.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_02: But I think the the the wonderment of um um Binnaborough has been, and in the early foundation days of Romeo Leigh and Arthur Groom when they first started the lodge, I mean back in 1933, is to offer up um a varied amount of accommodation to suit all pockets.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_02: You know, so no matter um what um you know what you could afford, hopefully there's a wider range of accommodation, affordable accommodation for everyone, depending on how or what you wanted to stay.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_02: There is no doubt having a place where you can simply, and and the and the campsite in the safari tents uh is a prime example, and often in the bunkhouses, I meet people that are starting off with a trousers and they go, how cool is this?
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_02: I rolled out of bed, I got my backpack, I had my coffee, and I have walked to the start of a World Heritage Listed park.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_02: There are not too many places that you can do that.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um the safety of having that place where you come back to in the evening, refresh, you either got your cooking shelter, you know, or like you said, you go to Groom's College and have a pizza on the Friday and the Saturday night.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's a collective, so you're sitting around these fireplaces, or you're sitting around, and then all of a sudden someone goes, Oh, what are you doing tomorrow?
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, what are you doing?
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_02: Oh boy, and for soul travellers, all of a sudden they've got a posse of you know three or four people that were doing the same walk, and so that in itself is it's the spirit of Benevoir.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, absolutely, and and what what did you do today?
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: That sounds great, that's what I'm gonna do tomorrow.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's the way to go, as you said.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: And we talked about groups cottage and the pizza, personal favourite of mine, but there's also the wonderful tea house, yes, and there is nothing better, like you said, either to start with a coffee, yeah, or the last time I did Dave's Creek was an extremely rainy day, and there was nothing better than coming back to that coffee place to get changed, um, and and get into dry clothes, and the fire was roaring.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah and so it has different timings at the moment, just coming in um to different seasons, and so always good before you launch out, you know, when their closing time is, um, so that you know you don't get too disappointed.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you do miss out.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_02: You don't miss out.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_02: We've talked about the coffee and then you don't have one.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_02: So double check, you know, before you head out that you, you know, got your timings right on that.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and it's a bit fluid and dynamic, I is the new wording, I suppose.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and the uh the thing uh friends of ours um actually did last time um that was staying within the campsite, and we thought, oh, we'll have a barbecue as we came back.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_02: We popped in a barbecue pack order on the way out and then picked it up on the way back um to the campsite.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um and so I thought that they were cooking for me, but apparently not.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_02: No, no, no, I was uh I was the chef so uh voluntold chef that evening.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great idea though, to be able to come back and have and not even be worried about bringing you groceries up.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: So that was kind of fun.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, there was just a few bits and pieces that we needed, but um the rest was sorted.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: Fantastic.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now you talked about membership before, so before we wrap up today, tell me about membership at the field.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_02: My favourite thing.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_02: So um Levington Nash Natural History Association um is the um the like-minded um community group that I'm involved in and has been going.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um goodness, it's actually been going now for 50 years.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_02: How how amazing is that?
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um just had their um birthday recently.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um what it is is um easy enough.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_02: Everyone pop online.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_02: We've just had a wonderful revamp of our our website, so Lemmington Natural History Association.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll put a link.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, awesome, thank you.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um and so it has lnh.org.au.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um don't forget those last lot, otherwise you'll go to a nursing academy in the States.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um so but with the association, it is um every quarter or so we get together and we have presenters, and so these are uh can be uh spider specialists, they can be butterfly specialists, they can be tree forest floor, um, they could be any number of um specialists who have been involved in the park or um involved in research.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then we go in field, so we go off on our own sort of citizen science walk and we have a look and we you know check and we um learn more about you know what's happening.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_02: And um uh one of our recent ones last year was about um the mistletoe that lives within the forest, so it was really quite interesting.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so we also send out um newsletters and updates um of what's happening in the park.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um but the idea uh that we found is that it's for curious people.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_02: So you've got it's interesting, we were talking about people who are wanting to walk and enjoy a walk, um, you know, for the purpose of walking, that's wonderful.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_02: And then we had the curious walkers.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_02: So the ones who go, I wonder why that is.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: Why is that so you know, and so what's that or why should I look out for spiders or whatever it might be?
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_02: And all that.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_02: So we are then that link to finding out more.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_02: And so with the website, we're also now popping up more information on on a regular basis, and we'll include some blogs and we'll include you know, recently seen, you know, and all those types of things, or best best places to walk um on, you know, to find a waterfall, or where to go if it's wet, or where to go, you know, here, or you know, all those types of things, or um, and so that has been really quite an an interesting adventure for me.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_02: It's like uh a generalist or a naturalist, I suppose you're always learning.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_02: So now when I take my walks into the park or even just you know up the road, um takes me forever because I'm constantly going, Oh, what's that?
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_02: I never saw that before.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there'd be something different every season.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_02: I know exactly, and then I you know put it on my phone and I look it up when I go back and my reference books that I've got.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_02: So it's now become, you know, I so it becomes an adventure, you know, um, for those.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_02: Mind you, those who were walking with me at the time probably do get over that just a little.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_02: And also that, oh, and did you know I found this out about, you know, this um this funky or you know, this tree or this fig wasp.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_02: Did you know?
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so now there's just a bit of a roll of the eye from my family, but so details of the membership then to that association are on the website, yeah.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, to add another layer to the experience of coming and walking in.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_02: Just to hit join, yes, join here, and you it will take you to that.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and honestly, look at the moment, you know, for for this but you know, it's an annual fee for singles, it's$15 membership.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_02: $15.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: Add another dimension to coming and exploring up here.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: And we were looking before at a photo of a tube spider that I'd never heard of.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't want to really meet it um unless I knew everything about it because it looked a bit like a tarantula.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: But fascinating, um, uh you know, things you can learn.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_00: I know bird watching, I was reading the other day that it's making a comeback.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_03: So it's impressive.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_03: So our president, um President Barry, he's an ornithologist, so he's a bird man.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um and he's the one that um on the 30-minute walk, um, yeah, he can he can take three hours just doing that walk.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, but identifying birds.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and so we get involved with um, you know, like the National Parks Association of Queensland when they do a park of the month.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we get involved in those types of things, um, you know, and sort of guide people and you know, point out, I suppose, people often rush past, you know, and it's it's slow down.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_02: Slow down, yeah, and enjoy what they've done.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: And see, that's the beauty of staying here, isn't it?
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because you can do your big walk one day, but then you can do your get to nature walk the next um to to balance it out.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm conscious of time and also your time, Suzanne, has been fantastic today to hear it firsthand from someone who's so clearly passionate about Binnaborough.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I thank you very much.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that we've provided some ideas for people listening.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: So the next time they come up to Binnaborough, what to do, but also I'd encourage you to have a look at that membership of Nature's Your Things.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: Sounds like a perfect fitness.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_00: So um, thank you again for your time.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: My pleasure.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Mike.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: And so, just before I head off, as usual, thank you very much for listening today.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: The links that we've talked about, so some of the walks, um, the the Binabara Natural History Association links, I'll put those all on the notes for today's episode.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_00: And once again, I could just encourage you to help support me, please.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_00: Just give me, throw me a like, um, rate my podcast or share with your friends.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's always appreciated.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: And so, until next time, happy hiking.