On the mountain

My man and I just spent a gorgeous weekend at Binna Burra.  It was the weekend we've been craving for a long time, and it was just what the doctor ordered.  We arrived late on Friday afternoon, but with still enough light to set up the tent.  We felt a bit like hillbillies with our set up - a 15 year old tent, no gas stove, no blow up mattress and our outdoor coffee table from home!  But we had everything we needed for two nights, and we were child-free!

Binna Burra is a perfect campsite.  Lovely clean facilities, including washing machines and dryers if needed, and such a pretty setting in the rainforest.  On our first night, our neighbours camp was invaded by a possum right after they'd finished cooking. Cheeky little thing!

We slept cosy in our itty-bitty tent and woke up to a brisk morning.  We decided to walk to Kweebani Cave, which has been naturally formed by wind and rain over thousands of years.  The Yugambeh people used the cave to shelter in during stormy, rainy weather.  We met a lovely German couple there, who stopped for a chat and a Tim Tam. It's a great walk and is the perfect for little legs. We plan on taking the kids back there one day soon.

The Yugambeh tribe lived on the Gold Coast and it's surrounds,  for thousands of years and their ancestors are still here today. I know some of them, and it's an honour to be able to walk a path that has been trodden by so many before us.

We chilled out at the lodge for a little bit after our walk, and on the way back to the camp site, David spotted a koala in a gum tree. Can you believe it's the first time I've ever seen a koala in the wild?  I think I was more excited than my resident tourist!

For dinner, we had steak cooked over the camp fire coals. While we watched our neighbours heat their canned dinners on propane burners, we feasted on rump and vegies and it was delicious!  It took longer to prepare than to eat, but it was worth every mouthful. 

Aside from the crows waking us at 5am, we slept soundly again, soothed by the sound of the wind whooshing through the tops of the trees.  There's something really special about sleeping outside, even if covered by canvas.  It's soothing to listen to the sounds Mother Nature provides, and the peace of being under a rainforest canopy is like none other.  It's medicine for the soul, and it's something we plan on doing over and over again. We may even splurge and get ourselves a new tent one of these days.  For now though, we are more than content with what we have.