Hiding From The Sun

With a temperature of 36C forecast and a certain silly boy getting a bit too pink yesterday, it was a day for hiding from the sun. We set off for a drive into the Hinterland, heading out through Yandina and up into the hills to Cooloolabin Dam. Planning to drive down the Mapleton Forest road, we didn't get very far before coming across sign advising that the road was suitable for "high clearance 4WDs". Figuring that I had already taken a hire car further than I should have, we headed back the way we came to Yandina.

We immediately headed back into the hills, this time going up to Wappa Falls and Wappa Dam. Unfortunately for the falls, the dam was doing its job far to well and only the smallest trickle was flowing. Still, there were some great swimming holes for the locals and they were being well used. We continued on through the forest roads until we came to the edge of Nambour where we turned again for the hills, this time Mapleton. There was no relief from the heat even up in the Hinterland so we only stopped in Mapleton long enough for lunch...mmm, raspberry and custard tart!

Looking back towards Noosa from a lookout on the way to Mapleton

Lunch at Mapleton

 Being too hot to even take a walk in the bush, we chose to keep driving around. We left Mapleton on the Obi Obi Road, stopping briefly at Mapleton Falls National Park. Because it has been so dry, the falls here were also a non-existent trickle. Continuing on towards Obi Obi, we came across a marvelous piece of road construction where it dropped over the edge into the valley below. The road became divided with the down direction becoming gravel and going one side of a hill while the up direction went the other side on a 10% gradient.

The view from the top of the Mapleton Falls

No Go Zone? Are you sure?

From the bottom of the hill we followed the Obi Obi Creek to where it joined the Mary River at Kenilworth. After quickly eating ice creams that were melting before our eyes, we started back towards Noosa Heads...the longish way. We headed out along the Mary Valley Road until we had got about halfway to Gympie. Then we turned towards the coast, passing through Traveston and Cooran where we took another detour along another mountain road to a lookout with some rather spectacular views.

It was now rather late in the day so we went back to the Resort where those of us who weren't too pink went for a swim in the pool.