Day 242. Mt Surprise (O'Briens Creek)

TOPAZ - the elusive Gem!

We were surprised that it actually rained last night, as it hasn't rained up here in this part of the country since April. It did cool down for a little while, but unfortunately it didn't rain for long enough as all it really but was make it humid!

Sunrise over Obriens Creek

We woke to the call of the birds - again! There were hundreds of Rainbow Lorikeets, an inquisitive family of Blue-faced Honeyeaters, a brazen group of Apostlebirds, and a number of very naughty Great Bower Birds. All these birds were up at the crack of dawn, and as we opened the door of the van to greet the morning sunshine, they all came down to say 'G'day'. They looked amazing - that is until I looked at my car and saw the amount of bird poo that covered the poor girl! NOT HAPPY JAN!

Fossicking for gems!

After cleaning the car, we loaded it up with water and our fossicking gear and headed off in search of the elusive gem called Topaz. This time we decided to go a little deeper into the scrub, where we tackled some tougher 4wd tracks and found some fossicking area's that were less 'worked' by previous fossickers like ourselves. We must of fossicked for a good 2 hours solid - this time working a number of different sites along both O'Briens Creek and Crystal Creek. We found some small pieces of Topaz - much to Scarlett's delight, but again the heat was getting to much for us so we had to return to our campsite.


TOPAZ



On returning to the van, I noticed we had a deflating rear tyre, so I immediately got to work trying to repair it. I removed the tyre, tightened the valve and re-inflated it. It looked like it did the job, so back on went the tyre and that was that - or so I thought! I also took the opportunity to clean the engine bay, as we have been blowing a 'little bit' of smoke recently. I soon found that I have a broken bolt that holds one of the return hoses onto the exhaust manifold - which in turn led me to finding that a gasket has blown! BUGGER! That must be why my engine bay has black soot all through it, and I think that explains the 'engine warning light' that has been coming on intermittently! There's not much I can do out here about it, so I cleaned it as best I could and prep'd it for the drive towards Cairns - where I hope to find somewhere to get the Pajero looked at.

Hayden and Scarlett feeding the birds!

Exploring the banks of the creek

Meanwhile Scarlett had disappeared playing with Cameron and Hayden - her new friends. They all went bike riding, swimming in the creek, explored it's banks, and followed the cattle that came down to drink. They were having a blast!

Bec spent her time cleaning and scrubbing out the van; before moving outside and trying to relax by reading her magazine under the shade of the trees. She soon attracted a number of birds that came down to investigate what she was up to. She found some scraps to feed them, and before she knew what was happening, she was 'set upon' by hungry and greedy Rainbow Lorikeets! Her squeals were heard by all, and the kids came running! They all wanted in on the fun. They had a ball feeding the birds, and the birds had a great time fighting over the tid-bits of scraps that they were being offered!

Bec was soon back in the van preparing dinner; while I collected some fire wood and started the camp fire. Tonight we were having 'Apricot Chicken' cooked in the camp oven, as its been a while since we cooked on an open fire. It was late afternoon by the time dinner was cooked, but it was delicious! It was certainly worth the wait. Even Scarlett 'inhaled' her dinner and asked for seconds!


We finished the day by sitting around the campfire and watching the sun set. Scarlett, Cameron, and Hayden all broke out the marsh mellows, and enjoyed toasting them on the open fire.