Jaysee Park, Mundubbera (The Black Stump), QLD.

This rest area is listed as Mundubbera Jaysee Park on Wiki Camps and as Black Stump Rest Area in my Camps 7. I can understand why people refer to it as The Black Stump. 

This is just a rest area on the side of a busy road but it's worth stopping by to see the Bimble Box Tree, commonly known as a Knobby Tree for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, the one here is in poor condition. We did see a much healthier specimen growing on the side of the road but it was not worth the risk of pulling up with a van on the back to have a closer look. Keep an eye out for it on the way to Gayndah, about 4.5 km from this park on the left hand side. 

Bimble Box Tree / Knobby Tree / Poplar Box Eucalyptus populnea

Artwork at the entrance to Jaysee Park

Details for Jaycee Park, Mundubbera:
Where: On the Burnett Highway about 2.5 km north-east of Mundubbera.
Camping: 20 hour rest area.
Facilities: Toilets, pets, water, picnic tables, phone, TV and WiFi reception, information signs, play ground,views. No longer has showers.
Of interest: The Bimble Box Tree.
Cautions: $5,500 fine for staying longer than 20 hours in every four week period.
Nearby National Park: Auburn River National Park, 41 km.

Mount Walsh National Park, QLD.

Mount Walsh National Park has three different entry points. Coongarra Rocks is accessible by 4WD, the Waterfall Creek section is remote and can become inaccessible even by 4WD in the wet and the Mount Walsh Day Use Area which is accessed by a short 2WD dirt road.

It is well worth a drive to the Mount Walsh Day Use Area. There are beautiful views of Mount Walsh on the drive in.

The Bluff Walking Track, otherwise referred to as the Summit Walk leaves from the Day Use Area. Starting out as a Class 4 walk it quickly becomes a Class 5 walk. Good fitness is required as this is a tough steep walk. We slogged up and up for a long time but we did not make it all the way. There is little shade on this walk and we made the mistake of attempting it in the middle of the day. We were rewarded with great views over the surrounding countryside. We climbed high enough to observe Peregrine Falcons dart past and Wedge-tailed Eagles glide by. 

Looking towards Biggenden from Mount Walsh

The day use area is a nice spot for a picnic. We saw quite a few birds as we recovered from the walk.

White-throated Honeyeater

This Mistletoebird seemed reluctant to show his face.

Bird List: Black Kite, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Crested Pigeon, Laughing Kookaburra, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Noisy Miner, White-throated Honeyeater, Rufous Whistler, Golden Whistler, Grey Fantail, White-winged Chough, Mistletoebird.

Details for the Mount Walsh Day Use Section of Mount Walsh National Park:
Where: 84 km west of Maryborough, QLD. Turn off the Maryborough-Biggenden Road 2 km east of Biggenden, travel along a good 2WD dirt road for 5.3 km.
Facilities: Toilets, cold showers, tank water, sheltered picnic tables, parking area, walk access.
Cautions: The Bluff Walk requires a high level of fitness.
Camping: Remote walk-in bush camping is permitted in Mount Walsh National Park with a permit.

Ban Ban Springs, Queensland.

One of the things we have learned is that when you are on a roadtrip for any length of time camp fees add up! $12 - $25 a night seems cheap when you only go camping for a few nights a year on holiday but when you pay night after night it can have a serious impact on your budget. One way to get around this is to spend some nights in the many free camps scattered throughout Australia. Free camps vary enormously from something suitable for an overnight rest stop on a long trip to camping areas worthy of being a bucket list destination. We often drop into free camps to take a break on our travelling days and I usually take a few photos so I have decided to add posts about the free camps we see on our National Park Odyssey in the hope that this information will help encourage more people to get out there and see this wonderful country of ours; even if they are on a tight budget. I will label all the free camp posts so that our readers can find them on the right hand side of my blogs by clicking on Free Camp.

The northern half of Ban Ban Springs Rest Area.

The rest area at Ban Ban Springs is on the side of the road just south of the junction of the Burnett and Isis Highways: 28 km south of Gayndah and 37 km west of Biggenden. These are busy highways with continuous traffic noise. Overnight camping is allowed in this large rest area for up to 20 hours. Toilets, bins and picnic tables are available. There is a service station nearby and a seasonal produce stall on the other side of the road. There is a separate truck rest area to the south of the public rest area.

There are permanent springs at Ban Ban Springs that are sacred to the Wakka Wakka people. In 2005, the springs became the first place in Queensland to be formally registered as an Aboriginal Heritage Place on the Queensland Aboriginal Heritage Register. 

On our trip in July we stopped for about 15 minutes and saw quite a few birds. Blue-faced Honeyeaters mobbed our picnic table and a large group of squabbling Apostlebirds arrived. Other birds we saw were: Grey-crowned Babblers, Magpies, Striated Pardalotes and Red-backed Fairy Wrens.

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Apostlebird

Details for Ban Ban Springs Rest Area, QLD:
Near the junction of the Burnett and Isis Highways: 28 km south of Gaynder.
Nearest National Park: Coalstaun Lakes National Park, 18 km.
20 hour rest stop. Free.
Types of camping: caravans, motor homes and large rigs. 
Pets allowed.
Facilities: toilets, sheltered picnic tables, bins, wood BBQ's (BYO wood), turning circle. 
Of interest: Aboriginal history, permanent springs. Service station. Produce stall.
Cautions: Close to highway. Road noise.