Bunya Mountains National Park, QLD. Part 2.

Camping at Bunya Mountains National Park, QLD. Part 2.

We enjoyed camping at Burtons Well Campground in Bunya Mountains National Park last September so much that we returned in the Christmas holidays and again in September 2014.

Burtons Well Campground at Christmas:
We set up our tent in the same beautiful spot.This time the Superb Fairy-wrens were enjoying the hardened grass tree (Xanthorrhoea) spikes and foraging in the grass.

Superb Fairy-wrens, male and female

Superb Fairy-wren, male

The Crimson Rosellas foraged in the grass around the campground and retired to a nearby tree in the evening.

Crimson Rosella

As they did last September,Topknot Pigeons came for a visit in the fading light of the afternoon.

Topknot Pigeon

It was colder at night on this trip than it had been in September so remember to pack warm clothes no matter the time of year if you are going to Bunya Mountains. Some of the other campers were not prepared for the cold so they drove all the way to Kingaroy and back just to buy nice thick jackets.

Burtons Well Campground September 2014:

We have just returned from out third camping trip at Burtons Well Campground. This time we didn’t set up in the same spot because it was very windy. The sheltered area, closer to the amenities was already taken so we tried to tuck in a little further up the slope. Every morning the campground was covered in mist.

Camping at Burtons Well, Bunya National Park

Morning Mist at Burtons Well Campground

A Golden Whistler greeted us with its beautiful song as we set up our tent.

Golden Whistler

White-browed Scrubwrens, Red-browed Finches, Eastern Yellow Robins, Lewin's Honeyeaters, Grey Shrike-thrush and Satin Bowerbirds are frequent visitors to the campground.

White-browed Scrubwren

Red-browed Finch

Eastern Yellow Robin

Lewin's Honeyeater

Grey Shrike-thrush, immature

Satin Bowerbird, male

Satin Bowerbird, female

We moved our tent to the sheltered area when it became available as the wind was relentless.

Sheltered Camping Spot at Burtons Well

We were thrilled to see an immature male Regent Bowerbird feeding on a grass tree spike and eating berries alongside our new camping spot. Male Regent Bowerbirds eyes and beak become yellow in the second year and they molt into mature plumage when they are four years old.

Regent Bowerbird, immature male

We cut our camping trip short by a day because TOH (The Other Half) had an allergic reaction when he was bitten on the face by a tick. The swelling was so bad that his eyes were closing over so we decided to pack up and seek medical assistance in Yarraman. Ticks are bad at Bunya Mountains so take repellent and check for them regularly. On the bright side, we packed up before severe storms came through the next day.

There are a number of excellent walks in and around Bunya Mountains National Park which we will cover in our next blog.

Bunya Mountains National Park, QLD. Part 1.

Camping at Bunya Mountains National Park, QLD. Part A.

Bunya Mountains National Park is one of our favourite national parks. It is about three and a half hours drive north-west of Brisbane. All the access roads are steep, windy and narrow. The Department of Transport advises that all access roads are unsuitable for long and/or heavy vehicles. Therefore, many people leave their caravans at nearby towns such as Dalby, Maidenwell or Cooyar when they visit the Bunya Mountains. There is plenty of private holiday rental accommodation available at Bunya Mountains suiting most budgets. There are three national park campgrounds: Dandabah, Westcott and Burtons Well. Camping permits are required and need to be booked online or by phone.

Bunya Tree, Sculpture and Shop near the Dandabah Day Use Area

Dandabah is the only campground at Bunya Mountains National Park with vehicle access onto the open grassy camping area. It is next to the Parks Office and close to a restaurant, general store, public phone and walking tracks. There are flushing toilets, non-potable water, hot showers, bins and coin-operated BBQ’s. Pets, fires and generators are not permitted. We couldn't get phone reception here.

Dandabah Campground

Westcott Camping Area is 4.2 km north-west of Dandabah. It is a small, tent only campsite. There is a parking area which is only suitable for cars and 4WD’s. There are pit toilets, picnic tables, non-potable water and fireplaces. No pets or generators are allowed. There are no showers or bins. The campground adjoins a large day use area. Scrub Wrens were flitting about the day use area when we visited.

Westcott Day Use Area

The Koondaii Circuit, the Westcott to Cherry Pain walk and the Paradise to Westcott walk all start or finish at Westcott. More information about the walks will be in a following blog.

Burtons Well Camping Area is 8.5 km north-west of Dandabah. It is a tent only campground where the parking area and the camping area are separated by bollards. It is a large grassy area, some of which is gently sloped. There is non-potable water, pit toilets, lots of wooden picnic tables, fireplaces, firewood supplied and a donkey shower. Please refer to one of our previous blogs if you are unfamiliar with donkey showers:

http://nationalparkodyssey.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/how-to-use-donkey-shower.html

We had excellent Telstra phone reception here. It is close to the trailhead of the Mt Kiangarow Track and the Cherry Plain to Burtons Well walk. There is an adjoining day use area with a picnic shelter. Pets and generators are not permitted. There are no bins but you can place rubbish in the industrial bins on Bunya Avenue near Dandabah.

Burtons Well Facilities: Woodpile, Shower Block and Toilet Block

There was an interesting birds nest in the shrub near the donkey shower.

Birds Nest at Burtons Well Campground

Our Idyllic Campsite at Burtons Well last September

On arrival, we were surprised to find that there were no Bunya Trees to be seen. Instead, Grass trees Xanthorrhoea, hundreds of years old, are a stunning feature of the Burtons Well campground. Bunya Trees are abundant in other areas of the national park.

Grass Trees, Xanthorrhoea, at Burtons Well

The view to the east from our tent was ever changing and always beautiful. Just on dark, for a magical 45 minutes, fireflies lit up the night zooming backwards and forwards. Later we had a great view out to the lights of Tarong Power Station. The sunrises were spectacular.

Sunrise at Burtons Well Campground

Last September was a really special time to visit because during the winter the indigenous ranger had burnt the grass trees and this caused them to flower profusely which in turn attracted a huge quantity and variety of birds and butterflies.

Orchard Swallowtail, male

The most common birds feeding on the grass tree spike flowers were Eastern Spinebills, Silvereyes and Lewin's Honeyeaters. We were thrilled to see a female Paradise Riflebird come down to feed.

Paradise Riflebird, female

Even the possums couldn’t resist coming out at night to sample the reputed aphrodisiac qualities of the grass tree spikes in flower.

Bushtail Possum, Burtons Well

Lots of birds were grazing on the grass as well: Crimson Rosellas, Superb Fairy-wrens, Red-browed Finches and White-browed Scrubwrens.

Superb Fairy-wrens

Eastern Yellow Robins were frequent visitors to the campground. Topknot Pigeons, with their strangely shaped heads, visited the taller trees in the late afternoon.

Topknot Pigeon

Female and adolescent Satin Bowerbirds were present in large numbers. Cheeky male Satin Bowerbirds were quick to inspect our camping gear when our backs were turned.

Satin Bowerbird, male

One of the highlights of our stay was seeing a magnificent male Regent Bowerbird fly across the road one afternoon; its bright yellow bands catching the light of the setting sun.

Unfortunately, we didn’t realise until we returned home that the new lens protector that we had purchased was faulty and all our photos taken with that lens had a blurry double image, making many of our photos not up to scratch for this blog.

We had such a wonderful time camping at the Burtons Well Campground last September that we came back at Christmas and again this September. Please see our next blog, Camping at Bunya Mountains National Park QLD, Part 2. Which will in turn be followed by Bunya Mountains National Park Walks.

How to Use a Donkey Shower

On our latest camping trip we encountered donkey showers at Bunya Mountains National Park and Crows Nest National Park. We love using donkey showers, especially after a long walk, but were surprised that even quite experienced campers weren’t using them because they were unsure how they work.

At the Burtons Well Campground in Bunya Mountains National Park the donkey shower sits between a large woodpile and a two roomed uni-sex shower block. The woodpile is kept stocked by the Park Rangers and a large plastic container with a handle is provided to carry the water to the shower rooms.

Donkey Shower at Burtons Well Campground, Bunya Mountains National Park

In Crows Nest National Park the donkey shower is outside the amenities block. Here there is a shower room in the ladies end of the block and another shower room in the men’s end. The ranger had left some timber next to the donkey shower but most of it had been taken by campers to light their camp fires. Here you need to bring your own bucket to transport the hot water to the shower rooms.

Donkey Shower at Crows Nest National Park

To get started, ensure that the tank is full of water. Light a fire directly underneath the black tank of the donkey shower. The time it takes to get the water suitably hot varies depending on how cold the weather is and when the shower was last heated. If it is cold it could take up to 60 minutes to heat the water. A hot donkey shower will provide plenty of water for quite a few showers. It is not necessary to bring the water to a complete boil.

When the water in the large black tank is hot you let cold water in one end. At Crows Nest you turn the red lever to add cold water to the tank.

Turn the Red Lever to Add Cold Water to the Tank

Letting cold water into the tank forces hot water out the other end.

Place Your Bucket Here to Catch the Hot Water

Warning: the water can be boiling hot.

You can add cold water to your bucket to get the water to the desired temperature or you can add hot and cold water to the canvas bag in the shower room.

Lower the canvas shower bag to make it easier to add water.

The Canvas Shower Bag in the Lowered Position

Before adding water to the canvas bag in the shower room check that the nozzle is closed. At Bunya Mountains the nozzle was opened and closed with a lever and at Crows Nest (pictured) the nozzle was screwed up and down to open and close.

Screw the Nozzle Up or Down to Open and Close

To lift the bag into the showering position, untie the rope at the cleat and retie the rope when the bag is at a suitable height just above the person showering. The canvas bag can contain a lot of water and can get very heavy. It is easier to haul the bag into the showering position if it is only half to three quarters full.

Shower Bag in Position

There is a V-cleat in the above photo which can be used to lock the rope.I also find it best to tie the rope off in a figure eight on the lower horn cleat so that the rope does not slip under the weight of the water bag.

Tie the Rope Off to Stop the Shower Bag Dropping

To shower simply open the nozzle while you are standing underneath the bag. When you are finished, please close the nozzle so that water doesn't start pouring out when the next person uses it.

Next time you see a donkey shower give it a try and I’m sure you will enjoy it.

Warning: please supervise children at all times around a donkey shower. Even after the fire has gone out the tank and the water can still be very hot.