Tweed Coast: Cabarita Beach

“The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.” ~ Robert Wyland

It's no secret to my readers that the beach is my "happy place".

Casuarina Beach runs almost due south for 8 km from Cudgen Headland and Creek to the rocks just north of Norries Head, at Cabarita Beach.

The view from Casuarina Beach to Norries Head.

Almost completely encircled by a nature reserve, lake and its beautiful beaches, Cabarita Beach is an unspoiled pocket of paradise on the Tweed Coast.
Cabarita Beach, only 20km south of the QLD border, is one of our favourite destinations on the Tweed Coast. The original name of this charming seaside village was Bogangar, an Aboriginal name, meaning "place of many pippies".

Down on the rocks below Cabarita Hill, just north of Norries Head.

Looking north, all the way to Fingal Head in the distance.

Looking south along Maggies Beach from the Cabarita Foreshore Trail which takes you up to the top of Norries Headland, where there are stunning uninterrupted views to the north and south.

More views south from the top of Norries Headland.

Looking south along Maggies Beach; the rocks below are called "Razor Back" and the headland in the distance is Hastings Point.

Looking down on Norries Cove, immediately south of Cabarita Beach. The 200 m long beach is tucked in between Norries Head and the rocks and bluff that separates it from Cabarita Beach. This is an unusual beach, in that it varies tremendously in size and shape depending on the pulses of sand (sand waves) moving around Norries Head.

Facing west, we watched the sunset, just the two of us. While it wasn't one of the most stunning sunsets I have witnessed, it was certainly serene.
I am always in awe of God's special way of "announcing" the end of the day!

I've been suffering severe withdrawals from our regular weekend beach trips (usually every 1-2 weeks) due to some surgeries and a prolonged hospital stay during the last 6 months.

I'd give anything to walk along the sand by the waters edge. I do hope I can head down to the beach this weekend...

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Wild Bird Wednesday: Forest Kingfisher

The Forest Kingfisher has a dark royal blue head with pale turquoise on the back.There is a large white spot over the bill. The underparts are white.The male has a white collar which the female lacks. In flight there is a prominent white wing patch.
There is a broad black eyestrip extending from the bill to the eye coverts. The tail is royal blue above and below is black to dusky grey. The long, straight bill is black and the lower mandible ('jaw'), which is long and upturned, has a pinkish contrasting strip along the bottom. The eyes are dark brown. The legs and feet are dark brown or dark grey.The eastern race incinctus has a greener back with a smaller white wingspot.

The Forest Kingfisher is essentially a tropical and subtropical kingfisher. I spotted this one on power lines above a narrow country road in the New South Wales Tweed Valley.

The Forest Kingfisher is also known as Macleay's, Blue or Bush Kingfisher.

(**Information from Birds In Backyards**)


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Rural Skies

I love some of the rural areas of Brisbane and surrounds. While doing an image clean up, I discovered some old images from 2012.

Cedar Grove is basically on the border of Logan Shire and the Scenic Rim... The mountains in the background are part of the mountain range known as the Scenic Rim. This area is rich in farming and beautiful landscapes. It is probably one of my favourite areas, other than the beach.

I love lone trees!

The cloud formations in the sky were fabulous!

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The Master Painter

"Write on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am grateful for this day!

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The Northern Rivers Rail Trail (Part 1)

Late last year, my husband and I had a 5 day break at Cabarita Beach on the Northern NSW Coast. We had a few days around the beach area planned and a couple of days inland.

I had completed extensive research on the historical, but unused & deteriorating, "Northern Rivers Rail Trail" which includes 132 km of rail line, tunnels, timber bridges and truss bridges between Murwillumbah and Casino. The current vision is to preserve most of the rail line, and repair the tunnels and bridges that haven't deteriorated beyond repair, in order to convert it into a modern cycling and walking trail through some of the region's most spectacular landscapes.

My plan had been to explore as much of the rail line, including tunnels and bridges, in a 50 km radius over a couple of days. However, my car broke down after the first day of exploring so we had limited time. We will definitely go back to explore more!

This is the Mooball rail bridge, high over Crabbes Road and the nearby creek.
From above...

And below...

The old Stokers Siding station house is currently being used as a post office.

This truss bridge was extremely well hidden; discovered after extensive research via Google Maps.

We will be back for more exploring of this historical area between beach visits over the summer.

I do hope that The Northern Rivers Rail Trail gets the go ahead and funding. It is not just about a walking & cycling track; it’s about eco-tourism and host communities, festivals and events, employment, and workplace training, mental and physical health, equity for the disabled, habitat and wildlife corridors and most importantly, future legacies. It would showcase the natural environment and beautiful lifestyle of the area to the world.

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Last Day of Spring

"Spring, when the earth tilts closer to the sun, runs a strict timetable of flowers."
~ Alice Oswald

It's the last day of Spring here. Although, our Spring has been much more like Summer with high temperatures, high humidity, and afternoon storms...

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