The edge of the world
The other day we took a drive up into the Border Range mountains that separate New South Wales from Queensland and finally found the drive we had read about but was not easily mapped. This is a strange phenomenon of Australia, they talk about places but neglect to tell you how to get there. So, we took a long and round about way but we found the Tweed Range Scenic Drive and enjoyed it immensely.
Happily, we have 4wd and used it on more than one occasion on the drive. The road is gravel and after the huge storm of the previous day, the road was a bit rough, to say the least. It was well worth the effort as I hope the images demonstrate. Basically, the drive is along the rim of an ancient volcano rim and the road is not for the faint-hearted. The distant peak is all that is left of the center of the volcano and the rim extends in an arc about fifteen miles from the center. It must have been a huge one with a diameter of 30 miles.
The last image is of the morning of the storm, referenced above. It made the national news as there was a tornado which started out as a waterspout and then came ashore and did quite a bit of damage to the town just south of us. They get plenty of waterspouts, but this was the first one that had come ashore in memory. Of course, it headed right for a caravan park, which is the Aussie version of a campground and trailer park, and it tumbled the campers and trailers like they were toys. The biggest miracle was that no one was killed or seriously injured (unlike the twisters that just hit Ohio) and that a couple in a tent lived through it as the tornado literally hopped over their tent. Wild.
Other that that, we've been enjoying the sunshine like crazy when we get it (not today) and hope the thunderstorms back in New England haven't impacted any of you in any significant way.
Steve
The Mount Warning Caldera
A view from the roadside
Storm Morning
No comments:
Post a Comment