Girraween

Last week we went to to Girraween.  Girraween is a national park covered in 29,157 acres (11,800 hectares) of giant granite outcroppings and eucalyptus forests.  Girraween did not start out as one big park.  In 1930 a small area called Bald Rock Creek was declared a national park.  In 1932, Castle Rock national park was established.  In 1966, Napier Gunn (not related to me) gave the 54 hectares that separated the the two parks to the government and it became Girraween National Park.  Girraween is an Aboriginal word that  means "place of flowers".

We went camping at Castle Rock campground.  The bus had a safari kitchen (a kitchen in a trailer), which was great because we could have hot, fresh meals like steak and corned beef.  All the water we drank came from the stream and it was yellow because of the tannins from the leaves.

On the second day, we hiked 2.6 km up Castle Rock.  We went up a steep slope to get to the top.  On the third day we hiked up the Pyramid.  It was a 31 degree angle up 200 meters of exposed rock.  The hike was really steep up to the top but it was worth it because you got a 360 degree view of Girraween.

Girraween has hundreds of Eastern Gray kangaroos running all over the place.  Before it was a national park, Girraween was mostly farm land so when it became part of the park it grew into giant fields of grass, perfect for kangaroos.

kangaroo

our tents

students on rock

swimming hole

me and Clio on rocks

me running up rock

face rock

Pyramid

looking up pyraimd

don't look down

the angle of the pyraimd

from the top of the pyraimd

bald rock creek

kangaroos in field 

joey 

safari kicten

cook