Who knew Australia has so much rainforest? 🌴

Brisbane didn't let us down! We found, like a lot of Australia's cities, there is a wonderful lagoon you can swim in with plenty of free showers available too. We were straight there having a dip and a good wash. We've done well really, I think this is the first time whilst being in the van I've started to worry about when we'd next shower. We had very good first impressions of Brisbane, the river running through the middle and the cool South Bank area gave us good vibes. We had a chilled couple of hours sat riverside in the sun. 

We had to move the van to where we could park for the night and then walked along the river, which is really nice and easy to do, to Felons Brewery which was somewhere we'd been recommended. Being Easter weekend it was super busy but we manged to get seats with a view. 

As we were feeling fresh and surrounded by people enjoying a friday evening it was lovely change in pace to usual van life, so we continued to treat ourselves with pizza the other side of the city which meant a boat ride! Brisbane has a great boat network called City Cat which is just 50 cent per trip, so about 25p. It's gives great views of the city and is super quick and efficient. 

The next morning we crossed the river by boat again and visited the markets at the City Botanic Gardens. We'd have liked to stay longer in Brisbane but there's so much to see still before being back in Sydney so then we hit the road into Springbrook National Park.

Our first stop was called Natural Bridge, a walking loop including a cavern with a waterfall coming down through the roof, pretty cool. It was full of bent-wing bats, and unfortunately lots of humans as it was Easter Sunday, but we can't complain we were there too! 

We spent the night in a town called Canungra which was a bit of a detour but we've struggled for places to park for free overnight on this stretch. Hence, we headed inland from Brisbane instead of straight to the Gold Coast as they've seemed to have cracked down on people sleeping in vans/cars by issuing fines. We don't want a fine but we also don't want to be anywhere we shouldn't. 

The next day we headed back into Springbrook National Park to a viewpoint called 'Best of All Lookout' which doesn't half get your hopes up. It wasn't bad, you could see right across to the Gold Coast and to the ocean beyond from the 1000 meter high plateau. After we went on a wonderful waterfall walk called the Twin Falls walk which takes you through lushious rainforest and behind two waterfalls, isn't it everyone's wish to be behind a waterfall? We then travelled out to the Gold Coast, we weren't bothered about spending too long there but thought we should at least pop to the beach and have a dip in the sea. 

The next morning we popped to Fingal head where there's a mini Giants Causeway, cooled volcanic rock leaving basalt columns, not something you can see everyday. We then left the coast again for more rainforest! In Nightcap National Park we did a nice long walk called the Minyon Falls walking track which has, you guessed it, a waterfall midway. I'll never get bored of waterfalls, plus this one was the tallest I've ever seen. The walk was a bit tricky with some bits clambering over boulders and a lot of destruction in the wake of Cyclone Alfred, there were some huge trees across the path in some places. As much as we love a long sandy beach, I do think a day clambering through a rainforest leaves us feeling more fulfilled. 

I've been surprised at the amount of rainforest in Australia, I don't think it's what springs to mind when people first think of the country but there are vast areas of this amazing habitat all the way down the east coast. Springbrook and Nightcap National Parks are part of Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area meaning they contains flora and fauna relating back to when the earth just had one big super continent, approximately 500 million to 180 million years ago, a timescale that's hard to even try to get your mind around. This, alongside the history of the Aboriginals we learnt about out at Uluru, just make it ridiculous how so much of Australia's history focuses just on European settlement a mere few 100 years ago. I know I'm not the first person to make this point but it just something I've been thinking about whilst on our trip. 

Another thing is National Parks! Australia has over 600 National Parks and I know the size and geography compared to the UK is just something else so its ridiculous to make comparisons, but they're so serious about National Parks here. Most you can't take your dog in, and if you can it has to been on a lead, and lots have entry fees, some that are quite substantial. I don't really know what my point is, or if I have one but there is just so much wonderful wildlife here and it does seem like they're doing there utmost to protect it. 

Thanks for reading through my rantings! I'll leave it there for now 😊 

Lots of love, 

Lisa and Matt 💕