BOULDER CREEK at CALEN QLD (Part 1)

  Turning west off the Bruce Hwy at the "blink and miss" township of Calen we travelled on a wet dirt road through cane fields to a little free camp at Boulder Creek. A grassy area beside the most beautiful and wild creek complete with rapids and crystal clear water that suggested this would be a pleasant stay indeed.
  Populated with about 8 groups, our entry meant the site was now at capacity. Our fellow "Grey Nomad" member John was easy to find as he excitedly greeted us on arrival. John is well known to Billy and Jules and although I had conversed with him online, we had not previously met. It didn't take longer to discover that this was a very friendly place, all the current residents had been here at least for a few days and an obviously healthy camaraderie had developed. I knew that we would fit in just fine. Apart from John there were two young families with children up to early teen, four female and one male, French backpackers, a similar young German couple, and an old bloke and his wife in a Bus. A large log smoldered in the centre of the camp suggested that nightly get together were the norm. True to form we joined in that night and by bedtime we had melted seamlessly into the group as if we too had been there for ages. Every individual had something different to contribute to this temporary friendship making this arguably the best Free Camp that I had stayed at to date as far as compatibility of residents is concerned. We stayed here for four nights and had great fun especially on the night of the Rugby League "State of Origin" match which we all watched together outside on TV. Since half the Aussies were from Qld and the other from NSW you can imagine the rivalry. Oh and the backpackers, who had never seen a game, sat on the fence and supported both teams, to be diplomatic.
  I discovered from the others that the site was private property and part of the nearby Sugar Cane farm. The Camp originated during the 1930's depression when itinerant workers and their families settled here in tents to help build the local Bridges and undoubtedly to work in the Cane Fields. For the whole time I was here I imagined what it like to be here then. Interestingly, the narrow road that you see in some of the pictures was at that time the Bruce Hwy and the main route from Brisbane to Northern Qld, amazing. The farm has been under the ownership same family for generations and fortunately the current Farmer has decided to continue the tradition and allow free Camping on his land. A nice old bloke he called in on most days to make sure that we were all OK and to maintain the flushing Toilet, a rare luxury out here.
 A walk along the Creek alone, through the bush and Sugar Cane was a wonderful experience. Just me and the crystal clear water playing an almost symphonic tune as it cascaded over the boulders that give the creek it's name. I took many photos in fact too many for one post hence there are more to view in Part 2, the next post.
(Click on a Picture to Enlarge)

Join me for a look around the Camp and a walk along the Creek

.