Voyage into the countryside...

Today we woke up to a fantastic sunny day with the most brilliant clear blue skies!

It was decided that it is perfect weather for photography, so Brett, Katie, Bob and I piled into the car in search of adventure.

We drove a short distance to Yamanto for breakfast of pies and a quick stop for sunscreen.  Then off we went with the wind in our hair.  The drive to Boonah was surprisingly quick, and pleasant. So much beautiful, if not a little dry countryside to see.  No itinerary, no real direction, just where ever the road would take us.

Our first detour down a side road led us to this horse and her massive blue skies above.

We drove around just looking for this to put into the viewfinder.

I love run down, sun baked falling apart buildings, be they sheds, old water tanks or houses.  They have a story to tell of our harsh Australian history.

We had seen some mountain peaks on the drive through to Boonah, and decided to head for those in the hopes of heights and spectacular views.  We never did make it to a lookout, however we did find the views. We went bush walking around Flinder's Plum Picnic Area, and found some pretty little spots.

 This little creek provided entertainment for a while, the boys skipping rocks, while Katie and I aimed for the perfect photo.

 After a few minutes we looked up and around the corner from the car to find two horses standing on the road, looking at us.... wondering what we were all up to playing in their water.

 Brett decided these large kitties must want to be patted, and quickly trotted off to introduce himself to them.

 All animals have an affinity with Brett, they adore him, and these horses were no different, within moments they were old friends.  Bob bravely joined Brett, while Katie and I opted to keep our distance in order to document the proceedings...

We drove to the top of the mountain to the picnic and bush trail area, got out of the car and studied the map. Bob optimistically convinced us it would be an awesome idea to tackle a level 4 hiking trail, even though we had no intention of hiking when we left home, and as such were completely unprepared! So armed with bottles of water, camera's and two people wearing thongs we took off into the trees.  Only to discover a really really steep dirt track, but Bob's enthusiasm knew no bounds, and we all became infected and started ever upwards.  I promptly began to struggle with the degree of up we were travelling, but made it passed the first dirty hurdle... only to be faced with a steeper hill! A quick rest, and huge lungfuls of air we pressed onwards. The second rest stopped provided us with some shade, and beautiful red headed little finches.  Katie got some brilliant shots, while I was too busy thinking about how much oxygen I could get into my body and how quickly!! By the time I settled and decided that indeed Katie was correct the birds would be wonderful pictures they had flown up high into the tree tops.

 We pressed forward faced with more hills and valleys, where we promptly gave up.  We all bravely decided this advanced track would be better tackled on another, more prepared day. It wasn't until we had turned around, trying to decided just how we would managed to get DOWN these steep slopes that I saw this sign! It made me laugh, extreme caution! Warning! haha too steep for horses, yet we had scrambled somehow skyward.

We ambled down, giggling at each other. This time we decided on a track much more suited to our current abilities. The easy amble through the bush. 

 After more stones splashing into water, and many steps of beautiful scenery we were done!
A perfect day, turned into a perfect adventure.  I cannot wait for the next one.