This year Easter Monday coincides with Anzac Day, hence we get the Tuesday off as well. A five-day weekend! Awesome. So we’re making the most of it.

First of all we had a look at Daisy Hill and the Koala Coast. The area is a 20-min drive away and boasts mountain bike trails and, of course, koalas. It was a changeable autumn day with the occasional shower (I mean, downpour). We did some exploring together, running into several kangaroos on the way. Then the Mad Mountain Biker wanted some hills to climb. I put away my bike, grabbed my camera, and went in search of koalas meanwhile.

They weren’t very hard to find — an open enclosure that every self-respecting koala could easily get out of held two of them, one exploring its climbing tree and the other doing what koalas generally do in the middle of the day: Snooze.  A sleeping koala is an excellent subject for a prime lens.

Technically, there were supposed to be koalas elsewhere around, too, but I didn’t see any. One of the walking trails provided more subjects for artistic interpretation. Then the heavens opened and I ran for the car, mostly to make sure my camera didn’t get wet. The Cyclist had the same idea and we found each other at the car, though I first thought a Mud Monster had designs on our car. A good time was had by all, especially people who like getting very muddy.

For variety, the next day we went west over the Great Dividing Range. All the way over the mountains, stopping at three lookouts: McAfee’s Lookout, Camp Mountain Lookout and Jolly’s Lookout. The views were awesome — see pictures at the end. On the other side of the mountains, Lake Wivenhoe, South-East Queensland’s biggest water catchment and flood prevention area. It’s currently only about 80% full since they keep releasing water, fearing another flood. Apparently everyone has already forgotten about the previous 7-year drought…

Today we returned to Daisy Hill and found a single-track that even I could (mostly) do (the occasional bit of pushing doesn’t count!). It’s a lovely area with many trails for walking, cycling or horse-riding, and we’re looking forward to returning often.

I know you all read this blog only for the piccies, so here you go! Happy Easter, everyone.