Cruised out of Arlie for points south and a mysterious national park on the west side of the highway. I liked what I was seeing: lots of big mountains! It took a little while to find the place, but eventually I was set straight by a local shop owner, who told me it was much cooler up there in Eugella National Park. Just what I wanted to hear! After another series of switchback inclines, I found myself up top. My notes said another 600m hike was in order, but when I got to the information centre, I discovered that I actually had three to choose from. The 600m in version was in a nice rainforest area near a creek with a fabled platypus, but I was a bit put off by a giant black snake sunning itself across the road on my way in. I decided to check out the other two campsites down the road. One was not super exciting – along a road next to an old dilapidated one-room schoolhouse – but with quite good facilities (new toilets, covered picnic tables, fresh rainwater, and a BBQ). I decided it was good enough for the night, but was curious about the 3rd site that was 33 km away up a 4WD track. I made it most of the way there but had to turn back when I came across some big logs down over the road, which appeared to have fallen as a result of a bush fire some 6-12 months ago. Oh well, it was a beautiful drive, anyway. I settled back into campsite 2 next to the school and am looking forward to a nice cool night’s sleep for a change. Might mtb down a side road in the morning that looks pretty doable. For the first time, I was actually checked up on by a park official, though it turned out to be a local farmer.<\/p>\n
Drive up to Eugella National Park<\/strong>
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