28-Nov-2012 -- The story starts at 43°S 147°E and continues from 27°S 153°E.
The day before confluence day, I started cycling in Maoochydore (150 km south of the CP) and reached the confluence point via Gympie. It was already long after nightfall (9 PM) when I got to the spot - too late to make a proper documentation. So I set up my tent at a distance of 260 m from the confluence. Camping directly at the confluence point was not feasible due to the dense vegetation. Therefore, I went to an area without undergrowth on the other side of the road.
At 4 AM it was dawning already. After having a breakfast of 500 g of Muesli I went over to the exact location, which is in a dense section of shrubs. The vegetation also consists of beautiful grass, pine trees, and banksia.
After the visit, I had to cycle 13 km back to a road that would take me to Maryborough. There, I met Paul, who had built his own invention: a bicycle with two rear derailleurs in order to have a smoother shifting of gears.
CP Visit Details:
- Distance to an asphalt road: 150 m
- Distance to a track: 150 m
- Distance of bicycle parking: 150 m
- Time to reach CP from bicycle parking: 15 minutes
- Time at CP: 5:15 AM
- Measured height: 46 m
- Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
- Position accuracy: 6 m
- Topography: slightly hilly
- Vegetation: pine trees, banksia, shrubs, grass
- Weather: sunny, 24° C (felt temperature)
- Given Name: The Early Banksia Confluence
More pictures of the trip can found at mautz.net.
The story continues at confluence 23°S 148°E.