17.01.2023 from Morton NP to Deua NP

After all our morning rituals, which are getting faster and faster, we want to hike in Morton NP. We visit Echo Point, the overgrown view of a mountain, and are tempted to take an easy path to Lovers Point. However, by easy we mean something different. It involves stairs, bare rocks, up and down, and finally reaching the viewpoint. We are glad to be able to walk back on a different path than the one we took.

In the next big town, we do our online shopping and can book a spot in NP Deua for tonight. Surprisingly, it only costs 6 AUD.

The landscape is characterized by meadows and pastures, creeks (which are water flowing streams during the rainy season) that sometimes flood roads, and nice little towns with more or less magnificent farmer houses. We only see kangaroos, wombats, and squirrel-like animals dead on the side of the road, more or less filled with decomposition gases.

Our campsite today is a bit off the beaten path. Unexpectedly, we are the only guests, even though there is a cave with stalagmites and stalactites here. No 100 cars in the parking lot, no guided tours, just us here, all alone. We set off towards the cave, which is only 300 meters away from the parking lot. Armed with flashlights, sturdy shoes, and courage, we have to climb 100 steps to see the rusty entrance gate. The cave is supposed to be one of the most extensive in NSW, but only 150 meters are open for self-guided tours. There is a ladder going downhill, I'm already waving it off, as I'm a scaredy-cat. Frank goes down, he's braver, but he also waves it off. It's steep and not very well-lit, he doesn't need that either.

And so we go back, have a Victoria Bitter (one of the most popular beers here, along with XXXX Bitter) to celebrate our "success," and grill kangaroo patties. Nearby, 4 to 5 kangaroos are grazing. Do they smell the scent of their fellow kangaroos? No idea. We are alone here and make a fire, both to keep away non-existent large animals and to fend off the many little pests around.