Hidden deep in Conondale National Park is an interesting egg shaped cairn, designed and constructed by British sculpture artist Andy Goldsworthy. We were keen to check it out and embarked on the circular walk with our 3.5 yr old and 6 month old. The walk was mainly forest walking, perfectly shaded with just the right amount of diversity in terms of hills, steps, winds and log climbs to keep us all interested.
The walk starts and ends at the Booloumba Day Use Carpark near the information sign. To arrive here there are 3 creek crossings so a 4x4 is recommended. We took our time and enjoyed the journey, covering the full 6.5km circuit. Although the walk suggested a completion time of 2.5 hours, we took over 3 and ended with a dip in the river at the Booloumba Creek Day Use area.
We set the scene for the walk prior to leaving by making up an imaginary quest story to find a mystery egg. Our 3.5 yr old drew her own map of what she thought we would encounter on the quest and how we were going to locate the egg. We collected sticks along the route and pretended they were bow and arrows to keep us safe and warn off enemies who may try to stop us in our tracks! She climbed fallen trees crossing our path, swung on strangler fig vines and looked for animal tracks along the way.
Although the walking tracks are easily accessible I would not recommend taking a pram as some parts are narrow and there are quite a few fallen trees to scramble over. We took two lightweight baby carriers for the girls which worked well, particularly for the return journey when Miss F's legs were tired. The creek is beautiful in the afternoon and perfect for a safe paddle for little ones due to the calm, clear water and shallow areas. If you are looking for a manageable nature walk to shake of the cobwebs after self isolation then be sure to visit the Strangler Cairn. Further information can be found at this Weekend Notes review or at Aussie Bushwalking.
