Time in Warwick can be well spent on the Condamine River Walk. Although there is a bit of a chill in the air the day we are here the sky is cloudless. A great day for a leisurely stroll. We begin at Federation Park where information boards along the path tell some of the town's history.
Some of the beautiful scenery along the River Walk (Photo copyright Gayle Beveridge)
is a tributary of the Darling River. A sign declares this to be the start of the longest river system in Australia. The Murray-Darling Basin system is 3,375kms in length.
Statue of Tiddalik, of Aboriginal Legend, in Federation Park (Photo copyright Gayle Beveridge)
There is a large granite sculpture of
Tiddalik, the frog who according to Aboriginal Legend swallowed all the water causing a drought until the other animals made him laugh and the water came rushing back out of his mouth.
Muggil, an Aboriginal icon for the present day water dragons of the Condamine River (Photo copyright Gayle Beveridge)
Nearby is a statue of Muggil, the Aboriginal icon for water dragons in the Condamine. This one appears to be carved from sandstone. A plaque tells us Muggil is an ancestral animal of the Githabul people whose juvenile presence is a symbol of creation and the Dreamtime.
Some of the path is shaded (Photo copyright Gayle Beveridge)
At intervals along the path is an assortment of exercise equipment; stretching bars, steps, a small rock climbing wall, a rope climb, and many others. Warwick residents need not go the expense of joining a gymnasium.
Exercise equipment can be found along the path (Photo copyright Gayle Beveridge)
For a while the path leaves the riverside and passes under a rail bridge, beside a ploughed paddock. There are gum trees along the path and here we see a variety of birdlife; starlings, crested pigeons, apostle birds, black-faced cuckoo shrikes, rainbow lorikeets, magpies, ducks, and red-rumped parrots. At the end of the path is what looks like a very small weir where a white egret and a heron wait patiently for a catch. The River Walk is popular among bird watchers and although we don't see them on our walk visitors should also keep an eye out for cormorants, darters, kingfishers and the occasional pelican.
An egret and a heron fishing in the river (Photo copyright Gayle Beveridge)
This paved, wheel-chair accessible, walking track was created as part of the Government's GFC Stimulus Package and it is pleasing to see it so well used. We pass people walking their dogs, joggers, power walkers, and fishermen. All this in the middle of a work day. Further along in Queens Park a skate bowl is well patronised. There is the occasional park bench and plenty of picnic tables with seats, some covered, along the path.
A rail bridge along the path (Photo copyright Gayle Beveridge)
A tall sign at the riverside makes out the historic flood levels like a child's growth chart. The record level in February 1976 reached about 9.1 metres and forced more than a thousand people to leave their homes. The height of the sign emphasizes the gravity of the event. Today the river is calm enough to reflect the trees on its banks.
Flood levels in Warwick, Qld - glad we weren't here in 1976 (Photo copyright Gayle Beveridge)
In all the River Walk is an easy flat walk of 2.5kms and is only one of five
fitness walks offered in Warwick. There is free parking at the entrance to Federation Parkland near the Skate Bowl in Queens Park. Federation Park, Corner of Victoria Street and Albion Street (The Cunningham Highway), Warwick. Warwick is 2 hours from Brisbane along the Cunningham Hwy or 1.5 hours from Toowoomba along the New England Hwy. There are public toilets at Rotary Park and neat the Skate Bowl at Queens Park. Information about the walk can be obtained from the Visitor Information Centre at 72 Palmerin St, Warwick or by ringing them on (07) 4661 3122.
