Day 5 – Highfields & Crows Nest

With such an exciting day yesterday, we surely can’t be blamed for getting off to a slower start today. Mid-morning I took a short stroll to the Tourist Info Centre, and adjoining park, to gather some ideas for something nice and relaxing to do today. The lady there was super friendly and helpful. After filling my arms with brochures and maps, we were chatting and I mentioned that my mum’s childhood home had been moved into Stanthorpe to be a B&B (yes, it was a very random chat that this specific anecdote came up). She exclaimed with delight and said, “I’ve stayed there! They told us how it had been moved from a property. How amazing!” Such a small world.

Anyway, we headed off to the Central Shopping area where Gaz was keen to buy a shirt as he had forgotten to pack a short sleeve ‘going out’ shirt. While he was in the shops, I poured over the brochures and devised a plan for the day. We headed north of Toowoomba to what is known as the High Country. I had chosen for our first stop, and lunch, a place called Chocolate Cottage, Highfields. With a name like that how could we go wrong? It was in a beautiful village green type setting, sort of near the edge of the escarpment, so had lovely views. We shared a very yummy gourmet sandwich and lemon meringue pie.

Luckily there were some clothes shops as part of the complex and I was able to snag a bargain while Gaz enjoyed the sunshine on the village green. It was a particularly pleasant day weather wise with mainly sunshine and a light breeze – perfect. We couldn’t leave without purchasing some chocolates, so they have been put aside for perhaps a special treat with the others … might need to be soon, before they melt!

After that lovely stop, we kept going up the highway and about 20km on came to the town of Crows Nest where we stopped for a stroll in the park, Gaz tried out a bench, and then we drove around the town to get a feel. Very impressed. There was also a nice photographic opportunity on the way back at Mount Kynoch Lookout to briefly stop and enjoy the view. I should mention how friendly everyone has been – I have had lots of lovely conversations with people serving in shops, other random people, and just generally everyone we come upon. I nicked into Aldi on the way home and the lady in front of me in the line insisted I go ahead of her as I only had 3 items. So nice!

Gaz decided to take the car to the car wash when we got back. This could be a move we live to regret. As the machine was going over the car it collapsed on the bonnet and seems to have stuffed up the wipers. Gaz rang the number posted there to get some assistance and the guy is in Brisbane and offering no help. Kev came over to have a look, but it was too dark to do too much so we will re-convene in the morning for Kev to try to wield his magic. Fingers crossed because the wipers are a pretty important part of cars apparently and we might not be able to leave without them being in working order … and we are due to leave tomorrow. Did I mention it’s a long weekend in Qld? Yeah, the car wash guy knows that – that’s why he’s in Brisbane!

OK, enough about that. Kev and Maz picked us up to meet some of the others for dinner. We had trouble finding the pub and walked around the block only to find it was 20m from where we parked but we had walked the wrong way – it was turning into one of those days. Then Gaz tried to order a XXXX but they didn’t have any (did no one tell them they are in Qld?), then the pork dumplings were too spicy so he ended up drinking Tia Maria and milk (apparently last imbibed by him sometime in the mid-70s) to take the spice off his lips, then Parra got thrashed, … then … well, you get the picture.

Put all your prayers and good thoughts out into the universe tonight that we can fix the car in the morning … because otherwise it could get ugly lol.

Day 4 – The Wedding

 Today was all about the marriage of Jordan Priest, daughter of the infamous Kev & Maz, to Angus McAlpine of Eureka Stud, Cambooya, located about 20km outside Toowoomba. Although we had originally planned to avail ourselves of the thoughtfully provided buses that were made available to guests travelling from Toowoomba, last night we decided to chance our arm and drive there instead. As we were carrying the precious cargo of Gail, Maz’s sister and Aunt of the Bride, Gaz and I took a lovely country drive in the morning as a ‘reccy’ to make sure we didn’t get lost. There had been tales of GPS mayhem and inconsistencies between ‘Maps’ and ‘Google Maps’ so we were determined to leave nothing to chance.

In the end it was easy to find. I should say at this point that we had been there before, maybe twice even, but this was some years ago and, well, as I said, we were leaving nothing to chance! I can report, however, that Google Maps confidently stated “Arrived!” when we were a good couple of km short of the gate, but this did not phase us and we weren’t fooled by a system clearly designed for crows flying, not Nissan Qashqais battling down dirt roads. Anyway, we detoured via Cambooya township on the way back and that was a lovely drive.

At 2pm sharp Gail, Gaz and I set off for Eureka Horse Stud, arrived 30 minutes later, parked the car in an orderly line in a paddock recently slashed for the purpose, and settled on some haybales thoughtfully positioned for us oldies to witness the nuptials at 3pm. Everything was lovely. The Bride, Groom and all attendants, including flower girl and ring bearer cameos by Kev & Maz’s grandkids, all looked sensational. The rain had held off, the breeze, while a bit fresh, only mainly affected the Bride’s veil which did do a pretty good impression of a sail and I was worried there could be an incident a la The Flying Nun.

Drinks in the beautiful Eureka gardens followed the ceremony and we were able to catch up with the crowd from last night in a more conducive setting for conversation. General merriment was on offer via Moet and Coronas and the time slid by until it was time at 5:30pm to move into the sensationally decorated marquee set up nearby. Can I say at this point, that Jordan’s now sister-in-law, Angus’ brother’s wife, was the event planner and did a fantastic job. Every little thing had been thought out and covered beautifully. At our places we found lovely jars of homemade mint jelly, cooked by the Mother of the Groom, and, we learned later, stickered and labelled by the Aunt and Mother of the Bride.

I can’t share with you at this point too much in the way of photos as there is an embargo on social media posts until after the couple post. As I am not ‘friends’ with either the Bride or Groom, this may pose a small problem, but I feel confident that some scenery shots should be OK.

It was a fabulous event. The meal was fabulous, the wine and bubbles free flowing, the band lively and fun, but the show was stolen, in my humble opinion by Kev’s ‘Father of the Bride’ speech. Don’t get me wrong, Maz also made a speech which was excellent, heartfelt and brought a tear to the eye … but Kev’s speech, how can I even describe it? I should mention up front that the brief was to speak for 4 minutes each, and Maz kept to this timetable almost to the second. Kev, on the other hand was the nightmare that Jane, the event planner had been dreading in the lead up. Look, I didn’t time it, but I’m gonna say it went overtime … by about 26 minutes. I won’t try to replicate the speech itself; suffice it to say that it was themed as a Fairy Tale with a Princess, a King and Queen of the Southern Kingdom and a Prince of the Northern Kingdom. I went through multiple tissues wiping my eyes that streamed because of laughter, nay hilarity. It went over extremely well, and the guests all rose to their feet as one with a chant of “Kev! Kev! Kev!” as he took his seat. The poor Father of the Groom had to follow and managed to do admirably in the face of such a showstopper.

There was dancing, conversation, fun, tramping through calf high grass to access the loos, lots of alcohol and generally everything you would expect at a country wedding. I had a great time on the dance floor. Gaz did not join me there as, (now wait for it), his belt buckle broke, (the one purchased three days ago in Tamworth), and he was worried his pants would fall down if he danced. Now, that is definitely the most inventive of the many excuses he has come up with in 41 years of marriage, so I salute him for that. Apparently, he discarded the belt somewhere down in the paddock so I can only hope that it wasn’t mistaken for a snake sometime later in the night. An uneventful trip down the now very familiar backroads of Cambooya saw us home and in bed soon after midnight having thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience.

Day 3 – Stanthorpe to Toowoomba

With the mooing still ringing in our ears, we were packed and booked out of the motel by 8:30am and headed into town with Stuart in search of breakfast. Gary, upon my instruction, had done extensive research the night before on the most suitable venue and so we were directed to the main street where we were told “oh we don’t have sit down meals during the week and only do take away.” Hmm – no problem, there was another café across the road that welcomed us warmly. Remember the name! Em’s Café. Best poached eggs on toast I’ve had in the last decade. Gaz & Stu also enjoyed their meals.

I had always wanted to see the Stanthorpe Museum and, as we had a spare hour, that’s where we headed after a short stroll around the shops. As advertised on a large sign outside, they have 15 buildings and 20,000 pieces on display. A very impressive array of local and generalised ‘old stuff’, beautifully displayed across some quite impressive buildings. Lots of cries of “I remember those” and “Look at these” rang out over the next 45 minutes as we wandered about. Gaz found a bench after a while and was more than happy.

The main purpose of our stop in Stanthorpe was to finally lay the ashes of Moops (my mum) and Uncle Bob to rest. It was their wish to be together with their parents grave and so I have been liaising for months with a very helpful chap from the council that maintains the cemetery. In the end we opted for an interment of the ashes at the grave site and a couple of plaques installed at the Memorial Garden, not far from there. Gary had insisted that he remembered where the grave was and spent some time aimlessly wandering around before he succumbed and was forced to do what all men hate to do … ask for directions. The previously mentioned chap, Mark, was found and we moved to the site where I said a few prayers and words, we each laid some dirt into the hole where the canisters of ashes were placed, and it was all over in I’d say 10 minutes or less.

It went very well and then the five of us – Clare, Kim, Stuart, Gaz and me – went to inspect the new plaques in the garden which we were also happy with. The only hick up for the whole process was that we all forgot to get flowers! Anyway, next time. It does feel nice that they are both now finally laid to rest where they wanted to be. It was then off to O’Mara’s Hotel where we had a mini wake, just the five of us, and reminisced for a couple of hours.

Stuart headed off with Kim to get a guided tour of the farm (next time for us!) as we had to head off to Toowoomba as we had plans to meet up with friends for dinner tonight. An uneventful trip found us back at the Jolly Swagman Caravan Park where we had stayed a few years ago on another road trip. We unpacked the car only to discover that we didn’t have a wardrobe so Gaz marched off to reception to see if we could be moved. No worries. Thankfully it was only next door so it wasn’t too much of a hassle. Then after a couple of hours to relax it was back in the car and off again for our third meal out today. We had a beautiful meal at Sofra, a middle eastern restaurant in Toowoomba – very nice indeed. We got to meet up with Kev & Maz, our Road Trip buddies, their friends, Wayne & Vicky, who will also be coming along for part of the trip, and some other couples who have been long-term friends – Leon & Cheryl, Dave & Sue, and Mario & Denise. Tomorrow, we’re all off to a wedding!

But … the news of the day seems to be … Longreach, Winton & Blackall are flooded. Biggest rainfall in 83 years. Yep, you guessed it, we’re heading there in less than a week. Stay tuned.

Day 2 – Stanthorpe

 Looking forward to exploring historical Tenterfield, we were up earlyish, packed up our stuff and were heading out around 8:30am to see what we could find. Just around the corner from our digs, we discovered the beautiful Tenterfield Railway Station and Museum. Unfortunately, we were too early for the museum, but I was able to have a wander around the outside. I remember when we were kids Moops used to send a couple of suitcases up on the train prior to our driving to the farm for our annual holidays. Poor Uncle Norm had to drive an hour to Tenterfield Station to pick them up … but I have no qualms with this state of affairs as at least one of those cases always held Christmas presents! I guess a family of five in a sedan, even with the requisite roof racks with flapping tarpaulin, was not big enough to carry all our gear.

We then stopped in town for Gaz to grab a coffee. While he attended to his need for morning caffeine, I wandered down to the nearby river and park to check it out. I also stumbled upon the showgrounds that has a long concrete wall which Gaz had dubbed The Great Wall (eat your heart out China!) the night before when we drove past. After a quick stop at the Information Centre, (where I was assured that Mount Lindsay Road was all sealed), we stopped at the Tenterfield Saddler for a squiz. Made famous by Peter Allen, honouring his grandfather George Woolnough, it was chock full of memorabilia and leather stuff … like saddles. With Peter Allen’s music playing in the background, (and me singing along), we spent a pleasant 30 minutes or so browsing the displays that included an anecdote of how Banjo Patterson had promised his friends in Tenterfield that he would write a song about their daughter, Matilda, as he loved that she played waltzes for him on the piano. Hmm, wonder what that song was. Interestingly, I think he got married in Tenterfield.

Our next odyssey was to set off along the aforementioned Mount Lindsay Road, (it was a highway in my childhood but mainly unsealed), to ultimately arrive at my cousin Clare’s farm at Amosfield about 50 km along the road. I had planned lots of stops along the way and we actually found them all! First up was Thunderbolt’s Hideout where we wandered just into the bush to see the large boulders that sheltered that infamous bushranger who roamed these parts in the 1800s. There was a family story that my Aunty Joy used to tell that an old Aunt of hers was held up by Thunderbolt but somehow got away even though she kept her wooden leg in a drawer. OK, I might be a bit sketchy with the details, but it was an exciting story for a 5 year old to hear.

Next stop was the World War II Tank Traps. Now this was fascinating. This was part of the famed Brisbane Line from WWII where it was decided to only defend a Japanese attack at this line that stretched across the continent from Brisbane. It actually made sense of Moops’ stories from when she was a young child during the war and would have soldiers throw food and sweets from their trucks as they passed and she stood on the Mount Lindsay Highway near her house. Apparently about 10,000 troops were camped in the Tenterfield area to set up this defence and the road was the main highway between Tenterfield and Brisbane. Fascinating.

After a bit of a detour into the Boonoo Boonoo National Park, we returned to the highway, sorry … ‘road’, and continued on until the turn off to Bald Rock National Park. I had walked to the top of this rock in my youth but this time Gaz and I were more than happy to walk to the base and reflect on our feats of the past. So, it was back in the car and off in search of Willsons Downfall bush cemetery where some ancestors are buried. This facility has recently been cleaned up due to a grant and it was fascinating to see the size of the cemetery, in use up until the early 1900s when the area was bustling with many towns, tin mines, gold mines and other activity. There’s nothing there now. Though I should call the lady from the Info Centre and tell her there is still a small unsealed section of about 9 km.

Our next stop was Liston, where we viewed a Cobb & Co Coach built by a local – (I think I may have gone to his daughter’s birthday party when up there on holidays one year) – a very impressive effort. I was also happy to view the War Memorial at Liston where a number of my ancestors' names appear. Lest We Forget.

With perfect timing, we arrived at Clare’s at 12:30pm and spent a great couple of hours catching up and being spoilt with a scrumptious lunch of quiche, salad, garlic bread, stewed blackberries and home made ice cream. Yum! How will we eat when we go out tonight? A short trip into Stanthorpe and we found our motel, checked in and then briefly caught up with Stuart, my brother who had just arrived, flying from Cairns to Brisbane and then driving to Stanthorpe. Arranging to meet for dinner, we took off into town where I was keen to walk along Quart Pot Creek where I had spied some lovely looking parks and walking paths. Gaz did a bit of shopping while I walked and then it was back to the motel to get ready for dinner.

Luckily the restaurant is attached to the motel, so it was a short stroll to meet up with Stuart, Clare, and Kim, Clare’s daughter, for a good old family catch up. We ate scrumptious meals (despite that earlier worry that we wouldn’t manage to after lunch), had lots of laughs and reminiscences, and most importantly, after a whole night of deliberation, and only at the final hurdle as we were about to leave, Stuart remembered the name of Aunty Joyce’s dog … which was Rickets by the way. This had been bugging me for years and driving Kim to distraction tonight so we were very grateful that we can now rest easy.

Kim was able to educate us on the loud mooing we could hear from our motel. Apparently, a couple of thousand weaners are in the stockyards across the road ready for sale tomorrow. Gary briefly considered buying one to take home as a souvenir … but he did think he may have trouble fitting one in to the car when he has the packing worked out just perfectly.

PS - I have just remembered the dog's name was not Rickets, it was Rivets! Hallelujah! Now I can definitely rest easy.

Road Trip 2022 - Day 1

 

Day 1 – Tenterfield

After a long COVID-inspired hiatus, we’re back! That’s right, Gaz and Pen are back on the road. This time we’re heading to outback Queensland via some family reminiscing in the Granite Belt and a wedding in Toowoomba. All in all, we’ll be away 28 days, a feat Gaz is not relishing, given the time he will be away from his ‘boys’.

With some exquisite planning, we have also timed this break to coincide with the renovation of our bathrooms. The jack hammers are getting some action from tomorrow so we’re hoping we will return home to some awesome new bathrooms. James has volunteered (lol) to be project manager and Carly is minding Dusty so we are thankful we can disappear into the sunset, safe in the knowledge all will be well in our absence … fingers crossed.

So, we hit the road at 8am (a very early start for Gaz) and arrived in Tamworth a bit before 12 where I dropped Gaz in town while I had a slight detour to do a bit of work, returning to pick him up about an hour and a half later. He regaled me with tales of a trek (apparently 2.8km) looking for a TAB that apparently no longer exists. Anyway, at least he got some steps in which is more than I can say.

Continuing on up the New England Highway, we enjoyed the autumn vista … love those colours … while listening to an audio book – The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan (loving it and currently halfway through). We arrived in Tenterfield just before dusk and took a drive around town looking for our caravan park – what a great town! I have never done more than drive through on the highway before and I can’t wait to explore a little bit tomorrow morning.

We needed food and high tailed it for the local Bowling Club which turned out to be a fabulous choice. It was packed which is always a good sign. We really enjoyed our meals and headed back to our cabin for a quiet night. In true Tenterfield fashion, our cabin is named “Allen” after, of course, Peter Allen. I’m a huge fan and was lucky enough to see him live many times with my mum who was really great at embarrassing me when he asked if anyone was from Tenterfield, and she would jump up screaming … every … time! So, that’s a nice touch – Gary of course just said, “Heh, look! I’m holding an Allen Key!”