Before the real inland trek began we spent a couple of
nights south of Gympie visiting Daz’s dad for his 80th birthday. We
arrived on his birthday, and enjoyed dinner at a Thai restaurant in Eumundi
which was very nice… along with 20 of his bowls club and card club
friends.
The following day we all went out for a day trip – a loop
that took in Brooloo, Kenilworth, Mapleton and Montville, then back up on the
Bruce Hwy. About 140 km all up. In Kenilworth we visited the cheese factory and
tasted some different flavoured cheeses and some yoghurts which were more like
mousse than yoghurt – but very nice though!
There were some scenic lookouts on the journey of the
surrounding hills and valleys. We stopped in Mapleton for lunch by a nice pond.
Montville is designed for the tourist or the lover of shops
and craft. Hiding the magnificent views of the hinterland and sunshine coast
beaches were all manner of craft store to keep the hardened shopaholic
entertained for hours. Add in a couple of galleries and cafes and it makes for
a perfect day out for some! We enjoyed an hour or so wandering up and down,
looking in some of the shops. Highlights were the cuckoo shop and the games /
puzzle shop.
Once back from the day's excursion we drove to the Cooroy Bowls Club for dinner where the kids enjoyed an impromptu bowls lesson from Grandad.
The next morning, with spring quickly taking over from
winter, we turned left at Gympie to venture west. Our first goal was around 370
km to Miles. Stopped in Kilkilvan for a cuppa where it was already 32 degrees.
A couple more stops and we reached Miles in time to set up camp and spend an
hour at the Miles Historical Village. This was enjoyable – we had it to
ourselves and it is always taking a trip down memory lane… it’s amazing how
many things you find in these places, not just from a hundred or more years
ago, but from your own childhood!
As they were closing, they gave us a pass out to return in
the morning. Because they open at 8:30am that would give us time to return and
finish looking around.
We stayed the night at the Crossroads Caravan Park, right
opposite the historic village. We were sandwiched between the highway and the
railway, so it was a noisy old evening and night. The park gets rave reviews
though – in particular for their communal fire and happy hour and the ensuite
bathrooms, which come complete with a couch / sitting area in each ensuite.
After finishing our look around the historic village we left
Miles. Next destination being Charleville. This was 409 km’s pretty much
directly west. We stopped to admire the Big Rig in Roma – and the huge bottle
tree. At over 6 metres in girth it takes 6 men holding hands to reach around
the tree. We could not find six men to demonstrate, so we kept going.
Once at Charleville we decided to stay at the Evening Star
Tourist Park which was 8 kays out of town on the Adavale Rd. It is also highly
rated on Wikicamps. Still a working farm, it has huge sites, lots of rusty
trucks and farm machinery and plenty of bushland to explore.
Our first evening we were booked to go to the Cosmos Centre
and indulge in a little star gazing. We’d secured a small group session which
was great. We got to see some amazing sights through the telescope including
the closest stars, some ‘new born stars’ and even some stars that to the naked
eye could not be seen at all. The highlight for me was seeing Jupiter –
complete with the two ‘brown’ lines around it (looks like a funny coloured
cricket ball). We could also see some of its moons neatly lined up. The other highlight was seeing Saturn – as the
guy (Les) who was conducting this session said ‘as it should look like’. Yes,
it looked just like pictures, complete with its obvious rings, but seeing it ‘live’
in a telescope was an amazing experience.
At 9am the next morning we were scheduled to visit the ‘Bilby
Centre’ for a bilby experience. Visitors can visit here during the day and see
the bilbys in their nocturnal (red light) atmosphere, but having booked into
the 9am experience they bring out a bilby that we get to meet and even pat. And
let’s face it, who has not wanted to meet and pat a bilby? After a talk about
the life and times of bilbys and the work this centre is doing to try and
protect these endangered species, we got to meet young Ruby bilby who is about
a year old. Beautiful soft fur down her back, we were instructed to avoid her
face as she has razor sharp teeth. Bilbys also have a spur on their tail, but
not poisonous like a platypus spur. A fascinating and memorable experience. We’ve
all developed a deeper understanding and love of the humble bilby!
Didn't eat here, but love their sense of humour!
It was a windy and hot day – 34 degrees, so we spent the afternoon
back at the caravan park, taking it easy and going for little walks. The kids
enjoyed building a tepee in the bush and a little bridge across a small ‘puddle’
of water. The owner of the farm / park was impressed that they could entertain
themselves amongst nature in this way – they have so many families who don’t
come to their park because there is not entertainment laid on for the kids. Our
kids know how to holiday and entertain themselves, so proud of that… and
letting them out do this gives us a break from the typical sibling squabbles!
Apparently this coming Sunday is National Bilby Day – so the
town of Charleville has a weekend of festivities to celebrate the little
omnivore. Friday evening we went into town and joined in the street parade and
entertainment. Great country town atmosphere where it was obvious the locals
all knew each other, the kids were dressed up in their finest cowboy boots,
shirt and hat! Gemma ‘volunteered’ for the U12’s bilby race – she had to wind a
string around a beer can to drag a soft toy bilby across the main street.
This morning we left Charleville. Yesterday’s wind had
abated, but it left the dust it had stirred up in the air, so the whole day
looked like a smoggy day in Shanghai. We had planned to drive to Blackall and
then free camp 20 km’s north of town, but after morning tea in Augathella where
we enjoyed the old buildings, murals and references to the ‘meat ant’ – the symbol for
the town, we drove into Tambo. We had planned this as a lunch stop, but as they
have famous chicken races every night of the week, we decided to stay a night.
So we spent the afternoon looking around the quiet town – it
was Saturday afternoon, so everything was closed, including the famous Tambo
Teddies store.
A short walk past a billabong was information and a plaque for the first Qantas plane crash... not something the airline would want to brag about, but an interesting snippet of history.
In time for the chicken races we walked over to the pub,
ordered some drinks only to be told that for the first time in two years, they’d
had to call off the chicken races for today! Devastated is an understatement. They could have told us before ordering the
drinks, but luckily they refused to let us pay and shouted us all the drinks.
Small compensation for the disappointment. We sat out the back and the kids fed
their lambs instead, drinking the free drinks to drown our sorrows.
Why did the chicken race get cancelled? According to the
chicken race steward… or whatever you call a chicken race official – he only
dyed their feathers for the race a short while earlier – later than usual as he
was volunteering at a community event. When they are dyed (food dye) they get a
warm bath and massage followed by a nice hair dryer and perch by the fire. When
that happens they get very content and lethargic and that’s it for a number of
hours… so the well pampered although colourful chickens were too relaxed to
race… (photo from the internet)
So, back to the caravan it was. I suggested chicken for
dinner, but we couldn’t.
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