Chapter 12 - Queensland Wandering

Day 83 – Monday 26 August 2024 – Gold Coast to Lake Dyer - 153 km

It was a slow start to our last day on the coast. We said goodbye to my sister and her (remaining) family around 9 am and headed off to pick up the caravan. By 9:30 we were heading north up the M1. We veered west and our route took us to Ipswich so we detoured to get a coffee and restock the cupboard.

Around 1:30 we stopped beside Lake Dyer and had a late lunch as the caravan park managers were away. By 2:30 we had checked in and set-up camp. We then had to repack the car and caravan and reverse the process of five days ago (seems like a month). Clothes from car to caravan. Car stuff from caravan to car.

We chilled out. It was around 31 degrees, our hottest day of the trip.

I got a sunset photo before we cooked dinner with lots of veggies.

Sunset over Lake Dyer
(60 km west of Toowoomba)

Day 84 – Tuesday 27 August 2024 – Lake Dyer to Toowoomba - 75 km

As is often the case when you find a semi-remote idyllic camping location a train appears from (apparently) nowhere and rattles past - time and again - destroying the 'sound of silence'. We had two trains go past around bedtime last night.

We either slept well or there were no more trains.

I looked out of the window at the 6 am sunrise, but a good photo was not to be had. We both rose just after 7:30 am. There were pelicans on the lake, seemingly without a care in the world.

Our route had excluded Toowoomba (been there - done that). However a car/caravan electrical fault forced us to seek advice, and that came from Ron (Downs Onsite Auto Electrical) in Toowoomba. 

Off to Toowoomba we went, passing plenty of lush market gardens. As we passed we watched some folk harvesting broccoli. None fell off the truck. The car stopped at road-side shop and we bought even more veggies and a pineapple.

Ron (whose wife is about to provide their third child) met us at the Toowoomba Showgrounds and duly remedied the electrical issue. We hope.

The showgrounds are the oldest in Queensland and the largest in Australia. Just inside the front gate is an impressive 35 foot B Pattern ‘Comet’ windmill. We were glad that we did not park close to it as its makes a (I need oil) noise when it goes round. 

Showgrounds Windmill

Ron went off to check on his pregnant wife and we went to the Tourist Information Centre. Then we visited Laurel Bank Park which has some early floral colour to contribute to the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers which starts in the middle of September. We could appreciate what it will look like next month.

Shirley Considering the Potential Floral Display in Weeks to Come

Parks and public gardens all over Toowoomba are in a 'near bloom' state. There was time to relax and ponder the horizon and our surroundings. 

Above - The Grand Main Building at the Showgrounds

Below - The cloud formation at sunset

Then I needed to login to a bowls information ZOOM session at 6 pm. Shirley cooked a great stir fry at 7 pm and a mate rang at the right time while Shirley washed the dishes. I have driven 9750 km so I did not feel guilty.  That works out at 92 km per day, a record low for us over the same period. We have never had an average under 100 km per day.

Day 85 – Wednesday 28 August 2024 – Toowoomba 

Toowoomba, nicknamed 'The Garden City' is in the Darling Downs region of Queensland. It is 132 km west of Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoomba is just over 142,000. Today was designated a day to explore Toowoomba.

I was back from the shower by 7:15 am and Shirley headed that way soon after.

Our first stop for the day was the Queensland State Rose Garden. However Shirley and I were a few weeks too early or the roses were running late. I suspect the former. We kept going.

Next was free parking at the Grand Central Shopping Centre - our base for walking a lot of the art trail. We saw murals from masterpieces to graffiti, and plenty of sculptures. A lot of it was impressive - a lot of it was not.

Click here if you want to see more.

Our 4 km walk ended in the food hall of the Grand Central Shopping Centre where we had Chinese for lunch.

Next was a visit to the Picnic Point Lookout where we could see nearly all the way east to the coast - apart from the haze.

View from Picnic Point Lookout

Our last visit for the day was to the (Ju Raku En) Toowoomba Japanese Gardens - an impressive garden to walk through, and a great place for the university students to relax.

It was time for a rest and some cold drinks (non alcoholic) back at camp. There was not a cloud in the sky. It was 29 degrees. That is what we did for the next few hours.

Day 86 – Thursday 29 August 2024 – Toowoomba to Bunja Mountains - 150 km

We broke camp around 9:15 and headed roughly north. Our route to the Bunja Mountains was via Crows Nest (the QLD version), Cooyar and Maidenwell. It was longer than the direct route but it provided a more caravan friendly route. The GPS tried to take us to Sydney, but we resisted.

A coffee was had at Cooyar and the trip ended in a pleasant National Park camp site called Dandabah. Camp was established in sight of many Bunja Pine trees, before lunch. Lunch happened then we went for a drive.

Our first main walk was a 3 km return stroll to the Koondaii Lookout, as our first option (Mount Kiangarow walk) was closed. We heard lots of birds and saw very few. I did get a photo of a butterfly and an orchid not in bloom.

Above - Butterfly

Below - View from Koondaii Lookout

It was interesting that we had to clean and disinfect our footwear at the start and end of the walk.

Above - Shirley cleaning and disinfecting her shoes
Below - Walkers emerging from the rain-forest

We returned to base and the car somehow deviated to the nearby cafe & coffee shop. The charming staff briefed us on the Bunja Nut and we agreed to buy some bunja scones. They had all sorts of preserves that contained the bunja nut.

The Bunja nut comes from a sort of large pine cone that contains many nuts sort of like the well known pine cone contains a lot of seeds. The Bunja 'pine cone' can weight up to 5 kg.

As the weather was superb we had our coffee and scones outside and were quickly greeted by numerous feathered friends seeking a bit of scone. The scones were excellent.

Above - Bunja scones

Below - Competition for the scones

The Bunja ' cone' is a bit smaller than an average sized coconut (with husk), while each nut is a bit smaller than a walnut in its shell.

Bunja cone & nuts

We next visited the "highest whisky bar in Australia", although it was too early to try a sample. The following photo shows a symbolic monument to the history of the Bunja Pine and the photo backdrop shows a couple of magnificent Bunja trees.

It was time to relax. A King Parrot decided to relax on my head. Luckily I was still wearing my cap.

Dinner was a BBQ and some veggies.

Day 87 – Friday 30 August 2024 – Bunja Mountains

The day started crisp and sunny with many birds providing their 'early bird' sounds. It quickly rose to 15 degrees by 7.30 am as the sun appeared over the Bunja trees. Shirley slept on.

Bacon & eggs became breakfast, over which we decided to tackle the 4 km "Scenic Circuit" walk. We turned it into 5 km.

We started out around 9:30 am (22 degrees) and soon learned that a hat was an optional accessory as 98% of the walk was under the rain-forest canopy. Walk and bug repellent were mandatory and both used in abundance. The features of the walk were the Bunja pines, hoop pines and strangler figs. Throw in many magnificent ferns, many orchids (some in bloom), creeks, waterfalls, stunning lookout views and you have a great walk.

Above - Ferns

Below - Orchids in Flower

Waterfall

Sounds came from the many resident birds, most too quick or too well hidden to capture on camera. I did score a few. The light in the rain-forest made it hard to get a good photo.

Other trees along the walk included red cedar, churnwood, incense cedar, whalebone trees, brittlewood, native olive and the white quandong.

We learned a lot about the history of the area.

The marks in the bunja tree behind Shirley, were made by local indigenous
inhabitants who used the grooves to climb the trees and pick the nuts.
They used vines as some form of safety harness.

A Strangler Fig with a path through it

Left - Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii)           Right - Bunja Pine (Araucaria bidwillii)

We were back at camp in time for a rest before lunch. It had been a great 2.5 hours. We will probably have sore necks tomorrow from looking up into the trees.

Not much happened after lunch, just some exploring and a bunja nut ice-cream.

Our entertainment for the late afternoon was watching the numerous camper-vans and motor-homes arrive and jostle for space, as there are no set sites in the camp-ground.

Day 88 – Saturday 31 August 2024 – Bunja Mountains to Miles - 280 km

There are three ways that we know of to drive to the top of the Bunja Mountains. Advice from the rangers, and our own experience, and other campers, indicated that only one is a practical option for caravans. So today at 8:30 am we set off down the mountain via the same road that we came up. It was maybe 50 km longer than the shortest route to our destination, but safety is paramount with our Paramount caravan (and us, and our car). 

We travelled via Maidenwell, then Cooyar, then Kaimkillenbun, when the navigator requested an 18 km detour (which of course becomes 36 - there and back) to Bell. All of this time we were travelling downhill with a tailwind.

Bell, Shirley told me, has a "Biblical Garden" which allegedly is the only garden in the world to contain as many plants (as possible) as mentioned in the Bible. 

We cannot comment on the 'plants' claim although we did take a photo of the date palm. The mosaics and the other art work were very impressive.

Above & Below - Clockwise from top left..

Mosaic, Date Palm, Barb wire Jesus, Mosaic

We had time for a coffee and fruit cake then a pleasant drive to Dalby. This country is another of the rich food bowls that we have passed through on our travels. The grain crops looked good enough to eat. In this region they have winter crops of barley, faba bean (whatever they are), wheat, chick peas and canary (bird seed). Their summer crops include sorghum, mung beans, corn, sunflowers, cotton and millets. Wow.

We went for a walk around Dalby shopping centre and bought a cooked chook. A wise decision. Diesel was also purchased as it was dirt cheap.

The navigator said "go west young man". I was the only guy in the car so I assumed that she meant me. Our tail wind then become a head wind. In no time at all we were at Walla, population 'not many'. Walla was a popular spot today as the annual race meeting was on. The dress code was similar to our wedding of eight days ago. We didn't go. Too hot at 32 degrees.

Soon after we stopped at Chinchilla and took a photo of the big watermelon slice.

Guess What?

I think an ice-cream was next. The navigator then said "historical museum', and we did. $8 it cost and was worth every cent. It was worth that just to see the petrified wood display. We decided not to go fossicking for petrified wood.

Three of the many samples of petrified wood

The rest of the expansive museum was also excellent.

Two of the many historical vehicles on display

By now it was 34 degrees. It was cooler in the car than sitting by a waterway (Chinchilla Lake) so we drove another 50 km to Miles. We camped at Gil's Weir, a spot we visited about 10 weeks ago. 

Gil's Weir Camp Site

I decided that it was too hot for a camp-oven dinner - so the cooked chook became the base of a great salad for dinner. Ice blocks in my 'room temperature' shiraz lasted mere minutes.

From where we sat we could see the pelican glide in for a safe landing on the water of the weir.

It was still 25 degrees at 8 pm.

Day 89 – Sunday 1 September 2024 – Miles to Roma

The overnight temperature dropped to a level that was ok for sleeping. However it was back to 18 degrees by 7 am. I went for a walk and watched three pelicans and a solitary kite. Shirley slept on.

As it was Father's Day Shirley let me cook her bacon & eggs for breakfast, with tomato and mushroom.

We said good bye to Gil's Weir around 8:30 am (a common theme this trip) and headed 146 km west to Roma. We passed small towns such as Dulacca, Jackson, and Yuleba, where we stopped for coffee. Shirley bought a nut-loaf from a local coffee/art/craft place. We drove through Wallumbilla and kept going. Camp was established in Roma (pop. 6850) before lunch time. It was 34 degrees.

Shirley did some clothes washing as I tried to make myself look busy. We had lunch.

By 2 pm it was time to brave the pool and off we headed. It was sooooooo refreshing. It was so hot and bright that I wore my Akubra in the pool.

We chatted to two other grey-nomad couples and time flew. I must have made an impression of one of them as I was soon handed a bottle of red wine - that was superfluous to their requirements (read - they don't drink red).

Day 89 was the first time that we had been in a pool. It was also just the second time that the caravan air-conditioner was turned on.

Father's Day dinner was BBQ pork chops & chips & salad. Dessert was a Connoisseur ice-cream. A glass of red was included. The temperature was 29 degrees at 7 pm.

Day 90 – Monday 2 September 2024 – Roma

Today was all about "Sculptures Outback" and we were not disappointed. A collection of sculptures from Outback 'artists' was presented at a roadside venue for all and sundry to see, plus us. And we were very impressed with the work - none of which would fit into the car (or our budget).

A few samples are included below. Click here for more statues. The attention to detail was extraordinary, most of which you cannot see in the photos I provide. For example, the car below has a box of 'apples' in the back of the ute made from gas bottles.

We did some shopping, bought more cheap diesel, washed the car and relaxed.

Day 91 – Tuesday 3 September 2024 – Roma to Mitchell

Whereas yesterday was all about "Sculptures Outback" in Roma, today was all about the "Artesian Spa" in Mitchell. We departed around 9 am for the 90 km drive due west to Mitchell.

On the way we stopped for a photo (or two) of the Muckadilla Pub. Read the pub name carefully. The pub porch had two contrasting seats.

Above - Interesting Pub Name

Below - Two contrasting seats at the pub

Many many motor bikes & trikes, many with trailers, passed us going the other way. Shirley started counting at what she considered was a count of 40, and got up to 240. We found out later that the count is 330, although many were still coming. It was the annual Queensland Southern Cross Power Run - to raise money for disadvantaged children.

Shirley gleaned most of the information from a 'bikie' who she chatted up in the Mitchell artesian spa.

Anyway we arrived at Mitchell (pop. 995), checked out the free camp for tonight, then bought a great coffee at the bakery.

Next stop was the artesian spa. We paid our $8 and had a choice of two pools - 39 degrees and/or 20 degrees. We opted for the hotter of the two for near an hour - in and out a few times. We chatted with multiple people, including the abovementioned bikie.

Mitchell Artesian Spa
Rear pool 39 degrees, front pool 20 degrees

By 1:30 pm camp was established beside Dean Turner Weir, just out of Mitchell. It was around 23 degrees.

We had lunch and were entertained by a pair of Black-Backed Butcherbirds, who were keen on sharing our lunch. They seemed very friendly.

Black-Backed Butcherbird

Around 3:30 pm I lit the fire and around 4 pm the start of a lamb chop stew started. It was excellent, and we have enough for maybe two more meals (each). We dined indoors. It was a great crumpet fire, but we had eaten enough.

Camp-oven, camp-fire & lamb chop stew

Tomorrow we face the dreaded word - "south", as we point the car towards home. From where I write this blog we are 1609 km from home, via the shortest route. However the navigator has rejected the shortest route - so stay tuned.

This chapter is now complete (apart from minor edits).

Last updated at 7:30 pm Tuesday 3 September 2024

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