Friday 29 May—Friday 5 June
It’s Friday and it is raining as we wake and start packing up in preparation to leave. We left Armidale at 1000 hrs and travelled along the New England Highway to Stanthorpe, QLD which is at 840m elevation. It showered lightly, the wipers worked well, we drove in the clouds and into a strong wind the whole trip. During the trip we reached a new elevation, our highest, of 1420m. We stopped at a bakery in Ballandean to get pies for lunch, recommended by a couple we met on our waterfall trip. We finally got to the showground at 1350 hrs and set up in a spot overlooking the arena which has a circus set up until Sunday. This is the first trip for our 5R (CARDIS) to Queensland and it travelled well behind the Iveco. At 1258 hrs we just missed hitting a small kangaroo. Thank you Lord, for watching over us.
What a lovely surprise to wake on Saturday to a sunny blue sky, yet still a little cool with the breeze. We set out to visit the Visitor Information Centre (VIC) which also has the Big Thermometer and a path leading along the Quart Pot Creek to the Red Bridge (which isn’t red anymore) over the creek. We drove to the Washpool Supply Co. as recommended by the VIC for coffee (Dean says it was good coffee). We then had lunch at the O’Mara’s Hotel and on the way back to the 5R we visited the Mount Marlay Lookout overlooking the town. We took a photo of the mount from the showground.
On Sunday we woke to our coldest morning yet, 5.3⁰C; it was lovely to see the sun, a beautiful blue sky and again a not so good cool breeze. We got ready and headed out to Stanthorpe Baptist Church. We enjoyed the service with a difference and chatting with a few people. After church we headed to Aldi & Woolies for a few groceries. We also managed to find a mural to photograph of the emergency workers (how can I get rid of the bins?).
On Monday we headed out to Sutton’s Juice Factory Cidery & Cafe for coffee with scones with jam & cream and a slice of Dutch Creamy Apple Pie; all delicious. We also tried the Cloudy Apple Juice made on site. We then drove to Donnellys Castle Lions Park to have a look around. It’s a spectacular granite rock formation with massive boulders that are near Pozieres, north of Stanthorpe. We climbed the steep mountain path to the lookout for great views of the surrounding area. This was a hideout for the bushranger Captain Thunderbolt who roamed this area. On the way back to the 5R we stopped for lunch at Stanthorpe Cheese and had the Cheese Platter for 2 (cheese, fruits, vegies, crackers and warm bread) at Jersey Girls Cafe; very good.
It’s Tuesday and winter has kicked in with a vengeance, it was .1⁰C at 0600 hrs outside and 7⁰C inside the 5R. We were off for a drive heading east back into NSW to Liston to see the Cobb & Co Museum which was really interesting; we only managed a few photos as everything was behind glass. This is another area where Captain Thunderbolt roamed. From there we travelled south west back into QLD to Stanthorpe’s Storm King Dam. It was a lovely open area and we drove around the dam which feeds Stanthorpe. For dinner we ventured out to the Aussie Beef Steakhouse and had a delicious meal.
Our last day here has arrived, it’s sunny with a chilly wind blowing. We decided to go on a mural hunt in the main shopping street. Of course our first stop was at Foxy’s Bakery for coffee and cake, delicious. The murals and art are set up in a piazza area, Fromes Lane, tiles along the footpath and on sides of buildings on large wall areas. It was an interesting walk. On the way back to Ivy (Iveco) we grabbed some meat pies for lunch.
We have started to pack up in preparation for travelling tomorrow, we are heading north to Canungra Showground.
