A Weekend Away!

Mr P.'s birthday has swung around again!  I won't even mention how quickly that happened :=)  So off we went for the weekend, to the Southern Darling Downs and New England areas, a few hours west of Brisbane.  It is such a change from the sub-tropics where we live, to the Granite Belt where the climate and geography are completely different.  It even snows on occasion!

The township of Stanthorpe is the main town in the area; it started off as a tin mining town in the 19th century, but became an agricultural hub when tin prices fell.  Now the area is famous for grapes and apples and vineyards.  I bought a few of the local varieties including one called Envy!  They were crisp and sweet and delicious.  

You can walk off the wine tastings, and climb the rocks at the nearby Girraween National Park if you feel energetic.  We have climbed them all in our younger days!  But nowadays we just relax, eat and read.  Sadly the olive farm that we always used to visit has been ripped out and turned into a tomato farm.  What the??!!  All those beautiful olive trees... 

Anyway my friends, here's a quick photographic journey for you of our brief trip:

we stopped off for tasty treats at Aratula Bakery

and checked out the historical cemetery
behind the old Lutheran church, now a private home

 

we checked out the cheesery

The figures represent soldiers and sailors, as this area was a major resettlement area for those suffering from mustard gas exposure after WW1.  Many of the streets are named after battles and place names in Western Europe.  There is a historical cemetery in the area, listing those who left to fight in the war, and did not return.

and found (Jersey) cows on a roof - she looks so real :=)

we stayed in a cottage at Cypress Ridge Garlic Farm

and Mr P. kept the fire going at night

we had lunch at a cosy pub in Tenterfield NSW
 - The Commercial Boutique Hotel, restored to its Art Deco glory

the rainy day courtyard for another time

I ate panko-coated fish and chips - see, salad!

while the fella had a beef burger with chips

gotta love a country café sign
 - mum used to make us rissoles when we were kids

look at these fabulous old 44 gallon drums cut down for seating!

there were hilarious hay bales

and cranky cows

and a Mr P. in the wild

and a drop dunny in the mist - spooky!

and a glorious sunset after the rain - that cloud looks like a fish!

We had a lovely time away, enjoying the misty rain and the cool weather.  Mr P. ended up with a big splinter in his finger after hauling in big bits of wood for the fire - ah the sacrifices ...  It was almost a full moon, and the moonlight shone in through our bedroom window all night.  Our wee break was so peaceful, and rejuvenating for the spirit.  Can't wait till our next getaway!

Travels Around Queensland - Hervey Bay And Environs

As regular readers will know, Mr P. and I headed north a while ago to help celebrate his uncle's 80th.  We tend to head south for breaks as we both like the cold, so this was a bit unusual for us.  I have put up a few photos of our trip on other posts, but I thought I would add a quick travelogue to show off what we found.

Ceratodus (Lungfish) by John Distler Olsen

This is a fabulous sculpture down by the river in Bundaberg, near the motel we stayed at.  The Latin name is Ceratodus. Apparently, they have been around for 380 million years, and Queensland has one of only 6 remaining species in the world.

sugar cane train

This was taken from our car, as we drove by.  There were seemingly endless wagons going by, filled with newly-harvested sugar cane.  The harvest period is from May to November, and you will see the trains go by up to 15 times a day.
  

sugar mill at Bundaberg - kinda spooky at night  

Looks like they keep the Milliquin mill going 24/7 during harvesting season. A bit of a steampunk atmosphere there, don't you think?  And that's steam coming out of the chimneys, not smoke.  It creates surplus electricity which goes back into the grid.

just a few things to watch out for when swimming in QLD waters

Phew, at least it wasn't stinger season when we were there:=)  And no sharks on this sign, unlike the one down in the Northern Rivers area when we were there on the weekend.

Sea Crab sculpture by Chris Trotter 

This was on the reverse side of an artwork also by Chris Trotter called White's Seahorse.  There is a similar piece close to our house in Brisbane, so we were interested to see this one in Tannum Sands.

octopus bike rack outside Hervey Bay Regional Gallery

Art by Stainless steel artist Chris Calcutt, who did several other artworks around the Hervey Bay area.  I even bought a very small whale sculpture of his at the Gallery shop.  Such clever stuff.

sea turtle

I didn't get the artist's name - oops!  I love the colours of this beautiful public artwork outside the Hervey Bay Regional Gallery.

of course cake!

doughnut and cannoli

And of course there had to be cakes.  Mr P. had 2 as you can see. My Black Forest cake was a bit dried out sadly.  Hubby scoffed his down so I don't know what they were like.  These were from Santini's in Torquay, which also runs a pizza place next door.

look at all those electric jugs!

I had to show this one again.  These are full-sized, old-fashioned electric jugs just like mum used to have:=)  They are on every step and on the little balcony.  This small, art deco house sits all by itself on the Esplanade.  Wonder how long before the developers whack a hotel or units on the block?

looking out over the Bay from Urangan Pier 

Such a shame we were too early for the whales that come right into the bay each winter.  Next year for sure.

not too early for the pelicans tho

another piece by Chris Calcutt

A mackerel as you can see.  There are a few fish scattered around the lawns, sculpted in stainless steel.

my fave!

I had to end with this one!  An absolutely stunning artwork by Chris Calcutt (I think) and others, standing at the front of the Gallery.  It had just been polished for the first time since being installed in 2012, so it was shining and gleaming in the winter sun.

We had a lovely couple of days here; and hope to return next winter when the whales are swimming by.