On The Road Again - Tamworth And Beyond - Part Three

You asked for it, so here it is!  Well, maybe you didn't but you're getting it anyway :=)  More about our recent trip down south/out west.  We love a roadtrip!  And art galleries, and mountains and wildlife, and food, and architecture - well, you get the drift ...

we saw kangaroos at Ebor-Guy Fawkes Cemetery, NSW

  

we stayed at The Pottery Shed cottage in Boambee near Coffs Harbour
- see the wee gas stove?

we took a walk on the Coffs Harbour Jetty

and joined lots of folk taking a morning stroll

heading here!

I bought a small ceramic whale here, by Indigenous artist Tony Hart

I ate a fabulous rösti with grilled halloumi

while Mr P. had "magic" apple-cinnamon pancakes

we had lunch here in Sawtell (as per above)

we visited the brilliant new building holding the Coffs Harbour Council/Library and Art Gallery
 - artwork on wall by Reece Flanders titled River Connections

Mr P. and I loved this building!

and we enjoyed walking around the top storey of the building

we had time for a coffee!

And then we drove the 4.5 hours home, back to Brisbane.  Some misguided people would like to suggest that time goes backward when you cross the QLD border.  How silly of them, and how clever of us to keep 'em away - hehehe ...

the whale by Tony Hart

On The Road Again! Heading To Tamworth, New South Wales And Beyond - Part One

Mr P. and I love a road trip, as regular readers will know.  And we always try to get away for our birthdays, so off we went in late-ish June for mine.  This was to be an art gallery trip, as we knew of two new galleries that had opened recently - Tamworth Regional Gallery, and the Yarrila Arts Museum, both in New South Wales.  (And we snuck in a visit to NERAM - the New England Regional Art Museum.)  Funny how every gallery and art museum has to have an acronym these days.

a sculpture in Warwick QLD - on our way! 
 (Designer John Simpson, who sadly passed away before this was erected,
though his ashes are interred in the foundations.)

Bluff Rock, known for the massacre of the local indigenous tribe

Sadly, the local indigenous people were thrown off this rock by European settlers (so the story goes), most to die, and the rest injured and never seen again.  This massacre was in retaliation for the (supposed) murder of a shepherd on Bolivia Station.  But there are conflicting stories, and who knows the truth of it?  Tragic in every sense, anyway.

a bit of street art in Deepwater - a platypus!

Deepwater River - sadly, no platypuses seen :( 

and ... the bridge over the Deepwater River

You guessed it! It's Uralla, on Thunderbolt's Way (he was a local bushranger!)

the Uralla Institute building

and the Moonbi chook

the new Tamworth Regional Gallery (and Mr P. looking serious)

their fabulous new gallery 

in the small town of Manilla - old silo, and some old tractors

and the Manilla fish!

You can just see the stained-glass window to the left of the fishy mouth - which is a depiction of the Manilla fish!  Manilla is a small town on Fossickers' Way, apparently famous for fishing, paragliding and mountain biking!  Who knew?!!  Oh yes, and the best coffee, even at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon!

forgot to add Captain Thunderbolt (aforesaid famous bushranger!)

a wee train going by in the tiny town of Nemingha

the real estate agent of Manilla town

I just had to add in this photo!  Can this be real?  I laugh every time I see this.  Do we call him Purt for short?

That's enough for now; more to come in another post!

c. Sherry M.

A Roadtrip And A Museum

As regular readers will remember, Mr P. designed a museum in Murgon, a small country town here in Queensland.  He went along for the opening night in October last year, but as I had only just had my eye op. I stayed home.  So fast forward to January, and off we tootled on our little roadtrip to check it out.  

the protected boab tree at the front

some scary ancient-type of beastie

part of the mural on the front wall - an ancient crocodile

that's the name of the museum

looking into the depths

looks fierce

another beastie in the courtyard

help!

Mr P. and friend checking out the courtyard

Murgon is about three hours west of us here in Brisbane, so we took a leisurely drive last weekend.  Mr P. had a chinwag with Leo who is the secretary of the Creative Country Association that oversees the museum.  Leo was very proud of the Museum and how it is bringing tourists into their little town.

you can see my reflection as I check out a few fossils

Murgon Fossil Museum & Fine Art Gallery: 55 Million Years Ago

73 MacAlister Street, Murgon QLD

A - Z Guidebook: Vatican City

Yours truly standing in front of a damp St. Peter's Basilica   

What an utterly incredible place this is.  Hubby and I were gobsmacked when we finally got inside.  Several coachloads of tourists had turned up just before us, so they get priority entrance. We had to wait  2 hours!  That amazing spiral entranceway, the Sistine Chapel, the beautiful Gardens, the endless antiquities, the maps and globes - all spellbinding.  And it made us mad to be truthful, to realise that the Church owned all that knowledge and wealth and kept (keeps) it clasped tightly to their chests, while people have suffered for centuries in poverty and dismay. 

Another incredible thing here was that in a café outside the Vatican, Mr P. and I ran into an old work colleague of mine!  We had no idea she was in Italy at the exact same time as us.  And to think she had decided to go to the Vatican on the same day as us...wow! I really need to see this place again, as you just cannot take it all in, in one go.    



Here I am joining in again with Tiffin Fiona from Bite Sized Food Adventures on the monthly travel link.  Feel free to jump in with us. We are attacking the letter V this month.

Brisbane Open House October 2015

Phew!  My feet are still killing me after a weekend of volunteering and traipsing around town peeking into wonderful buildings.  Brisbane along with many other cities around the world opens up its historical, and/or just plain fabulous buildings, houses, churches and so on to the public for one weekend each year.  It is a great time of year for it, as it is not too hot yet, and the jacarandas are just starting to bloom as are all the other Spring flowers.  

For the last 3 years, I have volunteered for Brisbane Open House.  This year, I conducted guided tours for The Chambers -  the former National Australia Bank building built in 1885. (They are still tenants there).  Wow!  That was a bit scary, seeing that I have never done tours before.  But I made it through, and was very pleased with myself to have met a big challenge, and survived to tell the tale.

beautiful stairs in the Masonic Memorial Temple   

The Temple was built between 1928-30, in the Classical Revival style.  I especially love the marble stairs, the Corinthian columns and the bronze front door.      

looking across to the GPO from the balcony of The Chambers    

I love that tower on top of the GPO.  I want to live there:=)

ornate ceiling and lovely chandelier in the Board Room of The Chambers 

St. Stephen's Chapel    

This little church began life in 1850, and was the only Roman Catholic church in Brisbane till 1874.

interior of Wilson Architects in Spring Hill  

This is a really wonderful re-use of an old terrace house and an original Queenslander. You can see where they have joined the two buildings, leaving the old fire place in the cottage as evidence of a previous existence. 

glorious oleanders outside their office  

St. Brigid's, Red Hill  

This building has design features from the Gothic French cathedral Sainte-Cecile in Albi (check it out on Youtube).  St Brigid's sits on the top of a hill with amazing views over Brisbane.  We were lucky enough to hear the organ being played during our visit.

fabulous architectural features on the Roma Street Station Heritage Building  

This was the original Brisbane Terminal Station.  The facade has been beautifully restored, with the internal spaces still to be fully renovated.

  

lots do to on the inside! 

A newly-retired friend also took up the challenge and volunteered for Open House this year.  It is exhausting and exhilarating; so much fun and so much to see and learn.  Put it in your calendar for next year.  You will get a whole new perspective on your city.