While Not Working

Crossing the border to South Australia entails listing everywhere we've been in the previous 14 days. As a result we've slowed down to reduce our list and hopefully increase our chances of approval, which means another two days in Warwick before we finish off our appointments in Toowoomba and start heading west. Because of all our changes in plan we're due to attend Roger's final farewell (yes, he left the office in Roma 6 weeks ago and we are still attending farewells) in Toowoomba on Tuesday and all our decent going-out clothes are hanging in our wardrobe in Roma. Not wanting to attend said farewell in our (now) everyday attire of hiking sandals and t-shirt/pants of dubious cleanliness, we spent a couple of hours in Warwick's op shops to find some new duds of suitable quality. We both feel we were successful: I just hope that our fashion sense has not been too skewed by prolonged exposure to woollen socks and thermal underwear. After a day spent shopping and compl...

Winter, which was gloriously absent in Girraween, chased us down in Stanthorpe and decided to hang out with us in Warwick. At least it left its mates Rain and Wind behind, so we have enjoyed brilliant sun-shiney days just without the warmth which we have come to expect from the sun. We've ditched the tent while in Warwick and are sleeping in the car, which is far better insulated and quieter to boot. We're also rationing our 'warm' activities to one per night: movies last night, dinner out tonight. It's amazing how slowly you can eat when it's cold outside. While in Warwick we've been tripping down memory lane: Revisiting his largest construction project. Very happy to report it is still standing strong after 26 years. Tiddalik, down by the Condamine River. The kids used to love visiting this frog when they were little. We took a trip up to Killarney for old times' sake. First Brown Falls... ...then Daggs Falls, ...then Queen Mary Falls, then up to The H...

The only sign of the Possum Wars in the morning was a big pile of possum poo in the middle of the picnic table. The plastic box was slightly nibbled and we had to jettison the possum-sampled lunch crackers, but the possum invaders had been run off before they could inflict any other damage. Roger was much relieved: he was kept awake last night by thoughts of possums replete with our food while we perished during the 15minute drive to the Railway Cafe at Wallangarra. Roger flirted dangerously with the NSW border on the approach to the Wallangarra Railway Cafe. Thankfully the Cafe is on the Qld side, so we were able to stay within our limits. But it was all worth it for the double pots of tea and big squashy chairs on the old railway platform.  We spent nearly 2.5 hours here making our plans.  I think we're up to Plan post-Alphabet by now.  The benign weather we had in Girraween didn't last for our stay in Stanthorpe.  We were treated to howling wind, rain, and an appa...

All good things must come to an end.  Even the most dedicated relaxers eventually have to pack up and move on, and so it was with us. We took the long road from Greenup to Stanthorpe via Texas, where we took a morbidly fascinated peek at the closed border and then had picnic smoko on top of the hill, looking across Texas and into the forbidden territory of NSW.  Gazing across to the badlands. The road from Texas to Stanthorpe went up and down and around in corners, ducking in and out of blankets of wattle in full bloom. From Stanthorpe we took the highway south to Girraween. Due to the closed border, the highway was virtually empty, in direct contrast to Girraween. Queenslanders playing in their own back yard had filled the campground to capacity, the usual birdsong replaced by the soundtrack of a hundred conversations and the random noise of lots of campers and weekend day-trippers. We set up camp and, over a cup of tea, settled into observing our neighbours. Multi-level camp...

As a child on a cattle property in western Qld, my growing years were shaped by water or its absence. Brief years of flood and good fishing were in counterpoint to years of brutal drought. We pumped our water from stinking diminishing holes in a river turning to dust, dotted with the bones of animals that bogged and died. That slightly macabre introduction is by way of explaining why I still thrill at the sight of water running in a creek or a dam brimming over. The sea is ok but give me an inland watercourse with a blue wren in the undergrowth, a storm of wild budgies in the sky, and a pelican 800km from the coast and my heart will sing. Which is why we've ended up staying at Greenup for quite a few 'just one more' days. Another beautiful sunrise. Having a really good cafe right on site has helped considerably when settling into heavy-duty relaxing. We've felt a noble compulsion to spend money there, all in the cause of supporting the struggling rural economy of course...

 Wednesday 18th. Large towns exert a significant gravitational pull, made up of all the services and opportunities to spend money which they provide. It was early afternoon by the time we achieved exit velocity from Toowoomba and hit the road again. Back through the Felton valley we went, past Leyburn and Kararra. We had grand plans to spend the week camping at all the dams: Beardmore, Coolmunda, and Glen Lyon. That was until we checked in here at the Greenup Meeting Place on the banks of Coolmunda Dam, and now I don't think we'll go anywhere in a hurry. There's just too much nice to be leaving any time soon. Greenup provides us with a waterside camp and plenty of wood for a campfire. We feel like we're alone in the bush but have hot showers and toilets. There's a whole rustic events/cafe complex built around the old Greenup School. The cafe, usually only open Fri-Mon, is apparently open tomorrow as a concession to the campers already here who have begged and pleade...

I don't know how we ever managed to get up and to work by 0800.  These days we're flat out finishing our second cup of tea before 0900 and as for completing the 50km drive to Toowoomba well, that took us until after lunch. We found a pretty spot for lunch.  I don't get to do a lot on work days (other than work, obviously).  We were fortunate to be in Toowoomba on the Tuesday because we ended up with quite a few errands which Roger attended to in his 'spare' time, and it was very considerate of both the car and my bike to have their hissy fits in close proximity to appropriately skilled mechanics.  More about that tomorrow: in the meantime, enjoy some pretty photos. Flashback to Lake Dyer: pelican in the evening. Dewy spiderweb in the morning: Swagman's Rest