Road Trip North

Ok a beautiful sunny morning, fairly cool and, car all packed, we got away just after 8am to tackle our 600k drive to Agnes Water.

The journey was dotted with new sights and experiences along the way, many just noted as we sped along the highway. As we turned off the main Warwick to Toowoomba road, past the Zoo, we entered lush farmland towards and through Lockyar Valley,

Mama Creek and Gatton Town. We then passed a sign saying Somerset! So appropriate because suddenly there were acres of fruit trees, not apples but ‘stone’ fruit.

We saw many inviting signs on the side of the road: Passion Fruit, Avocados, Mangos, etc.

There were also timber plantations; Paulownia – small slender-trunked trees planted very close together. Kylie pointed out a Queenslander, which is a style of house with a double staircase at the front up to the balcony and built high up off the ground for air circulation. It was a very pretty old style. (I may get a photo later.)

We stopped at The town of Esk (“Picture Esk”, the sign said) for our coffee/tree climbing break. (I had the coffee!) Here I sighted a Butcher Bird. There seem to be many black and white birds in Australia, the Butcher Bird being another. (bird pictured on right, spot the rare species of monkey in the tree on the left! The only species of monkey in the whole of Australia.)

After refreshments and the kids letting off a bit of steam monkeying in the trees, we headed on past Toogoolawah (just love these placenames!) and on into the Brisbane Valley where there were more fruit selling signs: Mandarins 6 for $1! Then Bunya Pines on either side of the road.

We saw on the hills evidence of controlled bush burning in preparation for summer and even drove through thick smoke where it had moved near the road. The smell of burning was all around although it wasn’t unpleasant.

As we pulled up so that I could take a photo of my first real Billabong (not a swagman in sight!), I felt the lovely warmth from the mid morning sun on my back and a further roadsign confirmed this, we were headed to “Sunshine Coast”. Sunshine all the way…….that’s what this country is about!

We were now at Kilkoy and wild Bourganvillia grew in abundance. We motored on through the lush lime green of the Camphors and then suddenly noticed in the distance behind, some bizarrely shaped mountains…. these were the Glasshouse Mountains, very steeply shaped like tall pyramids.

Other botanicals mentioned along the way, which I must research, Macaranga (big-leafed sub-tropical tree), Frangipani, Native Figs (not at all like the one I know). We then found ourselves on the Steve Irwin Way and were delighted to discover that a main highway had been named after this amazing crocodile character.

We hurtled on through Mooloolah Valley and Palm Ferns, then towards Gympie where we saw and avoided signs to Noosa. Another place name I noted down was Maroochydor before we finally stopped for lunch at Eumundi, a small and pretty market town with a chocolate factory, Art Gallery and a Winery. We ate our picnic in a park on the edge of what turned out to be an area designated for this little town’s regular market – clearly a big thing here. There was an unusual plant which I thought at first was an oversized Busy Lizzie but on closer inspection realised not only were the leaves not right but there were three flowers each a different colour on each stem – “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” – what a great name!

There were also many beautiful Hibiscus in this park (that was the plant name I coudn’t think of in Sydney Melinda).

We motored on through the afternoon passing through Gympie, the strong aroma of many Camphor trees, Tiaro, over a huge river at Maryborough, noting the beautifully designed man-made steps on the side of a mountain to prevent rockfall from erosion. Grevillia with both cream and red blossom appeared on the edge of a forest area, then finally approached the town of Bundaberg, which was now very near the coast, although we weren’t to see the coast at all that day!

The road to Agnes Water seemed to go on for ever reminded me of Bill Bryson’s interminable travels across Oz). It was probably only another 60k or so but by now the sun had gone down, we were all tired out from the journey (not least our star driver), and every bend we went round hoping to see the sea, just revealed another bend or hill and it got darker and darker.

We eventually arrived at our destination ….phew!! ….and Kylie and the kids jumped sraight in the pool….. I guess it was around 8ish by this time and we did manage to cook some steak and mushrooms on the hostel barbecue which we ate with some takeaway chips. My first bit of hostel life…. more to come in NZ!