greynomads5

Thursday 1st December 2022

So, the next port of call will be Tenterfield.

We are heading off to Tenterfield which is on the Great Dividing Range, set off around 8.00am, and it was cold and wet and we both needed extra layers. Not what we expected. However, we did stop for coffee and 'raison toast' at the Black Mountain Roadhouse – great coffee and really good, thick, toast.

One of the strange things about our trip to date is the almost lack of traffic (apart from Melbourne), we have actually driven for literally hours and hundreds of kilometres and not seen another vehicle – it is amazing.

Once over the great Dividing Range the landscape becomes a bit more harsh, still some farming land, but mainly bush/shrubland. It s quite beautiful in a way, with lots of different wild flowers, banksia (bottle brush) trees and lots of gumtrees with their beautiful muted coloured barks – light brown, grey, silver.

On the way we stopped off at a town called Glen Innes, in fact nearly everything around the area had a Scottish names - the early settlers must have all come from Scotland. Not a bad little town, and with some amazing buildings, again dating back to more prosperous times - see below:

We arrived in Tenterfield around lunchtime, at the Tenterfield Lodge, had lunch and then went off to do some shopping. Decided to have chicken schnitzel with linguine in a creamy mushroom sauce – not off the floor this time!! The caravan park was OK, and we had a cabin, but the weather was wet and a bit rainy. Only staying for one night.

The weather is still OK, warm most of the time, but a bit mixed, so we are travelling in jeans – haven't exposed the legs yet!.

Our cabin in Tenterfield

Friday 2nd December 2022

Set off the next morning heading for Nanango, stopped off for coffee at Allora (a one street outback town – but cafe serving great coffee) – We had managed to book into the Homestead Caravan Park. We actually crossed the border from NSW into Queensland at a place called Wallangara. We had actually been in NSW since early on the previous Sunday morning – just shows how enormous it it. Again, no wifi so had to phone ahead for accommodation. We hadn't realised that there was a one hour difference between the two States – we seemed to have lost an hour!

The Main Street in Allora

Not much to say about Nanango - just another tiny town on the highway, few shops, houses, petrol station and caravan parks - says it all.

Sunday 3rd December 2022

Next morning we set off early heading for a place called Mount Morgan which is just south of Rockhampton.

The landscape is still very mixed with really large cattle and horse farms as well as a lot of scrubland. Stopped for a coffee in Gayndah – they do serve really excellent coffe here in Oz.. We then took a bit of a detour and went into the Cania National Park – very beautiful, and stopped there for lunch in the company of a friendly Kookaburra bird.

Found the caravan park – really nice site in a lovely old town. Treated ourselves to a meal out at the Grand Hotel. True to Oz cooking – the meal was hugh – but very tasty and the beer was excellent ( Great Northern). Mount Morgan is a fascinating old town, back in the early 1900's it was a large thriving gold town with a massive gold mine and refining works – all now closed and derelict, but the previous wealth of the town can be seen by the size and architecture of the buildings.

We needed to refuel in the morning – as we do not like to travel with less than half a tank of fuel. We had to actually wait for the local petrol station to open up at 8.00 am, but whilst waiting had a very interesting conversation with a local chap.

On The road again – heading for Rockhampton. We saw a sign pointing us to the Capricorn Caves -so off we went exploring again.

We booked onto a tour of the above and below ground caves which were only discovered a hundred years or so ago. Fascinating caves in the hillside, one really large one is the Cathedral (complete with pews and a stage - they have singers & choirs there) - we stayed there yland the guide put-on some music - Hallejullah Hallejullah and dimmed the lights. Really lovely experience. We had coffee (again) and did notice a number of signs up warning of the presence of - you know what - snakes!! Didn't see any.

We then set-off again heading still for Rockhampton - and at one stage had to drive down a very, very steep hill with spectacular views.

Stopped on the road for lunch - cheese rolls ( we seem to be living on these for lunch), and headed for a place called Clareview where there was a caravan park - we actually booked in, but then changed our minds and left and made our way to a town called Sarina. Lovely town and dominated by the sugar refining works. You can tell that you are in Queensland, as you are surrounded by fields and fields of sugar cane - it is everywhere.

Found a really nice caravan park - The Tropicana and booked in for 2 nights.

Our cabin

View from our balcony

We had a really restful time and managed to catch-up on some washing. One of the other caravaners told us about a really nice cafe at the end of Sarina Beach - where they do great coffee!! Off we went and not disappointed, such a lovely beach - had a walk and took some photos, then off for a coffee - this time - Iced Coffee and yes it was good.