Solos - Blackall rally

Thursday 9 May 2019

We have finally made it to Blackall where we will attend to Solos Rally.  As we have arrived before the actual starting date of the rally we park with other Rainbow Lorikeet members at the site of the local Golf Club where we will stay for the night.  However, before we park Kevin and I go into town and have a coffee at Schluter's Bakery. 

The next morning we move on to the grounds of the Coolibah Motel where the rally volunteers will park until they can enter the showgrounds.  As I am one of the volunteers Kevin and I will spend the night there.  We have plenty of time to kill so we decide to find some geocaches in the neighbourhood and we finish off with a cup of coffee at The Lodge.

The caches we find are:

#2079 - Training Ground

#2080 - Jim

#2081 - Signs

#2082 - What’s in a Name

#2083 - The Lodge

The following morning we move to the showgrounds where we are given a spot amongst the first timers.  I am with the volunteers for this group.

The entertainment marquee at the showgrounds

When we are all settled we take a tour to the Woolscour the next day.

One that didn't make it out of the hot water...

The next morning we go for a walk since I want to find a geocache at the old railway station, which I did. We also found a few more in the showgrounds the day after.

#2084 - When the Railway came to Blackall

#2085 - Up the Magpies!

#2086 -  Where they come and go. 

Another tour we did was 'the Murals'.  All murals in town were painted by a local artist who alse doubled as our guide. I'll only show a few here:

During our week at the rally there was of course entertainment, we walked into town, went for another coffee at Schluter's, bought a set of towels each, bought a much-needed fly net (there were so many flies, they literally flew into your mouth if you opened it to say something!), and went for another tour.  This tour was about murals, but I also lost those pictures.  The next lot of photographs I have is of our farewell dinner at the Council Hall, which was themed as: "Country".

Kevin with the much-needed fly net

The rally lasted until Sunday the 19th of May, when we left to travel a few weeks by ourselves.  In the meantime we did some washing at the motel laundry and went for another walk and a cup of coffee at Schluter's.  Of course there was a lot of entertainment during the week and I should have lots more photos, but until I find them we'll have to make do with what I have shown here.

Solos - Blackall tagalong

If I had done what I should've done, I wouldn't have had to do what I am doing now: catching up on 6 weeks of travel!  But, here goes....

Monday 29 April 2019

At the end of April Kevin and I took off for a longer trip, partially spent with the Solos and Rainbow Lorikeets.  I left on Monday, after my motorhome had been serviced in Montville and having picked up my repaired Prius from the workshop.  First stop was at Kevin's in Alexandra Hills.  Kevin was preparing for the trip.  He wanted to have a pork roast ready, as well as a nice cake. The next morning we had our regular coffee morning with Kevin's friend Chris, after which we left.  Our first stop was at the Girls' Coffee Bar on the way to son Kevin's place at Regency Downs, where we had dinner together with him and we stayed for the night.

Kevin baking a cake

Kevin with the roast

Selfie at the Girls' Coffee Bar

Dinner with the two Kevins

Selfie at breakfast

Wednesday 1 May 2019

Today it's on to Toowoomba and Dalby.  Toowoomba is dry, but foggy, so we don't see the beautiful views when climbing the range.  However, after our morning tea at the Picnic Point Restaurant the fog has burnt away slightly and we can see somewhat in the distance.

Toowoomba Range: no view....

Picnic Point Restaurant

Toowoomba Range: a little bit of a view

Then we leave for Dalby where we will stay at Kevin's friend John's place for the night.  We visit Aldi and John's shop (he's an optometrist until next month when he'll retire and we'll join in the celebrations).

Magpies at John's house in Dalby

Next we travel via Westmar to St. George where we hope to stay the night.  We visit the River Sands Winery where we buy some nice FG port, the same that Patricia and I bought in 2017 on our trip to South Australia.  We stopped, of course, for a cuppa and after we'd bought the port we asked if it was possible to stay the night at the winery.  It was, and we were pointed to a nice spot near the river.

Coffee and scones at the winery

the Balonne River

Camped at the winery

Sunrise at the winery

Breakfast

The next morning we walk along the river and visit the visitors information centre where we meet some of the Solos on their way to the tagalong or to Blackall.

Flood marker at St George

St George info centre

Jack Taylor Weir

After our walk it's time to leave for Bollon where we will join the tagalong.  When we arrive we have coffee at Deb's Cafe first before we make our way to the camp for the night at Wallam Creek.

Wallam Creek, a muddy spot, but we'll make do...

Our first night with the tagalong

 

 

Saturday 4 May 2019

We leave Bollon and head for the Cunnamulla Hotel where we have lunch.  After that we fill up with fuel and head to our spot for the night, the Cunnamulla Showground.

Lunch time

The Cunnamulla Fella

Sculptures in the street

The following morning it's off to Wyandra where we book a campsite behind the post office.  It's a fun night, because the population of the town is so thrilled that a group of 90 vehicles are visiting, that the hotel puts on a special BBQ and find seats for all on the footpath.  The local police, also present, closes off the street so that we can sit and enjoy our sausage sizzle and can do some line dancing as well.  This is the second pub that runs out of wine, because those pubs just don't cater for such large groups.  They had ordered some extra wine in for the night, but 6 bottles of each red and white just don't cut it. ;-)

Time for a cold beer

Kevin taking pictures

The next morning we move on to our Bush Camp at Charleville. It's a great camp and the first one that is a complete non-smoking area.  We stay there for two nights, walk into town and go on a short tour before we leave for Augathella.

However, on the way to Charleville we pass the area of the Angellala Bridge disaster, which happened in 2014 and which I remember well.  A big truck, loaded with ammonium nitrate, caught fire and exploded, leaving a big crater in the road.  (see pictures)

We met one of the solo travellers, a lady with a dog, who was going to join us later at the Blackall rally.

Proof of some recent rain

Angellala Bridge disaster area

On tour in Charleville

Sunset at the bush camp

Coffee at the Black Sheep Country Cafe

Kevin enjoying his cuppa...

On our way to Blackall we stop for the night at a rest area between Augathella and Tambo. We meet and talk to a variety of travellers and have Happy Hour with them.   While there Trevor, in his big white bus, passes through and we say briefly hello before he moves on.  Also a huge road train stops for a rest.

And this was the story about our tagalong, leading up to the Solos Rally in Blackall, which will follow in the next post.