Thurs, 9th May, 2024 Leanne & Rick’s place, Wivenhoe Pocket to Dalrymple Creek Park, Allora, Qld (Sophia 2 months old) Toowoomba sightseeing

Light showers of rain in the early hours.

Packed up the camper then joined Leanne and Rick for a cuppa and more chatting. Time to move on though so we said goodbye and headed back into Fernvale to top up the diesel. Shame we didn’t get it last night as they drop the price 5 cents at night time!! Still it was 5 cents cheaper than the servo across the road this morning. Topped up the diesel heater tank too as we will be starting to need that with the low temperatures we have been having and it is only going to get colder as we head south.

The sky is a bit clearer as we head to Lowood. Still hundreds of flying foxes hanging off the trees along the river edge.

Onto a new road for us as we head through farming country down to Gatton. At last we can see the cotton growing - normally we just see the bits by the side of the road.

Around to Apex Lake. Checked out the information centre first. Great map of the area - no mention of the tragic flooding that happened here though.

Great Anzac display and along the other wall the Lockyer Legends.

There is a big truck museum next door too.

We walked up to the Truck & Coach Drivers Memorial - impressive. Sad to see so many names though.

Back to the lake. There is an island in the middle and the Ibis have taken that over too, like in Gympie and Bundaberg.

Had lunch with a few ducks and water hens wandering by.

Continue on, passing acres of little lettuces. Lots of other food items grown here too.

Up and over the Toowoomba Range which of course is part of the Great Dividing Range. At least it is a good dual lane road so all the slow vehicles can just take it easy going up. Spotted a huge Australian Flag at the top of a hill.

The temperature on the truck was great though it is a cool day of course but Steve is happy with the changes he made to the cooling fans.

Just a couple of spots where we could see back over the valley which was lovely even with the overcast day.

At the top and straight into town, 664m elevation on our Hema. Stopped at the Information Centre for a map. Great info outside.

The lady was very helpful and gave us a map showing the gardens and what we could see in our time frame. Queens Park, Picnic Point and the Japanese Gardens. This year is the 75^th anniversary of the Carnival of Flowers - would have been a good year to visit.

In the car park was an engineering plaque about the Southern Cross windmill.

Lovely colours with the trees changing for autumn.

Drove around to the Queens Park to check out the gardens and the Botanical Gardens.

Found a huge Queensland Kauri - Steve looks so small against it.

Then a huge Queensland Bottle Tree.

Wandered around. The gardeners have started planning and planting the seeds for the flowers displays for the festival in September.

Found some information at the old glass house site.

Interesting note about the canon. It was fired on the 1^st anniversary of Anzac Day and the explosion destroyed the glass house - someone didn’t think that out too well.

As we headed back into Queens Park I spotted a galah on the side of the big palm. Above him were two lorikeets (I think) and they seemed to be having a Mexican stand-off!

I found a Rose of Sharon, though the sign says Confederate Rose, China. I googled it and there are the same though there are a few colour varieties of the Rose of Sharon too. I probably need to put this one on my Facebook page as the last photo taken in front of the Rose at Mum & Dad’s place was when I was 40! Staying forever young!

Lots of these bushes about, covered in flowers but no scent. No name tag either.

We walked across the park to Mothers’ Memorial Gardens. There were different memorials around the park.

Back across the road and up the old steps, built on an angle. Felt strange to walk up them with them angled.

Next stop is Picnic Point where the big flag pole is.

Some one had a great idea when the ‘love lock’ phase took over. The ‘Hitching Rail’. Unfortunately they still put their locks on the fence overlooking the waterfall too. Found one with Beau on it - wonder if he ends up with a Trudy in his life.

Looking down over the waterfall.

Looking over the range road we just came up.

Around to the lookout - a bit of information and old photos. Great view even though it is grey sky day.

We walked down to Tobruk Memorial Drive as the lady had said not for oversize vehicles. We could have gone done easily but the walk is good for us too. Lots of information first.

Then we walked out onto the platform for the view and more information about the history of Tabletop Mountain. Whether it was right or wrong - it is now history. It is sad to think some of our history is now being rewritten or just removed as it offends a few - history is history and can’t be changed, learn from it and move on.

The view again and then over further I think is Cunningham’s Gap.

We headed back up via the bush track. Nice view over the top of the range then down into the valley.

Interesting rock walls as we head up.

At the top we found the trails information.

Had a cuppa listening to the waterfall and watching the vehicles come up and down the range in front of us.

Back through town to the University of Southern Queensland and through it to the Japanese Gardens. A sign said they were having algae problems and there was a new area under construction. It was lovely though the water was too murky to see if there was any carp in there and the cherry blossoms weren’t in bloom of course. Still lots of other plants to enjoy. Unfortunately it looks like the Ibis are a problem here too - the windmill doesn’t seem to have deterred them.

Steve trying his ‘Karate Kid’ pose. He didn’t fall in!

Continued around the lake - lots of ducks. Work underway on the new platform. Continued around following the different paths.

Back out to the truck and onto the New England Highway to head south to Allora.

Pulled into the rest area for a bit till Leona got home. She is Terry’s grandfather’s (Albert) brother’s (Harry) daughter - how’s that for confusing. There was 16 years between the two brothers hence the difference in ages. Albert was the eldest and Harry was the 9^th born child. Terry is 90 and Leona is 94 and she is doing really well. Her sister Hazel is also well but living in a nursing home here. Her daughter-in-law, Shirilee was there too so we had a lovely chat about family and the town. Sadly they have lost their husbands over the last few years but they have children and grandchildren to adore. Lorenz and Magdalina (the original ancestors of the Gecks in Australia) had 13 children (only 1 died as a baby) and they had children so there are many descendants of our two ancestors.

Back to the rest area for dinner and our home for the night. There are a few other travellers here but it is all quiet. It’s a bit fresh outside but we refrained from putting the heater on!