Day at the Races

Last Saturday we had a day at Clifford Park Race Track.

It was a fundraising event for the University so we invited our friends Fiona & Geoff.

Apple & Grape Festival

The Apple & Grape Festival is held every second year.

Stanthorpe is in the wine district called the Granite Belt. The weather & volcanic soil is very similar to the conditions in Italy.

Not surprising that it has a strong Italian community.

Karen with our good friend Glenda who grew up in Stanthorpe.

This is not the stall for two vegetarians.

Ferndale - Our Farm

We thought we would post a few photos and a short video we took around the farm before the sale went through on the property.

We have done a lot of work on the property and it has been Karen's family farm since 1908. It was a little sad to let it go but we'll always have fond memories.

The place was looking nice and green with the rain we have been experiencing lately so it was wonderful to say goodbye to it while it was looking green and healthy




View from middle of the property.

View toward the back of the property. This part of the property is original bushland. The Kangaroos love it up here.

Old car graveyard in the back paddock.

The remains of an old vintage car.

Old outhouse towards the front of the property.

Old shed complete with the old sign from the local pub (not stolen. Publican gave it away).

We were lucky to spot some of Kangaroos in the back paddock while we were filming.

Spring Bluff

A few weekends ago we went to Spring Bluff for a picnic lunch. Spring Bluff is only a few minutes drive out of Toowoomba.

It is located on the edge of Toowoomba’s mountain range. There has been a train station here since 1867.

It’s lovely, scenic sight for a picnic or lunch at the café above the station.

We took a walk along the train track for some exercise. In fact if we kept walking along the track we would have walked down the mountain to the village of Withcott. We both agreed we’d do it another time.

The Mouses House, Springbrook Rainforest

Last week we stayed at the Mouses House Mountain retreat in Springbrook National Park in the mountians behind the Gold Coast.

The chalets are set in the rainforest by a mountain stream. Our chalet was the end one in a quiet part of the bush. All that could be heard was the stream and the native birds.

At short walk from our chalet is a lovely waterfall and spectacular views of the national park and, in the distance, Surfers Paradise (Gold Coast).

The Bush Turkeys come up to the chalets looking for snacks during the day.

At night, it’s the possums turn. In fact, one particular possum was a real fatty. One night we feed him one large banana, half a piece of bread and one apple! But that dinner wasn’t enough, because he was back later in the evening looking for supper!

It is actually quite cold in the mountains during winter. In the evenings we were there it dropped to 3-5 degrees.



Click below to watch a short video of Springbrook and Mouses House

Sunshine Coast

Karen thinks the beach is great!

Last week we took a mini break to the Sunshine Coast. This part of the coast is around 3 hours drive from Toowoomba & approximately 1.5 hours from Brisbane.

The Sunshine Coast is full of sandy beaches & lush green mountainous areas 20 minutes in from the coastline. This is called the Hinterland.

We stayed in a village called Maleny, which is well up in the Hinterland. We rented a lovely little old worker's cottage arround the corner from Maleny centre.

We made it to the beach. The weather was nice & warm (30 celsius).

The Big Pineapple. They actually grow pineapples!

View a video of Karen at Dickie Beach

Day in Brisbane

On Sunday we went to Brisbane with our good friends Fiona & Geoff.


Karen at Southbank. This is part of a lovely riverside area in the CBD. It has salt water pool including artifical beach.


Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland located on the Brisbane River.






We enjoyed a sunny ride on one of the many taxi ferrys that transport people across the CBD.


Fiona & Geoff.

St Stephen's Church strikes a contrast against the modern streetscape.

One of several paddle boats that travel up & down the river.

Brisvegas at Night

I did not take the following photos. I thought I would include them to show the beauty of this city at night.