Being the coastal dwellers that we are, it was with eyes wide open we began the "outback" part of our journey. Leaving Brisbane's bright lights behind us, only an hour had passed before we knew we were in a different part of the country. Beaudesert was our first stop for lunch and then out to The Kooralbyn School for the Gifted (that's what Jamie calls it), where Jamie could relive her last year of High School. Kooralbyn is an international school, specialising in sports specific based curriculum. That means if you are sports talented, the school gives an equal emphasis to both sport and academic pursuits. Jamie took her horse Gonzo in 1995, and it was good to go back and revisit it.
The van got a bit of a work out as we made our way back into NSW, through and up the Border Ranges. The Hiace goes like a champion, but she ain't a fan of mountain ranges or of a continuous, steady assent. This hinterland part of Australia has the most amazing scenery. Green hills and valleys at every turn. Driving through tiny towns like Grevillia and Wiangarre is like a step back in time, with backyards looking like sets out of the Sound of Music. Coming from NQ where inland driving is a lot of nothingness, this was an eye opener. No skinny cattle here, just fat prize winners!
Our first overnight stay was Kyogle. Ahh the serenity!! Note - when deciding which site to sleep at, pay attention to the location of the train tracks. Coal trains every hour squealing around the bend meant for a broken sleep!!
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| Tenterfield Courthouse |
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| Beautifully restored Tenterfield home... |
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| but the neighbourhood is baaaaaad!! |
We woke with the expectation of a nice coffee dashed by the realisation we left our only 2 cups at the Bells. Blearily we headed off early (10 is early) and made our way to Casino - that oddly enough doesn't have a Casino?? It seemed we had hooked onto a rain depression as it was following us everywhere, so driving was the option. We saddled up for the trek to Tenterfield (Peter Allen's home) over the Richmond Range (sorry van) and again the scenery was cracking. Tenterfield was our first real look at these sort of towns where the heritage and history of the buildings is embraced. It gives so much appeal and character to a small community. The utes carrying a pair of cows in the back had us remembering we in the bush! The rain also reminded us we had left our new umbrella back with Archie! If anyone is interested, the Tenterfield pub is for sale for about $900k! The pie shop rocks.
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| Their coffee doesn't rock as much as their pies... |
The rain was persisting so we decided to punch on to Armidale and arrived about 5pm. A quick drive around showed us the caravan park was too far out of town to have a drink. So parking the van out the front of Woolies was the option and off to the pub. The rain had stopped, but it was 10 degrees and we learnt Armidale is the highest city in Australia. Also learnt they don't have enough pubs 26,000 people and only 9 pubs....and half of them are on the outskirts. Its okay, we understand you only need one, so the Whitebull became our local.
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| The drive into Armidale |
The very proactive Visitor centre does a free bus tour of the city and while we are not normally into tours, we thought it was a good way of getting our bearings. Sun was out and Noel the guide took us very proudly through his town. Armidale is a shining example of community generosity and keeping history at the fore front. The buildings, many hailing from the 1840's, are kept in this vintage, without being comical. It is a very house proud town, gardens are English inspired and maintained. The university is spectacular beyond description unless you have seen it. Grand without being pompous, inspiring just by its layout and buildings. Land which has been gifted to the uni by graziers, further evidence of the generosity of the community. You get the picture - we loved it!
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| Armidale University |
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