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The Palms National Park, near Cooyar, QLD
This small, but spectacular subtropical rainforest can be found about two hours’ drive north-west of Brisbane, or around 210km. From Toowoomba, it is about 100km to the north. There is a spring-fed gully that winds its way through the national park, which is a bonus for the birds, frogs, bats and other wildlife that inhabit this space. The huge amount of palm debris on the ground creates safe habitats for many small creatures too. Things…
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Moura, Qld – We Uncover Rich History and Mining Heritage
In the past, we’ve zipped past the small country town of Moura on our way to some other planned destination. This time around, we stopped and stayed, and we are glad we did. As with all country towns, there is often a lot to see – ask to a local, walk or drive around, and visit the information centre – you’ll soon have a few sight-seeing hours filled! Moura’s Information Centre is a shiny new,…
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Herberton Spy & Camera Museum, QLD
Herberton is a rustic, small village nestled on the Atherton Tableland, featuring beautiful old heritage buildings. It is located about 75km north-west of Innisfail. The Spy & Camera Museum is conveniently located right on the main street of town. What an incredible and unexpected find this was! Owner Michael took us on our very own guided tour of his extensive collection. Cameras and curiosities packed into every single horizontal space! His knowledge and passion made the…
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Paronella Park, Nth Queensland
You won’t want to miss this top tourist attraction if you are road tripping or holidaying in North Queensland. There is just so much to enjoy at Paronella Park, and purchase of a ticket has the following inclusions: Tour with knowledgeable and friendly guides Evening sound and light show and guided tour One night free at nearby The Paddock Van Park Cup of fish and turtle food Validation of your ticket for two years, so…
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Exploring the Historic Dawes Range Rail Tunnels
These six heritage-listed tunnels are located between Barrimoon Siding (near the small township of Kalpowar) and Golembil Siding in Central Queensland. The tunnels were impressively built by hand between 1919 and 1926, connecting Byellee to Monto, and span a length of 26km. They are now a highlight of the Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail. It was fantastic to walk from Tunnel 6 (near Barrimoon Siding) through Tunnel 5 and on to Tunnel 4. We loved…
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Crows Nest Museum & Historical Village, Qld
Step back in time… at Crows Nest Museum and Historical Village. What an interesting and informative place to visit! There are more than 21 buildings here to explore, and they are packed full of memorabilia of local history. The building and items on display are in good condition and well-cared for by volunteers. The original office of Ray White Real Estate is located here in the form of a beautifully restored shed dating back to…
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Crows Nest Soft Drinks, Qld
Amazingly, Crows Nest Soft Drinks has been operating continuously since 1903! It has always been a family-owned business, currently by the 10th owners, Murray and Tanya Rosenberg. Gosh, we can remember back to a time when most small towns had their own ‘cordial’ factory – they were everywhere. Interestingly, Crows Nest Soft Drinks have a fantastic display of old bottles from a number of these old cordial factories, and we really enjoyed spotting some brands…
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Trumpeters Corner – A Soldier Settler Story
Trumpeters Corner is a little-known and quite out of the way Point of Interest, located just 18 km west of the small town of Jandowae. The memorial here is dedicated to the 21 returned soldiers who took up a government offer to work the land situated between Jandowae and Warra, in the Western Downs region of Queensland, Australia. They each received their own parcel of land to work via draws in the land ballots. Unfortunately, whilst…
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Dawson Mine, Moura Qld
We were in awe of the huge ‘tonka looking’ monster trucks seen from the viewing platform overlooking the mine. This is one huge open-cut metallurgical coal mine! The coal mined from here is railed to the Port of Gladstone for loading and exporting. It is used for steel production amongst a range of other things. The viewing platform is accessible for all vehicles, and there is plenty of room for parking and turning if you…
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Gunnewin Soldier Settlement Memorial and Old Rail Siding, Maranoa Region, Qld
Now a rural locality found 16 kilometres south of Injune, Gunnewin was once a thriving small town that served the needs of returned soldier settlers who were part of the Mount Hutton Lands Soldier Settlement Scheme in the region. The town was located by the Roma to Injune branch rail line, and today the old rail siding can still be found here. This branch line had a pivotal role in supporting the the Soldier Settlement…
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Historic Dickabram Bridge, Miva QLD
Construction of this grand old rail and road bridge was completed in 1886 and it was a major bridge on the Kingaroy Branch Line (Gympie-Kingaroy). Whilst the bridge was officially closed for rail early in 2010, it remains open for vehicles. Dickabram Bridge is heritage-listed and is the oldest remaining steel truss bridge in Queensland, and the second oldest in Australia. It stands 23 metres above the Mary River and is 191 metres long. The…
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Cranky Rock Nature Reserve, NSW
We stayed at Cranky Rock Nature Reserve for a few days, giving us ample time to explore, enjoy and relax in this beautiful and natural environment. This location has been on our bucket list for some time now and we weren’t at all disappointed! Cranky Rock Nature Reserve is about 8km south-east of the early established New England country town of Warialda, on the Gwydir Highway. Once you reach the turn off, it is only…
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The Cunnamulla Fella Statue, Qld
This statue in the heart of the small country town of Cunnamulla in south-western Queensland was unveiled in 2005. The imposing double life size bronze statue pays tribute to the ‘ringers’ of the bush. In the 1950s and 60s when Australia was riding on the sheeps’ back there were endless work opportunities for young lads on both sheep and cattle stations. At this time, Cunnamulla was booming as the large properties in the area employed…
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What’s Left of the Abandoned Ferny Grove-Dayboro Rail Line, Qld
The Ferny Grove to Dayboro Branch Rail Line holds a fascinating place in Queensland’s rail history. The remnants of this historic rail line on Brisbane’s north-western outskirts evokes nostalgia of an era when steam trains chugged through scenic landscapes, leaving an indelible mark on Queensland’s history. In the early 1900s this area at the eastern base of the D’Aguilar Range was prospering as farming and timber logging country, but roads were very rudimentary, which made…
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Mt Glorious Subtropical Rainforest Walk, Qld
Mt Glorious is located just to the north-west of Brisbane in the D’Aguilar Range National Park. We took a walk to Greenes Falls and saw huge strangler figs, twisted roots, interesting fungi and a ‘land mullet’ – a large skink (lizard). The walk to the Falls was mostly downhill which was great until we realised it would be an uphill walk back to Maiala Day Use Area. We enjoyed our walk so much that we…
