O'Reilly's Vineyard, Canungra, Queensland, Australia

O'Reilly's Canungra Valley Vineyards located on Lamington National Park Road, Canungra, Queensland, is a 15-acre vineyard with the 163-year-old historic homestead ‘Killowen’ set up with dining rooms and long verandahs, and extensive grounds that are next to the Canungra creek where it is possible to find Platypus and turtles while partaking in a picnic.

There are about 6,000 vines of the (white) Semillon, Verdelho and (red) Chambourcin, Shiraz and Petit Vedot varieties.

We visited there in December when the vines were just starting to produce fruit. 

That fruit is usually harvested in February and then turned into wine.

The setting for picnics is, on a warm Summer's day is idyllic, where you can wade in the creek, or go looking for a platypus.  We did not see one there the day we visited but did spend some time sitting beside the creek.

The Mary Valley Rattler, Gympie, Queensland, Australia

I have a passion for visiting transport museums, to see old trains, planes, buses, cars, even ships if it's possible.

This has led to taking a number of voyages on the TSS Earnslaw in Queenstown, New Zealand.

Many, many, many years ago on Puffing Billy, a steam train in the Dandenongs, Victoria, Australia.

The steam train in Kingston, New Zealand, before it was closed down, but hopefully it will reopen sometime in the future.

The London Transport Museum in London England, which had a lot of buses.

The Workshops Railway Museum in Ipswich, Queensland, where once the many steam engines were built and maintained, and now had only a handful of engines remaining.

However, in the quest for finding and experiencing old transportation methods, we came across the Mary Valley Rattler, which runs out of Gympie, Queensland, Australia.

The ride begins in Gympie at the old Gympie Railway station, and as can be seen below, is one of the relics of the past, and, nothing like the new more modern stations.  Thankfully.



If you're going to have a vintage train, then you have to have a vintage station.



The Class of engine, seen below, is the C17, a superheated upgrade to the C16 it was based on, and first run in 1903.  This particular engine was built in 1951, although the first of its type was seen in  1920 and the last of 227 made in 1953.  It was the most popular of the steam engines used by Queensland Railways.

The C designation meant it had four driving axels and 17 was the diameter of the cylinder, 17 inches.  It is also known as a 4-8-0 steam locomotive
 and nicknamed one of the "Brown Bombers" because of its livery, brown with green and red trimming.

Also, this engine was built in Maryborough, not far from Gympie by Walkers Limited, one of 138.



This photo was taken as the train returned from Amamoor, a trip that takes up to an hour.



The locomotive is detached from the carriages, then driven to the huge turntable to turn around for the return journey to Amamoor.

This is the locomotive heading down to the water station, and then taking on water.  After that, it will switch lines, and reverse back to reconnect the carriages for the trip to Amamoor.



The carriages are completely restored and are extremely comfortable.  It brings back, for me, many memories of riding in older trains in Melbourne when I was a child.

The trains, then, were called Red Rattlers.



This is the locomotive climbing one of the hilly parts of the line before crossing over the Mary River on a trestle bridge.



This is the engine at Amamoor near the picnic area where young children and excited parents and grandparents can get on the locomotive itself and look inside where the driver sits.

And, no, I didn't volunteer to shovel coal.

This particular locomotive spent most of its working life between Townsville and Mount Isa and was based in Cloncurry, Charters Towers, and Townsville, before being sent, at the end of its useful days in the late 1960s, to the Ipswich Railway Workshops.

Away for an extended weekend - Melbourne to Brisbane by plane

Every flight is different

I’m sure I wasn’t expecting this to be so, but it’s always good to be surprised.  Particularly when an airline is involved.

The thing is, running on time with airlines in this country, particularly when there is no real competition between them, is not one of their priorities.  Most of the flights I’ve been on recently have either been delayed or just plain late.

But, for us, other than being out late, it doesn’t really matter.  It’s not as if we have to be somewhere at a particular time.  And it’s the reason why we select the flights with the cheapest seats.  They are the flights late in the day and the last to fill, and it’s probably because everyone knows they never leave on time, or arrive on time.

So, having said that, this flight is going to prove me wrong and be the exception to the rule.

6:02 the doors are closed and we're ready to go.

As the stated departure time is slated for 6:10, I seriously doubt we'll be pushing back before the advertised time.  Maybe not, 6:05 and we're pushing back from the gate.  This might be the first time...

But, sometimes being early doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in the aviation industry.  It certainly doesn’t mean we are getting into Brisbane any earlier.

This I know for a fact because there always seems to be a problem getting into Brisbane because it only has one runway and nearly every flight has had to  slow down and lose a few minutes because of the number of available landing slots.

I think there's only been one occasion we got in early; that was an international flight and we had favourable tailwinds.

So let's see what happens...

At 6:14 the plane is at the top of the runway, and then at full power, we are scooting down the runway.  The pilot is making use of very metre and it feels like it's taking an eternity to get into the air.  Eventually, the plane lifts off and we are in the air.  

Unlike the tired old plane we came down in, there is no sound of the flaps retracting or the wheels going up.  It's all very smooth, so far.

Back in my favourite middle seat, it’s back to eating like a sardine.  The menu gives us two choices, and I take a lamb tortilla with wild rice, and it proves very difficult to eat when restricted in movements.  In the end, you basically have to eat like a pig at a trough, which can be disconcerting to those sitting beside you.  Unfortunately, you have very little choice, other than not eating at all.

At 7:30, we start the descent into Brisbane. It usually takes about 30 minutes for the plane to land. which means if we're lucky and we do not get sent into a large circular holding pattern, we might just land 20 minutes early. 

Ten minutes later, the flight path display is saying we will arrive in Brisbane, whether this is on the ground or at the gate, at 8:06.  At 7:47 the flight path guide is still telling us we will be arriving in Brisbane at 8:06.  At least now it is showing the icon for the plane heading towards Brisbane instead of out to sea.  It means our flight path to the runway will take us over the city.

Since I am near enough to a window, I will be able to see us pass over the gateway bridges rather than coming in from over the bay, nominally at the sea end of the Brisbane river.  During the day the view below is usually quite spectacular, at night, you get to see the lights, and at times pick out the main roads by the continuous street lighting.  You might also get to see a brightly lit stadium if there is a football or rugby game being played.

At various times I have been able to pick out the M1 freeway, the gateway motorway, and a large city that is reasonably distinguishable from the air, Springwood, near where we live, and once I was able to see our neighbourhood in Daisy Hill.  I have not yet actually seen our house from the air, the plane is too high up to clearly identify any specific landmark that small.

Maybe one day, in the right conditions.  I know it’s possible because planes are always passing over our house during the day and sometimes at night.

We’re still on time for an 8:06 landing and a quick glance out the window just saw us going over the gateway bridges at 8:04.  From there it is a slightly bumpy ride until we touchdown, quite sedately, at 8:07.

The late plane myth has been dispelled.  We arrive at the gate at 8:11, 19 minutes ahead of the scheduled arrival time. 

One suspects the plane crew had a party to get to, and it was the reason why we arrive ahead of time.  Or, maybe not.  Everyone is up the front of the plane, from the Captain down, thanking the passenger,. Or perhaps it’s the other way round.

It’s always good to actually land safely in one piece, in America they applaud.  Here, we’re a little more sedate and simply mutter a quiet thank you as we leave the plane.

By the time we’re off the plane, it’s clear we are one of the last few planes to arrive for the day, and the usually busy airport is starting to close down.  The only place that is a hive of activity is the baggage belt, and it’s usually here where any made up time is completely lost.  Much like the carts with our baggage from the plane.  Sometimes you can wait an eternity.

Today, thankfully, it’s only half an eternity.

Maybe we’ll get home at a respectable hour, if, that is, there are no road works on the main arterial road between our place and the airport.

Oops, looks like I spoke too soon.

Toowoomba Flower Festival, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia

The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is held in September, and this year ran from the 20th September through to the 30th.

We visited the Laurel Bank Park, where there are beds of many colorful flowers,

open spaces,

statues,

an area set aside for not only tulips but a model windmill

and quite a number of hedge sculptures

There was also the opportunity to go on a morning or afternoon garden tour which visited a number of private gardens of residences in Toowoomba.

Surfers Paradise, or the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

It was recently topical because of the Commonwealth Games, but we have been to the Gold Coast on many occasions and nearly always stayed at the Hilton.

Nearly all of the photos here are taken from floor 13 through to 45, some close to the ocean, others facing north, and west, towards the hinterland.

Below is one of the main beaches, where the typical sun, sand, and surf pretty well sums it up.  Been ion the water a few times myself, and it is amazing how warm it can be on some days, and how cold it can be on others.

And a surfer's paradise it sure is!



At the bottom, the start of the shopping centers and eateries.  The is more different types of food there that can be counted on the fingers and toes together.



The beach just to the north, and where the market stalls set up at night.



Further north, through the highrises, and far, far into the distance towards Brisbane.



North, again, looking up Cavill Avenue.



South, showing highrises and the Q Tower.



South, taken from the Q Tower, the coastline to Coolangatta dotted with high rise apartment blocks.



The two towers behind the Grand Chancellor, are the twin towers of the Hilton Hotel.



From the Q Tower, looking towards the canal residential precinct.



Yes, we were looking for whales, no we didn't see any.  The ocean, though, was unusually calm.