Brisbane Family Trip - Day 3 (Scenic World)

Katoomba was not a place I knew much about when planning for this trip. Part of the reason why I chose this town as a stop was a) it wasn't in Sydney but wasn't far from Sydney b) something about the Blue Mountains and c) Three Sisters (a rock formation?).

When we first entered Katoomba yesterday I saw sign pointing to the lookout for Three Sisters but also saw signs for a place called Scenic World.  This was not a name that initially inspired hope. The name is uninspiring, (Piss Weak World, anyone?). However did a little bit of research on the internet and decided it was worth a visit today.

And Wow!

Basics first. Scenic World is effectively made up of four attractions; Scenic Railway, Scenic Skyway, Scenic Cableway and Scenic Walkway. Or as the sign in the building said:

 Now this was a very popular tourist attraction. Lots of people from all nationalities seemed to be in attendance today. And for one very good reason. The scenery here is absolutely spectacular.I dont think that words will do it justice, nor my amateur photography. However for what it's worth here are some pictures taken during the day:

The Scenic Skyway with the Jamison Valley in the background

Orphan Rock

The tracks for the Scenic Railway. The photo may not show it but that is a steep track!

View from down at the bottom of the Scenic Railway Station.

I forget what this one is called. I liked the photo though, so it;s here.

The Jamison Valley

That's the Three Sisters on the left hand side. Whilst one of the iconic structures of the area, in all honesty it's overtaken by its surroundings.

The Scenic Walkway was also home to an art exhibition - Sculpture at Scenic World 2019. Here are some highlights.

Y? (a pretty obvious title)

I forget this title. Something to do with oil drums being re-imagined as nature.

Yeah, forgot this title as well. Metal in the forest?

Regret

Into the Woods Red Mountain Wood - I found this one a bit creepy.

I forget this one as well, but they looked like Dragon Eggs - sponsored by HBO?

If you find yourself in or around Katoomba I strongly I strongly recommend a trip to Scenic World.

Sydney tomorrow.

No real additions to time or km in the car. Scenic World is less than a couple of minutes from the Katoomba town centre.

No music on play today.

Brisbane Family Trip - Day 2 (To Katoomba)

Day 2 saw us leaving Gundagai without taking any photos of the dog sitting on that tuckerbox (and yes, commenter from yesterday, it is not actually in Gundagai, but about 7km further on.

Lesley would not allow me to stop for photos or souvenirs.  So here is a photo taken when we were last here, a couple of years ago:

Brunch was at Rosie's Cafe in Yass. Yass is not what would be considered a tourist town, but at least the food was nice.

Once we left Yass we entered unchartered territory as we started driving further north than we had  ever been. Congratulations to Nick for the honour of being the driver as we crossed that threshold.

An hour north of Yass and we reached the town of Goulburn. The signs indicated that it was the oldest inland European town, however my interest was in something else:

The Big Merino is over 15 metres high, built with concrete and weighing 97 tonnes. The statue is based on a stud ram called Rambo that was located on a nearby property.

After the obligatory souvenirs (fridge magnet and shot glass), we quickly left Goulburn and started heading north and up, into the Blue Mountains.

We initially passed through kilometres and kilometres of pine plantations. This reminded me of the South West Victorian and Mt Gambier timber regions, only a lot higher. At one point we were at 1355m above sea level; not quite Kosciuszko, but more than twice as high as the peak of Mount Dandenong.

We eventually arrived at the town of Oberon, the regional commercial and industrial centre.

Coffee and cake were purchased at Monkey Bean Cafe. We appreciated their commitment to their logo:

We arrived in Katoomba and our AirBNB housefor the next couple of days shortly before 5.

The view:

A quiet night in before exploring the region tomorrow.

Total Km 925

Total hours behind the wheel 10 1/2

Spotify Playlist of the Day: James Bond Songs

Brisbane Family Trip - Day 1 (Heading Off)

The Fezzant Creak Rambler was a blog I had set up many years ago to write about all sorts of stuff going on in my life - from funny YouTube clips and politics to rebuilding activities post Black Saturday and business related stuff. I also wrote about our family trip to South Australia back in 2011. People seemed to follow my ramblings about that trip, so why not do this again?

It is 10th April 2019. 2018 did not include any big trips so I was determined not to miss out two years in a row. The Australian National Band Championships are on in Brisbane this Easter, and my band (Box Hill City Band) is competing. We've never attempted to drive to Queensland before (the furthermost north we've driven has been Canberra). This sounds like the perfect excuse for the 2019 Family Trip.

Over the course of two and half weeks we will amble up to Brisbane, arriving just before Easter. After taking part in the Championships we will then head back home.

Sounds like a plan.

Sort of.

Leaving behind a tonne of work during what would normally be one of our busiest times of the year was part of the plan, but possibly not great thinking.

Convincing the family (one wife and two moody teenagers) that early(ish) morning starts and long stints on the road sounds like a great holiday was also part of the plan. We'll see whether this was a mistake.

Anyway, bugger it. The accommodation has been booked (mostly non-refundable), the car has been serviced and we do need a holiday - so off we head.

8:15am start time and first stop is our local bakery/cafe, as Lesley was going nowhere without a proper coffee. Note the fog in the picture above. It was a cold start to the trip.

Morning tea destination was Euroa, about an hour and a half away.  Decent food at the Mawsons Bakery (and service with a smile!). After I had driven this first shift, I handed the steering wheel (figuratively) to Nick.

Whilst Nick doesn't have a full driver's license yet he has had more experience on the road than I did at his age (18). This was his first time driving with all the family in the car.

He took his turn at the wheel without any issues.

The next stop was Beechworth. I like this town, full of old historical buildings, and the famous Beechworth Bakery. This wasn't the reason for the visit though.

The Brewery makes great pizzas. It also makes beer. Both Nick and I were going to try their taste paddle of ten (10) beers.

Here's Nick reading the tasting notes.

My verdict - The hoppier their beers got the more I enjoyed them. Their flagship Pale Ale was also pretty damn good. And a great malty, chocolaty Porter.

Nick's verdict - great lagers.

Random photo of old but shiny car parked in the centre of town at Beechworth.

 I could have spent all afternoon there, however we had more traveling to do.  Lesley drove after lunch (best for me not to drink and drive), and after a couple of hours and a driver changeover in Holbrook (home of the lost submarine), we arrived at our overnight stop in Gundagai.

No photos of the canine on the crate. Perhaps tomorrow.  Not a great deal to actually do here. 

Dinner was at The Family Hotel. Great pub food and reasonable service. Consider that a recommendation.

Tomorrow we drive to Katoomba.

Total Km 473

Total hours behind the wheel 5 1/2

Spotify Playlist of the Day: Lounge Covers by Jordi F. Prats