5 Day - Chinchilla & Golden West Surprises
Departure Date: 3rd October 2009
Tour Cost: from $1115 per person twin share
October is just the right season for SURPRISES! This tour to discover Chinchilla & Golden West Surprises makes a holiday with a difference. Enjoy two nights in Chinchilla with plenty of time to explore the local attractions of this town known as the “Melon Capital”. Then at Miles get to know this town known as the “Crossroads of the Golden West”. Lots of attractions to visit which reveal to us the lifestyle and endeavours of our pioneering forefathers and the hardworking locals that now live on the land. A short holiday break that is guaranteed to delight the discerning traveller.
DAY 1 HERVEY BAY–CHINCHILLA (L)
Saturday 3rd October 2009. Welcome aboard our luxury coach for our first day on tour to discover Chinchilla & Golden West Surprises. Board at Hervey Bay with pick ups as required through Maryborough and Gympie. On the way to Chinchilla we pass through a number of small towns, each with its own claim to fame. Passing through Kilkivan we reach Goomeri, a popular destination for antique enthusiasts. A little further on to Murgon, a diverse farming area that also boasts six vineyards within a 15 kilometre radius of the town and the largest vineyard in the state.
We reach Kingaroy for our morning break. It is of course renowned for its towering peanut silos but it is not generally known it was named after the aboriginal word for “red ant”. The Visitor Centre has a good eight minute video and nuts may be purchased next door. Continue along the Bunya Highway to meet Malcolm and Santina Schmocker at their Belvedere Farm . The farm has been operated as a cropping enterprise since 1927 and our tour will view sample plots of most of all the crops grown in the South Burnett. We may be given a wagon ride and a nice lunch will be served in their beautifully restored original barn. We are farewelled by our friendly hosts and continue to our destination of Chinchilla, known as the “Melon Capital” of Australia.
A visit to the Chinchilla Historical Museum will offer us insights in to the unusual and a fascinating glimpse into the lifestyle and produce of the region. After a full day we check into our motel accommodation in Chinchilla with time to relax and freshen up for our special dinner at the Chinchilla RSL Memorial Club (own expense).
DAY 2 MILES AND THE MYALL BOTANIC GARDENS (B)
Sunday 4th October 2009. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before we set off on an interesting day of touring. Our first stop is in the small town of Miles, referred to as the “Crossroads of the Golden West”. Enjoy a visit to the Miles Historical Village, an authentic pioneer settlement which provides visitors with a real sense of small town facilities during the 19th century. A short tour north will bring us to Possum Park.
If you have any doubts about the existence of the Brisbane line of defence during World War II, David and Julie Hinds will fill us in on the true facts when we visit them. Wander around the various installations and see how they have converted former underground bunkers into sleeping quarters. Return to Miles to visit Dogwood Crossing @ Miles which is now the cultural heart of town, integrating the visual arts, social history and literature in a single cultural centre.
Purchase your lunch (own cost) while in town then board our coach once more for the tour via Condamine, Meandarra and Glenmorgan to the Myall Botanic Gardens. This is a place of special interest to botanists, gardeners, birdwatchers, photographers and artists. You will find a special emphasis in plants from arid, semi arid and sub tropical regions of Australia. We return to Chinchilla with some time to relax before we go out again with some local National Seniors friends for dinner (own arrangements).
DAY 3 CHINCHILLA –TOOWOOMBA (BD)
Monday 5th October 2009. An easy day ahead for us so relax over breakfast before we board our coach for the tour through Dalby to the famous Jondaryan Woolshed. Built around 1860 to shear sheep it belonged to what was to become the largest freehold pastoral empire in Queensland: it is now the centrepiece of an historical museum and park. Our guided tour will present the history of Jondaryan Station and its role in the development of pastoralism on the Darling Downs and the wool industry in Australia. Tea will be included. Our tour continues into Toowoomba for a lunch break (own cost) and we can admire the
views from Picnic Point. This afternoon travel the short distance to Drayton and the Royal Bulls Head Inn which is now leased by the National Trust to Antonia Hildebrand. This 1859 hotel shows how travellers fared in the 1860’s and the timber and brick log construction is unusual in Queensland. Antonia will show us the inn and provide us with a refreshing afternoon tea. Return to Toowoomba and our comfortable accommodation with time to freshen up before dinner is served in our motel dining room.
DAY 4 TOOWOOMBA AREA HIGHLIGHTS (BLD)
Tuesday 6th October 2009. Our last few days have revealed the lifestyles and endeavours of our pioneers. Today we will enjoy some of the fruits of their labours by visiting some of the more refined attractions in and around Toowoomba. Heading north along the dual highway a short distance we turn off to Brindabella Gardens. This beautiful spot has its origins only a few years ago when it was a bare paddock. Now a cool mountain garden it is unique in Queensland and we can enjoy the springtime displays not usually associated with the Queensland climate. A little further on we reach Highfields, a booming community growing in both population and in tourism activity. The Danish Flower Art Centre is always worth a visit and we can take a break (own cost) in their little coffee shop.
A little further on we find the Jacaranda Manor & Chocolate Cottage together with a fudge factory. The sweet tooths in our group can stock up for our trip back home. Beyond Highfields at Cabarlah we find the original Cuckoo Clock Centre. It has been here for many years and contains hundreds of traditionally crafted clocks direct from the Black Forest in Germany. The vast collection will impress even those of us who pay little regard to time. Time now to backtrack to Highfields where we turn off the highway and reach Spring Bluff with its picturesque Railway Station. Its gardens are magnificent during spring and will be the venue for our picnic lunch (included).
This afternoon we return to Toowoomba to visit the Ju Raku En Garden located on the northern side of the University campus. This is Australia’s largest and most traditionally designed Japanese stroll garden. There are paths which will take us by countless species of Japanese and Australian native trees, plants and lawns which combine in seamless and restful harmony. Our last visit today is to the very well known Cobb & Co Museum which houses one of Australia’s finest displays of horse drawn vehicles. The outstanding collection traces the history of horse drawn transport in southern Queensland. Back to our motel where we can spruce up for our last dinner together on tour.
DAY 5 TOOWOOMBA– MARYBOROUGH (BL)
Wednesday 7th October 2009. We farewell our Toowoomba hosts and travel eastward through Gatton to Ipswich and the Workshops Rail Museum. Now a part of the Queensland Museum the workshops were restored and developed into a “living history” experience. Our guided tour will revive nostalgia and magic of a bygone transport era and enjoy the exhibitions of rolling stock and a huge model railway.
Lunch (included) will be at the Trackside Café. Our afternoon tour takes us through Brisbane and then up the familiar Bruce Highway with drop offs as requested. Returning to Maryborough and Hervey Bay and the end of our holiday filled with scenic memories and surprises.