Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone.

Be safe and I expect to post and visit blogs just after the New Year if not before.

Yes, off again for about a week.  First time away from home at Christmas time ever, so looking forward to it.  Eldest son his wife and 2 little ones are taking their caravan too. The other son has to work and he will spend his off time with his 3 little ones.

The photo is of the Huon River in Southern Tasmania past Hobart. We all went to Huonville for Easter this year so will be lovely to spend Christmas there.

Monto, Queensland

Monto in Queensland was our next stop for a couple of nights in the caravan park.  Hardly anyone in the park which happened in many parks on the way up north in winter and back down south in spring.  Plenty of caravans on the road going north and going south.

Never stayed in Monto before so on the second day we drove around the district of this rural town. Population of Motos is about 1,850 people.

Photos of the town and you will notice how parking in some areas is in the middle of the road.

Highest temperature at Monto is 44.5 C (112.1 F) in a January, doesn't say what year.

Above the Retirement Village across from the caravan park.

Many town do have trouble with some magpies being a nuisance to humans, first time I've ever seen a sign like this.

I can think of many things to caption this magpie with.

Information Centre

The Town Pharmacy

Anyone for Tennis!

The Local Pub.

A Church

Monto Shire Council building.

Horse Racing track and a bronze statue of Kenny Russell who was a local and world renowned jockey who sadly lost his life in a race fall in October 1993.  Ken was born in Monto in 1951.

Looks like holding pens for cattle in Monto.

A school.

The highway.

To Mundubbera, Queensland.

Mundubbera is claimed as the Citrus Capital of Australia.
European settlement was in 1840, the town is small with a Main Street with the supermarket, clothes and newsagency along with the post office and a few other shops.
We have visited Mundubbera a few times staying in the caravan park the last 2 times, the time before in a motel.

The photos were taken near the visitors centre at the Bicentennial Park on the banks next to the Burnett River the photos are of what we saw.

There once was a butter factory in Mundubbera, that closed in 1980 apparently. It was a seam driven factory to begin with and opened in 1916.

In 2010 - 2011 there was serious flood when the Burnett River broke it's banks.  Hard to believe with the water level currently low.

The steam train, can't find much information about it but expect it was once used to take mandarins and such to the east coast of Queensland.

The above is what's left of the railway bridge.
Below the Burnett River.

The Tasmanian Devil.

Gayndah, Queensland

Alway we when travelling this way we stop at Gayndah to buy some oranges and it is a citrus area, we have never stayed in Gayndah to explored the town of about 2,000 people because it's always morning time when we travel through.

Some photos of the 'long paddock' which means a grass verge of public road used as a source of pasture for cattle, sheep etc in times of drought in Australia.

This herd of cattle went for some distance with the drovers not too far away.

This is where we buy the oranges direct from the orchard, inside that orange is just information and advertising.

Goomeri, Queensland

It's two weeks since I had my right cataract done I'm to have the left eye done on January 6, 2020.

On the road to Goomeri, Queensland a small rural town.  The town is only a small one with just under 700 people.  Goomeri is not far from Gympie and a bit further from Brisbane Queensland, about 180 klms.

We stayed at the showgrounds where there is a caretaker to take the money and see that all is well with everyone.  There is power and water plus showers and toilets, we stayed one night then moved on.
Opposite the showgrounds is a service station and food where many trucks stop to get something to eat then move on.  Attached to the service station is a caravan park but it appears not many stop there.
Goodmeri is pronunced 'Goo merry'.

Crows Nest, Queensland.

We moved onto Crows Nest further north for a few nights.  We stayed there last year.

A statue of Jimmy Crow, an Aboriginal who lived in the area and gave the town its name is believed to have lived in a hollow tree.
The statue weights over a ton, and was cut from a block of Helidon freestone. 
Jimmy Crow was an exceptional tracker and traditional man.

A small restaurant at the Caravan Park which is rather popular. 

The water in the pond was as below in 2018. 2019 as above and of course a drought.

There are a few shops in Crows Nest which is not that far from Toowoomba to the east. There is also a small supermarket.

The Post Office and the Catholic Church.