Scenic Rim, Queensland

Summer Land Camel Farm

On Tuesday 25 June we visited the Camel Farm at Harrisville in the Scenic Rim district in South East Queensland.  The camels are ones retrieved from Central Australia where there are plague proportions of camels just wandering around in the desert.  Summer Land has professional cameleers who train the wild camels and people can enjoy riding these strong, stable, gentle and intelligent beauties each with their individual personalities.  The rides are on tandem saddles for a traditional camel caravan ride.  The property has stunning natural beauty with an abundance of native flora, fauna and birdlife.  There is also a cafe and retail store on the farm where you can sample the dairy products such as camel milk, cheeses, gelatos, chocolate, delicious camel meats and charcuterie, cakes and camelccino.  There are also anti-aging skin care products and I bought a small jar of lip balm.

There were many Camels who came to greet us, especially when they saw we had purchased bags of grass which they devoured when we held out a handful for them.

There are over 500 Camels on the property.  Summer Land began in 2015 when the Government began a culling programme targeting wild Camels.  These Camels were rescued from a gruesome fate. 

This is the shop and cafe where we purchased some retail products and also bought some gelato ice cream.  Summer Land is Australia's largest Camel dairy and Wild Camel Training Centre.  Camel milk is also good for the skin.

Here is my bowl of strawberry gelato ice cream which was delicious.  Studies have shown that Camel Milk has many nutritional benefits and is thought to be the closest milk to human breast milk.

Milora

Tamborine Mountain

To-day we took a drive to Tamborine Mountain in the picturesque Hinterland of the Gold Coast.  We drove through lush rainforest to reach the top of the Mountain, a place popular with hang-gliders.  We had lunch at the Fortitude Brewing Co. where they serve meals, as well as brewing their own range of beers.  After lunch we continued to drive around this picturesque area

The view from Tamborine Mountain.  There were some hang gliders there, soaring high up in the air after taking off from a grassy slope

 A spectacular view over the surrounding countryside.  We then drove back down to the Scenic Rim region to a town called Boonah and stopped for a coffee at Cafe 17.  Boonah is a very pretty place in an area bustling with farms producing produce for the Brisbane markets.

Back at the farm the chooks were in the chook pen, waiting to be fed and let out for a scratch around outside their cage.  We were lucky to get a couple of eggs.

Some of the cattle on the farm, grazing on the stubble.  There is drought up here and rain is desperately needed.  The dam is almost empty and the cattle now have to be hand fed with hay.

Two water tanks on the property that take up bore water for using as grey water in the laundry and toilets.

Milora

Down on the Farm 

Last Thursday 20th June, we travelled by Qantas plane to Brisbane and were met at the airport by Ken's daughter Diane and her husband David who drove us then to their farm in the Scenic Rim region of South West Queensland at Milora near Ipswitch.  We spent four days on the farm enjoying a little bit of country life and a big family get together on Saturday when grandchildren and great grandchildren arrived to welcome us.

Inside David's shed which he has constructed to house memorabilia of old utensils used around the district long ago.  It is a fascinating place to explore and a historical record of life in a bygone era.

Here is a view of the homestead with a Wattle tree ready to burst into bloom.  The house has a sweeping view of the surrounding countryside.  My bedroom had a sliding door on to this front verandah which was a great place to sit and enjoy the winter sun.

There are lots of rusty old farming equipment placed as sculptures throughout the garden which add a country vibe to the property.  This old tractor stands in the garden along the front driveway.  Zoe, one of the great grandchildren, had fun playing on this with Delilah (the dog) when she arrived on Saturday.

This is a view of Munbilla Road from the front of the property.

Here is the front driveway looking down, over the cattle grid, to the woodpile which is near the front entrance to the property.  David and his brother are splitting the wood and chopping it into sizeable logs and bagging it for firewood, which they are selling.  He also keeps wood for the combustion stove in the house which is kept burning all day and night to keep the house nice and cosy.

Leura

Sorensen's Glasshouse and Gardens

Today we drove up to Leura to visit a new venue, Sorensen's Glasshouse and Gardens at 8 Herbert Street, Leura.  This is on the site of renowned Danish-born landscape gardener, Paul Sorensen's original house and garden.  The Glasshouse is set on two acres of heritage listed gardens which still need a lot of replanting and work to bring them back to their original glory.  The work is being undertaken by Alexandra Munro and her partner, John Klugt describing the Glasshouse as their “dream business”.  They have leased it from the owner 

The couple has transformed the former nursery into a beautiful cafe/shop.  They have also employed a gardner to restore the gardens where the master plantsman, Paul Sorensen, once ran his nursery.  The site has been subdivided and twenty townhouses developed next door.

Paul Sorensen established the nursery in 1920.  He raised his family in the house on site and planted hundreds of cool climate trees in the arboretum, which he designed to give customers an idea of what mature specimens would look like.  The nursery finally closed in 1989, six years after Sorensen's death.

  

When Alexandra and John took out the lease, the Glasshouse was a complete mess and they spent five months stripping it out and refitting it into what is now a bright airy space selling locally made wares, greeting cards, skin care products, plants, etc.

The food, in the cafe, is fairly simple, as there is no kitchen on site.  There are teas, coffee, cakes and light snacks as well as soup and hot pies.  There are also ready-made picnic baskets for sale for eating in the garden, when the weather is suitable.
After lunch, we took a drive to some of our favourite lookouts in the Mountains.

Above is a view of the escarpment, taken from the track to the Sublime Point lookout in Leura.

Penrith

Weir Reserve

On Thursday 16 May, 2019 we did a walk along part of the Great River Walk at Weir Reserve, Penrith.  There were many birds to be seen, both on the water and flitting about in the undergrowth and tree canopies.  After our morning walk we had worked up quite an appetite, so walking back to our car, we drove around to the Rowers Club and had lunch sitting at a table out on the covered deck overlooking the Nepean River.  After lunch we continued a short walk along the river, under the bridges, before returning to our car.  It was a very hot day and we felt quite exhausted after our walk. However, we always like to be near the water and enjoy a change of scenery from the Mountains.  We were at the foot of the Blue Mountains and could view the Mountains from the river bank.

Here is the path, starting to ascend from the river bank.  We only went this far before turning around and heading back towards the Rowers Club.  The path is very popular and there were lots of people out and about on it enjoying the pleasant weather.

Pebbles and rocks in a pretty bend in the river.  I took many photos of the river, as I wanted photos of river scenes for a YouTube video project to illustrate my latest piano arrangement.

The Rowers Club, where we had lunch.  People can also dine on the covered verandah (where the umbrellas are). We were seated in the covered deck at the rear of the picture. We walked down the pathway after lunch, to rejoin the Great River Walk along the river.

The Victoria Bridge across the Nepean that carries road transport and trains. There is a new pedestrian bridge alongside it now which we walked over the last time we were here.

Rowing sculls lined up on the bank of the River, beside the Rowers Club.  There is also a Club where you can learn to row, alongside the Rowers Club.  I took this photo from our table on the deck of the Club.

It was a beautiful day for a walk, but we should have worn tee shirts, as it was very hot.

Winmalee

The Coramandel Circuit

We did a longer walk today around what we call the Coramandel Circuit.  It is a circle of streets off Hawkesbury Road and just a short distance from our home.  We cross the Road opposite our house and walk down to the turn off to Coramandel Avenue then turn into Turnbull Street down Robyn Street, into Linnet Street and back into Turnbull Street and Coramandel Avenue back to Hawkesbury Road. It took us about 50 minutes, with many stops to take photos and a short walk down Wren Place before we returned home.  Parts of this walk are not paved and proved to be hard on my feet due to the rough surface and many stones underfoot and some of the streets are steep. After all, we do live in the Mountains!

A little copse of Autumn trees on an unpaved area along Hawkesbury Road before reaching Coramandel Avenue.

I love this little laneway lined with trees shedding their Autumn leaves.  It leads to a group of four houses off Coramandel Avenue.  There is a gate, but I have never seen it shut.  I'm not sure whether it would be classified as a gated community.

A lovely touch of gold in this Autumn tree at No. 9 Wren Place.  The number on the gatepost was loose and swinging on a single nail!

A magnificent view of Bees Nest Hill.  Years ago we walked to the top of this hill where there is a magnificent view into the Grose Valley.  This Hill is accessed via the Blue Gum Swamp at the end of White Cross Road.

This Liquidambar Tree stands on our property and was a welcome sight as we neared home, at the end of our walk.

It was a great day for a walk.  Fine and sunny and not cold.  It felt more like a Spring day.

Winmalee

Tristania Way

To-day we did a short local walk to Tristania Way,  not far from our house.  We have decided we need to do more walking and so we are going to try and do a few short walks every week.  The weather today was fine, sunny and quite warm for late Autumn.  The red and gold colours of the Autumn leaves looked magnificent as we stepped into this little cul-de-sac off Hawkesbury Road.  It was quiet and peaceful in this hidden getaway, even though it is close to a busy Road.  We walked to the end and then back again to Hawkesbury Road.  Here are some photos and observations of our walk.

This row of trees, displaying their Autumn glory, greeted us as we started our walk into Tristania Way.  They were on a bend in the Road as it dipped down into a Valley.  Just before reaching this bend, we saw a Crimson Rosella flitting around high in the trees on our right-hand side.

These dogs were barking excitedly as we walked past their property.  I loved the spotted one.  He looked part Dalmatian.  The other one looked like a Border Collie.  They looked happy to see us, even though they were barking!

We noticed this big old Gum tree, as we continued down the road.  I liked the way the branches intertwined to form an interesting pattern.  It was on the bush side of the Road. The bush stretched down into a deep valley.

On our way back to Hawkesbury Road, we noticed this little tree covered in netting.  It was growing on the Council nature strip.  We assumed it was a fruiting citrus tree and must be good enough for the owners of the adjacent house to want to safeguard it from attacks from birds.  Hope they reap a good crop!

A little clump of Gazanias greeted us in a garden on Hawkesbury Road and on the corner with Tristania Way.  As it was a sunny day the flowers were fully opened.  They made me feel happy!

We then walked the short distance back to our home.