Well, this could be a mammoth blog as we've been so busy that I haven't done one for a while! So, although this was meant to be all about our trip away to Toowoomba there are some other things that have to be mentioned, such as Bob's rescheduled surfing lesson! He was lucky as there were only 2 of them so almost personal tuition. I sat on the beach, armed with camera, ready to catch 'the' moment when Bob managed to stand. He punched the air with delight and was beaming for the rest of the day. In fact, he enjoyed it so much he booked another lesson the following week!

And so to the Toowoomba trip. We picked the site at Shammah Park as it was a farm in the middle of nowhere. We wanted to try the van out without connecting up to any electric or water, and survive on the inbuilt battery, solar and our own water tank. However, there was power and water if we needed it as a safety blanket. Also, we fancied an inland trip as we have been based on the Gold Coast and fancied seeing some scenery. The plan was to drive through Toowoomba to the site, then to visit and explore the town the next day. However, when we arrived at the site we fell in love with it - cows, horses and fields as far as you could see, and we were the only people there. The owner told us about a 'must-do' cycle ride and a pub just down the road and so we never made it back to Toowoomba! The sunset was just amazing as the colours were so intense. We sat under the stars (there were so many and you could see the Milky Way) eating steak cooked outside on our new grill, listening to the silence if that makes sense?!

The next morning we set off on our bikes. I have to say it was a very hilly ride - the photos do not show the severity of the hills!! I was seriously wondering if I would make it back to the van. However, this was also the best bike ride ever - the scenery was to die for, and the wispy spinifex (a type of grass) was blowing over the road, as it does in the typical Australian films. The cows were obviously not used to seeing bikes as they were scared of us. There was also a lovely welcoming sign on a driveway that was so long you couldn't see the house - "Trespassers will be shot, and those that survive will be shot again!" But the real highlight was rounding a corner to see a troop of kangaroos bounding over the fields. We felt like we were in 'real' Australia!

And then to Rudd's pub just down the road at Nobby, second turning on the right. Well, it was second turning on the right but about half an hour's drive away - gives the expression 'just popping out for a quick pint' a whole new meaning. Nobby is famous for its railway and for being the birthplace of Sister Elizabeth Kenny. The pub was like a museum with photos and newspaper clippings covering the walls, so, while eating lunch, we learnt that Sister Kenny pioneered the modern treatment for polio and saved many people from being cripples. There was also a memorial to her there and people had travelled there specifically to see the memorial and say thanks!

As we were in the Granite wine-making region we thought we should visit a winery, it would have been rude not to. So we climbed and climbed up the hills in our van, which coped admirably, our ears went pop and we eventually reached Preston Peaks, which had the most magnificent views over the valley. $5 bought us as many tasters as we wanted, and we could have had a cheese platter too but were still full from lunch. The sommelier was very knowledgeable and helped us understand why the 2013 Viognier tasted so different to the 2014 Viognier - apparently the grapes were grown 200m further up the hill! Anyway we came away with bottle no. 484 of 1500 of the 2013 vintage and I can't wait to drink it. Bob is insisting we save it for a 'special' occasion!!

We were now so hooked on the scenery that, instead of driving home the way we had come, we decided on a longer drive back through the Scenic Rim region which involved going through the Cunningham Pass. This is a gap in a range of mountains called the Great Dividing Range. We drove gradually up for miles and miles, but coming down was very steep. The scenery did not disappoint and we stopped to take many photos before arriving at the town of Boonah, where we stopped at the local pub before heading back to the van for a picnic lunch. Then off, over Tamborine Mountain, back to the Gold Coast. A lovely, lovely trip but I guess the thing we both learnt was not to make too rigid plans in the future, but to remain flexible and 'go with the flow!'

All the towns have 'pubs' that are not pubs as we know them but are more like our local betting shops, with screens showing all the important horse races, football, rugby etc. and betting slips freely available. There is also a game called Keno that is played constantly - you choose some numbers and if they come out you win! So people have a drink and play Keno, have a lunch and play Keno, play Trivia and play Keno, chat and play Keno! And thats without the 'pokies' or fruit machines. Each 'pub' also has a pokie room, which stays open until 4am in most cases, and there are hundreds of machines with people playing most of them. It is amazing, and we still can't get our heads around the fact that so many people gamble so often!

Bob's brother also had a milestone birthday, his 70th. Bill and Bob haven't been able to spend too many birthdays together lately so it was nice to see them celebrate. We had some T-shirts embroidered with Billy and Bob's 130th! It was a great day, and Bob and I loved being here for such an important occasion.

So, what else have we done? Bob and I did a tandem parasail on the Broadwater. I was so nervous beforehand but ended up loving it and we got some very cool pics! We met up with Ian, Lisa and Sophie, friends of ours from Oxshott Tennis Club who emigrated to Oz a few years ago, and spent a lovely day at Movie World Theme Park with them. We joined Bill and Fay's trivia team one Weds evening and the team won $200! Yesterday we met up with Harvey and Rita, who we had met on our Vietnam/Cambodia trip. It was great to reminisce and catchup - that part of our trip seems so long ago! And today we got up at 6am to cheer on our friend Paul who was running in the Gold Coast half-marathon. The course went by the end of Bill's road twice so we had a great view. Paul set a new PB which must have been down to his new supporters club of course - well done Paul!

This is the end of our stay here for a while. Tomorrow we are setting off on the first big leg of our Australian tour. We are off in the van for 2 months, going north up the coast as far as Cairns and, hopefully, Port Douglas and then back down on an inland route. And so to the packing.........!