At the end of our Australian trip, we visited the town of Nanango and its surroundings, including the Bunya Mountains, in the south-east of the state of Queensland. We spent three lovely days there with our friends.
Day 40, Tuesday, October 15: From Brisbane to Nanango
After checking out from our hotel at 10 am, we were on the road with Marie and her husband, Ron, to their home in Nanango, 190 kilometers (118 miles) north-west from Brisbane. They drove to Brisbane a day earlier and stayed in the same hotel where we were.
Steve and Marie, and Marie’s brother, Wes, all met 44 years ago on a New Zealand bus tour, and kept in touch ever since. This was the second time we were meeting Marie and Ron as they visited us in Seattle a few years ago.
Around 1 pm, we arrived to their home, which is located 7 kilometers from Nanango. Settled in, had lunch, and enjoyed the laid-back afternoon, and the views of the surrounding lands. We learned that the property used to be a dairy farm, and belonged to Ron’s father.
To Steve’s great delight, Wes – and his girlfriend, Karen – arrived from their home in mid-afternoon, so the catching up on each other’s lives quickly began. They had not seen each other for 44 years.
Wes, like Steve, is a bird enthusiast (Marie too), so they were happy to look for birds near the house. After a tasty pasta dinner, we were ready to get a good night’s sleep in the peaceful and quiet countryside.
Day 41, Wednesday, October 16: Nanango
We woke up to the sound of birds singing in front of our window, and at breakfast finally tasted the famed Australian vegemite. Not too much though. It’s basically yeast extract that you put in a thin layer on heavily buttered bread. In Australia, they have been making it since 1923. We thought one needs to grow up with this stuff in order to really enjoy it.
The day was very relaxing: spending our time around the house, reading, sharing lots of stories. In the early afternoon we drove to Nanango and learned about its history.
Nanango is a rural town of around 4,500 residents in the South Burnett region. It’s the fourth oldest town in Queensland. We drove around the town and visited the South Burnett Energy and Visitor Information Centre, where we learned about energy generation and saw original 1933 motors. I even successfully rode the power-generating bike.
I liked the Nanango sesquicentennial quilt, which told the history of the town with images including gold diggers and blacksmithing.
Fun evening with Aussie BBQ and watching some Aussie tv programs.
Day 42, Thursday, October 17: Bunya Mountains National Park
We went on a full day trip today. First, we saw Coomba Falls and Coomba Water Hole.
Then stopped at a swinging bridge and walked through it. Not my favorite thing to do, but I managed because it wasn’t too high and long.
Around noon, we checked out the historic Muntapa Railway Tunnel, but couldn’t walked through it because it’s a roosting and breeding site of several thousand protected bats.
In the nearby park, we had our picnic lunch before continuing to Bunya Mountains.
Bunya Mountains is located about 53 kilometers to the south-west of Nanango. It’s a pristine and spectacular wilderness that has the largest natural stand of ancient bunya pines in the world.
Walked up to a lookout, then hiked in the green rainforest to Festoon Falls while trying to see some birds. We heard the call of many, but only a few showed themselves to us.
When going in and out of the forest, we had to clean our shoes because dirty footwear carries diseases that kill bunya pines.
In the end of our walk, we relaxed at outdoor picnic tables and enjoyed watching some birds here.
According to Steve, if you pretend you are a tree reaching out both of your arms, the birds might land on them. And indeed, they did. A crimson rosella landed on Steve’s arm, and a king parrot on his head. The sulfur-crested cockatoos also visited.
In the evening, I tried to catch up on writing blogposts, while Steve joined the others to watch an Aussie mystery show.
Day 43, Friday, October 18: From Nanango to Brisbane
Shortly before 2 pm, we hit the road again. Marie and Ron were driving us back to Brisbane. Wes and Karen left for their home earlier in the morning.
We stayed at the same hotel as previously (Mercure Spring Hill Hotel) – this time with a view of a construction site. Had our dinner at the hotel’s restaurant with incredibly slow service. But these things didn’t matter anymore, we were going to leave the next morning.
So, today was all about saying goodbyes to our friends, to Brisbane, and to Australia.
We were excited for our new destination, Papua New Guinea.
