One week old calf saved

Tarra saved this calf from nasty things happening to him. She is going to rear it and keep it on the farm. He was rejected by its mother and they took it (Terry her brother) and brought it home as we got to their ranch.

He is called Bubbles and Brian and Terry got his bed ready and Tarra made up bottles.

He is a cutie as you can see.

Shane and Gaylene making for home

We have been out since 9am, starting off with a full breakfast at the RSL Club in Kingaroy.

Shane has this irritating habit of 'not' smiling for the camera. But as you see Gaylene more than makes up for it!

They are taking a much needed Sunday off and having befriended us Poms it is lovely.

BBQ at the Bunyas

We are using the coin operated electric bbq in the picnic area at Dandabah where the lodges are and the restaurants.

Shane is cooking and the eggs are freshly laid. We went for the walk before and came back rather ravenous to say the least.

Shane, Brian, Gaylene and Margaret.

Feeding Time

How many parrots can you see?

They are everywhere at this time of day, waiting for their food.

You are given plates to put the food in, you mustn't feed them yourself, you must wash your hands after with special soap. Look at this little girl's face, concentrating or scared?

Wallaby in the rain forest on Bunya Mountains

This little sweetie was happily eating grass when we found him/her - couldn't see a little on its pouch.

Tourist Attraction

Feeding time for the birds at 15.30 for fifteen minites only and they just land any old where...

Bunya tree

'Bonye bonye' tree was first officially recorded by a non-indigenous Australian in the 1830's.

Running out of things to say...

What a big Trunk

He is enjoying himself isn't he? I'll never be able to get him home I'm sure. He loves it here, everything about it he loves.

These trees are huge, really high. We are surrounded by trees in a rain forest.

Evan as far back as 1860's European settlers were travelling to the Bunyas for the scenery and to relax. It was declared a national park in July 1908. It says here...

Gaylene and Shane at Pine Gorge Lookout

Having a breather with this lovely scenery in the background.

I suppose we are about a quarter of the way through and at the highest point of our walk.

We are climbing the tree

Look at those roots, and I don't mean my hair!

I don't know you can't keep Brian from climbing up a tree. This is a good example of the trees on the range and in the forest. Very spooking down there and hardly any people only us five.

Here we go!

We are just about to go on our 4km walk.

I am sure I can hear a crying baby but it says in this booklet I am looking at now, the noise is from - green catbirds. Really weird noises, just like a baby wailing.

Bunya Mountain Range

We are setting off on a 4km walk called 'Scenic Circuit' have to take a hat, water, good walking shoes, keep covered up as ticks fall from the trees - ugh!

This is us at the start, fine with me, honest - but didn't like walking on the wet rocks at all.

The Bunya Mountains were formed about 30 million years ago and thought to be the remnant of an old shield volcano. The mountains are like an island surrounded by plains and cleared farming land. They are a refuge of biodiversity, harbouring ancient species, distinct plant and animal communities and more than 30 rare and threatened species - so it says in the booklet.

Brian and Shane

They are waiting for the bulls to come out, most of them are quite young, not too frisky which will be good for Terry.

He stayed on his without any trouble and didn't ride again. We were told by Shane he wasn't down to ride at all but asked if he could to show us - sweet! I'm glad he didn't fall off.

Keeping warm by the fire

Shane and Christine sitting by the fire, waiting for Terry to ride the bulls.

There are about 80 people here tonight, this practise is held every Thursday evening and helps the riders to get to grips with the bulls, although I thought they were pretty small - the bulls not the blokes!

Terry getting ready to ride the bulls

Shane took us to a farm nearby Nanango to watch his son Terry 17 riding bulls. He has won cups and a beautiful gold buckled belt for his riding. He is doing very well and here he is getting ready for his ride.

The pics of his riding - didn't come out - was too dark. But he did well and we enjoyed the evening meeting up with old friends we met on Brian's birthday too.

We had burgers and sat by the fire watching the rodeo.

Mitchell and Brian

In the box is a chook. Mitchell is one of our nearest neighbours, he is 15 and wants us to look after his chook with ours.

She went into the pen but took time to settle as the other chooks ignored her and wandered around with her in the background.

Mitchell is the one who will look after this house of ours if we want to go away, but so far, haven't wanted too.

Snake

This is the snake Max the cat brought home - hanging from his mouth. He dropped it by our table where we were eating breakfast...

Gayleen saw this picture and said it was a young brown snake - ugh. Look that up on google.

Shane said, when he came up to cut the grass it was a WORM!

Then last night a massive spider came in the sitting room and went behind the bookshelves.

I am on my way home, see you all next week!

ps - I am hoping Max will find it for me.

Caz and Pol (again)

Doesn't the grass look lovely? No snakes in there!

Pol and Caz are just about to have their weekend bones.

We are moving the goats in the morning, to a fresh paddock for two weeks, then back to the big one at the back of the house.

The wallabies go into next door's paddock and that will make the dogs bark in the early evening. Last time they went in a front paddock they kept me awake barking, so we will see what happens next week.

In front of the house, they are more aware of neighbouring dogs and they talk to each other, but we know that don't we! It just keeps me awake, but then I have six library books to finish and novel to write so perhaps I should get up and get going in the middle of the night.

Tara and Brian

Gayleen and Shane's daughter Tara is 20 and lives at home - but in the little house in the background on the left with all mod cons, just for her. The red car is hers too.

You can't see another house at all - perfect -and the only sound is us, talking.

Shane back at the ranch

We are having a breather and catching up on the week's events.

Shane has made coffee and we are having a tapa on his verandah.

It is very hot today and we are all whacked. If this is spring what is summer like, methinks?

Too near for comfort

Moving slowly, timidly, they pass me by my tree!

They are being fattened up, need I say more?

Moving cattle to new grazing

We helped Shane move the cattle to new grazing, well, I stood behind a tree.

Two of these belong to Tara, their daughter, they are lovely beasts

Afternoon at the Jackson's ranch

Shane and Brian are chatting while opening gates for us to drive through, and they say women talk...

Anyway we had an excursion around the ranch to show us how dry it all is - even though Terry - Shane's son, has dug some water holes, there is little water for the cattle.

Shane - to the rescue

Gayleen asked Shane to come and bring his sit-on and he did just that and cut all the yard for us while Brian whipper snippered the edges. Took just over two hours for the lot and it looks great now and also, you can see the where you are walking and what is there!

The Whipper Snipper Man

Well as you can see the grass has grown rather long and Brian has taken the whipper snipper to task to cut it back somewhat. The sit-on is broken and sitting in the garage and this is a bit of a job - to say the least, but as the cat brought us a snake at lunch time we thought we had better (or he) had better keep the grass down by the house.

Pol guarding his bone and watching wallabies

Pol has caught sight of a wallabie in the next field as well as rabbits.

He has a large marrow bone in front of him and won't get up, so that is fine with us.

A month ago this view looked so different, I know I am going on about the grass, but it is the water we need and Val has goats to keep the grass down. Only two weeks ago we nearly ordered food for them, as the grass was fading fast, now it looks like they will be fine for some time before they go onto other food.

Boring aren't I?

Caz with his Saturday bone

Caz is enjoying his Saturday bone and we are filled up with lavender scones and a toastie of cheese and asparagus. Brian is reading The Australian which is similar to the Saturday Telegraph.

More than anything we are going to miss these dogs. They are so gorgeous.

Brian checks the paddocks regularly and they follow him around, sniffing and barking.

Today we watched the wallabies in the field next to where the goats are but can't get close enough to take a picture. On the road we saw six - on the way back from Pottique, diving into the bush beside the track.

Pol in the garden with a bone

We brought the dogs down this afternoon for a change, they have been holed up in the paddocks with the goats and the rain for four days.

This is the first time Pol came into the garden, he is very shy and is also a good working dog.

As you can see the grass is green and long even though Brian cut it last week! It rained for four days non-stop and Brian says, after looking in the tanks, they are full to brimming over.

Pol always has a quizzical look about him but he likes my soft voice (!) and is used to me speaking to him. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get him back into the paddock when Brian puts the chooks away, but I opened the gate, he dropped his bone, and went in after Caz.

On average we have five eggs a day. There are five hens. We lost one the first weeks and Brian was most upset about it, a black one, pretty little thing. We don't know why she died but Val was informed.

Most of the eggs we give to neighbours and Gayleen. Then we have pancakes, quiche and try not to eat too many - but there is nothing like a new laid egg from a free range chook, is there?

A camel ride and no it isn't us

I suppose I have to put some pics on from the festival, the ones I took of the dog training and the others didn't look too great but this was OK.

The festival was very small and not at all as we thought it might be, but then we did go food shopping first, and might have missed half of it or at least most of it.

There was also an antique fair on the showground but nothing of any note or interest to us. A big hall on stilts in need of repair and only two blokes trying to sell the stuff. We, instead, made our way to Pottique for a Devon Tea with scones and watched the planes above us giving pleasure flights.

Bust Ya Nuts -QLD Strong Man Games

This will go in the Guinness Book of Records, so we heard over the tannoy.

Another sunny day and hope it stays that way too.

Our Time Here

I am afraid there are no pictures at the moment unless you want wet paddocks, goats hiding in sheds and damp dogs...

I have taken advantage of the cold. wet weather to make piles of soup - carrot and parsnip, beef stews and cottage pies. Dave has joined us some evenings and we have had a great time sitting around our log fire - thank God for that.

It is very much like winter in Menorca and the rain falling on the corrugated roof sounds also like the wet season in Nigeria - so we feel at home here.

We ventured out last Saturday to the Nanango market again and managed to pick up two sauce tureens. We bought loads of veggies too and the man said, it will rain on Tuesday, he wasn't wrong.

Brian has been keeping a keen eye on our tanks and they are brimming over with water. All our water to the house comes from these tanks. Trouble at the moment is the solar isn't working cos the sun aint shining. That supplies all the hot water.

This weather has been a good boost for me to put words on paper and that is what I have been doing. Brian has a supply of books from the library and he is busy getting through those.

We have visits from Bob our neighbour and he fills our ears with lovely Australian tales and keeps us amused of an afternoon or late morning when he goes walkabout.

Jeff and Pauline have gone back to their other home and it is quiet now without them. They had a BBQ their last night and we had a super time with Jeff cooking the steaks and even ballroom dancing in their house!

Their son is a musician and singer and we had his CD on full pelt and had a dance. Well they did!

Gayleen our cleaner (Val's really) is promising to take us up to her place and around on a trip. She is a lovely woman and we get on really well. They have 350 acres with some cattle. Their son who is 17 rides bulls and she is saying we might go watch him if he is doing it local. Are they bulls? Don't suppose so. Put me right someone?

Haven't seen all the neighbours, the ones nearer to us, are all out at work or school and don't see them at all. The son has a car he races around a track, normally at siesta time - ugh!

We met a couple at The Bell Tower on Brian's birthday, from Nanango, and we are going to see them this coming week. They say they have a British friend who looks and sounds like Brian!

I don't know if I have said - but going back to the novel. My editor wants the whole thing. She says to finish it and then send it to her. That is why I am spending so much time on it. Trying to get it done. With time in UK coming up, then Christmas in Sweden and New Year in Germany with Angela and Eberhard it will have to be well on if not completed. I am hoping to meet her while in London. It is not certain that she will take it, the publishing house she works for might decide it is not for them - she has said if this happens she will put me in the hands of a good agent........ fingers crossed.

Peanut Festival

After five days of non-stop rain, wind and overcast skies (of course) it is hoped the Peanut Festival can get off to a good start in the morning.
This more or less what happens :-


Are You A Real Tuff Nutt?
Proud to be Australian! Proud to be Country!
This September Go Nuts With Us in Kingaroy at the inaugural Queensland Strong Man Games!
Kingaroy is located in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia just a little over 200km north-west of Brisbane. We're probably best known as the Peanut Capital of Australia - and have been since 1924! The Peanut Festival has been held in Kingaroy since 1959 and it's our way of celebrating the prosperity that peanuts have brought to our area.
This year the family friendly PCA Peanut Festival has a whole new look and a new location - Kingaroy Showgrounds.
Bust Ya Nuts!
The 2007 PCA Peanut Festival will be celebrating Kingaroy’s peanut heritage in a comical way showing off the strength and resilience of the local community. We are challenging the rest of Australia to test their strength in the family friendly Qld Strong Man Games.
The feature event of the Qld Strong Man Games will be the Guinness World Record Setting “Peanut Thresher Pull”.
There will also be three levels of other games for men, women and children: • “Little Peanut Games”, sponsored by the Little Peanuts Early Learning Centre • The Mission Australia Junior Qld Strong Man Games for primary school children, and • The open Qld Strong Man Games for upper teens and adults.
Teams and individuals from all over Queensland and Australia are being encouraged to trek to Kingaroy to try out for the “Tuff Nutt” Awards.
So if you've ever lived in Kingaroy, have friends here or always wanted to visit us, there's never been a better time to do it! Our site will tell you what's on at this year's Festival; how to get here; where to find accommodation; and where to get up-to-date tourist information about all the other great things you and your family can see and do while you're here.
Let The Games Begin!
ENTRY FEE: $5 adults (under 18s free)PARKING: $5 (behind BGA)
The 2007 Peanut Festival is brought to you with the help of our fantastic sponsors:
MAJOR SPONSORS:
• Queensland Events
• Peanut Company Of Australia
• Kingaroy Shire Council
• South Burnett Times
• The Peanut Van
• Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry
OUR OTHER VALUED FESTIVAL SPONSORS:
• Sponsors page

Have You Got What It Takes?
If so ... you'll need a Registration Form and you must also sign a Participant's Agreement.Simply download these (you'll need Acrobat Reader ... a free download off the web) and then mail to:Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and IndustryPO Box 930, Kingaroy, 4610Or fax to (07) 4162-8431.For more information, contact John or Polly on (07) 4162-8466.
Registration Form (188kb)
Participant's Agreement (17kb)
Guide to the Games (49kb)
Thresher Pull Rules (26kb)
Roulette Roars Back For More Aerial Fun
The Roulette display from last year is back again by popular demand! A solo Roulette aircraft from the RAAF's skilled aerobatic team will put on an exciting display over the Kingaroy Showgrounds during the opening ceremony of the Queensland Strong Man Games about noon.This will be followed by a spectacular flag parachute jump by Dave Benson.The day will kick off at 9:00am with the Farmers and Strong Man breakfast and entertainment from The Leaping Loonies, the Kingaroy State School Instrumental Band and the Kingaroy High School Jazz Ensemble plus a display by the Mascot Working Border Collies.
A Very Big Thank You!
The Queensland Events Regional Development Program is a major supporter of the 2007 Kingaroy Peanut Festival! Their support - plus the assistance of our loyal sponsors - is the main reason why the Peanut Festival has been able to go ahead in leaps and bounds in recent years. The QERDP is a State Government initiative designed to take unique and creative regional events to their full potential. Since it began in 2001, more than $7.8 million has been invested in more than 370 events in regional Queensland.
Click here to read more...

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September is early Spring in the South Burnett and if you've ever been here before, you might like to make a full weekend of it!
The South Burnett is one of the State's prettiest agricultural areas. Kingaroy is particularly famous for its rich red soils.
The South Burnett is also the home of two of Queensland's top inland waterways (lovely Lake Boondooma and the sweeping Bjelke-Petersen Dam).
In addition, we're now becoming known as Queensland's Hunter Valley because of our booming wine industry.
And the Bunya Mountains - abounding with wildlife - are just a short 55km away.
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