Lawn Hill and the Gulf Poem by Bruce and Margaret Jenkins
5 July 2005
Day 1 Friday 17th June
Sydney ? Narrabri
Well this is it, today?s the day that we?ve been waiting for -
With NORTHERN HIGHLAND TRAVEL on their LAWN HILL & GULF TOUR
At THORNTON for our morning break, I?ll bet you?d never guess -
A welcome cup of coffee and profiteroles, no less!
When it was time to have our lunch we thought it would be a lark.
To stop at SCONE and eat it sitting in a local park!
The salads were quite tasty, but the problem was the breeze
Which started at the SOUTH POLE & was cold enough to freeze!
We didn?t see much wildlife near the road as we passed by,
Except for flocks of pink galahs that sure knows how to fly!
Of course, there were pathetic heaps which once were kangaroos,
Who, when they tried to cross the road had met their WATERLOO!
Another stop at GUNNEDAH where all of us stepped down -
Some to sip a coffee, while the others walked the town.
Then we?re off to NARRABRI and reach our fine motel ?
The SOUTHERN CROSS is comfortable and suits our needs quite well!
Day 2 Saturday 18th June
Narrabri ? Mitchell
We have a competition now - the prize, a CHOCOLATE FROG,
For who first spots a wild pig (or in other words a HOG)!
A brolga and a bustard too, are also worth a prize,
And a postie on a motor bike (which should be no surprise),
A DOCTOR WHO style phone box, which might cause a bit of fuss,
But remember they will only count if you are on the BUS!
At MOREE (which was BIG WAL?S town) we had our first short break-
A comfort stop was all it was - no pause for tea or cake!
Next, MUNGINDI, a little town, right on the QUEENSLAND border-.
Now we had time for coffee and for cheesecake made to order!
ROBERT talked of cotton, told us how the crop was grown
And took us through the process to the GIN from when it?s sown!
We also heard the history of both the KENNIFF BROTHERS-
They might have been a pair of crooks, but no more than many others!
For lunch we stopped in at ST GEORGE and ate our salad roll-
(I think without more exercise this food will take its toll!)
From ST GEORGE to MITCHELL, we pursued the shortest route-
The scenery was pleasant and with wildlife there to boot!
We saw some groups of emus, which were mostly standing around-
(But if their legs were pumping, they could really cover ground!)
Kangaroos were plentiful and hopped this way & that -
Lucky that we missed them all or some could have gone splat!
Once we?ve arrived in MITCHELL and our ?HOME? at BERKELEY LODGE,
At least until tomorrow there?ll be no more roos to dodge!
In MITCHELL some went swimming in the GREAT ARTESIAN spa
(But not me, I skipped it, as I wasn?t up to par!)
Day 3 Sunday 19th June
Mitchell-Longreach
When we left MITCHELL it was wet- I?m sure it rained all night!
To drought stricken farmers it must be a pretty sight-
But to the HIGHLAND TRAVELLERS, we?d much prefer it dry-
To track mud into AL?S new coach, I think it would make him cry!
Morning tea at AUGATHELLA, a tiny little town-
We stood under cover while the rain kept tumbling down!
We stopped for fuel at TAMBO, then to BLACKALL for our lunch-
The usual healthy, low cholesterol, salad roll to munch
At BARCALDINE, our little group again all took a hike-
(The town was once the centre of THE GREAT SHEARER?S STRIKE)
Through the puddles and the drizzle we then went our way,
Until we came to LONGREACH and thus ends a longish day!
Day 4 Monday 20th June
Longreach
Last night I?m sure that we all heard some raindrops on the roof.
We arose and looked outside - there of course was proof!
It seemed the rain had now set in & called for umbrellas!
CRAZY CLARK?S sold quite few- to me and other fellas!
Mine alas soon disappeared, aboard a QANTAS flight
But luckily the rain had eased- the skies showed signs of light!
The town of LONGREACH isn?t large, but has a well known name-
Most folk associate the town with the STOCKMAN?S HALL of FAME!
Exhibits there are well displayed and cover all the years
Of outback life from present day back to the pioneers!
We left the HALL and then drove to a really good museum,
Which holds the QANTAS history, from the start of one fine dream!
QANTAS played a major part in opening up our LAND
And helped the FLYING DOCTOR to provide his vital hand!
The THOMSON RIVER was in flood because of all the rain-
Our river cruise and barbecue were washed right down the drain!
Instead our venue was the CLUB with NORM our genial host -
With two good acts in JIM & CHRIS, it really was the MOST!
JIM was a very bushy bloke, who played a great guitar,
Which mixed with songs & patter, showed he really was a star!
CHRIS was tall & lanky and he told us one real DILLY,
About a bloke whose gambling wife gave him a broken WILLIE!
Another one was very good, on how an outback rider
Rode TURBULENCE while in a plane and still he stayed inside her!
Day 5 Tuesday 21st June
Longreach ? Cloncurry
Last night while we enjoyed ourselves, friend MARGARET came to harm!
A slip while she was dancing - the result a broken arm1
She is fling home today, she needs a SPECIALIST-
Our show, of course, must still go on, But MARGARET will be missed!
At last it seemed the rain had gone, the day dawned cool but fine-
If we get lucky, later on the SUN might even shine!
When we reached WINTON it was time (again) for morning tea
And then we all just wandered around - there was a lot to see!
The WALTZING MATILDA CENTRE was our first port of call ?
Its theme is based on BANJO and the song that?s known to all!
Inside there was a billabong with swaggie, troopers, ghost -
It told us more of BANJO?S song which is our COUNTRY?S toast?
A Holograph plus artefacts from days now long gone past,
Help visualise the lives then led and memories to last!
We went from there to ARNOS? WALL, which really makes you think-?
Nothing thrown out (it would seem) except the kitchen sink!
ROBERT has worked on our ?I SPY? and added several more
Items, plus a few more rules, to make it hard to score!
If he?s not careful he might find that our BUSLOAD will fail
To find the items on our list before his frogs get stale!
Lunch was at KYNUNA at a real outback hotel -
BLUE HEELER (not the SOAPIE) looked after us quite well
The walls inside were covered with commentary and notes
From right across the COUNTRY & include some ribald quotes
MICK DUNDEE wrestled with a croc in the pub at WALKABOUT CREEK
But don?t? look there if it really is a live, large croc you seek!
There is one there, right near the bar, in a lovely shade of green-
If you think it alive, you must be drunk, i.e. totally sloshed, I mean!
A short run to CLONCURRY then, another tidy town-
But as we saw the RSL is very much rundown!
Day 6 Wednesday 22nd June
Cloncurry ? Adele?s Grove
Today we made an early start, were up before the SUN -
But it should prove to be worthwhile, as LAWN HILL could be fun!
(ROBERT is hallucinating- I wonder what he?s on -
First he saw a naked lady- a wisp of cloud ? she?s gone!
JENNY said the trouble is, and maybe she is wrong
That he may have been away from home a bit too long!)
Our first stop- a roadhouse- named after BURKE & WILLS.
Just the place to fuel the coach- and get our morning fills)
Today we?ve passed some roadtrains and have they scarpered past!
We politely stepped aside- at least that way we?ll last
ROBERT told a story of an aborigine,
Who to avenge his love-torn life then turned to thievery.
After quite a lengthy hunt, with men & horses dead,
He turned around & shot himself - that?s where his life had led!
(The moral of this story is, if you?re caught on the HOP
Never shoot a POLICEMAN?S horse and never kill a COP!)
We crossed the GREGORY RIVER, still some way from ADEL?S GROVE-
The road got rough & bumpier, the further on we drove!
Then at last we?ve reached OUR GOAL- it?s ADEL?S GROVE at last -
(Better still, its tucker time and we can break our fast!)
After lunch we quickly changed (as usual without fuss)
To go and visit LAWN HILL GORGE- (of course we took the bus!)
The idea was that some then walk & some go by canoe
There was one tiny problem, as the latter were too few!
(Not to worry, it worked out and we all had a BALL
Most had a swim and paddle, but one, alas a fall!)
We all met further up the gorge right at INDARRI FALLS
A lovely spot for us to swim- a place where NATURE calls
JENNY took a photo of a real live crocodile
Of course she knew just what it was - just see that toothy smile!
(No wonder it was smiling, for crocs just love to fish
And in the water everywhere, as many as you?d wish!)
Sometimes I really wonder what the WORLD is coming to -
Why would people even care, after a drink or two,
About an insect which does have the most annoying habit
Of trying to find a landing strip somewhere on PETER RABBIT
Day 7 Thursday 23rd June
Lawn Hill
Today we had to make a choice - a hike or dinosaur?
Most chose the former, some to climb as well, where eagles soar!
Something else, before we left, there was a change of drivers -
But that?s Okay, we?ve all faced risks and proved to be survivors!
The path we took was very steep, a rocky, twisting track,
But then we a gorgeous view from there on ISLAND STACK
We wandered further around and then, while we had morning tea
A cormorant was chasing fish, as busy could be!
We walked around the circuit, then back down that steep incline.
Although the steps were very rough, no problems, we were fine!
Then we headed nor-nor-west to reach the small cascades-
With tumbling waters, shady pools & sheltered rocky glades!
Next to WILD DOG DREAMING, with art from long ago -
The art work wasn?t very good, but a croc put on a show!
We saw it in the lower gorge, a very pristine place
Where canoeing is not allowed and NATURE rules with grace!
Soon its time to head back ?HOME? & have our sausage dinner -
Just as well, or else I fear, we?d all be getting thinner!
After lunch we?re off again to paddle our own canoe -
It really was quiet pleasant, with another GORGE-ous view
PS I nearly did forget, about those dinosaur -
The fossil things that four of us reported that they saw!
(Roger really went to try & trace his FAMILY TREE,
But no rellies could he find, so that?s now history)
Day 8 Friday 24th June
Adel?s Grove ? Normanton
Today farewell to ADEL?S GROVE - a lovely camping spot,
Except at night I must admit, it wasn?t very hot -
Especially if you did awake & found you had to GO!
(At least the path was very clear, lit by the FULL MOON?S glow!)
The roadway out was fairly rough, the BUS just bumped & swayed -
Inside we NORTHERN HIGHLANDERS just held our seats and prayed!
(I?m kidding- we knew we were safe, despite the clouds of dust,
For we had ALLAN at the wheel - in him we placed our trust!)
Our first stop was at BURKE & WILLS, in time for morning tea -
Some coffee and that highland slice, as tasty could be!
Heading north from GREGORY, if you just looked around,
You?d see a lot of termite mounds on each spare bit of ground.
(I?m speaking now of termites, I believe the local kind,
Prefer to dine on grass & seeds, not houses, you will find)
Arrived at last in NORMANTON, we gratefully stepped down,
First for lunch at PURPLE PUB & then, a walk around town.
In a park there stands a croc, the largest of its sort -
Its 8.63 metres long & by a woman caught!
She is KRYSTINA PAWLOSKI, who shot it with her gun -
(She had done this many times, & thought it was good fun!)
BURNS PHILP?S first office in our LAND is under renovation -
It serves now as a library & a source of information.
The NORMAN RIVER runs nearby & links up with the coast
The fish and birds that flourish there all think it is the MOST!
The famed GULFLANDER runs from here - it?s claimed one of the best -
We hope that when we climb aboard, the train will pass the test!
Our BUS is now all squeaky clean - the CREW should get a prize -
(Wear sunglasses when you?re near, so you don?t hurt your eyes!)
Day 9 Saturday 25th June
Karumba Day
We passed a lot of cyclists as we drove along today -
They?re doing it for CHARITY & came from around CAIRNS way!
The BARRAMUNDI DISCOVERY CENTRE does a real good job -
Its staff are mainly volunteers & do not charge a BOB!
A barra starts out as a MALE, & and has some years of bliss,
Before its time for him to change & turn in to a MISS -
(There are some of the human race who make the change by choice -
It usually shows in how they walk or in their tone of voice!)
We saw our fisherman head off before we went to eat-
They fed us in the SUAVE BAR there, when we had wiped our feet!
Some HIGHLANDERS went flying, like an eagle in the sky-
(Though they didn?t have a parachute & it had learned to fly!)
The first small group enjoyed their flight, before the plane broke down -
To others who missed out I?m sure, this raised a tiny frown!
It seems the little gadget, that first makes the prop go around,
Had broken, so the plane remained there - sitting on the ground!
While the chosen few were soaring, high up in the SKY,
The rest of us saw where KARUMBA FOLK go when they die!
The fishermen were all at sea when we went on a tour -
JIM showed us around KARUMBA - just what we?d been waiting for!
We saw the plant where ZINIFEX turns slurry from LAWN HILL
Into some little pellets (that you don?t take if you?re ill!)
They pump zinc as slurry from around 300 K?s ?
It takes some time to reach Karumba - JIM said around 3 days.
Our fishermen must all be fit - (it pays to stay in trim1)
How else could they catch whoppers, or at least some decent bream!)
No doubt about these HIGHLANDERS - For good public relations,
They donated all their fish to feed the poorer NATIONS!
Our NORMAN RIVER cruise was quiet- The crocs all stayed away,,
But still it made a pleasant end to yet another day.
At night our SEAFOOD SMORGASBOARD was quite a super feed -
I?m sure most of us sat and ate a bit more than we need!
And while we dozed then going ?HOME?, in our MERCEDES BUS,
We knew that we could all relax, with ALLAN driving us!
Day 10 Sunday 26th June
Normanton ? Undara
Today we had a shortish ride on QUEENSLANDS small GULFLANDER,
Which certainly has character, much more than most trains grander-Although it?s not the fastest train that runs along on rails,
It?s certainly much quicker than your average racing snails!
The NORMANTON RAILWAY really is something of a freak -
For its designed to be submerged, which WORLDWIDE, is unique!
Not only can it weather flooding, its sleepers made of steel,
Resist those hungry termites, always looking for a meal!
We passed CLARINA WATERHOLES, some natural lagoons,
Whose waters are replenished by the tropical monsoons
At GLENORE we left the train to make a photo stop -
(From there go to CRITTERS CAMP was just a shortish hop!)
The NORMAN RIVER at GLENORE, in the flood of ?74,
Was 28 feet over the bridge - which our train had crossed on tour!
At CRITTERS CAMP we disembarked without too much delay ?
We hoped to dodge the noxious critters, who might like to play!
The tracks there formed a large triangle, used to turn the train,
So it could then return to town, the right way around again!
There is a problem in the NORTH, with too much beer & wine-
If you are caught with excess now, you?ll cop a massive fine!
CROYDON town is not too large, a ghost of former glory-
The reason for its fall from grace, well that?s another story-
6000 miners lived around here, all in search of gold-
In ?23 it fizzled out & that?s the story told!
Late morning tea in CROYDON, then we went on our way-
Next we stopped at GEORGETOWN, where we had our lunch today.
The sandwiches were ?doorstops? & one made a healthy meal -
After last night?s banquet, just a TAD too much I feel!
We battled on for just a while, then passed through MOUNT SURPRISE -
I?m afraid we really missed it, as it isn?t a great size!
Not far than to UNDARA, with its well known lava tubes,
Good news ? the bar was open - we could get our nightly LUBES!
There were the old train carriages, where we would sleep at night-
Our BOX-CAR was comfortable & suited us just right!
To help work up an appetite, we strolled up to THE BLUFF -
From there it was a pleasant view & we?d gone far enough.
Soon its time for dinner, at which they did excel -
As usual there was far too much, so we did rather well!
That night around the campfire, we were entertained
By poetry and didgeridoo, for which we hadn?t trained!
(Although the latter were just pipes, they?re not the same as those
Which HIGHLANDER ancestors played, while wearing funny clothes!)
Day 11 Monday 27th June
Undara ? Townsville
Bacon, beans and eggs for breakfast, in the BUSH today,
We had with toast cooked on the coals- in the good old fashioned way
We clocked our bags in at the BUS, then did a SPEEDIE tour
He had the accent and the patter - done it all before!
UNDARA LAVA TUBES were formed a long, long time ago-
One ninety thousand years it was since that great lava flow!
It kept on flowing for a year & went one sixty K -
The longest flow in all the WORLD - that?s what the scientists say!
Along the track were macropods, all sizes, mostly grey ?
They must be used to tourists, as they didn?t hop away!
At lunch we stopped in GREENVALE, which was once a railhead,
For a mine that then was working, mining nickel(no not Lead)
(I question if we really needed yet again more food-
But we couldn?t just refuse them or we may seem too rude!)
We drove on to BLUEWATER SPRINGS, where there?s a little shop -
Our gastric juices needed work - this was an ICE CREAM STOP!
Then, what?s that on our windscreen - surely its not rain?
It may be the thing for farmers, but to HIGHLANDERS, a pain!
Not too far from TOWNSVILLE, we now started to descend -
The road near THURINGOWA really does know how to bend!
If you visit TOWNSVILLE, you must go to CASTLE HILL -
The view from there is fabulous - you?ll really drink your fill!
To miss the chance to see it all would be a mortal sin -
But make sure you get your photographs before the fog rolls in!
DAY 12 Tuesday 28th June
Townsville ? Airlie Beach
Our overnight accommodation at SOUTHBANK HOTEL
Was really good, as was the food, again we?ve done quiet well!
The BUS did not go very far - one of our shortest hops,
Before we were let out to play & look around the shops!
We had a tour around TOWNSVILLE, then bailed out near the beach-
From there we strolled back to the BUS - it wasn?t far to reach!
NORMA & JENNY entertained us with few SIT-UPS-
(Lucky they knocked off in time, before they both had pups)
Morning tea was in the park beside a large fig tree
Not far from the MEMORIAL to WAR HEROES bravery!
We went past fields of sugar cane (and Ill give you the drum)
It?s great for making sugar - but much better , BUNDIE RUM!
ROBERT got fresh fruit for lunch, as only ROBERT can -
He stocked up at the roadside stall of PAUL THE PINEAPPLE MAN!
Not too far away from Bowen, is a very big BLACK HOLE
From there to ABBOT POINT they?ve carted tons of EXPORT COAL!
Near BOWEN they grow lots of veggies & as well some fruit -
The melons served up with our luncheon did taste rather beaut!
The people who live there in BOWEN have a mural craze,
With pictures on the walls depicting scenes of olden days!
We left the bus at AIRLIE BEACH to wander down the street
It?s quite a lot like BYRON Bay, where hippies like to meet!
Day 13 Wednesday 29th June
The Whitsundays
Today we lived a FantaSea & started with a TEN -
It took us out to HAMILTON & then went back again.
On HAMILTON we hired carts to do an island tour
They were very popular & carried up to FOUR!
There were no signs of ROAD RAGE, nor of drivers going mental,
While we chugged around winding roads in our small BUGGY RENTAL!)
Its time for us to board again, on FantaSea No 2
To travel to WHITEHAVEN BEACH, which seemed the thing to do!
Today the passage wasn?t rough, though with its ups and downs -
But not enough to worry us or cause some fretful frowns!
When we started disembarking, we espied a turtle -
(It may have been related to good DR SEUSS?S YERTLE!)
They moved us to a transfer vessel, herded there like cattle -
(Or perhaps a landing barge, just going into battle)
Five HIGHLANDERS decided that the water?s good for swimming -
Such exercise, despite our meals, might help them with their slimming!
On the beach at WHITEHAVEN, there was a game of cricket,
But for bowlers & for batsmen, it was quite a sticky wicket.
SHANE WARNE?S having problems, but neither he nor PONTING
Are at risk of being sacked - for local talent?s wanting!
Some of our group walked down the beach, somewhat like BROWN?S COWS,
(Except we didn?t stop to eat, while they perhaps would browse!)
DICK SMITH?S ?LITMUS BLUE? was there, complete with his small chopper -
I guess he?d find it useful as an inter island HOPPER!
We reversed the landing sequence & went from shore to boat -
Luckily our transport ?HOME? was still there - and afloat!
Back to HAMILTON we sailed, this time in the SUN,
To find we?d been promoted & moved up to No 1
Day 14 Thursday 30th June
Airlie Beach ? Rockhampton
We said farewell to AIRLIE BEACH, for we?re in travelling mode-
(But unlike birds when they migrate we have to go by road)
We?re finished now with TROPPO, the big winner - who but NETTA!
I think now we?ve had practice, next time we may do better!
They grow a lot of sugar near MACKAY - its everywhere -
And near the sugar mills you?ll smell molasses in the air!
SARINA isn?t too well known, but it can take the blame
For letting loose some cane toads, which has proved a blooming shame!
Cane toads are a problem, but they still have some uses-
Their toxin is a substitute for reckless drug abusers1
At SARINA there?s a factory, Where they make alcohol -
But not the type that we could drink - for this ones ethanol!
On to CLAIRVIEW, where we made our usual luncheon stop -
After lunch we couldn?t swim so tried the small craft shop.
Arrived at last in Rocky, which was rather a relief ?
It is the QUEENSLAND capital, when it comes to BEEF!
The CENTRAL QUEENSLAND UNI is for those brighter sparks
Who seek more education & with excellent school marks.
Day 15 Friday 1st July
Rockhampton - Dalby
As we drove through Rocky, it?s farewell to TROPIC ZONE.
From now on we?ll be TEMPERATE ? did I hear a groan?
We drove up to MOUNT MORGAN, through heavy, patchy fog ?
(Which I feel sure was hiding that elusive feral HOG!)
MOUNT MORGAN MINE was rich in gold & copper ? quite a show,
But the open-cut was pensioned off, some 16 years ago!
(If you want cheap real estate, such as a house and yard,
You?ll find that you could buy it there & use your plastic card!)
Today from ROBERT, yet another erudite narration ?
He told of CAPTAIN STARLIGHT, a rogue with a vocation!
There was no doubt that he?d stolen cattle, But showed that he had ?PULL?.
A Roma jury let him off ? my, what a load of BULL!
At BILOELA, morning tea & visit THE SILO,
For a guided tour by RUTH, then make the gadgets GO!
The CALLIDE POWER STATION does what BOB CARR says we oughta -
Never waste a single drop & re-use all waste water!
Today we had our picnic lunch in MONTO LIONS PARK,
With miners, crows and currawong but not a single lark!
Past plantations of PAWLONIA, which very quickly grows ?
Does it yield a useful timber? (It seems that no-one knows!)
Next we drove through EIDSVOLD where miners used to seek
Gold ? but it?s NORWEGIAN FESTIVAL, now makes it unique!
At our next stop, MUNDUBBERA, there is a water tank ?
Thanks to RAIN, the critters flourished, along the river bank!
We did a circuit of the town, then disembarked to walk,
Some for ice-cream, some to shop or maybe just to talk!
ROBERT nearly spoiled his record ? almost lost NORMA!
(Was it really his intent or did he misinform her?)
We stopped at BRIDGEVIEW CITRUS to pick up some mandarines ?
(Just picture all those HIGHLANDERS, juice dripping off their chins!)
We started then on our last leg, to reach our Dalby ?HOME? ?
It?s been a rather lengthy day on this cross-country roam!
Today we must have seen it all (except that feral HOG!),
From crossing mountain ranges, part hidden by the fog,
To fertile fields which we could see were dampened now by rain,
All ready for a planting soon of cotton or of grain!
Day 16 Saturday 2nd July
Bunya Mountains
Today we left the fields of grain & headed for the hills ?
Up to BUNYA MOUNTAINS for a day of scenic thrills!
The MOUNTAINS? name comes from the NUT for which the natives PINE!
The NUTS, when gathered were a prize & eating them was fine,
But they come from PODS and these all grow on branches way up high -
A volunteer must climb the tree ? how else, they couldn?t fly!
To get to BUNYA, ALLAN drove us all the long way around.
It was a pleasant journey, until not far from there we found
A SIGN that said ?UNSUITABLE FOR BUSES? ? (it?s a very winding TRACK)-Of course, we kept on going ? there was no way we could back!
The road was really not that bad, just narrow hilly tar ?
It didn?t prove a problem as we didn?t meet a car!
ALLAN pulled into a clearing, which is known as BURTON?S WELL.
It really was some picnic spot, the scenery there, just swell!
After our healthy morning tea we needed a good walk ?
It?s better for the figure, than to simply sit & talk!
The path we took led to a lookout on MOUNT KIANGAROW ?
A well made track & gentle slope, where grass trees liked to grow!
Grass Trees are all different & have been since CREATION ?
Their silhouettes are very weird ? perhaps it is mutation?
From the lookout we could see for miles around ?
A power station puffing smoke & lots & lots of ground!
DALBY?S in the distance, WHERE WE CAME FROM TODAY
And where we later must return ? we have nowhere else to stay!
Back in the BUS we battled on to get to DUMBADAH ?
A tranquil place with lots of birds - but not one pink galah!
Also there were wallabies & these ones were quite small ?
They were little pademelons & friendly to us all!
Lunch was not a healthy salad but it was quite nice ?
The food was served with smashed up nuts, which added further spice!
After lunch we took a walk past towering pine trees ?
You?d really have to be a NUT to climb there in a breeze!
The longest walk which we could do was SCENIC and 4K -
With a detour to a waterfall, 0our timing was OKAY!
Then we?re on the road again & heading back to town ?
This time we took the shortest way, which was mainly down.
PS Our MELBOURNE ALAN is so good, today he got a TICK!
Luckily they extracted it before he got too sick!
Day 17 Sunday 3rd July
Dalby - Armidale
TOOWOOMBA was our morning stop, the PARK being just the SPOT
To see the view, have morning tea, plus our group photo shot!
TOOWOOMBA is a very large & educated city ?
It has more than a hundred schools, which KIDS might think a pity!
The CARNIVALOF FLOWERS there is really quite a show ?
(If you want to see it, NHT?s the way to go!)
We drove around TOOWOOMBA, then through WARWICK?S tidy town
And then we did the FRUIT RUN until at STANTHORPE we stepped down.
(For one awful moment, it looked like lunch at MACKAS ?
To eat there, not the WINERY, you?d have to be just CRACKERS!)
We heard a spiel about the wines which on some was a waste
For HIGHLANDERS are weaned on SCOTCH ? it?s a cultivated taste1
Today when we reached TENTERFIELD, we lost another FOUR ?
The rest of us are STAYERS & will finish off the TOUR!
We next stopped in GLEN INNES where they?ve planted some large stones,
Which are significant to those with CELTIC in their bones!
SCOTS come there to a FESTIVAL in May of every year ?
(The SEASON?S wrong for wearing kilts, for they could freeze up here!)
Day 18 Monday 4th July
Armidale ? Home
This is the last day of our tour ? I?m sure we?ll miss the BUS
And all the other TRAVELLERS who enjoyed the trip like us!
Today I?ll pen no verses for this DIARY of RHYME,
We?ll say goodbye and hope to meet you all another time!
FINALE
Well, this is it, the end is near, it?s almost time to go ?
It has been a fantastic tour, our LAWN HILL & GULF SHOW!
ROBERT, you?ve excelled yourself, we all are in your debt ?
We?ve learned a lot while on this trip, I?m sure we won?t forget!
When the tour is over and we?re no more part of this,
There are many things I know that we will surely miss-
To give a few examples ? early rising, pack the bag,
Please be sure you are not late, and so on ? nag, nag, nag!
One thing of which I?m certain is ? we?ll have our memories
To take with us forever & wherever we may please!
I?d like to give a special thanks to ALLAN for each day ?
While he was stuck behind the wheel, the rest of us could play!
It?s nice to sit in luxury and see our wide brown LANDS,
Knowing that we can relax, because we?re in safe hands!
(P.S I can?t recall the name of any other man,
Who could reverse a coach as far as our STAR driver can!)
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