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Date: April 2006
Location: Queensland Australia
I remember little about Dalby except that was one of the larger towns we drove through when my family took their annual holiday from the Western Downs to Brisbane in the 1960s and '70s.
When I had the chance to go back there again, I was intrigued to see what hidden secrets it held, and how it looked from an adult perspective.
The reason for the visit - Darling Downs Delicious, an annual event celebrating the food, wines and produce of the region. This year, the opening event, was a long lunch held at Jimbour House, the magnificently restored sandstone house owned by the Russell Pastoral Company. Thirty minutes drive from town, this glorious home opens its gardens to the public annually, and on this day the tree-lined driveway became the venue for lunch, and the little church, the temporary kitchen for the buffet banquet.
The lunch table stretched for about 20m and the starched table clothes were brilliantly white on this glorious winter day. Wines served were from the award winning Jimbour collection and the magnificent food prepared by local chefs using local produce.
All good things come to an end and a long lunch in the daylight ends when the sun goes down and so it was, back to Dalby.
Time has dimmed my memories, but it did still look familiar when I headed out early next morning for a walk down the main street before too many others were out and about.
I have to admit that apart from Jimbour House and the annual Cotton Festival, I hadn't heard much more about Dalby over the years.
But rest assured, it is holding its own! The local population is in the vicinity of 15,000 people, it has the largest grain receival depot in Queensland, the largest one-day livestock market in Australia and is one of the largest regional industrial and agricultural manufacturing sectors.
Corrugated signs at the entrance of the main street are a stylishly rural element of the streetscape set off by evergreen foliage. The shops in this stretch are a real mix. The modern, brightly lit newsagency complete with the latest Andrew McGann novel was a popular spot at this early hour, the pubs, now shut, were a variety, some in original condition, others stylishly renovated. There was the ubiquitous Baileys store, and the timbered facade of a drapery had contrasting window displays - one a dusty selection of green, grey and navy blue King Gees, the others a colourful collection of bananas in pyjamas and other name brand children's backpacks.
As for the main intersection! There was no way you'd stroll across it - it was just too wide. Much wiser to walk to the landscaped median strip and double check there were no utes or four wheel drives heading your way.
A block over from the main street is the tranquil Myall Creek, a great place for a walk in the early morning - and I imagine at any time of the day. This day there was a definite nip in the air, but it didn't bother the local ducks which were hoping for a feed as they quacked and paddled their way over to the bank with its picturesque weeping willows and myall trees.
The Myall Creek Heritage Trail was once part of the corridor used by the western
Aboriginals to get to the Bunya
Mountains. It is well worth taking this tranquil walk and if local history
is an interest, reading the heritage signs dotted along it. Did you know that
the Dalby Swimming Pool was the most modern establishment in Queensland,
when it was first built in 1936 and that prior to its opening, locals swam in
the creek in specially constructed baths?
There are no shortage of places to stay in Dalby - a good collection of affordable
motels, hotels, caravan and camping facilities. Our party stayed at a Myall
Motel, your typical low-set roadside motel where the car is parked at the
front door. Spotlessly clean, with a new and bright dcor, cable television and
a friendly welcome, the owners offered guests one final special touch - they welcomed
their guests to the new morning by meticulously cleaning the splattered insects
and road dust off the windscreens of their cars.
For those travelling with their own accommodation, the Dalby Tourist Park
is one of the choice spots in town, located as it is beside the creek. This Sunday
morning business was reasonably brisk and it contained a good number of caravans
and campervans, much to the delight of the ducks and the geese, the more daring
of whom had planted themselves next to some of the travellers as they enjoyed
their breakfast and morning cuppa, hoping a morsel might come their way.
My experience was purely based on one night and a few morning hours in Dalby, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise and one to be repeated. And I didn't even experience any of the nearby attractions - the Jondaryan Woolshed and Station, Lake Broadwater Environmental Park, the Valhalla Clydesdales, Pioneer Park Museum or the Heritage Trail.
For more information:
Toowoomba and Golden West Regional Tourist Association
Tel +61 7 4632 1988
- By Adrienne Costin
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