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outback queensland: general info
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Date: May 2004
Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Australia
Where the western rivers run is a good drop of red wine.
Quite literally. Where the western rivers run is a tasty shiraz cabernet blend grown on the banks of the Balonne River at St George on Queenslands Western Downs.
But it was further downstream at the tiny town of Dirranbandi where I sampled this fine, medium-bodied wine.
The town was celebrating. The first steam train in 10 years had just pulled into the railway station, filled with city folk venturing out for a foray into the wide horizons of the Darling Downs.
Amid platters of nibbles and samples of Riversands
Vineyards wine, the group enjoyed a red sunset in the homestead garden of
a cotton property by the banks of the Minor Balonne.
Dirranbandi itself is a pretty little town with a compact main street overlooking leafy grounds in front of the railway station. The Dirranbandi Hotel takes centre stage here and we enjoyed a few pots with the locals.
The accommodation is great. The Dirranbandi Motor Inn proved to be a modern motel with large, comfortable rooms.
The locals were hardy and friendly and offered the odd delightful surprise, such as Chris Williams, who makes gourmet preserves from fruit she grows herself.
Or Cameron Charmers, a big, beefy man who clears away trees after they've been knocked down by tree-clearers. There's a certain reticence on Cameron's part when divulging this information to a city slicker but someone wryly pointed out that at least he was not knocking the trees over himself.
While once elegant steam trains had regularly huffed through the Western Downs, today an equally satisfying way of exploring it is by car. Shooting up the Warrego Highway to Toowoomba, we turned onto the Gore Highway and came across the pleasant little town of Millmerran.
Here there was a coffee shop imaginatively called The Coffee Shop and it was a delight to find they served Merlo coffee. We sipped al fresco and watched as the locals ambled down the street or chatted in twos and threes.
The pace of life was slowing.
An hour and a half further along the Gore is the Queensland border town of Goondiwindi.
This prosperous looking town of 4,800 was established in 1888.
The old Customs House, now a museum set in elegant gardens, is a reminder that
before 1901, crossing the Queensland-NSW
border was like passing from one country to another.
The legend of Goondiwindi racehorse, Gunsynd - which notched up 27 wins, seven seconds and eight thirds from 54 starts - lives on in the form of a statue overlooking the Macintyre River.
Gunsynd simply stood for Goondiwindi Syndicate. The members of said syndicate used to meet at the Victoria Hotel, an ancient pub in the centre of town. We made sure we had a drink there before having a hearty meal at the plush RSL.
Zipping north west up the Barwon Highway, we stopped for two beers at Toobeah (pronounced two-beer) and then arrived at the remote Nindigully Pub.
Established in 1864 and allegedly holding the longest continuous liquor licence in Queensland, the Nindigully is a grand old timber pub with a wide verandah and a real outback feel.
Tatty old hats adorn the walls and, bizarrely, there is money stuck to the ceiling. An ingenious clipping system holds it there. Donated by locals, the Royal Flying Doctors Service comes to collect it once in a while.
The pub was the outback setting for the movie, Paperback Hero, starring
Hugh Jackman, and articles about the filming are pinned to the wall.
Across from the pub is the Moonie River, shrouded in gums. Here is the spot to toss in a line or set up camp under a million stars. Otherwise, you can stay in the basic but cosy pub rooms.
Early the next morning, I took a stroll across the rickety bridge over the Moonie and marvelled how the brilliant blue sky and the gums reflected sharply in the still water.
The Western Downs really is a place to broaden your horizons.
For more information:
Toowoomba and Golden West Tourism Association
Tel +61 7 4632 1988
- By Shaun O'Dowd
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