DRIVING AT EMU CREEK

19 – 21 AUGUST

I wanted to call it a weekend of camping and driving at Emu Creek, but I can’t can I, because even though I checked with the National Parks people at Toowoomba and was assured the camping grounds were open, they closed it didn’t they. Because a toilet leaked and there was no money to fix it. Funny though, there was enough money to build two new gates, complete with big chains and padlocks, at both camping grounds two kilometres apart and money for lots and lots of signs too. But no money to fix a toilet.

They can’t stop us though, because we still had 14 groups who spent time camping at the showgrounds at Blackbutt, which even had hot showers and toilets that didn’t leak and we all had a great time, I’m told.

Quite a few of us arrived late Friday and set up camp. After happy-hour, some cooked dinner, while a few wandered to the pub, only to find it less than inviting and therefore taking our evening repast at the little café next door, which proved to be a very wise choice. The food was very good, the service good and the portions excellent. Back to camp and the normal camp-fire activities ensued until the firewood ran out and it got too cold and we thought someone was going to be badly burned carrying out their artistic wood-scorching practices.

Saturday morning a couple of us went looking for a way around a big hill that I knew some wouldn’t like and we found one, so back to camp, picked up all the others and off again, this time driving down said big hill and along a creek for a few kilometres, then lunch at Jessie’s Well, before heading to the other (north-western) side of Benarkin for a drive through the forest and around via the creek and logging operations to the now closed camping grounds. Do you like my long sentences? After playing on some more hills it was time to head back for happy hour, dinner and a little camp-fire fun. Once more the collective skill of the participants in answering simple questions from Trivial Pursuit was demonstrated. Or should that be the lack of skill. None-the-less all prizes were eventually claimed, one of them by a three year old!

Sunday morning there were two more arrivals and off most of us went for a tour of the Old Coach Road, with a few deciding that they needed to head home instead. The Coach Road is always interesting and there is always the usual mix of some taking the easier route, while some choose the more difficult. Apart from the actual track, quite some time was spent playing on various hills, with most having a go. Jessica Peebles collected some gold from the Seven Mile Diggings, I think for her mother who couldn’t make it this trip. It took a fair bit longer than expected to arrive at the Nanango end, where we had lunch and after that it was back to Blackbutt, packup and head for home. I heard no complaints all weekend, so either you are all just really nice, or there was nothing to complain about. I hope is was the latter. No, I really hope it was both.

Thanks to all who attended, we appreciated the friendly co-operation.

Gordon and Lorraine.

Some photos taken by Dave Peebles:

Yes I am aware they are mostly of my car, but then again that’s all David sent me. If you have other photos you would like to share you can email them to me or give me them to scan for the next magazine. It is also one of the perks of being mag editor that I get to choose which photo’s make it to the mag and if they happen to be of all my car well just goes to show it must be a fantastic car, then again it is a Nissan so it is bound to be a good car.
Brownie did offer to change the oil for me while he was holding the car up but didn’t have any with me, bugger!

Brett Lynch