Helping our rural mates – Boonah to Tenterfield Part I (including Friday)
Whilst this post is about the weekend, a weekend starts on Friday night. Friday night was about Boom Crash Opera, not so much The Angels who also played and later. Being the 80’s tragic that Julian is, the smile on his face was wide. They played a great set, still have it, and although the guitar work was pretty cool, I am yet to work out how it fit with the songs, but maybe that’s for another time. I also find the reverberation of bass through my chest is not an experience I like to have too often. Being the dirty rotten stop-outs that we are, we were home by 10.30pm, tucked up and asleep (after a really big night out, not) by very soon after.
So, back to the weekend which has been spent riding with a group of fantastic people from such varied walks of life, organised by Bridget and Alan from Throw Your Leg Over.
Our morning started with a lovely scenic ride, leaving Brisbane for Boonah, via a slight detour for scenic purposes, towards Toowoomba. Scenic enquiries sorted, having swapped the Cunningham Highway for the Warrego Highway, we headed for Boonah and met those we would be riding with for this weekend. We are a group of 10 bikes and riders with 4 pillions. It’s a pretty pleasant way to spend our three-month anniversary – making new friends.
So, Arthur Clive’s Bakery was our designated meet point and a good coffee they pour. Sated and sustained, it was stands up to head to Tenterfield via Wallaces Creek, towards Rathdowney, through Woodenbong, Old Bonalbo, Bonalbo, Tabulam.
What always strikes me when we ride is the smells that you encounter along the road. Because you are not cocooned in a car with air conditioning on, you can smell the aromas of the country, the cattle truck that passes you by leaving a lingering scent, the earth, the rain, the new growth, the fire and ultimately the unique smell of the country hotel, built in the 80’s, that used to have smoking rooms and now has non-smoking rooms which are deodorised by a particular scent which cannot be identified or defined. Let me be clear, this is not a reflection on our ride leaders but rather an observation of rural hotels, and those that have been affected by fires recently (my office had a similar smell after the New Farm Deli fire), in a town where there are cautions about drinking water out of the tap, due to the ash fragments that can be found in it.
Back to the ride….the countryside is amazingly green, almost iridescent at the moment, beautifully summed up in the words “green drought”. The grass growth, and growth on fire affected trees etc is quite something, but if you scratch the surface and measure the artesian water supplies, I doubt that there has been much impact. Yes, the dams may be full and there is water in the creeks, some of them are even gurgling along, but underneath, the land remains parched and thirsty – it simply cannot cope with the water at the moment because it is so parched and thirsty and has been scorched as well thus acquiring a potentially water repellent crust.
I never cease to be amazed by the industriousness of nature during her little spat that caused the Great Dividing Range. The cathedral of rocky crags is something to behold. Of similar awe-inspiring work are the amazing trees that are so so tall and the tree canopies we ride through and resilience after the hungry ravaging the fires have recently given her.
We ride through country that was, not very long ago, blackened by that insatiably hungry tantrum of fire. The contrast of the damaged signs that have melted, the black trunks and semi-burned tall tree ferns and palms is something – they are now blackened at the bottom and green at the top, slowly changing. Then there are the gum trees that seem to be shedding their summer pyjamas whilst there are yet other trees that twist and twist and twist up and up and around the trunk. The greys of the gums through to the rich green, the snippets of red and orange in the bark, the gnarly cranky bark versus the stringy bits slowly stripping off make for vast contrast in the trees.
We stop for a coffee at Bonalbo – 2 lovely ladies, at the hall where they had a fund-raising dance last night. $6 for coffee and cake. Nothing special but served with a side of honest country hospitality which makes it special. At Tabulam, it’s a late lunch at CK Café and Catering. It’s pretty cool that in the middle of the boon docks, they are working with technology most Brisbane cafes do not even entertain. They were working off a tablet, take all the orders and assign them, placed them all and served up correctly, then came back and gave us each a tally of the order and matched it to the person, then came around for payment in either cash or card. Most Brisbane cafes seem to have problems splitting bills when this sort of technology is really not expensive (big scheme) and some already have it and could avail themselves of it in a far more constructive way, but I digress. The menu options are varied and the food is good. The tea is leaf tea in a 2+ cup teapot. We opted for a bowl of wedges to share – it turned out to be a large bowl with a seemingly deep pot of sweet chilli sauce, under which was the sour cream – dip in, scrape down and come up with the sauce and cream. This modest outing was $14 all up for 2 pots of tea and the wedges, all served with smiling and sociable hospitality.
There is about 35km, at least, of lovely twisties for someone to enjoy now he has been re-united with an old friend, the boxer engine. He’s a little enthusiastic again about riding and is regaining his enthusiasm and mojo. He’s been getting acquainted with this bike for 2 weeks but this was the first opportunity for a bigger ride, with lovely bendy twisty bits that spoke to him. Let’s just say the smile on his dial was rather wide and is probably still there as I write this while he snoozes contentedly.
It never ceases to amaze me that there is so much stuff lying around yards on properties. It is stuff that has clearly just stopped there or been left there and is never going to be moved. Why is it we are so lazy and do not move this stuff nor tidy up? I guess that is a rhetorical question and will never be answered. Humans, they are an interesting species….
The agenda for this ride is to help our country mates. We will achieve that by the end of this escapade. We have been observing the teasing rivalry of the Triumph v the BMW riders on this trip. There a couple of other bikes too, with riders of varying skill levels yet everyone is out, enjoying the freedom that this pursuit brings. It is quite something to clear your head by riding through the country, looking up at the trees, breathing in the non-city air and simply enjoying this majestic and magnificent land.
I marvel at the perfect stillness of the dams we pass, yet others are jittering with the kiss of breeze. It is evident that there have been torrents of water through various areas as we see tall grass, and lots of it, simply laid out – no fight, no resistance for that is the way of Mother Nature. She is fickle and furious, gives the kiss of life and the touch of death and destruction. That is why we love this wide brown land, of glorious colour and temperament.
Tonight, we rest up at Tenterfield, fed and watered. The ground is sprinkled again to make sure it is fresh for another day and there remains plenty of feed in the yards for the creatures. We retire to our comfy beds, dreaming – for some at least – of the dirt road that might be on the itinerary tomorrow, more twists and bends, more marveling at the industriousness of nature and her ingenuity. Here’s cheers to two people who have a dream they are following and may their every endeavour in the leading of rides, writing of guidebooks and general motoring bring them all they seek and much success.
These observations are those of the writer. They are not influenced by sponsorship as we do not have sponsorship. We are free agents, who enjoy life and living and writing about observations and experiences. There are times we think people are very ordinary and there are other times that there are some pretty amazing humans. Today has been spent in the company of some pretty cool humans. For now, though, good night and stay tuned. There are photos to follow and they will likely appear on the next post because technology and this writer are having a bit of a disagreement. Live well, laugh often, love much
