Ravi Road Trips: October 2020

There's nothing like an early start for a Road Trip and we were out of the house and on our way by 6am(ish).

Our first stop was at Marburg for breakfast at The Girls' Coffee Bar. We go there regularly when we travel west and wanted to have a serve of their fantastic Pancakes before we set out into uncertain food territory for the next nine days ... and their excellent coffee was a welcome bonus.

Next stop - Chinchilla - home of the Melon Festival held every second year with the next scheduled for February 2021. The Festival features interactive and unique events, such as Melon Skiing, Melon Bungee, Melon Bullseye, Melon Ironman, Melon Chariot, a pip spitting competition, and melon eating races. A special event held in 2009 saw John Allwood secure the Guiness World Record of Melon Head Smashing - cracking open as many watermelons as possible using only the head. Currently his record is 47 melons in a minute. (Wikipedia)

We had missed the Festival but at least there was a photo opportunity with the Big (Water)Melon. In 2018, Chinchilla won a national competition run by Wotif to create the Next Big Thing as a new tourist attraction. The 8-metre (26 ft) long melon was installed next to the town's information centre in November 2018. (Wikipedia). There is parking - and providing there aren't too many vehicles already there, you can even pull in with a caravan - and savour the biggest slice of watermelon you're ever likely to see!

The Big Melon

Our next scheduled stop was Yuleba. We had seen a story on the restoration of the mural in the Yuleba Memorial Hall on the ABC a couple of weeks before we were due to set out on the Road Trip. I was able to Messenger them soon after to find out if the Hall was open on a weekend. Generally it isn't but they said they might be able to get someone to open it for me. Alas, the weekend we were due to be there, none of the Committee was going to be available to meet ... but we were told that there was a photo of the Mural in the Pub next door ... and there was.

We arrived in Yuleba around lunchtime and took a drive through the town ... which did not take long. The Memorial Hall is next door (over the road) from the Pub which is actually a Pub and Motel. Immediately next door to the Hall was a place which had a mailbox which, on consideration, was perfect for a town called Yuleba ... a reindeer!

The woman serving at the hotel turned out to be quite helpful ... especially as she had taken the photograph of the Mural. She also had a bit of history - about how the Mural had been painted on panels on a nearby property some years ago and then transported into town where it was put up on a wall in the Hall. Most of the time though, the Mural is kept under cover behind curtains ... because the subject matter is quite ... graphic. It is a mural of World War II - and some parents had complained because they didn't want their children to be exposed to the depicted war images. We didn't get to see one of the images - it could not be fitted onto the media the photo was printed on. The missing bit of the mural was a man falling from a plane.

We had lunch while we were there ... and we were very glad we did. They did an amazing burger and steak sandwich. We had softdrinks and as well as being ice cold from the fridge, they were served with a glass of ice. Perfect for a hot day!

The motel there has been getting more business since folk realised it's closer to the gas fields than Roma. I think everyone is happy about that.

Our next stop was Roma. We had planned our trip so we would be there mid-afteroon - absolutely essential as later in the afternoon would have had us driving straight towards the setting sun.

Our overnight accommodation was the Mandalay Motel, just around the corner from the town centre. It was an older motel but very clean, comfortable and a little bit quirky in the grounds ... especially with the model koalas in the tree across from our unit and the other "animals" around and about.

Koalas ... just hanging around.

After check-in and a short rest, we had a drive around Roma to see the sights.

The Roma Court House is an impressive building which was opened in 1901. This heritage listed building replaced the original structure which was opened in 1873 for the trail of the infamous cattle duffer, Harry Redford alias Captain Starlights who had stolen 1,000 cattle and driven them to South Australia. The court house is still a working court house today. (outbackqueensland.com.au)

Courthouse - side and front detail.

The biggest Bottle Tree in Roma. It has a girth of 9.51 metres ... which means it takes six people with their arms spread wide to encircle the tree. It was not originally situated at the end of Edwardes Street but was transplated to its current location in 1927 from a property north of the town.

Roma's Biggest Bottle Tree (third from the right)

Heroes Avenue. The Heroes Avenue of 93 Queensland bottle trees (Brachychiton rupestre) creates a uniquely outback boulevard, remembering the men of Roma who died in WWI. The first tree was planted in 1918 supposedly in honour of Lieutenant Corporal Norman Saunders who was killed in France in 1916. That tree, outside the Post Office, near the corner of McDowell and Wyndham streets, is locally known as the Tree of Knowledge. The rest of the avenue, extending from the railway station into Wyndham Street and along Bungil Street to the intersection with Hawthorne Street, was planted by 1920. Originally each tree bore a brass name plate. Only one survives and it has become part of a cairn outside the Post Office, displaying all 93 names. (outbackqueensland.com.au) I think this has changed since this was written - we visited a few trees and they all had plaques to the fallen.

Heroes Avenue

The Big Rig. Alas, we were there on a weekend so missed the show that runs on weeknights at The Big Rig.
Did you know that Roma is the first place in Australia where natural gas was discovered? Catering for all ages, The Big Rig takes visitors on a thoroughly entertaining journey through time. From Australia’s first discovery of petroleum, through the boom and bust years of oil and gas exploration and on to today’s multibillion-dollar industry.
Join us on a sunset tour to the EMSCO Rig and enjoy some ‘really’ good regional Port whilst hearing the stories of yesteryear. As the sun sets relax under the outback skies as you are taken on a 35 minute sound and light journey to learn of the entertaining trials and triumphs of early industry men and women in Roma. The Big Rig Night Show Sunset Experience: Each day at 5pm (April- October); Monday, Wednesday and Friday 5:30pm (Nov-March) (outbackqueensland.com.au)