It was due to be in the 40's again in The Ridge, so we were happy to be leaving for Gundy today. But breakfast first, and after cruising up and down the main drag, we decided on The Gecko Cafe - because it was air-conditioned and they had seats available inside. I liked their sign for the Security System.
First stop along the way was Hebel, not that far up the track. We stopped there for a pit stop and to photograph the hotel. It's been a while since we were there and I can't be sure but the town seems to have grown.
Next stop Dirranbandi and their cafe which features The Bench of Bullshit - and Merlo coffee. When the guy behind the counter asked what we'd been up to, I said we were driving from The Ridge to Gundy, and asked how long it was to Gundy (because the different navigation apps kept giving me different times - up to an hour's drive difference). He mentioned Thallon and I said we'd already been there - he smiled (I think) and suggested if we went by Thallon it would be much faster. Go to Thallon, turn left he said. Which seemed perfectly reasonable until we got there - was it left at the junction into Thallon, or left at Thallon. Hmmmm. We took a guess and ended up on the road to Daymar - and then followed the GPS and turned right - onto the gravel road for 25 km - my least favoured driving surface.
At least we will have the memory of the Christmas decorations we were passing - either community-based or individual's. There were Santas, and trees, and decorated (old) agricultural equipment, and tinsel. I'm sure you could do a coffee-table book of Australian bush Christmas decos on fences and near gates. They go to a lot of trouble in the bush - and in the towns. Thallon was a case in point - with a Christmas tree in the park, the Wombat with the Santa hat, and the tinselled statues around town.
At Toobeah we noticed a large herd of cattle by the side of the road. We wondered if it was the mob we had heard about on the radio on our last trip - they being grazed along the 'long yard' to ensure they had enough feed, and we're on their way to market. Could this be them? They had cattle, a caravan, a horse float. I thought about going back and asking but realised I could go back and find the interview and hear their planned route and timing.
We drove into Gundy just after 2 pm and as I hadn't booked ahead, we needed to decide on a place to stay. As Gundy is the home of the famous Gunsynd (racehorse) it seemed a shame not to stay at the Gunsynd Motel as we drove the streets we decided we didn't want to stay next door to a service station - so we ended up around the corner from it.
We had dinner at the historic Royal Hotel - lamb cutlets for Sooz, ribs for me (because I wanted the coleslaw side!). The meal was great but I was disappointed with my Sars drink. I know they no longer have real Sars on tap in Queensland but I would have been happier with a Bundaberg Sarsaparilla rather than a Sars cordial with water - not even fizzy water. Hmmm. Sooz's orange juice, out of the same post-mix hose, was fine.
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