The designated meeting time was 9.15am at the outbound Gailes weigh station for a 9.30 departure. Campbell & City and myself with a friend Robyn in my Civic all arrived within a minute or two of 9.15am. Campbell had already had a call from Shane to say he'd be a little late but don't go without him - something about a good night on the turps!
Next a Civic station wagon arrived with Bert and Marie suitably attired in their HCOAQ polo shirts. These pair *must* attend every future event as they came with freshly cooked, still warm damper and golden syrup for all! John Que & Commodore then pulled up, followed shortly by Shane and his friend Shannon complete with the CRX.
Next, to keep Campbell and his car happy, we needed a visit to the petrol station and the Redbank Markets to see if that camera case he'd recently seen for 90c was still there - it would house one of his cameras nicely. So at about 9.45am Campbell led the way out of the weigh station. The camera case was indeed still there and it was only 80c! It was decided that I would lead the group of five cars to Boonah where a couple of people, who were recovering from the night before, needed to buy some breakfast. John needed to buy some lunch too.
At about 10.30am we headed to Boonah out along the Cunningham Highway and took the appropriate turnoff to Boonah. I looked back to check that everyone had taken the correct turn off the Highway and yes, I could see Shane, then Marie, then Campbell and finally John. The drive to Boonah has little traffic and has some nice curves and hills. I pulled into Boonah near a Takeaway/Corner Store.
With everyone now suitably stocked with supplies, Marie and Bert led the way up to Mt French arriving at about 11.30am where we got out the (late) morning tea and stretched our legs. Many partook of the damper and golden syrup supplied by Marie and Bert. A decent sized goanna was inspecting the nearby BBQ, giving Campbell the opportunity for a few photos. Campbell also came prepared with his hiking backpack complete with eight muesli bars he'd forgotten about! Once refreshed with sustenance and a quick toilet stop we walked the short 360m to the northern lookout on Mt French. The views were spectacular overlooking Aratula and Kalbar. Shane's mobile rang but he didn't get to it in time. Shortly, it rang again. It was an invite to lunch but he declined saying he was a bit far away. A plane was spotted taking off and climbing steeply. As skydivers use the area we tracked the plane a long way up but alas didn't see anyone jump out. By this time it was getting just a tad hot in the sun. So we walked back and headed on to Lake Moogerah.
At Lake Moogerah the water-skiers were prolific and there were a few picnickers as well. We found a shaded pair of tables not far from the shop and even managed to park all cars in the shade as well - very welcome when it is time to drive away!
Lunch was next on the agenda as it was now about 1.30pm. Well,... some us came better prepared than others. Robyn and I had organised food and drinks between ourselves. So, out came the tablecloth, marinated chicken and salad, and of course cold champagne! Shane and Marie helped us with the champagne! The lady who walked past and commented, "You're well set up!" probably also saw the glass bottle of water (that I keep in my fridge at home) that just happens to have a 'Vickers Gin' label on it! Marie passed around the fresh damper for all to try. Robyn and I also had heaps of fruit (mango, peach, nectarine and lychees) so it was cut up and passed around too.
We tidied up and went for a walk over the spillway and up the track to Mt Edwards. The walk to the top takes an hour for the round trip. We walked a bit over half way to a view out over the Lake. It was a warm day so plenty of drinks of water were essential! Robyn and I headed back to Brisbane via Aratula just after 4pm, leaving Campbell and John to try the Yabbie sandwiches, a local specialty, from the shop. They think they tasted like yabbies.
Shane was feeling tired on the way home and let Shannon drive the CRX home. She took a little while to get used to it and then soon asked how much Shane wanted for it! It was a lovely day out, one to repeat at a later date.
