You know? We were right. For those who went along (okay, Anita might seek to demur on some of these points.), it met all of these promises. The weather was, typically, perfect, the traffic, apart from a couple of less than considerate drivers (mind you, it only takes one in the wrong place, to ruin a perfectly good drive.) was quite light, the Fernvale Markets were good (varied and interesting), a picnic lunch beside Lake Wivenhoe was both refreshing, relaxing and invigorating, the one antique and memorabilia shop that we visited in Toogoolawah was interesting and economical (I didn't find anything to spend my money on.), the Ramblers did a mass jump right on cue for us and I found Watts Bridge airstrip.
The popularity of our drive route was endorsed by the number of sleek motorcycles out on the mountain roads, who had their complimentary boys in blue to confirm the accuracy of their speedos (and we're not talking swimming togs here). All up there were probably over a hundred motorcyclists enjoying a Sunday past Mt Glorious. It seems that Porsche were also having a group outing as we saw quite a few heading to Fernvale. The Fernvale markets are promising for a more relaxed perusal, we arrived in their last quarter hour. With a good diversity of goodies, many pre-loved, seeking a new owner.
Seeing as we left relatively late, as planned, we'd elected to picnic lunch, and found an excellent site beside the lake, with shade and a pleasant breeze, watching others sailing the rental catamarans, Anita wanted us to try this, but the midday calms came along leaving some sailors motionless far from the shore. Maybe if we'd had more time.
Passing through Esk we noticed many potentially interesting shops and things and feel that a return visit would be in order. Certainly, considering the number of members who didn't avail themselves of this opportunity, we must look at doing a repeat excursion sometime. Maybe with a country pub lunch.
For those who missed it, Watts Bridge is the sight of a World War II airstrip. It was built for, and used briefly by the RAAF 5 (Army Co-op) Squadron. The name came from a nearby bridge over the Brisbane River. This bridge was destroyed in the 1974 floods and never rebuilt. The airfield is now a very active centre for such groups as the Antique Aircraft Association and the Autogyro Club. There are various levels of flying training done here, including sailplanes and gyrocopters. It has a cosmopolitan collection of hangers where the owners appear as comfortable as their aircraft. During WW2 it was commented that one of its good points was that it was handy to a good pub! (Toogoolawah, one mile to the west.) Well worth a visit earlier in the day when the sky hums with flying machines. (Oh, and don't forget that a few minutes away back at Toogoolawah, they do do tandem skydives! Just waiting for us.)
Incidentally, during our return we passed through Ipswich and discovered a set of traffic lights which have replaced the old-fashioned light bulbs with multiple LED arrays. These give a much faster on/off time and are potentially more reliable. We've since found a few more of these around Brisbane. Looking forward to seeing everyone on another drive day.
