The Pumpkin Capital of Australia, Goomeri is where we’ve pitched our camper trailer, in the town’s showgrounds that offer hot showers and friendly caretakers. There’s no pumpkin festival here this Covid year nor an annual district show, so resourceful townsfolk have continued to open up their showgrounds to campers for a nominal fee. The leisure rigs parked here are impressive. Enormous caravans and luxury motor homes send the message that Australians are investing heavily in the great outdoors lifestyle.
The drive from Linville was easy. Roads were particularly good even when shared with thundering cattle trucks in this predominately beef cattle and citrus country. The highway plays host to a number of small towns and such is the ease of road tripping, we stopped off frequently on our way to Goomeri.
Blackbutt is home to this famous bakery with its equally famous pies. Cyclists and hikers on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail make a point of visiting.
Yarraman is a short 15 kms from Blackbutt. Like a lot of country towns, Yarraman boasts wide streets and classic pubs.
In Yarraman we found ourselves in the cafe below, savouring coffee and a most enjoyable talk with the owner. She and her husband have seen the demise of their service station – the terrible flood in 2013 meant water got into the fuel tanks destroying their business. Hardy and resourceful though, they reinvented their business to incorporate a welcoming cafe and surprisingly, a trike manufacturing workshop.
Further on, we found ourselves in Nanango, a country town that was very appealing.
We’ve experienced typical August weather – blustery winds and cool temps at night. I’m donning the thermals at night and t shirts during the deep blue cloudless days. In other news, I’ve traded in my Optus connection for Telstra which works a whole lot better out here.
Next stop is Eidsvold
