Saturday– Homeward Bound…

I wish I was
Homeward bound
Home, where my thought's escaping
Home, where my music's playing
Home, where my love lies waiting
Silently for me

(Lyrics-‘Homeward Bound’ – Simon & Garfunkel)

Classic & Specialist Car Club of Northern NSW - Mystery Run 2012

Part 7 – Goondiwindi to Armidale

 

RIGHT….. Last day and heading home to collect the doggies from the kennel..

We leave the hotel and leave Robyn and Gary behind.

Wave and smile…

They own the Valiant which will be on the road today BUT not in time to join the convoy.

Morning tea was at Yetman…

Then on towards Inverell..

I love these photos of the storm and the wheat fields..

Thank goodness that storm missed our leaky car.

Have hardly been watered on at all this trip..

Lunch at Inverell near the river,

using up all the leftovers.

and then a goodbye stop, at Guyra … kiss kiss..

and onto home to collect the doggies!

Below is the photos from the trip with a Rock soundtrack!

ENJOY!!

(or pinch if you want)

Until next time, Kim

Another slideshow design by Smilebox

Friday – The Goondiwindi Grey

We’ll miss him that's for certain, now his saddles put aside,

but ‘round our track of mem’ries, ‘Gunsynd’ will always stride.

A-swing round the corner, and then laying back his ears,

The champ from Goondiwindi with the champs of other years

(Lyrics ‘The Goondiwindi Grey’ – Tex Morton 1974)

Classic & Specialist Car Club of Northern NSW - Mystery Run 2012

Part 6 – Goondiwindi

A rest day today in Goondiwindi – with some free time.

But its been hot – 38 degrees.

Most of the group went for a walk along the river.

Some stayed behind to attempt to sort out the car problems of yesterday.

The Jacarandas are stunning.

The bougainvillea and the silky oaks are also in flower.

Then a visit to the towns heritage museum and morning tea.

Then some free time to look around town and visit the Gunsynd museum.

Isn’t this a lovely photo below, with the Jacaranda background.

He was a cheeky fella, a character who loved the crowds and I’m sure he loved having his photo taken as he appears to be smiling in some of them.

Maybe that's why he is still remembered, long after he died.

After lunch it was back with the group for a visit to the Namoi Cotton Gin.

The cotton harvest is over for the year,

but what a noisy, dirty, hot job this must be when the gin is in full swing.

Graham and I had to go and have a little snooze with the air con after we got back to the motel!

Its hot!

Tonight is out farewell BBQ, held in the hotel carpark.

A gift for Lyn and Mick to thank them for all their hard work.

It was a crocheted Tartan rug made by Jan.

All set for the run home tomorrow.

Until next time, Kim

Thursday– Feeling Hot Hot Hot…

my mind's on fire , my soul's on fire
feeling hot hot hot ,

olay olay olay olay

(Lyrics ‘Feeling Hot Hot Hot’ – Arrow) 

Classic & Specialist Car Club of Northern NSW - Mystery Run 2012

Part 5 - Chinchilla to Goondiwindi

Traveling onto Goondiwindi and staying there for the next two nights.

Which is good as I think the old cars are getting tired.

Our first stop for the day was the Chinchilla Weir.

Before we got there there was a breakdown in the group.

Gary and Robyn's 1962 Valiant did its radiator.

They turned around with the groups mechanic, Rick,

to see if they could get the problem fixed in Chinchilla.

Above:  we look like a little midget next to the big Chev.

Its hot today, phew…

Morning tea stop was at Condamine. Look at the Prickly Pear growing in the gutter of the shed!

Then onto Glenmorgan and a visit to the Vintage Car Museum.

A nice lunch served in the Glenmorgan Hall by the members of the local car club.

There are lots of dead things on the roads – The usual smelly Roo’s, today we saw two dead foxes and a huge wild pig.

(note to self: when you hear on the 2-way that there is a pig on the road this doesn’t necessarily mean the police are up ahead)

The other day we passed a dog tree, dead wild dogs hanging in a tree.

Yucky, we must be in the outback.

Gary and Robyn and the others caught up with us after lunch.

They couldn’t get the Valiant fixed in Chinchilla, it had been a drama

and it was now on the back of a truck heading to Goondiwindi.

The days car problems were not yet over as the convoy had got just outside Glenmorgan and it was  the 1954 MG Magnets turn to be temperamental. It had finally succumbed to the fuel line problem that had been threatening for a few days.

So the group got split with a number of people left beside the hot and dusty trail to try and sort out the problem while the rest of us travelled on towards Goondiwindi.

With an ice cream stop … or two.. (YUM! chocolate paddle pops are so smooth and slippery)

Something that's not smooth is the prickly pear.

I thought they had got this pest under control so I was shocked to see forests of this stuff as we drove into Goondiwindi. Another one of those things that we imported and then became a pest.

If your interested in an entertaining history of the prickly pear and the attempts to keep it under control with the cactoblastis moth visit this site – (well,,, I found it entertaining)!http://www.northwestweeds.nsw.gov.au/prickly_pear_history.htm

Update on the breakdown situation. The MG was also towed to Goondiwindi. Most of the delayed travellers have arrived, late tired, hot, thirsty and dirty!

Except for Bob & Denise who own the MG, they have to come with the truck that is bringing their car.

Until next time, Kim

Wednesday– Big Wheels Keep on Turning……

Proud Mary keeps on burning.
Rolling rolling, rolling on the river. 

(Lyrics ‘Proud Mary’ - Ike & Tina Turner)

Classic & Specialist Car Club of Northern NSW - Mystery Run 2012

Part 4 – Roma to Chinchilla

  Today we are heading for Chinchilla.

We stayed at a very plush place last night – the Explorers Inn. Most of the motels in these parts cater for the mining workforce and other trades. Therefore they are high spec and its hard to find accommodation for 34 people.

Our first stop in Roma was the local haberdashery shop.

This was an eye opener – you know that TV show hoarders well the owner of this shop needs to be on that! These are two of the aisles below.

How he does a stocktake I don’t know…

I reckon we need to call in Time Team as there must be stuff buried at the bottom of shelves from the middle ages.

Then onto Miles.

Our next stop was for lunch and an afternoon wandering around the Historical Village.

Above is Thomas’s panel van – I think this pic looks like a 1970’s Coca- Cola commercial.

Above: What can I say?

 

Lunch was supplied at the Red Rose Cafe.

I took lots of photos of the insides of the shops and the displays but I’ll add them to the photo album which I’ll post at the end of the trip.

And then onto Chinchilla for tonight.

Lots of road works (due to floods?, due to trucks?) and we gave lots of stop/go men a thrill with our classic car convoy. (smile & wave)

BIG WHEELS. Lots of trucks, lots of road trains, utes and 4WDs. The wheels on some trucks are taller than our car!

Most of the truckies are friendly, some make contact on the 2-way and ask about the cars and where we are going.

While we head east we passed lots of heavy equipment travelling west.

Harvesters, excavation things, mining equipment, cattle. Sheds on the back of trucks going somewhere. I guess we passed millions of dollars worth of equipment during the few hours we were on the road.

Until next time, Kim