Day Trip To Kingaroy, South Burnett. Queensland Australia
You
can’t call yourself a true Queenslander until you’ve taken in some of the
state’s vibrant countryside. We were in sore need of a getaway, so we loaded up
the car and hit the road to see own back yard. The South Burnett is one of the
most unique regions in the country, and no city encapsulates the magic of the
area as well as Kingaroy. The best way to start the day is with a good breakfast
and a good cup of coffee, and you will be pleased to know that on an adventure
on the northern reaches of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail in South Burnett a
visit to the famous Bakehouse Bakery in Blackbutt is your first stop.
Bakehouse
Bakery not only known for their gourmet pies, but for their vast array of
muffins, slices, sweet treats and slow ferment breads made fresh on the
premises daily. Blackbutt Bakery uses their own special blend of coffee beans
grown on the Tablelands of North Queensland then freshly roasted by the Coffee
Place at the Sunshine Coast.
Where else can you enjoy two all-beef patties with
special sauce, cheese, onion and pickles, but no sesame seed bun? Blackbutt
Bakery is 120km northwest of Brisbane, and has brought back the Big Mack
following repeated requests over the past year. This “Big Mack” is encased in
sesame seed pastry and has made a welcome return at a decorated Queensland
country pie shop.
The Big Mack won the best gourmet pie in the same year the
bakery won best game pie for its Croc-a-Thai offering, containing crocodile
meat in a Thai curry sauce, at the Great Aussie Pie Competition in Melbourne.
The bakery also won eleven gold, four silver and one bronze medal for its fare
that year.
Breakfast sorted we moved onto the next town of Yarraman. Fringed by
hoop pine plantation forests, bunya pines and picturesque grazing countryside,
the timber town of Yarraman sits at the junction of the D'Aguilar and New
England Highways. One of the town’s major tourist attractions is Heritage
House, previously a Sacred Heart boarding convent for boys. The building is now
the home of the Yarraman & District Historical Society and features a
number of museums, resource facilities, wine tasting, craft shop and a
Community Radio station.
Moving
on we reach Tipperary Flat, situated at the southern entrance to Nanango
adjacent to Lions Park and the BP Service Station, is a well equipped picnic
area featuring a walking trail leading visitors around the historic displays
with informative interpretive signs provided. A walking track extends to the
Tarong turnoff past “Hannibal”, the first Tarong Coal Dragline Bucket, and has
become a popular pastime for residents, visitors and pets.
Located
345m above sea-level and 210 km north-west of Brisbane via the Bruce and
D'Aguilar Highways, is Nanango. Today the town is a typical rural centre in rich
poll hereford country. None of the really early town buildings are left. The
single greatest problem was that in 1940 all shops on the southern side of
Drayton Street from Fitzroy to Henry Street were destroyed by fire. The
solitary survivor, and one of the town's most interesting historic structures,
is 'Nobby's Corner'. Located on the corner of Drayton and Henry Streets it was
originally built in 1914. It is still a wonderful example of a solid,
old-fashioned, country-town corner store. The Fitzroy Hotel, which is in
Fitzroy Street, one block off the main street, has remained absolutely
unchanged since it was first built in 1913. It is a fine example of a pre-World
War I Queensland country hotel.
Moving
on our next stop of the day was Pottique Lavender Farm, home to the largest
lavender shop in Australia. As you drive up towards the quaint homestead the
first thing you’ll notice is the spectacular fields of purple blooms that
surround the farm. The second thing you’ll notice is the soothing fragrance of lavender
that hits you the moment you step out of the car. This farm in Coolabunia, just
outside Kingaroy, has a front shop filled with antiques, handmade treasures and
toys to entice wanderers of all ages.
The
back rustic shed however, is an even bigger maze, filled with dried lavender,
lavender jams, oil, chutney, teddies, soaps and more antique ware, and also hosts
the cellar with a selection of South Burnett wines, lavender liquer and
Pottique's famous lavender syrup, useful in every situation, from the
accompaniment for tea or ice-cream to relieving headaches.
Moving
on we reached, Kingaroy which is
unofficially known as the peanut capitol of Australia, with thousands of tonnes
of peanuts being processed and distributed around Australia and overseas.
The
Peanut Company of Australia’s silo stand proudly in the centre of town, while
The Peanut Van distributes top-notch nuts to local markets and events as it has
done since 1969. These peanuts are jumbo-sized, and are the highest quality nut
available. Flavoured and salted varieties are hand-cooked in pure vegetable oil
before being sealed in airtight bags to ensure freshness, so when you go to
town on a bag of nuts you’ll have a hard time stopping. Go for original salted,
curry, savoury tomato, hickory, smoked or barbecue flavoured nuts. If you’re
curious to know more about the history of Kingaroy’s peanut industry, you can take
a short stroll up the street to the Kingaroy Heritage Museum, and travel back
in time as you wander displays of agricultural machinery built by local
inventors and dating back to the early 1900s.
Once
you arrive in Kingaroy, the first thing you should do is familiarise yourself
with your surroundings. Kingaroy boasts a beautiful country charm, and as one
of the major cities in the South Burnett region, it has a rich history that
extends to the late 1800s. We wandered the streets then went up to Mt Wooroolin
Lookout.
Mt Wooroolin Lookout can be accessed by driving west on Haly Street
and turning right into Mount Wooroolin Road. It is 7 km from the centre of town.
Unfortunately the Kingaroy Heritage Museum showcases the history of the
Kingaroy region under the themes of 'People, Power and Peanuts' was still closed.
Heading
back to Brisbane we took a short detour to the town of Linville for a drink at The
Linville Hotel, which is a historic Queenslander country pub located on the 161
km Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. It was a perfect rest and rehydrate stop and
check out the old photos and read up on the history of the region. The hotel
dates back to 1887, it’s been moved 4 times by bullock train before arriving at
its final spot in the small town of Linville (rumour has it that they never
stopped serving beer during any of the moves)
Our
next project is discovering the 161 km Brisbane Valley Rail Trail – the longest
rail trail in Australia. Queensland’s Great Adventure Rail Trail is open all
year round. Not far from Brisbane, it’s all off-road and traffic free, just
South East Queensland’s big skies and scenic landscapes to enjoy, with a coffee
stop every 25 km or so. We are trying to find the time and experience ourselves
why thousands of people love exploring the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail on
bicycle, on horseback or on foot. We may get a group of our friends together and
find out what country Queensland is all about.
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