Meandering through the Brisbane valley

It’s been a busy 2024; we moved in to Paradise Point at the beginning of January and spent a few months settling in (with five out of six weeks in Sydney for Sue while mum had surgery). Then in May we headed north in Liberty, reaching as far as Port Douglas before flying south to buy the other “half” of our home in Docklands, and cruising south from Port Douglas to Hervey Bay in order to set it up! After a few weeks re-establishing ourselves in Paradise Point we decided to re-acquaint ourselves with Vanooka….

On Thursday 21st November, after Sue’s yoga class, we headed to Ashmore Caravan Storage and set Vanooka free, crossing the M1 and continuing past Nerang for our first night, at Canungra. There has been a week of heavy rain, but the forecast suggested that conditions were improving so we took the chance. We parked on the Canungra Showgrounds in a relatively dry spot with power and water available. We visited the local IGA for some supplies, including two nice eye fillet steaks for dinner, then stopped for a drink at the local pub on our way back. The evening was cool but dry, and we enjoyed our barbecue dinner, eating inside as the night cooled down. Overnight the rain fell, increasing just before dawn into a steady downpour, but we were warm and dry inside!

Friday morning saw the rain continue, with occasional breaks enabling us to pack up in relatively dry conditions. After breakfast inside we hooked up the car and continued travelling, checking out Wivenhoe Dam and stopping at Esk for morning tea, managing to pick up a Lions Christmas cake at the op shop and shopping at the local IGA for a few extras. We continued up through the Brisbane Valley, turning off the D’Aguila highway and continuing to Linville, an old railway town now revitalised by the rail trail and a great campground across the road from the pub. We enjoyed lunch at the pub and returned to our camp before the afternoon showers set in again! It’s a popular spot, with many larger groups and a few hardy bike riders camped around us.

Noisy neighbours interrupted our sleep and had us moving to a different spot on Saturday morning; this one had power so we hooked up! We took a walk around the town, consulting the local historical map and enjoying learning about Linville. After breakfast we took the car and drove along the small local road north, crossing the Brisbane River several times across causeways; it’d be very interesting to see when it is in flood! Then we turned south again and followed the highway to Kilcoy, where we had hoped to visit the country butcher but he’s gone online only. 

We took the Kilcoy - Esk road south, winding through the hills and past Somerset Dam, built before and after the depression to counter flooding in Brisbane. Whilst it was moderately successful, the Wivenhoe Dam was built to decrease the risk of floods even further after 1974, but, as 2011 showed, the Brisbane River is a mighty force. We stopped at a day park on the banks of Somerset Dam for morning tea, marvelling at all the ski boats and jetskis on the water. Then we continued, crossing the Brisbane River again and turning west to Toogoolawa, where we visited the local IGA to get food for dinner. We headed back to Linville after that with a short stop at Moore to buy lunch from a local cafe. The weather has turned sunny and warm again and the beautiful green countryside we drove through was only enhanced in the sunshine.

We woke to sunshine on Sunday morning and took another walk around Linville, under the old rail bridge, past the timber mill and along the back streets, past many lovely old houses. We met the friendly publican on our walk! After breakfast we packed up and started moving south again, stopping briefly at Moore, then onto Toogoolawa for supplies and a walk through the fascinating art gallery at the old Nestle Condensary. We stopped in Esk to buy bead at the bakery and enjoyed another coffee, then finally we turned off the Brisbane Valley highway and in towards Wivenhoe Dam, our stop for the night. We found a beautiful spot near the edge of the dam and enjoyed a sausage sizzle before heading around to the swimming enclosure in the “day use” area. The water was warm and inviting and the breeze kept our wet bodies nice and cool. We lazed the afternoon away watching kayakers and sailors enjoying their small watercraft on the dam - fast power boats and skiers are banned so it is very peaceful! The sunset over the water was just beautiful and a night time visit from a local possum was a welcome surprise.

On Monday morning we decided it was so lovely here we would stay another day! We did a scenic drive to Fernvale, checking out the Wivenhoe Dam wall and spillway on the way, then across to Lowood, part of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. We visited the butcher and the supermarket, and picked up a couple of items from the local Arts co-operative, enjoying a coffee at the cafe recommended by the volunteers in the co-op. It was delicious! We detoured via Atkinson Dam and on to Coominya, another Rail Trail town, where we enjoyed lunch in the Bellevue hotel. We stopped for a swim in the lake on our way home for a relaxing afternoon. We’ve had a lovely break away but it is time to return to civilisation - Christmas is just around the corner and we have lots of socialisation to do!