26-27/9/2012
Peter
and Ute, Kees and Barbara, Fiona, Adele and Harry met at 9am in front
of the Woodford Police Station to begin our bicycle ride to Kilcoy.
For us “Bribie-ites”, these hills were like riding the Alps.
Some of us rode up all the hills (Harry earned the polka dot jersey)
while others mastered some of them. Bleats of “Alp, Alp”
(get it? Help! help!) could be heard as we worked hard to conquer the
crests then enjoy the inevitable down hill runs. Our route took us
through Villeneuve. A local artist had a display of wood carved
objects planned to coincide with our visit. Mount Archer and
the upper reaches of Lake Somerset, fed by the Stanley River,
provided wonderful scenery for our ride and morning tea, as well as
home for many birds, including ducks and elegant black swans.
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| Ready to Go - Looking Sparky in front of Woodford Police Station |
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| Wood Carvings at Villeneuve |
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| Lake Somerset |
After
a very pleasant 2.5 hour ride, we arrived at our destination and
checked in to The Exchange Hotel at Kilcoy. This is an “Old
Queenslander”, with the feeling that she has provided many years of
rest and refreshments, dating back to the pioneer days. Perusal
of the town concluded with a delicious lunch at The Low Flying Duck.
The “Repco-Man” was very gracious as he fixed Fiona’s bike’s
brakes. Many thanks. Afternoon naps and further explorations of the
town, followed by Happy Hour and dinner at the pub, prepared us for
the real focus of the trip – The Card Game! It was
neck-and-neck as the combatants jostled for pole position at both
ends of the pack. The packaging from our late night cheese cake
desert (is it really only 9:30pm?) provided the material for
recording this trip log (aka blog).
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| Harry, Fiona, Adele and Ute on balcony at Exchange Hotel |
Not
exactly a restful night’s sleep as we were serenaded by lorries,
local hoons’ stereo systems and flocks of Rosellas, but Thursday
dawned bright and clear. After a hearty breakfast, we were
packed and set off for the return journey to Woodford, but not before
taking the scenic route through the park, around the small lagoons
and along side the river. We were pleased to leave the smoke behind
us, from the burn off, as we retraced our route heading east this
time. The hills were still there, but we felt we were handling
them better, with Fiona’s brakes no longer binding, and others of
us using our gear changing more effectively. Interesting sites
included a deer with large antlers, a rustic “out-house” and a
microwave mail box.
We
were thankful to have encountered some very courteous drivers who
slowed considerably when passing, thus minimizing the dust from the
gravel shoulders of the road. We returned to our cars by noon
and enjoyed a coffee or refreshing cool drink from a local
establishment. Then it was time to say our farewells and bring our
adventure to an end. Many thanks to Peter for his organization
and planning for this wonderful BUG trip.
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Harry, Barbara, Kees, Fiona, Adele, Peter |
Submitted
by:
Adele
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