Everyone says how lovely Toowoomba is and how comparatively cool it is... they were right and wrong! It was very pretty and very cold! Our current low temperature record for the trip was Cradle Mountain and it wasn't that bad... but it felt close! We were very grateful for our air conditioner at night time...
We spent a lovely few days with Karina, Blake and Lindy and all the kids. It was so nice to chalk up some quantity time amidst all the busyness of life and travel and kid raising. Something that should be achieved on an annual or semi-annual basis in the future, I think, girls. Plenty of hot drinks consumed, washing done and cuddles with Claire. TIck. Oh yes, and a blast from the past with a trip to Toowoomba Sizzler, which was actually a humming and WARM place to be on a Saturday night!!
We had some great walks and plays in the excellent Queen's and Picnic Point Parks. Also took in the Cobb and Co Museum which was really great. We could have spent many more hours there and maybe will one day... My favourite snippet of info was learning that billy carts and go-karts derive from billy and goat carts. There was the cutest little cart that used to be used by children for delivering the milk or a sack of potatoes etc and then used for a race against their friends. (We have since seen another billy cart in the Queensland Museum - this time one made for two!) I also enjoyed seeing the blacksmiths at work. The kids all loved playing shops with all the old fashioned gear and riding the model horse.
Another highlight of our time in Toowoomba was a visit to Wrays Organic Cafe and Shop where we ate a substantial haul of raw cakes. Yum, but heavy going! Next time a less than 1:1 ratio of cake to person needs to be employed! Enjoyed the good food reading corner and some vege chips etc as well.
We took a day trip to Brisbane to catch up with Kylie and her daughters Mali and Tia. After a challenging hunt for car parks we had lunch and took in some street performances in South Bank. The kids had a play in the park and coped with a couple of behaviourally disordered kids making the whole thing more interesting.
We had some great walks and plays in the excellent Queen's and Picnic Point Parks. Also took in the Cobb and Co Museum which was really great. We could have spent many more hours there and maybe will one day... My favourite snippet of info was learning that billy carts and go-karts derive from billy and goat carts. There was the cutest little cart that used to be used by children for delivering the milk or a sack of potatoes etc and then used for a race against their friends. (We have since seen another billy cart in the Queensland Museum - this time one made for two!) I also enjoyed seeing the blacksmiths at work. The kids all loved playing shops with all the old fashioned gear and riding the model horse.
Another highlight of our time in Toowoomba was a visit to Wrays Organic Cafe and Shop where we ate a substantial haul of raw cakes. Yum, but heavy going! Next time a less than 1:1 ratio of cake to person needs to be employed! Enjoyed the good food reading corner and some vege chips etc as well.
We took a day trip to Brisbane to catch up with Kylie and her daughters Mali and Tia. After a challenging hunt for car parks we had lunch and took in some street performances in South Bank. The kids had a play in the park and coped with a couple of behaviourally disordered kids making the whole thing more interesting.
Say "Cheese!"
We spent a lovely afternoon and evening with Lorraine and Eddie Craig in nearby Highfields. Lorraine was our babysitter/nanny as kids. Isaac and Dominic had a whale of a time playing lego while the grown ups chatted and caught up. Poor old Sascha was quite sick and spent the evening on the couch but the other two felt so comfortable that they didn't want to leave and wanted to stay overnight there without us!!
On our last day Blake, Karina and I took the kids to the Japanese Gardens at the Uni. These are the biggest in Australia, if I remember right, and were much enjoyed by all of us.
On our last day Blake, Karina and I took the kids to the Japanese Gardens at the Uni. These are the biggest in Australia, if I remember right, and were much enjoyed by all of us.
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