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Laidley District tour

03 Oct 2013

The Probus Club of North Brisbane recently enjoyed a sunny day on the road to the Lockyer Valley.

The group departed with Brian at the wheel, assured that he would not knock over any expensive wooden letter boxes on this trip to the Lockyer Valley.

The journey started in peak hour traffic, but by using the new tunnels we covered the Stafford Road to Lang Park in just 10 minutes, then headed out through Kenmore and followed the water pipeline to its origin at Mt.Crosby.

Morning tea stop was at nearby College’s Crossing which has been renovated since the floods, with lovely grassed areas and sun shelters overlooking the river. Brian pointed out that the new coffee shop there is moveable, should the area experience floods again.

Members arrived at the Mulgowie Hotel (known locally as the Mulga Pub) at 11.00am to pick up Simon the owner and the group’s guide. They were also able to purchase some of the locally made pickled onions and jams.

The area was originally known as McGrath’s Crossing back in 1840 and the hotel established there in 1891 was known as the Burnside Hotel until it was changed to its current name in 1980s. It has had recent renovations since a car ran through the bistro.

On the tour Simon pointed out farming areas which have been in family ownership for more than 100 years. The group was also told that the Lockyer Valley, one of the most fertile in the Southern Hemisphere, is responsible for 70 per cent of Australia’s fruit and vegetable production – there were certainly plenty of vegetable paddocks.

The local Thornton School with 40 pupils was pointed out as we passed through paddocks with huge water aerogaters, operated by computers. The power to run these computers as well as supplying much of the local electricity comes from large solar panels established in adjoining paddocks.

It was pointed out that the dairy industry had greatly declined, but the milking which was still carried out, was under the herringbone system and not the more modern Robotic system.

In the neighbouring mountain range they have a helicopter landing/training area used for training pilots who were going to Afghanistan.

From this range you can see the high rises of the Gold Coast.

After a very informative tour the group returned to the Mulga Pub for a country style lunch which was enjoyed by all.

Lunch over it was time to go 20kms back to Laidley township and for some to leave a few dollars behind, especially in the very popular country shoe shop.

Last call for the bus to Chermside and members returned past the historic railway station at Grandchester, Rosewood, Marburg, Warrigo Highway and bus tunnels.