In the Hinterland

Thursday to Saturday

On Thursday we were invited to the monthly morning tea. A group of islanders, mostly couples, share the hosting between them on a roster basis. There were 20 to 30 people there and this time the host was right on the beach front. The house had verandas at front, back and one side so we were able to go to the back to get out of the wind. The view took in Garden Island and the mainland.

The rain came in later in the day but we'd managed to get a load of washing done and dry before that.

The ferry booking was 10-15 and Guy said it was possible to make the 11:22 train. This was the last option that went all the way to Landsborough with only one change of train at Central. Another ferry was loading while we waited and then came back just after it started to pull out to allow a truck to board. We finished on the line of 3 that was off loaded last. Although we did leave well before the water taxi, it sped past us later and arrived before us.

It was very close to departure time when Guy pulled into the car park. I raced to the ticket office to buy a ticket and be told the train was still there. I ran to get my bags to see Guy driving the car away from me to go to the front of the station. By the time he got there the train had left. It was that close. The next train was only 30 minutes later but the second leg of that journey terminated in Caboolture and I needed to take a bus to Landsborough. This added 30 minutes to the journey.

it It was still raining but Carol was waiting there for me. She now has a rescued Chihuahua which was in the car as well. It was a short journey to Maleny and we went straight to her house, which is just on the edge of town. This is a 2 story place and she is now living upstairs. There are 2 bedrooms at the front, with a large living area with a modern kitchen and bathroom off it and a deck area at the back. Downstairs has similar facilities and is rented out. She was living downstairs herself till recently but moved upstairs to renovate before putting it on the market. The view from the upstairs balcony is very nice, over a stream with open fields behind. The garden itself is quite lush with both greenery and flowers. Apparently this is one of the few areas in Queensland that is not suffering from a water shortage.

We went to the shops for a few supplies and then had drinks, cheese and crackers. Dinner was much later - spaghetti - and we just watched TV and talked. Carol has Austar so there's quite a few channels to ignore because there's nothing interesting on.

It was still raining Saturday morning so there was no rush to get up. So much for the "Sunshine Coast". We headed out around 11, heading for a lookout. Unfortunately rain and cloud restricted visibility to the houses along the road so the view was non existent. We headed back to town and then on to Montville. This is a charming little town full of gift shops, craft shops, clothes shops and cafes. Apparently the whole thing started with one pottery and expanded. Most of the buildings are relatively recent so they are new and clean yet quite village-like and set in gardens and parks. The rain eased off while we were there and although we didn't buy anything in the shops, we had a late lunch at the bakery. Carol found a few shops that she decided to revisit later, particularly one with lots of handbags.

We did stop at another lookout on the way back and I was able to take some photos, although the distant features were hazed out still. I also picked up some avocados in Montville and later some other items from the supermarket. I made up an avocado dip for afternoon snack and later we had the chicken from the supermarket and salad for dinner.