Day 74 - You know you're in Queensland when...

-
Boonah to Ipswich 51km

With a short day in the saddle and and B&B waiting for us in Ipswich, there was no reason to hurry out of the campground this morning.  And 4yo Abby kept us entertained with her fantastic bike skills, the training wheels only came off last week, and she was on fire.  A natural leader she designed a bike course around the campsite and bought the other kids along for the ride.  Her Dad just hoped she wouldn't stack before the wedding they were expected at in the afternoon.

But the easing into the day didn't last more than the first kilometre.  The first 16km were brutally hilly, a constant roller-coaster of steep up, steep down and repeat, over and over.  You know you're in Queensland when it's hot, sunny and humid when climbing repetitive 12% grades.  

You also know you're in Queensland when the grass grows so quickly that having a ride on mower and knowing how to use it is an essential skill.  Bonus points to the woman who we watched with awe as she used her ride on mower to herd three escaped young steers back into the paddock.  I'm not sure whether to give points or dock points to whomever does the roadside mowing on the backroads around Ipswich, but I'm pretty sure the mown and deceased Common Death Adder wasn't pleased with the outcome.  

You know you're in Queensland when you can only recognise half the birds, but the ubiquitous ibis remains instantly recognisable, thanks to Jimmy Rees (play vid from 5min mark) for keeping the whole country in the loop regarding Queensland's decision to make the bin chicken the Olympic mascot!  Only in Queensland!

Queensland will prove to hold a lot of firsts for us, like how today, briefly, as in for lunch, Kerstin and I attended University.  Where, of course, someone is doing a great job on the ride on mower.
How can you bypass a picnic lawn like that?

You also know you're in Queensland when the largest proportion of road kill is no longer foxes or roos but squished and desiccated cane toads.  But the biggest give away is the laid back and friendly nature of all the people you meet.  Bike shops, rarely a hotbed of welcome and professionalism, especially to those of the female persuasion.  But 99 Bikes Ipswich is breaking all the rules, the staff and the customers all interested in our journey so far, and happily willing and able to install a new bottom bracket, yay for Queensland.
Location: Ipswich QLD 4305, Australia

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for sharing! We read all the comments, replies depend on internet connection and energy levels.

Popular posts from this blog

Accidents happen

-
Image
It's slow going writing this particular blog post as I am doing it with only one functional hand.  After almost 7000kms on the bikes, injury found me while running.   I wish I had a fantastic story to tell, but I simply tripped on a rocky trail and fell over.  You know that meme that goes "If you want to know if you're old fall over.   If people laugh you're still young,  if people panic then you're old!"  I can confirm, I am definitely old! It probably didn't help that two of my fingers were quite obviously either dislocated, broken or both.   I begged Kerstin to remove my wedding ring before the finger started swelling, being three hours from the hospital I was imagining the worst case scenario of the ring tourniqueting my finger and its subsequent death and amputation.  Poor Kerstin, this kind of thing makes her faint, but she gritted her teeth and pulled off the ring.  I then gritted my teeth and asked the ex-army maintenance guy to try and relocate my
Read more

Learning a new language

-
Image
There's plenty of things I anticipated learning when we accepted the positions at Avon Downs.  I thought I'd learn a lot about cooking for groups, about different cuts of beef and how to prepare them.  Maybe some stuff around the logistics of running a community which is 260km from the closest centre, and even then, its still Mt Isa... But I didn't really expect to learn a new language.  To be fair, I haven't spent a lot of time in the Territory.  But they really do speak their own dialect here.  Much different from costal Queensland, which is a slower, relaxed kind of Australian drawl.  Here it's fast, brief and usually mumbled.  I think I spent the first month constantly asking people to repeat themselves, answering the phone is always a diabolical risk.  And trying to understand the radio chat, impossible! Then there is all the slang and local shorthand.  To be fair some of the slang I suspect has been created by the Ringers themselves, as they are on their own l
Read more

Generation Z's perspective

-
Image
Q:  "Which is more important, the journey or the destination?' A:  "The company." Introducing the team at Avon Downs Station.  This video was made as part of a competition between AACo Stations for the Employee Challenge.  It's a great way to show the outside world what life on Avon looks like.  It will change your perspective on who works on Cattle Stations. There is a lot to be said for keeping company with Generation Z.  The stockcamp (the staff who do all the stock work) are all aged between 16-23 years old.  We feel pretty privileged to be given access and insight into their world.  They are generous when asked for explanations of everything from the work they do, to how the social system between them as individuals, as a team and as a Station works.  I'm pretty sure the education is going both ways!  If you want to be reassured about the future, then I recommend spending some quality time with it.
Read more