North of the Border

July 02, 2021

Tuesday 29th June

After a rather restless night due to the proximity of the railway line (50m) and the highway (200m) and perhaps some closer snoring noises we woke to another perfect morning. As Michael begins most mornings with a Shedworld check in, I took a wander around the perimeter of the park and was rewarded with a sighting of four Blue Bonnets sitting on the fence and a playful group of Yellow-rumped Thornbills.

Our first port of call today was the nearby Coolmunda Olives. It was fortunate I had made early contact as the owner was at a funeral and one of the workers, Melissa, came in on her day off to show us around. We went on a walk through the sheds where the olives are stored and where others are made in to oil. Sadly they only finished the pressing 2 days before our visit. We learnt that the oil is made from the olives that are too high up to be handpicked, or not ripe enough during picking. The tree is then shaken and the olives that drop are used for oil. Melissa took us for a walk through the groves before we returned to the cafe area for a tasting.

After the initial tasting plate Melissa appeared with freshly made pizza….as a treat, and then followed up with salted caramel and olive slice with tea/ coffee….very impressive for $15/head. The grounds contain a variety of crafty sculptures and many cycling paths. There are bikes available for hire as well which we wisely declined but we did come away with a few ‘olive’ treats to share.

On the road to Goondiwindi we pulled in to Yellarbon, a whistle stop really, but it has put itself on the Art Trail map with its beautifully painted silos. The row of 8 silos are decorated with a series of paintings called When the Rain Comes featuring a small boy playing in the lagoon. The paper boat he is playing with is made of remnants of historical newspaper found in the old jail.

Travellers are welcomed to Goondiwindi by a series of sculptures created by local artist, Angus Wilson, using repurposed materials. There is a ‘bird theme’ to many of them as the name Goondiwindi comes from the Indigenous word ‘Goonawinna’….meaning Resting place of the Birds.

We decided to try out the Showgrounds and despite it only being 2 o’ clock it was very busy. We managed to find a spot with power not too far from what we figured was a communal fire pit. We imagined a few campers sitting around for a chat later in the day. Unfortunately when we returned later we found a big rig within touching distance of our back door, with the dog fence up enclosing the fire pit which they didn’t even use…some people!

We did enjoy a wander around the town which has some lovely old buildings including the Victoria Hotel and the Council Chambers.

Bird count. 56

Wednesday 30th June

As the Showgrounds had no precise departure time we were able to leave the van and do some exploring. First stop was The River Walk which sits atop the levee built in 1958. Prior to its construction the town faced devastating floods ever few years. Locals would gather under The Tree of Knowledge at all hours of the day and night, discussing likely river heights and swapping ‘flood’ stories. Next to the tree is the Celebration Mural on the water tank painted by artists from the Kamilaroi and Bigumbal people to celebrate NAIDOC Week.

The walk along the river path provided some more examples of Angus Wilson’s work. Even the public toilets are decorated with paintings of local birds.

After returning to hitch up the van we decided to stop at the Botanic Gardens for a wander and picnic lunch. The gardens were the brainchild of keen naturalist Cecil Cameron, and were first planted in 1988 on 25 hectares of Crown Land. Today the gardens are maintained by the community, with a number of walks through various landscape plantings. We enjoyed the variety and I was able to add a few more birds to my growing bird list, including Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Double-barred Finch and Plum-headed Finch. We are having no trouble hitting the target of 10000steps.

On the journey to our next stop at The Gums Golf and Cricket Club we were stopped a few times at red lights for roadworks. At one stop we were delighted to see a White-necked Heron rise gracefully from the grass beside us and glide off in to the distance. Another one for the bird list.

We were welcomed to our stop by the caretaker Max, an old bushy and his dogs, the younger of which promptly adopted us….Probably something he does for all visitors. We were the only people in here tonight so had all the amenities and firepits to ourselves. It was even fine for me to wander the First hole, binoculars

in hand, without any danger of a wayward golf ball!