On our last trip to Beaudesert we had to take a detour due to roadworks and I promised that I would get back and stop at the winery I had spotted on Boonah-Beaudesert Road and revisit the stone sculptures at the dam and in doing so, I may have discovered the perfect day out for day trippers.
We set out from Ipswich at a lazy 9:00am and headed straight out to Beaudesert, where we stopped at Teaspoons & Aprons Café for a coffee before we headed to the Beaudesert Historical Museum. The main thing that had piqued my interest to visit this museum, was that I had read they had an extensive range of information and memorabilia on the Stinson Air Disaster (a plane crash in 1937 that led to a very tricky rescue mission near O’Reilly’s Mountain Retreat). It was very interesting and I think I may have to follow up further on this story. Of course, we wandered around the rest of the museum and I discovered something rather curious. I have seen quite a few slab huts on my adventures, but I have never seen one with a chimney made out of timber before. Forgive me for being naïve, but I found this somewhat odd. Wouldn’t that cause some issues? Oh well, that is why I do what I do – I love learning new things and sharing those things with you. I also discovered a single prison hut that had been relocated to the museum. There were photos inside from its’ original location that were dated 1936. How the world has changed in such a short space of time. I often wonder if others find museums as fascinating and nostalgic as I do, or if they will fade away after my generation has passed – let’s hope not. Who knows, maybe one day there’ll be a picture of Scooter and myself on the walls of a dusty old museum, having earnt my place in history for bringing you these awesome day trips! We took a more tongue-in-cheek approach to filming at the museum (after clearing it with the staff) and you can find those videos on our YouTube channel. After our time at the museum, which I have to say was bigger than I thought it would be, we decided to head back towards home and stop at The Overflow winery for lunch. Yes, we did have to go past the dam to get to the vineyard and then backtrack for the photos, but it’s all about the light. The middle of the day is not a great time for taking photos, but it is a perfect time to stop for a bite to eat or some wine tasting. Now, let’s talk lunch. Not knowing what was at this winery, I have to say I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a wee tad apprehensive as we entered the building. Why, you may ask? Well, we were at a vineyard and the entrance took us straight into a restaurant named Two French Chefs! My first thought - this is going to be expensive and, at this point, I’m trying to come up with a strategy that provides me with a dignified exit. You know how it goes … “Can I help you sir?” “No, just looking, thanks.” Breathe easy, we were offered a choice of two venues, either in the restaurant or down by the water, and I was delighted to discover that the restaurant had a fixed price menu of two courses for $65.00 or three courses for $72.00. Although not quite what we were prepared for (or dressed for), we threw caution, and the budget, to the wind and decided let’s do this (and at that time I had no idea that that attitude would have me eating snails)! The service was fantastic. Our waitress was very down to earth and obliging and before long we felt right at home. Soon, I had a cold beer in front of me, Sharon was trying one of the vineyard’s wines and meal selections has been made. With live music playing in the background and a gentle afternoon breeze blowing through the open-air restaurant, in no time we were settling into a long and relaxing lunch. If you want to find out more about our meals, keep an eye out for the food review coming soon.
After our long lunch, it was finally time to get out to Wyaralong Dam where I not only found the sandstone sculptures, but also some remarkable sculptures that were made of wood and recycled materials. I had been wanting to get photos here for a while and was surprised at just how many artworks there were to be found. My recommendation would be to grab yourself a bottle of water and a hat and take your time to meander your way through the display. If you want to take photos of these sculptures, particularly with a mobile phone then late in afternoon or early to mid-morning is the best time. These also offer a great opportunity to play with the portrait setting on your mobile if you haven’t already and there’s also the dam itself which offers a variety of photo opportunities. From the dam we headed home and, even with all that we had seen and done, were still back in the door before 4 O’clock and sitting on the deck in the breeze and enjoying a glass of local wine.
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