20120921 Kilkivan, Goomeri, Murgon & Wooroolin

20120921 Kilkivan area was settled in the 1840s and the town takes its name from a property which was established around that time.  European settlements of the area had been fraught with dangers.  A settler named Sheridan had tried to settle in the area, but the local aborigines had successfully repulsed him killing two of his shepherds and large numbers of his stock.  Eventually a Scot named MacTaggart selected 1600 acres which he named Kilkivan.

Arriving in Kilkivan we walked the town then stopped into the Hotel to check out their lunch menu only it was only 11.30am to early for lunch so we left for Goomeri.

The Left Bank

 Original Union Bank and Managers Residence, built early last century now a Cafe and Art shop and its up for sale if your looking for the country life.

There are a couple of fabulous Antique shops but man are they expensive, it’s got me how they survive in these small towns.

Heritage Listed Kilkivan Hotel Motel surprise surprise there is only one Hotel in this town, most can have anything up to 4 pubs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m starving after missing breaky so I’m hopping Goomeri has some reasonably prised counter meals. We parked up and did our usual walk of the town then checked out the Hotel when Des ran into an old friend, John Knots, what a small world. We chatted for a bit, he was painting the Hotel and had stopped for refreshments when we arrived, he asked us if we would like to come back to his place but we had just got on the road and decided to continue on our way, we said our goodbyes and left. There had better be some cheap counter meals in the next town or Des is in big trouble.

Goomeri is well noted for the Goomeri Pumpkin Festival which is held annually on the last Sunday in May.

 

One of the many old buildings of this lovely quite town that supplies the country outfits at not a cheap prise, country cloths are soo expensive.

 

 

 

Arriving at Murgan we spotted two Hotel on each corner surely one will have counter meals.  This is a town we would only stay if Darrel was with us so with full bellies, thank god we left for our next town. 

 

I'll check this one out, The Australian Hotel wins $12 for steak chips and salad and the steak just melted in your mouth.

While you check that one out. The Royal Hotel, not so clean.

 

 

 

 

The weather started to turn bad, we were driving into a storm so we pulled over just outside of Wondai and had a snooze waiting for the rain to ease, Gee it a hard life.  

 Once the storm cleared we found our way to yet another tiny, quite, clean town called Wooroolin about 17km from Kingaroy. Free parking with $2 hot showers, but make it quick cause the hot water dosn't last long, as Des found out, but then again he is an old woman when it comes to showers. A butcher, small cafe, Post Office and a Pub is all you'll find in this town and it is surrounded by Wetland. 

Wooroolin believed to be Wakka Wakka indigenous name for "Place of Water" and the first settlers were it 1898 and land sold for 25c per acre - 63c ha.  The main crops grown-Peanuts,Maaize,Beans, Wheat,Barley and Diboisia

 

The Native Australian plant Duboisia, from which alkaloids are extracted, one of which is used in the production on Buscopan, our well known Consumer Health Care product.  Did you know that, I didn't even no we grew anything like that in Australia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Old Queensland Pub opened in 1916, "I know" I take a lot of photos of pubs, but there about the most interesting buildings in most towns, and there’s soo many of them.

 Gota love these quant old Shops

The Wooroolin Post Office

 

22-09-2012  We woke to a fine day so off I go for a long needed walk around the Wetlands, not known where I was going but lucky for me I did a full circle and was home in an hour. I gotta tell ya it gets a bit scary walking these streets on your own especially when you don't know where they lead to. 

We drove to the show grounds looking for water and found not only water but power was still connected to the old shed, if only we knew we would have camped the night there, but I got to top up my laptop, mobile phone and blow dry my hair while Des washed the van and topped up the water before heading to Kingaroy.