When I was belatedly and hurriedly composing the 2017 blog, I was going through the photos to jog my memory. There was a photo of Jan's earring, which eventually reminded me that it was the lost object at the Wallaby Hotel. She confirmed it.
Next to that was a photo of Jo's sunglasses, and I was wondering why I took it. Jo had no idea and Jan couldn't remember either. Then this morning it hit me.
We were halfway between Kyogle and Lismore when Jo (who was driving) started ferreting around for her sunglasses. We looked everywhere without success. Of the three places we had visited in Kyogle, the cafe seemed the the most likely, so after some Googling, we managed to discover both its name and phone number. Yes, they had the glasses.
So Jan and I made ourselves comfortable in the motel in Lismore, while Jo drove to Kyogle and back. How could you forget that?!
That makes three dramas: my leaving the camera at Mamimo near Bundaberg, Jan cutting her finger, and Jo losing her glasses. Time for a drama-free trip, methinks...
The afternoon was passing quickly as we headed down the Ballina cutting. Ballina has so many op shops that they hand out a map. We were given ours at (naturally) the Anglican one. It was nice, but the ADRA one down the road appealed to me more. A lot more stuff to rifle through.
The next stop was Ballina Care, further east on Tamar Street. This was the most interesting of the three. Of all the descriptions I have seen of clothes for the more amply proportioned, theirs was the best. And while you rifled through the rack, strange creatures looked down at you.
They had some lovely Hornby china, but it wasn't my pattern, so I resisted. We would dearly have liked to visit more of the Ballina beauties (next time), but it was getting late and we were tired. Our final night's accommodation awaited us at the Mudgeeraba Hotel, which I still think of as Wallaby Bob's, because the last time I drank there, as a Uni student, it was still owned by ex-wrestler and rugby union legend Bob McMaster.
The accommodation there was in a separate building out the back, sort of glorified workers' dongas, but OK. We settled in, headed over to the pub proper for dinner, and before you know it were deeply involved in trivia and musical bingo. All went well until we discovered that Jan had lost an earring with great sentimental value, as it had been given to her by her late mother. We searched, and searched in vain.
Next morning, Jan had a brainwave, and went looking for a cleaner. Bingo! One lost earring reunited with its mate. Jan put them on.
It was then time to pack up and move out. We had put our coldies in the little fridge in our room. Jan was emptying it, when the support bit for a wine bottle on the door collapsed and the bottle hit the tiled floor. Jan had tried to catch it as it fell, so the result was a lot of blood and a lot more wine. We used up an awful lot of toilet paper, then went looking for a medical centre, leaving our room smelling like a winetasters' convention.
Fortunately, there was one just down the road, and they took Jan in straight away. Needles and stitches later, we were able to have a calming coffee and a late breakfast at a cafe nearby. Then we managed to squeeze in four oppies before heading back to BrisVegas. The Red Cross was very neat and tidy and yielded nothing. Vinnies was nice too but there were bargains to be had there, including cute earrings for me. The tiny little Anglican one, up a sort of side carpark, also yielded nothing, and then we found the best of them, the Uniting Church Op Shop.
It is in an old house on church property, a bit out of town, and there we found many interesting things. I couldn't resist an arty little white bowl, complete with holes, so pretty much useless but decorative. Jo found a wonderful art deco wooden box with an intriguing opening.
We decided to call it a day, and headed for home, with one last stop to check out Studio Thrifty Four at Albion. It is definitely one for the young, being very hip, but everything there is only $5 and proceeds go to the homeless. The people there are lovely too.
We now had a car filled with so much stuff that Jan endured the final stages with a watering can on her lap. Once they dropped me home, she travelled back to the Sunshine Coast in more comfort.
We had our usual great time (except for the dramas in Mudgeeraba).
Roll on the 2018 trip.
We resumed our trip southwards along the winding Mount Lindesay highway, an eye-opener for Jan as she had never been that way before. The mountain did not disappoint (it never does).
There is an op shop drought between Beaudesert and Kyogle, so by the time we arrived there we were hungry, in more ways than one. After lunch, we headed for the Anglicare Op Shop and Vinnies. Not a lot on offer, but once again, we had managed to clothe ourselves for the next day. It was nice to see that some of the trees in town had been yarn-bombed.
Our stop for the night was Lismore, where my parents met and where I spent many happy holidays as a child. Sadly, it is not the town it once was. I think the 2017 flood was one flood too many. Lots of shops in the downtown area are empty, and there is a feeling of despair hanging over that part of town.
Anyway, we headed for the Wilson Motel (even classier than the Analee) and broke with tradition by having dinner at the Asian directly over the road, which was a lot closer than the nearest pub.
We were a little nervous to discover we were sharing the motel with a team of teenage footballers, but they were as quiet as mice come bedtime, and were gone early in the morning.
We started next morning at Lifeline South Lismore. Now that is a good one. After the clothes, I always head for the books. They had so many children's books that they were broken up into categories, eg Enid Blyton Books, Horse Stories. Impressive.
There are lots of op shops in Lismore. I can't remember them all, but I do recall the Animal Rights and Rescue Group one, and the big Salvos, newly refurbished after the flood. There was a piano on the mezzanine level, and while we were there, a young man wandered in, and sat down to play. He made beautiful music while we shopped.
We had lunch at the old Mecca Cafe, where the pictures on the walls are hinged, so they can be raised above flood height, then headed uphill to the happier suburbs of Lismore Heights and Goonellabah, via the nice little Seventh Day Adventist shop right almost next door to the Base Hospital. Another good one. We found the Anglican one in Rous Road, and by then were feeling pleased with our efforts, but we weren't finished yet.
Alstonville has a beauty. Next to the beautiful St Bartholemew's Anglican Church, there is a big op shop in the timber hall, with more goodies in a second building out the back. They even had local bananas for sale (cheap).
I have just realised that there seem to be a lot of churches on this trip, and the Anglicans are winning.
As the 2018 Op Shop Road Trip starting date looms, I realise I never actually wrote my blog for last year's trip. My memories are a bit sketchy, I'm afraid.
We started on Brisbane's southside at Annerley, then Moorooka (lunch) and Salisbury. Reto to Hope OP Shop at Acacia Ridge was certainly one of the strangest I have visited. Lots of collectables but they were expensive. I must admit, however, that I was impressed by the way they displayed their jewellery.
We managed to find enough clothes to get us into Day Two and Jo as usual had her oppy radar well-tuned and picked up some interesting goodies.
Bed for the night was the Analee Motel in Beaudesert, a bit classy for we Road Trippers, and opposite a lovely park. We didn't completely forgo the pub experience, however, as dinner was at the Beaudesert Hotel.
The next morning was rather crisp, as we headed into the local oppies. There is a Red Cross, a big Vinnies and the Animal Welfare League. We found good cheap clothes at the Red Cross and at Vinnies I picked up a little green depression glass jug that pleased me.
The Animal Welfare League was definitely the quirky one, and very cheap. I fell in love with a pair of wonderful brand-new warm, fluffly-lined slippers which came in handy on the trip, and I am actually wearing them as I type this morning. Here I am modelling them with Jan and her socks beside me.
We had morning coffee overlooking the fine Beaudesert War Memorial, then headed for the border. I suggested the girls might enjoy a look at the heritage-listed Tamrookum Anglican church,designed by Robin Dods, which stands alone on a hill east of the Mount Lindesay Highway, and dominates the surrounding area. We were wandering around taking photos, when a very enthusiastic, friendly woman approached. She was the caretaker. It turns out she and her husband are grey nomads who were passing through the area and just the right time, and landed the job, which includes accommodation at the next-door rectory.
I have stopped there many times, but have never been inside before. It is beautiful. She told us everything there was to know about the history and the wonderful timber within.
Once we had learned everything there was to know about the Collins family, it was off to the cemetery. Besides all the late Collinses, it is the resting place of Grenville Kingsley, son of the English writer Charles Kingsley. The other really interesting grave belongs to Constable George Doyle and Albert Dahlke, who were murdered by probably Australia's last bushrangers, the Kenniff Brothers. Patrick Kenniff was hanged in Boggo Road Gaol in 1903, but his brother escaped the executioner.
We were particularly impressed by the inscription on the back of the headstone. It reads: ERECTED BY SYMPATHISERS AND ADMIRERS OF TRUE MANLINESS THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA.
It was time to head home because Jo needed to get back to her coffee shop but there were still op shops to visit along the way. From Esk we headed to Somerset Dam where we finally found some jacarandas that were fully in bloom. Above the dam we stopped to admire sweeping views across Lake Somerset then headed for Kilcoy.
The Red Cross oppy there is in a lovely little old timber shop at the very top end of the shopping centre, near the roundabout with its distinctive memorial clock. I didn't find anything to buy there but did spot the ubiquitous Irish coffee glasses.
The next stop was Woodford, where we found the most crowded op shop any of us has ever visited. It is down a side street and literally inside a double garage. As well as being packed with stock, it was crammed with people and it was very hard to move around. Surely a booming little town like Woodford can do better that this?
Up the range we then headed to Maleny, where we found a beautiful flame tree all decked out with Christmas gifts, in the middle of their roundabout. Even better, there was a group of older men busking in the main street, playing quite snappy jazz, and one of them had a shiny red sousaphone.
The prices in the op shops we, as we expected, inflated, Maleny being Maleny. Bloomhill is the most up-market. There is also a Vinnies, an Endeavour and a Lifeline where we found some more creative spelling, all beautifully laminated.
None of us bought anything, as we all had plenty of goodies by now, but it was nice to amble up and down the street, have a tasty lunch and check out the shops. The best thing I found was a cheese shop! This made up for the disappointing closure of Cheese World at Goomeri.
Here I bought my final souvenir from the trip, some Woombye Blackall Gold Washed Rind cheese, and it was superb. I suggest you seek it out and try it.
We headed for Imbil back down the western side of the range, through Conondale and Kenilworth, and the Third Op Shop Road Trip was over. The car was not quite chockers, but only because this year we had the biggest car!
Jan bought nine Hawaiian shirts for her brother and a matching hat; Jo found some beautiful pyrex, and I am particularly please with my skirt from Maryborough and my glass vase from Esk.
We gave the Best Op Shop Award to the big Lifeline at Pialba; the Most Interesting Op Shop Award to Lavelles at Scarness and Best Value For Money to Treasure Cove at Urangan. A trifecta for Hervey Bay. Now where shall we go next year...
Having revived ourselves with caffeine, we left Blackbutt and drove down the range, through the intriguing little town of Moore and on to Toogoolawah. Although the op shop was shut, and we were too early for the town's jacarandas, we did a quick run through town so I could show the others the red back spider on the roof of the local community radio station. I think it needs to be better publicised as one of Toogoolawah's tourist attractions. There are matching spider shaped seats on the lawn.
Then on to the lovely caravan park at Esk that nestles below the mountain overlooking the town. One this we hadn't counted on were the mozzies that swarmed at sunset. There was also a problem with the park not supplying the extra bedding we required for the trundle bed in our cabin, but we managed. We had planned to have a pub dinner but the nearest one was closed for renovation and we didn't fancy the walk in the dark to the farther one, so we grazed on the snack food we still had. Jan had bought a wonderful colander during the day with words instead of normal holes, so I used it to unleash my inner Pastafarian (between mozzie slaps).
Esk used to have three op shops but the Blue Care one closed in 2015. We chose the cafe next to Vinnies for breakfast, so that one couldn't close without us noticing. The cafe had a Kransky Sisters signed tea towel on the wall, so Esk's most famous daughters had been there in the past. We ate breakfast accompanied by a blue-faced honey-eater who was tucking into the leftovers on the next table, and then Vinnes opened its door. It is a small, cramped shop, but it had good things and there I found my buy of the trip, a tall, heavy glass LSA International vase, that really pleases me. While I was sitting outside waiting for the others, I googled it out of curiosity and found one for sale online for £20. I paid $5 for mine.
We resisted the lure of the amazing Esk antique shop, waved to Elvis who was standing on the back of a truck in the main street and headed for the Helping Hands shop which is hidden down a side street. It consists of two huge tin sheds, one containing furniture and large stuff and the other everything else. It is the only op shop I have even been in that has a large yellow plane hanging from the ceiling. The clothes were really cheap, and here Jan finally succeeded in her search for huckaback tablecloths for a friend. The furniture in the other shed was more pricey, but we found one of the most beautiful objects of the whole trip here. It will set you back $1000.
The Lifeline at Murgon was packed with stuff, although none of the clothes I tried on fitted me. Then it was across the road to the smaller Blue Nurses shop, again with no luck. The snack bar next door was advertising sweet potato scallops but Jo wouldn't let me buy one. Hopefully Wondai would be better.
Vinnes there wasn't for me, so while Jo and Jan were trying on things, I popped down the road to Wondai's wonderful Collectibles shop. Here you can buy a ticket to the Beatles Festival Hall concert in Melbourne, or a Beatles powder compact for $850. Oh for $850 dollars to spare. Another treasure was a 1960s Coke can for $85.
However, the big find for me was one of those slider games that used to come in our show bags in the 1960s. You have to slide the numbers into the correct order with only one spare space available. My brother and I used to have races to see who could complete theirs first. I brought it home and gave it to Peter, but not before I solved it myself first, and then jumbled it up again.
Kingaroy was next, where we did their most excellent Vinnies (I bought enamel earrings) and the two big shops in the main street, Lifeline and the Salvos from memory. We all have our favourite items that can be found in every op shop, such as knitting needles (Jo), and food steamers (me). The trend we noticed on this trip is that just about every op shop carries at least one Irish Coffee glass. Here's a pair from Kingaroy.
After lunch in a cafe, it was on to Nanango, which has a spotless Endeavour shop on one side of the main street and a crazy Community op shop on the other. This was crammed with stuff, and staffed by an extremely happy woman who turned up the radio whenever something good came one. I was grooving in the dressing room. We declared this the friendliest shop of our trip. It also contained my absolutely favourite misspelt sign of the whole journey.
I had a boyfriend once who said in his lifetime, he wished to eat a banana in Banana and a mango in Nanango. This is for you, Andrew! (I have already done the banana, about five years ago.)
Next stop Yarraman which has a small Vinnies where I found a long patchwork skirt and a second pair of brand-new shoes. The Red Cross at Blackbutt was the last shop for the day as we realised we would not make it to Toogoolawah before closing time. The bakery is directly across the road so we popped in for a relaxing coffee. It would have the best cabinet full of sweeties I have seen outside Melbourne. And there's a nice gallery right next door.
When I was belatedly and hurriedly composing the 2017 blog, I was going through the photos to jog my memory. There was a photo of Jan's earring, which eventually reminded me that it was the lost object at the Wallaby Hotel. She confirmed it.
