Double Figures

Op Shop Road Trip Number Ten started earlier in the year (as it originally used to) because I am going away for several months in August. We managed to squeeze in a window of opportunity between everyone's commitments, and Jo started madly organising. 

The girls arrived at morning tea time on Monday, 17th April, and within 30 minutes, tea/coffee was consumed and my stuff joined theirs in the car. Our trip to Toowoomba was uneventful, except for a loony who roared past us at high speed in the Legacy Way Tunnel, and some road-rage action on the Ipswich motorway. We fuelled up at the cheapie in Hatton Vale and headed for op shop number one.

It turned out to actually be a consignment shop, full of lots of brand-name gear.  My budget only allowed for a pair of silver earrings, which cost $2.40, because everything in the shop was 20% off; but Jo picked up a beautiful pair of Veronika Maine pants - which were a perfect fit - for $18.

The Red Cross was next, situated in an old garage. Despite the fact that we had "done" Toowoomba before, we had never made it to that one.  There are quite a few we had never made it to, considering that Lifeline alone has eleven shops in the greater Toowoomba area!

The thing that sets this shop apart is that all the hangers are identical, simple steel ones that don't overcrowd the racks.  And on those hangers I found two tops, but am not sure if I will ever wear one of them. I thought the prices were a little high, but then that is a sign of the times.

Nearby is the Spotted Cow Hotel, and we popped in there for a quick but filling lunch.  It has a lovely mosaic beside the door.

The big Lifeline next door we had visited twice before, but it is a shop that we all love, with an excellent selection of books on the mezzanine.  I found Janet Evanovich book number 14 there.  Unfortunately, when I unpacked it later, the synopsis seemed familiar and I realised that it was actually number 15 that I was up to.  I had left that on the bookshelf.

However, I also bought two small, light cutting boards for the caravan, a retro hanger, two postcards and my entry in the Quirky Book Title competition, plus a pair of pants.  Buying clothes was difficult, because our dress theme for the next day involved each of us choosing an outfit for one of the others, and we were also looking for clothes for ourselves, in a limited time frame.

Another favourite, Orphans and Widows in Russell Street, was our final (and only our fourth) shop for the day.  I had no luck there at all clothes-wise, but did find a couple of items for my Op Shop Bingo Card.  One item on the card was a Little Golden Book, and they kindly had a whole section of them, clearly marked.  They nearly had to throw us out at closing time.

Our home for the next two nights was a Airbnb house. We found the street, but Jo didn't know the street number . However, the owner referred to the house as "Lavender" (actually, she misspelt it "Lavendar"), so we tried the little brick house with lots of lavender growing out front, and it turned out to be the right place.  The owner thoughtfully provided us with a bottle of merlot!

Judgement Day

The husbands were waiting at Carters Ridge and had started celebrating the end of the trip without us. Quite cheerful, they were.

I can't remember the exact name of the first category they had to judge, but it was something like Mystery Household Object.  Here are the contenders.  Jo was judged the winner for the thing on the right.  We had to do some serious online research to discover that it holds ziplock bags upright while you fill them.

Category Two was Quirky Souvenir item.  I had only found my entry on the last day, but it was worth waiting for, and I had high hopes.  Sure enough, the Leaning Mug of Pisa was the winner.

The third category, Longest Book Title, was somewhat contentious.  Jo won for Mulga Bill's Dinkum Aussie Guide to The Bible (and the Church), which had an eleven-word moniker.  It was only later (after Jo had left, clutching her trophy) that I realised that my Just Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Will Get Hurt also had eleven words. We might have had to invent some sort of tie-breaker activity, as there were no extra trophies.  We will need to plan for this in the future, if we have a category involving numbers.

The fourth prize was for Op Shop Bingo, newly introduced this year, and Jo was the winner here as well. I had found another trophy at Be Uplifted at Strathpine, but it needed a little customising, so that was the one I brought home.  The photo I have added was taken on Formal Night, in Miriam Vale, on our very first road trip.

After the ceremonies were over (no photos as John misbehaved) we toasted to the success of Road Trip Number Nine, and Jo headed home. Michael and I and Jan and John spent the rest of the evening partying together.

Over the five days, we visited 41 shops, which was a great effort, since Jan was not on her best form.  I bought 14 books, a packet of 27 postcards, one trophy, five jigsaws, one hat, one small bottle, six soaps, one hairspray, two small shampoo/conditioners, one face washer, one Tupperware sugar bowl, one handbag, two mains men's undies, two polos, one pair pyjamas, one mug, three pairs jeans/three-quarter pants, one pair shorts, four dresses, one silver spoon, two mystery objects, one pair reading glasses, three necklaces, one pair scissors, one ornament, seven tops and one pair of earrings, for a grand total outlay of $207.59.

Planning is already under way for trip number ten in 2023, so stay tuned.

Noosa Part Two

The Salvos in Thomas Street Noosaville is a good op shop. I bought a little ceramic sheep there, as it was too cute to leave behind.  I'm not usually into ornaments.

 I also found the other of my two favourite buys for the trip (the first being the G&S book), a tiny silver spoon proudly covered with Australiana. It was in a glass case, and I asked about the price, somewhat nervously. "$5" was the answer. "Sold!" I shrieked.  I think they heard me all over the shop.  It now lives in the sugar bowl in the caravan.

Jan found a second contender for her mother-of-the-groom outfit.  I thought the pink was a little bright, and that my purple lace ensemble at Morayfield was more appropriate.

We found a nearby cafe/gifts/homewares shop called Gibson's and decided it was lunch time.  It was also get-out-of-the-rain time, and the place was packed.  We ended up sharing our table with a woman from north Brisbane who was looking for a cat-sitter. I told her I was the mother of one, and to look up the Pawshake website.

Lifeline was our last Noosaville oppy, and although my notes say I bought a book there, I can't remember it at all. Sometimes it all seems to pass in a blur. And I should write up my blog closer to the trip!

Tewantin was next and we started at Mingary. The thing that impressed me with this shop was the sizing system.  Every hanger was marked with a coloured dot, and on the wall was the key to the dots.  Size 10 was yellow; purple was size 12, etc.  Simple but effective.  It means they can sort clothing by colour, and the sizing is clear as well.

Katie Rose was over the road.  It is small but nice, and I finally found some gloves there for my friend Ruth.  

The fourth and last Tewantin shop was Lifeline and I am sorry to report that it is a bit smelly.  I wonder if it has flooded?  I didn't stay in there for long.

We were now on the last leg of our journey and Cooroy was to be our final stop.  Jan volunteers at the Lifeline there (which is not smelly) and we saved up our final photo session for this "homecoming" visit.  The theme for the day was Sport, and we had, as usual, risen to the challenge.  We posed ourselves in front of the Sporting section of the shop, and one of Jan's co-workers did the honours.  Sadly, I didn't find anything there to buy.

Westward over the hills we headed, to Jan's home at Carters Ridge, where the judging and prize-giving awaited us.

 

Noosa Part One

Manoeuvering  in and out of the carpark at the Coolum units was a challenge, that involved both Jo and I riding shotgun.  On Friday morning, our aim was clearly not quite true, as Jan's car had a close encounter with a rock wall.  There was nothing to be done, so we tried to forget about it and headed for Noosa.

First up was The Hub (Christian Outreach) at Noosaville.  It was raining quite heavily, but Jan drove into the closest parking space...of course.  This is another one that has two sections; the main one having men's and children's clothing, as well as a grocery section where those in need can purchase very cheap food.

Outside is a separate little donga containing the women's clothing and accessories, rather like Bardo's Bazaar, but small and unsullied by staff.  I guess they trust their customers.  I liked it, but there was nothing there for me.

Next was Waves of Kindness, also at Noosaville.  I had never heard of this place, but it was the highlight of the trip for me.  There is a big undercover area outside, where the CDs, videos, children's books, some of the bric-a-brac and larger miscellanous items are set up, then you walk inside and it is HUGE!

Clothes are up one end, sadly not sorted into sizes, but this was no challenge to Jo's Sportscraft radar, as she zoned
straight in.  I already had my clothes for the last day, so I didn't bother trying to find larger things in their sea of fabric.

Larger items are out in the middle, eg a pianola! And a rather nice saddle. The book section up the back is excellent, and there I found one of my treasures for the trip, the complete book of the texts of Gilbert's and Sullivan's operettas, in excellent condition, and only $4.

Then there is another large section of older and vintage goodies, next to better quality bric-a-brac.  The kitchenware is probably the most beautifully displayed I have seen, and, like Lifeline at Coolum, they have found quite creative uses for cutlery.

All up, I bought six items there, all good value for money, and one of them was my big hope for an award at the end of the trip, in the Quirkiest Souvenir Objet category.

From the best oppie of the trip, we moved to the most upmarket, Making Lives Matter.  Apparently, this is the love child of a very wealthy local woman, and it is very chic indeed.  When you walk in, it doesn't look like an op shop at all.  Unfortunately, it is not a good area for parking, although Jan (of course) found the only spot for blocks, directly over the (very busy) road. 

I didn't find anything to buy there, but gave it the award for the nicest change
room.
 

 

Hello Possums

Jan had a earned a good lie-in, so Jo and I went for a long morning walk.  We reached the small Coolum Lifeline just as it opened.  I bought a plain but lovely top there and was impressed by the hooks in the dressing room that were made from flattened spoons.

Next stop was a leisurely coffee at a little shop in the back streets, followed by a visit to Regain Hope.  I had been here before and had high hopes. It is a packed, low-cost place, but there was nothing for me this time. I was, however, surprised and impressed by their wall of herbs and spices, something I have never seen in an oppy before.

We then had a look at the beach, but the cloudy skies and strong wind made it not very appealing.  By the time we returned to the unit, Jan was up and about, and it was time to time to head south again.  At least we didn't have to lug baggage because we were staying there for a second night.

First stop was Lifeline at Pacific Paradise where I found a book that was on my Wanted list.  I also found three round soaps for the round soap dish at home.  Then it was time for lunch at a nearby eatery.

Aerodrome Road, Maroochydore, is famous for its oppies and it was in our sights.  We started at Fusion, which I had not heard about before.  It was an excellent find.  There is the shop at the front, which could be a stand-alone oppy of high quality, but then there is a large shed full of extra goodies at the back.  

I was tempted by Possum Pam, handcrafted in New Zealand from genuine possum fur.  By purchasing her, I could "help save New Zealand's forest and birds", but at $30 I decided they would need to save themselves.

Another thing that impressed me there was that their underwear section was labelled Bums and Boobs.  

We asked a staff member to take our photo, as we were red-white-and-blue themed, but a customer muscled in and said she was a professional model with years of photography experience.  The whole process took much longer than any other photo we have ever had taken, and is probably the worst of them.

Mingary Care was next, where I found a handbag that was just what I was looking for. Right next door was Bloomhill and what should I find there but another possum!

Katie Rose Hospice shop was the last one we had time for, and there I bought a pair of scissors. At home I had lost a pair of mid-sized scissors and had been searching for them for at least two months.  These would be be the perfect replacement. I found the original pair the day after we returned home! 

Back to the unit, where we recharged the batteries, then walked to the surf club for dinner.

The C Side: Caloundra and Currimundi to Coolum

We cobbled together enough food for breakfast, despite the lack of plates, then lugged our bags back up those fourteen steps. This made us later than we planned, as the first op shop in Maleny opened at 8.30 and we didn't leave Tranquil Park till 9am.  We fluked a park right in front of the Red Cross. If you know how busy Maleny is, you would realise just how special this was.  It was actually becoming the theme of the trip, as Jan seemed to be able to summon up parking spaces close to our destinations whenever we needed one.

The Red Cross turned out to be the most expensive store of the whole trip, although I did buy a few things there.  We decided to cut our losses and head down the range to Landsborough, only to discover that the lovely little Vinnies there had vanished.  No problem: Caloundra was close by.

Caloundra has lots of oppies and we couldn't do them all, so we started at the two that are virtually side by side, the Salvation Army and Neighbours Aid. Somewhere along the way, we had learned that Salvation Army shops and Salvos stores are different. Salvos are the retail arm, and actually act as a business, with the profits supporting Army works. The other shops sort of cut out the middleman. 

In the SA shop, which is a cracker, I must say, I saw a woman wearing the same shirt as me, one I had purchased the previous day. I started chatting to her and she said hers was oppy-bought as well.

Our next stop was the interestingly named Bardo's Bazaar, which it turned out I had visited some years before with my friend Shelley.  It is on the edge of the hospital grounds and is divided into two sections.  The shed part contains all the bric-a-brac and mens' clothing, and what a fine collection it was. Also dirt cheap.  

You then walk up a ramp to a separate building which contains the women's clothing and accessories, and is very nicely set up.  I found a bra larger than size 20 there, so it was "Bingo!" for me. We then
asked a staff member to photograph us as this was Mad Hatters Day.  

There is a sign on the wall there explaining that "bardo" is a Buddhist term meaning the transition between life and death, something they know a lot about at the Health Service. 

We really liked the place, and, how convenient, it is directly over the road from the RSL. Guess where we had lunch?  The food was nice, but the spelling on the menu wasn't. The view out the window included a helicopter on a pole, which was a little different.

That was all we had time for at Caloundra; next stop Currimundi, where the Beautiful You Cancer Charity runs the Funky Op Shop.  Their car park was full, but guess who found a park right out the front?  It is quite a funky shop, but there was nothing there for me, except a dozen free-range eggs which came in handy later for breakfasts.

Next was the small but interesting Kidney Support shop in the middle of suburbia, where I had been before but Jo actually hadn't. A miracle! The prices were very cheap to start with, but when I went to pay for a pair of PJs for Michael, they turned out to be half the marked price. $2 in fact.

Then we visited good old Lifeline at Bokarina, such a huge shop, followed by the new CAYAC store at Kawana.  Nothing terribly inspiring here, and they need to sort their novels into alphabetical order.  Jan was flagging, but made it through our last shop for the day, Neighbours Aid at Mooloolaba, where I found my earrings for next day's outfit.

Coolum was home for the next two nights, on the second floor, but we knew about these steps in advance.  We had difficulty getting the keys out of the key safe - again - this happened at Bilinga last year, but eventually found ourselves in a spacious unit with a sea view from the balcony; and promptly collapsed. After we revived ourselves with a glass of wine, we entertained ourselves by watching the traffic lights change.

 

 

Morayfield to the Mountains

From Bribie, we headed south-west to Morayfield, which has rather a lot of op shops.  I had been coming out there regularly during the past two years while participating in two vaccine trials, so had done some excellent recce work for Jan.

We started out at Lifeline, where I found a pair of reading glasses and the first ball of wool for my friend Suzette. She knits pullovers for children in Syrian refugee camps, and needs a steady supply of pure, or almost-pure, wool.  Acrylic is not acceptable and that is mostly what you find in op shops.  Or unlabelled yarn, or miscellaneous bundles, all of which are no good to either me or Suzette.

Next stop was the big Vinnies that you access via a labyrinth of back access roads, where I found clothing and a jigsaw.  I had been trying to resist jigsaws on this trip, as I have so many at home, but this was a good one.  It was in this shop that Jo cried "Bingo!" and the first trophy for the trip had been won.

I also spotted a purple lace dress and jacket that I thought would be a perfect mother-of-the-groom outfit for Jan in 2023, but she seem less enthusiastic than me.

The third big Morayfield oppy we visited was the Salvos and there I found two mosquito nets. My friend Ruth wanted me to seek them out so she could use them as pest covers for her soon-to-be-planted orchard at Goombungee.  I had looked in fourteen shops by then without success, and then the fifteenth had two!

Although the Neighbours Aid around the corner beckoned to us, we decided we had run out of Morayfield time, and headed for Woodford.  

On an earlier road trip, we visited the original Woodford Lifeline, which was crammed into a tiny double-garage, with barely room to squeeze down the aisles, and bloody hot in summer.  Then it moved to a little old shop in the main street which was cute but not entirely practical.  The third incarnation is an old church and its hall on the eastern side of town, and here they have finally got it right. I found another mozzie net there.

While the girls were still trying on stuff, I trekked down to the other end of the shops to get a head start at the Anglican, only to find that it had closed at 3pm.  I was back in Woodford a few weeks later and thought I would have another try.  I arrived at 1.25pm, only to discover that, because of illness, there were closing at 1.30. Sigh.

That was it for the day. We had conquered eight op shops and were ready to relax.  Jan drove us up many steep slopes and through many green fields until we arrived at Tranquil Park, Maleny, just as it started to rain (lightly). Jan and her husband John had stayed there some years before and were entranced by the view, so this was to be a special treat.  

The first disappointment was discovering that their Irish restaurant, where we had planned to have dinner, was not open that night.  No problems: we'll improvise.  We headed for the door of room 17, which looked like an ordinary motel room door, but inside it was a hidden staircase, and we had to lug all our baggage down to the next floor.  One of the reasons we stopped staying at country pubs was we decided we were too old for long staircases.

The next surprise was discovering that no maintenance had been done at Tranquil Park since Jan and John had stayed there.  As a result, we had a swallows nest in the alcove next to our room, and there was rather a lot of rotting timber about the place.  As far as dinner went, there was a fridge and a jug and that was it; not even a toaster.  But we op shop road trippers are ever adaptable, so we dined on wine and cheese and biscuits, while gazing out at the view, which, despite the weather, was still breathtaking.

I was lucky enough to have the room next to the view, so I saw the night version as well.