Gin and Tannum

The Lifeline at Gin Gin turned out to have been open since 8.30. We wasted half an hour! Not big, but not bad, with a wonderful dressing room full of original art.  I found a game of Travel Monopoly, which I didn't know existed, for $2.  Not that Michael will play with me. He has only ever played Monopoly once in his life and didn't like it.  It is for refreshing my memory for such trivia questions as "What is the first railway station after you pass Go?"

Then I discovered a truly wonderful Halloween decoration, a framed photo of two Victorian women, who turn all Vampira  when looked at from another direction.  It was only $2.  Why didn't I buy it?  It was only when we were passing the Mount Perry turnoff - the same spot where Mike and I turned west twelve days earlier - that I realised it would have been the perfect Quirky Object.  I would have won for sure. I am still kicking myself.  But there was no way we were turning back.  Onward and northward!

My next task was to ring the dentist about my broken tooth.  No, I wouldn't be home till Saturday. No, I didn't want to see a different dentist. Yes, I could wait till Wednesday morning at 7.30am to see Fred, who understands what a total sook I am, and that I have absolutely no tolerance for dental pain.  Meanwhile, the sharp bit of tooth sticking up would magnetically attract my tongue and drive me crazy.

This section of the journey was over an hour and a half long. Why didn't we stop at the Lifeline at Miriam Vale, I wonder?  By the time we reached Tannum Sands, all our wounded bits made for some serious groaning after we found a park near the Salvos.  The last time I visited Tannum Sands was about forty years ago BTWC (before there were children) and my memory is of the caravan park where we camped, a shop and very little else.  There was nothing at Boyne Island.  Now, combined, they are a metropolis!

The Salvos had closed dressing rooms, but I snuck up the back and whipped off my top to try on another.  It was only when I saw movement  that I realised the side wall of the back of the shop was actually a window onto an arcade.  Jan found an awesome pair of studded suede boots that fit her perfectly, and I was consoled by finding another great Quirky Object: superhero toilet paper.  I was back in the contest.   We asked the staff where to find good coffee, and there was a cafe within easy walking distance, but it would be closing soon.

Blend has nice coffee and the girl who served us took our photo for the day.  The theme was either Dots and Dashes or Stars and Stripes.  With my star watch from Howard, and my black top from Bundaberg, I believe I satisfied ALL criteria!

On the road to Gladstone, we encountered roadworks - not for the first time - and while we sat at the red light for five minutes we discovered our theme for this trip.  Past themes have included vistas and high-viz.  Jo used the term "gabion wall".  Jan and I had never heard of this, so I did some googling.  It turns out to be the sort of construction that looks like rocks in a basket.  And it gets better; the rocks inside are called riprap!  There was actually some riprap right beside us.  Once alerted, we were on the lookout.  We discovered gabion walls and riprap are everywhere!

Bundy to Bullyard

From Apple Tree Creek, it wasn't far to Bundaberg, where we tried to avoid covering too much old ground.  The big Vinnies in a new industrial area was one we definitely hadn't seen before and it was beautifully organised, to the point where Jo declared it "sterile".  I was tempted by some interesting granddaughter-friendly fabric there but then realised I might have to actually sew it, so left it where it was.  The girls complained that it was freezing inside, but since my red, white and blue outfit had long sleeves, I had no problem.  Jo was dressed for Noosa in February.

Next was Lifeline, which I also didn't recognise.  It was good, but I didn't find any egg beaters to buy.  The little Salvos we had visited before turned out not to open on Tuesdays, and the nearby Endeavour, where Jan had found her R M Williams jeans a few years ago, was closed for good.  As most Endeavour oppies now seem to be.  However, the RSPCA was open and close to our lunch venue.   Once again I lucked out but burnt onto my retinas is the image of the vision who arrived just as we left. Dressed head to toe in purple, she is obviously a well-known local eccentric.  Sadly, I didn't get to my camera before she disappeared inside.

I should perhaps explain about the egg beater.  A few weeks ago, my egg beater broke on a Saturday, and my whisk broke on the Sunday. No problems: I would go op-shopping on Monday.  I picked up a whisk at the first shop at Geebung, and a beater at the third. It was one of those irritating ones with the handle at the side but I thought, not to worry, I'll pick one up on the Op Shop Road Trip.  By this stage, I was somewhat surprised not to have seen any egg beaters at all.  By the end of day two, I think we had been to about thirteen oppies.  If you want a whisk, however, I reckon every op shop has at least one.

Our last port of call was also new to us, the little Dorcas Anglican shop and I loved this one.  The little round cakes of soap I had paid 20c for in Childers were free here. Ripped off!  I took five.  All clothing was $1...AND the dressing room was open!  I thought I had my outfit ready for the next day, but found something even better here for my dollar investment.  I also wish to apologise to the woman behind me for the fart I left behind in the book nook.  We left, just as they were about to close at 4.30. 

I was now getting excited as we were about to cross the Burnett River.  When I am travelling long distance, I like to collect rivers.  Every river I cross is counted, and multiple crossings of the same river are noted, but only if via a different bridge. Yes, I am a geography nerd. The Burnett was river number 9 and we needed to cross it to get to our overnighter at Bullyard.  

Where the bloody hell is Bullyard?  It is a fly-speck on the map between Bundaberg and Gin Gin.  The nearest pub might be at South Kolan.  What Bullyard does have is Bungadoo Country Cottage, where we were greeted by Sharon.  It may not have had a river, but it did have a pool (not that we used it).  When we told Sharon about our road trip, she confessed that a lot of stuff inside the cottage had come from op shops. She has done well. Some of the decor was quite - dare I say it - quirky.

It was my turn to cook dinner so pasta and mushrooms was the order of the day.  After dinner, I nibbled on a leftover cracker and broke off a hunk of one of my front teeth.  Sigh...  We watched some quiz programmes on the telly and turned in early, Jan wearing her new Harry Potter nightie.

I was up at dawn stalking the sunrise, as usual.  I used the loo in the laundry so I wouldn't disturb the girls, and when I removed the plug in the tub after washing my hands I found I had a tiny frog for a friend.  Now we understood why all the plugs were in the plugholes when we arrived.  I then found jigsaws in the laundry cupboard and wondered how far I could get with a 500-piece puzzle before it was time to leave.  I learned that a tablecloth covered in roosters is not the ideal surface on which to create.  I guess I managed about a third of it.

It was then time to go, as it was nearly oppy opening time in Gin Gin.

Cheap at Childers

We had visited the BBS op shop at Howard some years before and loved it.  The Burrum Benevolent Society must do well, because the shop is very popular. Possible because everything in it is dirt cheap.  I bought five items, paying $4.20. On this Tuesday, all clothing was half-price, possibly because the dressing rooms were closed because of COVID-19.  This was situation normal down our way when the shops first reopened after lockdown, but now they have all reopened.  We were to learn that the further we travelled north, the more dressing rooms remained shut.  

Childers meant two more oppies and morning tea. Vinnies is on the western side of the highway, among the heritage buildings. I was searching for a second trophy, as this year we had decided to activate both categories - quirky object and quirky book - so the perpetual Expo 88 spoon trophy needed a friend.  It was at Vinnies that I found it, a little wooden thingy that simply says "Winner".  It cost $1.  If you wanted, you could also buy a knitted Mr Squiggle at Vinnies... or a knitted Scotsman.  I didn't.  I did love the change room there; there were two hooks, one marked Maybe and the other marked Yes!

Over the road and through the highway traffic to the Salvos we ventured, it being another brilliantly organised store that we remembered fondly from our first visit.  Here I found a true treasure. It is a wooden box divided into four sections, each containing a different Very Hungry Caterpillar wooden puzzle, of varying levels of difficulty. They are marked with the numbers 1 to 4 on the back, and I had no way of knowing if there were pieces missing. For $3, I took the chance, knowing that my granddaughter would love them.  I also bought some little round cakes of soap for 20c each, because we have a round soap dish in our laundry.

The girls headed for the Ladies, while I headed for the coffee shop and grabbed a table for three. This was my big chance to check out the puzzles.  I almost had the first caterpillar finished when a voice behind me said "Lesley, what are you doing here?" and there were Adrian and Marilyn from our 4wd club. And there was me playing with wooden puzzles for three-year-olds!  Anyway, before long all five of us were having morning tea together and Adrian kindly took our daily group photo. Tuesday's dress theme was red, white and blue. Oh, and no puzzle pieces were missing.

We don't do a lot of touristy things on our road trips, because we are Women on a MIssion, but we decided to visit the art gallery memorial to those killed in the fire at The Palace backpackers.  The art in the gallery was restricted to little photos and tiny works, because of artists working from home due to COVID, but it was still interesting.  The memorial is moving and includes a large group portrait of all who died, painted from their individual photos.  I can't show you because photography wasn't allowed.  There is also a lovely quiet courtyard out the back.

Jo was supposed to fuel up the car in Childers, but decided to continue to Apple Tree Creek, because "it's usually a bit cheaper there".   Lucky that it was, because we wouldn't have had enough fuel to get back to Childers.  I should point out that all the fuel on the trip was way cheaper than current Brisbane prices.

Bangers by the Burrum

In my rush to finish Episode Two, I forgot to mention several things.  First, the Tinana Lifeline has non-sexist children's clothes.  They are not divided into "boys" and "girls". That made things much simpler for this Grandma who often finds clothes for her granddaughter in the "boys" section.  As well, Jan's staff card from the Cooroy shop earned her a 30% discount (this doesn't work all over Queensland).

I also forgot to mention that Maryborough Vinnies had the largest and best organised kitchenware section I have ever seen in any oppy.  This photo only shows half of it.  They didn't have an egg beater, though.  And don't go looking for Le Bric a Brac in Adelaide street opposite Lifeline (which I completely forget to mention).  It apparently closed in August 2019.  Someone should tell the internet.

Anyway, back onto the road, where we headed north again and into rural Torbanlea.  Jo had booked, through Airbnb, a cottage by the Burrum River, and it was delightful.  We were met by curious goats at the fence, and we realised why when we found the goat food in a cupboard.  Jan braved the goat feeding first, then me, but Jo stayed right out of it. Things got a bit rough when the biggest goat tried to assert
his dominance, and Molly, the owner's dog, got in for her share too.

Next we spotted black-faced sheep, including lambs, one of which was less than a week old.  There was lots of bird life, and we could see the river peeping through the trees.  There were kayaks available, but we didn't have the energy, so once we had lugged the first day's haul inside, we settled down to booze and cheese on the deck. 

Jo had offered us the choice of self-catering or the nearby Howard pub for dinner, and it was lucky we chose the former, because the property owner informed us that the pub is closed on Monday nights.  We decided that we would each cook for one night and have dinner at the pub on our last night.  Jo's Torbanlea menu was sausages and veg, followed by 70s quiz questions from a book she had bought during the day.  Example: At what airport were 26 people killed in a terrorist attack in 1972?

In the morning, I woke to glorious bird song, and tippied-toed out early for a walk down by the river. I was worried I might be bowled over by goats, but there was no sign of them.  The river was calm and beautiful and I did not fall in. I came back up to the cottage to find rainbow lorikeets at the bird feeder, a doggy grave (Cassie, presumably Molly's predecessor) under a tree and a hopeful kookaburra.

The others were now awake, so we had breakfast and were on the move again at 8.50, first stop Howard.

For the record, the answer to the quiz question was Tel Aviv. I said Entebbe which was a couple of years later.  I had completely forgotten the Lod Airport attack and had to look it up.

Tin Can to Tinana

The road to Tin Can Bay was lined with yellow coriopsis daisies on one side and west-bound caravans on the other.  Jan and Jo as locals had never seen such traffic on that road.  It was just after booking out time at the campgrounds, though.

The Baptist Church op shop there is hidden away in a back street, so I don't know how many random visitors would find it.  We made it well before noon and eased our groaning bodies out of the car.

It is in two sections: the bigger things and the books (half price) are in a shed out the back, guarded by an elderly woman who takes cash only.  You are not allowed to used the back steps to get into the hall, but having paid for your outside goodies, must then enter via the front door.  To try on clothes, you must squeeze through the staff-only area (the stage) to get to the change room.  It is a great little shop, suitably mildly disorganised, where everything is SO cheap.  I bought five things there (they do have eftpos inside) for a total of $5.50, including my first possible entry in the annual quirky objects competition. It is a glass advertising a Turkish soft drink.  The slogan translated reads "ten hundred thousand million bubbles".

Now it was time for early lunch. The obvious place to try was Barnacles at the marina, but everything on the menu was greasy.  Jo did find a friend there, however.  We then found The Snack Shack, where we bought delicious rolls and ate them at the picnic table opposite, by the water - sorry - mud flats. On our way out, we found a double tree next to the loos next to the lovely old RSL Hall.  Then Jo complained about the beautiful new concrete bikeway all the way from Cooloola Cove (where there is no cove) to Tin Can Bay, because she has been lobbying for a very short one near Imbil, without success.

Our next stop was Maryborough, via the eastern road past Tinnanbar, Poona and Boonooroo..  Roadside signs  warned of horses, and we did spot a couple. They would make a nice mess of your car.

The first shop was Vinnies, which we had visited many years ago on our first trip. I was sure I remembered a large statue of St Vincent de Paul standing tall above the centre of the shop, but he had vanished.  This is another really good shop, which we rated highly last time, but I didn't find much there.  My best score was a pair of reading glasses for $2.  If you ask really nicely, they will escort you to the loo out the back, and wait, I guess in case you get lost.  

While I was waiting for the others to be served, I found poor old Vincent, relegated to a little side window.

We next revisited the Salvos, a much smaller shop, where once again books were half price.  Jan was the only purchaser here.  It didn't impress me last time, nor this time.  Our final Maryborough stop was the big Lifeline at Tinana, definitely worth a visit.  I finally managed to find the missing piece of my outfit for day two, just in time.  Jo had a loyalty card, which meant if she spent $30, she wouldn't have to pay anything. Her $27-worth and my $3 purchase meant a freebie for both of us, thank you very much.

So ended our shopping for Day One, and we headed for our digs for the night.

Lucky Number Seven

We are lucky to live in Queensland because that meant we could head off on Op Shop Road Trip Number Seven, despite these COVID times.

I was nervous about driving so far between cataract surgeries, but had a good trip up the Bruce Highway, which I left at the Big Pineapple exit, and I headed north on back roads from there.  A glass of wine as the sun went down and all was good.

[Technical point: This blog has always used Trebuchet font, until now.  The Blogger site has now developed some sort of problem where Trebuchet now thinks it is Times New Roman, which is too condensed to use here. So I have changed to Open Sans, which is the closest I can get.]

Jo arrived to pick us up at 8.20, which was perfect timing, as we arrived at our first oppy, the Salvos at Gympie, at 8.58. They were open and busy already.  We had visited this shop on a previous trip and it is a good one.  Jo had revealed all our dress challenges for the trip, one of which was Skirting the Truth. I found a skirt there, but the girls wouldn't let me buy it.

For the first shop, I did well, buying two tops, one skirt, a gift for my friend Emma, a utensil holder with suction cups and a bottle of Pomona honey. Honey is my usual trip souvenir.  The women on the till were taking so long to serve that Jan eventually walked out, leaving her goodies behind.

Next we headed for Neighbours Aid, where Jan had never been, but which I had checked out fairly recently.  It is a good shop, but they overprice their so-called "collectibles" A vintage electric jug was marked down from $250 to $180.  This is an op shop, people!  They did have nice presentation, though. I was impressed with their High Seas book display.

I came into the trip with a rib injury, which  x-rays showed not to be a fracture, but it is still painful. I bought a wheat bag the day before we left, at great expense, then found one here for $2.  I didn't buy it, buy later wished I had, as Jo had hurt her knee and Jan had shoulder problems. My wheat bag became the communal wheat bag.  I did find more clothes though, plus a couple of jigsaws.

We had "done" Gympie on an earlier trip, so it was time to move on.  Jo had been quite mysterious about where we were heading, except to say that we would be going north, then east, three times. Gympie was north. East turned out to be Tin Can Bay and the shop there closed at 12.

Lucky Last Day

My friend Jan collects ducks. Not real ones. It's a long story. Anyway, Boonah has a shop called Duck Junction. She screeched to a halt in front of the window, mesmerised by the wonders within. Five minutes later, she had a fine wooden duck to add to her collection.

There are three op shops in Boonah. Vinnies is in the main street and is neat and tidy. Not much for me there, though.  Lifeline is around the corner and is bigger with an upstairs and downstairs. Next door is a camping equipment store, where I found a wonderful folding solar light which is just what we needed for over the sink in our camper.  I sent a photo of it to Michael, but he didn't respond, so I didn't buy it. At $31.95 it was expensive. Back home I found one for a lot less at Brendale. Sorry, Boonah economy.

The Salvos store is over the other side of the highway, and opens later than the other two.  We had a chat to the pedestrian crossing supervisor, then wandered through the impressive war memorial park, until nine o'clock.  Well this shop is a treasure.  Packed with wonderful goodies and oh, so cheap.  Jan had been looking for a putter for John for the whole trip, without success. In their big section out the back, she found three! She bought the wackiest looking one.

I found a fabulous 3D English thatched cottage scene, all made of plant materials, and was soooo tempted. But where would I put it?  Then I uttered my third YES! shout for the journey. Jo said she heard me out the back.  I already own a pair of Tardis earrings but these were way better. And all earrings were $2!  This was definitely the winning shop of the day.

We headed back over the pedestrian crossing, this time forcing the lollipop lady to pose for a photo, which she only did on condition it never appear on social media.  She was delightful, and I wish I could use her photo in this blog.

I had promised the girls an op shop in Kalbar, so we headed there next, only to discover my memories were wrong. And the fabulous Emporium has closed. But there is a lovely coffee shop on the corner, so we consoled ourselves there with morning tea.  The cactus growing out of a coffee mug on the wall of the Ladies there is memorable too.

We had only one oppy to go. Jan had decided we should explore Springfield, which none of us had ever done. The last time I was there, it was bushland where my son went for his Scout jamboree. We managed to wind our way through narrow streets and roadworks and ended up at a lovely Vinnies.  It was a little expensive but had great stuff, although I was fairly stunned that they were trying to sell mismatched cup, saucer and plate trios for $8.  I bought a pair of prints of Brisbane's sadly demolished Bellevue Hotel and St Martin's Hospital.  These now hang in the hall. 

The trip was now over except for the judging of the 'quirky objet dárt' competition.  Once again, Michael was the lucky judge, once we reached my home, and he was presented with an impressive eight choices, without knowing who had bought what, of course. I am pleased to report that my penguin in boots from Capalaba won the day!  He was worth the $10. Jo took him with her to give to her sister who appreciates such things.  The seashell map of Australia went to my friend Emma, who squealed with delight!

A quick cuppa and the girls headed back to the Sunshine Coast, with plans for next year already swirling around in Jo's head.  Op Shop Road Trip No 6 was over.