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A
total of 22 vehicles left for the magical mystery weekend – 1
Defender, 2 Flandies, 2 RR Sports, 3 Range Rovers,
1 Disco 3, 9 Discoveries and 4 ‘
mongrel’ vehicles. With such a long convoy, just finding
the right exit from the highway proved difficult, and
delays through traffic lights were a bit frustrating. Eventually
we were all travelling together southwards through
picturesque countryside. Those of us who guessed
northside destinations were wishing we could try
again! We travelled through Beenleigh and Beaudesert
and on to the Lions Road to Andrew Drynan Park
which was lovely and green and our first comfort
stop. Despite his rubbishing of “feral, mongrel” vehicles,
Richard joined Brian in his “
Oh, what a feeling!” for the next section.
We were led on to Brindle Creek Road to a very hilly property in the granite belt. Through the gates and it
was obvious the rain had affected the track. People were given the chance to leave their vehicles and take
seats in other vehicles. The Peter and Elizabeth decided to let
their Range Rover supervise the lunch spot while Richard
and Jacqui decided to see how their new Flandies
handled the conditions. It wasn’t long before
no tread was visible through the thick mud on tyres. There
were a couple of interesting (!) encounters with
mud, rocks and steep slopes, and the Hill Descent called
for nerves of steel with no feet on the controls.
Everyone
compared notes over lunch on Denis’ friend’s
property. As relaxing as it was, it was soon
time to head off and, still hiding whatever the destination
was, we passed through the small town of Woodenbong.
We were on the blacktop for quite a while but a little further
on and the road forked: Tenterfield to
the left and Stanthorpe to the right. We took
the left fork, then a turn right. It was Stanthorpe! Those
of us who had based our guesses on a place with
huge motels – and therefore discounted Stanthorpe – were
wrong. As is traditional, we stopped out
of town and a lucky dip of sealed envelopes
split us into two motels – the Granite Court and
the Apple and Grape (or as John said – before he’d even had a drink – the
Grapple and Ape).
Everyone
settled in to their rooms and a few joined in
to the Seventies theme. Graeme and Desley were flower
power plus, and Chris was a very convincing
Go-Go Girl. We enjoyed a long happy hour on the Granite
Court’s central grassed area before walking
to the fabulous, all-you-can-eat Italian
restaurant called Anna’s. All
the food there was very nice but the early start
to the day took its toll and it wasn’t long
before people were turning in for the
night.
Sunday
morning started with a great breakfast on the grassed
courtyard of the Granite Court with umbrellas shading
the tables. Richard tried to raffle an empty Land
Rover bag but he didn’t get any takers. The Markets
at the Mountains was on at the Civic Centre so
the females in the group were happy to wander around
making odd purchases of the gourmet produce and handcrafts.
When the convoy reformed outside the Granite Court, we
headed out to Girraween National Park with its massive
smooth rocks. No wonder this place is called the
Granite Belt. All of a sudden, in the middle of nowhere,
we saw a little cottage with the sign“
Heavenly Chocolate”. Well, we must have had our fair
share of chocolaholics in our group to
judge by the little bags of delicious
chocolate, fudge, etc., being carried out.
From
there it was a short drive back to the outskirts
of Stanthorpe for lunch. We were
spread out along a park which made communicating from
a central point without a loudspeaker
a little awkward. A couple of regulars were
missing from our happy band so John announced a minute’s
silence in memory of Merv Wislon. Then Carmel
drew the raffle for the cake made by Jacqui.
Who should win it, but her sister, Emma! The cake
could have stayed home all weekend! The Windhams
were delighted to win the accommodation raffle.
There were four winners of the Destination Guess:
Joshua, Barry, John and Paul. Naturally Graeme
and Desley won the Seventies Theme prize.
Lastly,
Questionnaires were exchanged to ensure fair
marking. Although mostly about Land Rovers, the questions were
a bit on the hard side. Thanks to Land Rover and
Prolube
for prizes for the Quiz. The winners were no other
than Deidre and Richard, although they were helped
by access to the internet on Saturday night! Deidre
and Richard won a voucher for $110 from Land Rover. Runners-up
were Wendy W and Peter, followed up by
the
Hartnett family. Interestingly, Wendy P and
Desley finished half a point ahead of their husbands,
Nev
and President Graeme! The Sutherlands were next and
then John and Brandon Wiley.
Richard
decided to try raffling his paper Landrover bag again. Although
everyone was approached, no-one took up his offer of
$1 a go. What a pity! He then opened the bag and there was
the Land Rover voucher which would have gone to anyone prepared to part with a dollar!
Before
people left for their homeward journey, our editors organised
a line up of each model so no doubt that photo will be in this magazine.
From
my point of view, that must have been the best Mystery trip
ever. I must give heaps of thanks to John and Denis for their
hard work and organisation, as well as thanking everyone for attending the weekend. It was fun.
But
what of the Back Seat Driver’s opinion of the Flandie?
It is still small but comfortable if it is not too messy. Thanks
again for a wonderful weekend of fun and enjoyment.
The
Backseat Driver (Jason) in association with
Deidre
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