31 May 2011 - Ipswich Showgrounds, Queensland

Again settled in to showgrounds; such excellent use of huge grounds and facilities not always fully utilised, or at least not every day of every year. There are about seven or eight different parties in here tonight, all enjoying the fair tariff without all the fluffery that is offered at smart camping grounds charging equally smart prices.

Another showground camp

We left Boonah soon after nine this morning, travelling directly north to Ipswich via the back road, a mere fifty kilometres, arriving here soon after ten. We set up and lunched very early before setting out to the Information Centre, enquiring after the Toyota service agents. We duly found them on the eastern edge of the city, booked the cruiser in for a service tomorrow afternoon, then made our way to the Riverlink Shopping Centre on the northern bank of the Bremer River, walking distance from the CBD which is on the southern side. The shopping centre has been open for less than five years and there are still areas that have yet to be leased out. The occupied part of it was busy with shoppers and shop windows advertising aggressive sale prices.

Our first stop was Kmart, and then only because we came to that first. Chris was able to pick up half a dozen items of clothing for an excellent price to replace those ruined in the cotton fields or those he has grown out of. Our diet has been healthy over these months of travel, and that combined with exercise, his work and my regular walks, we are fitter, healthier and slimmer than we have been for years, even decades. Retirement agrees with us, for sure!

The city of Ipswich

While he was trying on this and then that, I chatted with the woman manning the fitting rooms. She was grumbling about having no relief staff; they were all stock taking in readiness for the financial end of year, 30 June here in Australia. Being aware that Ipswich had featured in the news during the 11 January floods, I asked the location of the action. She told me that the river had risen right up to the floor level of the shopping centre, submerging the entire lower car park level. The water had come lapping at the service entrances and caused the whole centre to be closed for just less than a week.

Chris suggested that I might have been suffering from retail withdrawal, and so offered me a little relief in suggesting I buy a lovely little top I had admired in the window. “Oh, no!” I said. My wardrobe is after all just bursting at the seams, having added to it with warmer clothes since these colder temperatures, however as we walked back toward the exit, I succumbed, tried it on and just had to have it! And so it was treat time all round, and we came home, unpacked our parcels, opened our compact storage units and wondered how to squeeze the extras in.

Our visit to the Information Centre reaped copious brochures and information regarding the attractions this city of 140,000 people offers. We had done some reading up before we embarked on our way here and decided that we should climb the water tower at Denmark Hill Conservation Park and visit the Art Gallery that doubles as the social history museum, and then move on.

We have discovered however that there is a rail trail just north, that starts at Lowood, just a little north west. We have no bikes, but are keen to attack a small part of it on foot, as did my parents do the Otago Rail Trail. Unlike them however we will not make much more than a token effort, but perhaps give ourselves a taste tester for a future adventure. Perhaps….