It’s been good to thaw out

We thought it best to send an update. We are currently back in Rocky and are busy prepping for the trip north. It was great to be in Oakey to see what it is we used and what we didn’t. Now, we just need to re-pack, make a couple minor adjustments to the van and we should be good to go!

We finally left Oakey and headed north.

Before we did that, we did a little exploring of the Granite Belt.

Tim, with a taster platter overlooking the where the magic happens!
Tim, with a taster platter overlooking the where the magic happens!

Although it is known for being a wonderful wine region, we somehow managed to stumble across a great micro-brewery called the Granite Belt Brewery.

Jodi did baulk at going for a beer at 10am in the morning, but, deep down she knew we had too as our exploration did not involve any back tracking. If you are ever in Stanthorpe, go check out this brewery! It was amazing. They only use 4 ingredients for their beers and get this, no preservatives or sugar. That’s right – no sugar.

As we were the only one’s there when it first opened, we started chatting with the barman who was a wealth of knowledge. He caught on quickly that Tim brewed his own and that we were both a lover of craft ale. And guess what – he showed us through the brewery. It was amazing to see and experience. We talked about how they kept the room insulated, and how they were able to carbonate the beer and feed the yeast without sugar. Seriously, get to Stanthorpe and try this place out! You can even stay the night! It would be well worth the visit as this is the only place that currently stock their beer.  Jodi is usually a pale ale fan and loved the IRA (Indian Red Ale) and Tim’s favourite, well, there are too many he enjoyed to nominate just one favourite and we left with a carton of mixed beers.

Tim and Snow
Tim and Snow at the park

After spending some time at markets and looking around Stanthorpe, we ended up going to Wallangarra. Top spot for train enthusiasts as you could view both gauges used for NSW and Qld. On a more childish

Tim and Snow returning from their walk to NSW.
Tim and Snow returning from their walk to NSW.

note, Tim took Snow for a walk and came back two minutes later to announce he and Snow just walked to NSW.

Yep, we took Snow on our little trip. It had been raining and Tim knew of a sandy creek we could let her run around at. So we packed her up with her balls and what not and off we went. Originally we were surprised at how many places cater for dogs, but then realised we have the Grey Nomad community to thank for that! So to all the Grey Nomads out there who travel with their dogs – thank you!

Jodi at the top of Stannum HouseAnother highlight of the day was checking out the mansion at Tenterfield called Stannum House. The spiral staircase is simply beautiful and we both enjoyed the views from the top and exploring a historical beauty.

After Stannum House we went off-road on the search of a place for Snow to play and at the hope of finding some Tank Traps at the top of the Condamine River.   We weren’t so fortunate on both accounts.

The horses that wanted to play. Can you see Snow?
The horses that wanted to play. Can you see Snow?

We did find a place for Snow to run about, but unfortunately a few horses took a liking to her and wanted to chase her down. So she was put promptly back in the car. We stopped off at so many places and went for so many walks, she didn’t seem to mind. And sadly, we saw on the GPS where the tank traps were, but the sun was fading and we couldn’t seem to find a place to park and explore. That will be something we chase down another day.

Now we are back in Rocky and getting ready to head north.  The van is in getting some work done to it and Jodi is shirking her cleaning duties to type this up while Tim is out and about, sorting out the van.

Finger’s crossed, the next update will be on the road. The lap 2.0 will be well and truly under way!