Boyne Valley (A Sunday Drive)

Several people we have met, since we arrived here, have mentioned having or knowing people who ranch or live in the Boyne Valley. Being curious we decided to look it up and see what it might offer as far as sights of interest, etc. Turns out that the Boyne Valley is a little ways south of Tannum Sands and inland over the first range of foothills. That range of foothills, and the next range in create the Boyne Vally which is quite large.

We decided, in spite of of being an overcast and drizzly day, to drive out to and through the Boyne valley and see what it is like. It is not uncommon to be overcast and drizzly here early in the day and clear and dry by ten or eleven so the weather was not a worry. We loaded up the Tucson and off we went. Here is a map of the area (The Boyne Valley is shown in the middle outline) and there is a red line that marks our path. the trip was just shy of 400 Kilometers and took us much of the day. Of course we stopped every so often and we were in no hurry. It turned into a beautiful day.

Country Roads … The hard seal quickly narrows, then ends once you leave populated areas
A stream we crossed, this was the other side of the bridge where some kids apparently swam frequently
No fences and curious cows
A surrounding ridge
Big stations (ranches) with many cattle and much farming
If you want to find the cows, just follow the little piles!
Bridges are designed to be flooded over. No rails, few markings
A town playground
The street Kirsten’s Cottage was on. The bathroom was up by the white van.
An interesting tree
Kirsten’s Cottage – ran by two lovelyt ladies, famous for coffee and bakery .. only shop in town
Inside Kirsten’s … Gotta check the stuff out … might find something I didn’t know I needed!!
… and get your e-bike charged.
Something very familiar during the winter … road construction … putting in new bridges here. One way traffic.
A cow and her brand new calf
A dead road kill wild pig … you see many kangaroos dead along the roads. They run out in front of cars … not so many wild pigs.
A station or farm
Depth markers … they are found in any significant dip in the road or bridge so you know
how deep the water is if you decide to drive through

That got us through the valley. We started the climb out and found that when we got to the top we were entering the Burnett region. Recently, when we drove down to Brisbane we decided to take a back road and it was through the Burnett region. This trip however, we swung back north along the A3 highway to get back home. Still interesting.

The climb out
Australia always acknowledges the original occupants of the land.
Steep Hills
Entering the Burnett Region
Leaving the Boyne Valley
… and leaving the Gladstone Region
Our ride
Cattle Gate in the Burnett Region
An old deserted railroad bridge
A very large cactus
Interesting artwork on the side of a rest stop building. The drawings are of Boab trees, found only in Australia and Africa. They do look like that … potted trees.
This on the way back between Biloela and Calliope … A large open mine.
These are spice trees that are farmed here.
One of many Murals in Monto (bottom of route). Monto has many of them. Just google “Monto, Queensland, AU Murals”

It was a great trip. We hadn’t done a road trip just for fun in a while and it was nice to get out. Looking forward to the next one. See you then.

Author: Bill

Bill Rumpel served America as an Air Traffic Controller, a Commander of forces, and as an advisor to our country's senior leadership in peacetime and combat in the US Air Force for nearly, forty years of his adult life. Raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm and living most of his early years working hard or enjoying the outdoors, he has devoted his retirement years to telling stories based on true events with an intriguing mix of fiction and adventure. His books are published in 14 countries and in 9 different languages.

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