We went over the Mountain

We were up bright and early today. My husband slipped off to the airport in his ute, loaded up with Jelly Beanz and Mitzi (our two Old English Sheepdogs) to pick up his brother-in-law who was due to arrive from WA.

In the meantime, I decided to harvest some fresh herbs from the garden and make some savoury muffins and some apple, cinnamon and blueberry muffins. When the guys returned home, they put in an order for some porridge and once everything was prepared, we sat down and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and catch-up.

What do you do with a relly who is only here for a couple of days before heading off to the southern states? You take him to the mountain...Mt Tamborine, that is.

We headed out after the boys set about mapping a new and different way to go. Hubby wanted a new and fresh experience. We drove along the Mt Lindsay Hwy and headed off toward Canungra...the back way. We passed through some truly beautiful country that we don't often get to see. It is amazing where people decide to build.

On a previous trip out that way, we stumbled upon a little settlement called Wonglepong and found ourselves really drawn to the area. It is very peaceful and beautiful out there. The natives are doing an awesome job keeping their places in immaculate condition (well, most of them are). There is one place in particular that we both really love. We can visualize ourselves living there...one day...everyone has to have a dream...don't they?

After we exhausted most of the streets we began our assent of the mountain. Going up this back way presents itself with a slight challenge (very narrow road...too narrow for caravans, etc. Lucky for us we didn't bring our caravan...oh that's right, we don't have a caravan...well if we did...it would have been a challenge).

This was our third assent of the mount and we had to wait at 'base camp' for the lights to go green. Have you ever been in a car with an 'enthusiastic' driver who uses both hands (and arms) to express themselves and point out things of interest? My husband likes everyone to check out the scenery. He says there's no point having everyone watching the road. But I think it's so they can't see that he doesn't have his eyes on the road either.

What is it with men, machines and narrow hairpin turn roads? Mountain roads are like a magnet for dubious road etiquette. How close to the edge of a mountain road can a wheel can go before it slides off down the embankment? How many k's can you do around a hairpin corner? "Brockie ran into a tree honey, probably on a road just like this one", I tell him. "Slow down, don't go too close to the edge, watch for falling rocks (well, we have had a lot of rain these days)"...and so it goes...

We reach the top and I can begin to breathe again. Once again normality returns and hubby appears to be in control - almost. Our guest brother-in-law has never been up the mountain and the plan is to take him to the main centre of the Gallery Walk, have lunch and explore...except for one minor detail...we have never been up the mountain this back way and it soon becomes very clear to all in the car that we have no idea where we are going. Hubby turns this way and that way, backtracks and does it all again...it's a big mountain I tell our brother-in-law (who now has the refidex opened up on his lap, suspicious that there is a chance we may be lost). There were many moments where we thought we were heading back down the mountain after not even finding Mt Tamborine. Finally, though, we were saved from further embarrassment when we stumbled upon a tourist map on the side of the road...and how helpful that proved to be. I was very impressed that my mere male (MM) stopped to check.

We enjoyed a lovely afternoon of dining and checking out the local shops. We were 'fortunately' saved from a sure drowning during a passing shower of rain when we escaped into the Mt Tamborine Winery. Here we were offered wine tasting of their exclusive wines. The boys left the premises (after the weather cleared) brandishing two bottles of awarded labels. Next door we ducked in and sampled some interesting dukkahs. We finished off our trip to the mountain by visiting with some friends who live up there. At least we were able to find them without too much trouble once we got our bearings.

Spending the day up on the mountain was very enjoyable and our brother-in-law assured us he enjoyed himself too. There's always lots to do and see. We missed the craft markets today, however, we can always go back another day...we need the practice.