Day 21 Saturday 25/6/2022 Toogoolawah to Kenilworth, 3 – 23 fine

Another glorious morning heralded by magpies and butcherbirds.

Woody visits the toilet and an old woman’s voice calls out,

“Are you there Ted?” Silence.

“Are you there Ted?” “Yep” comes the short reply.

“Do you want a coffee Ted?” “Yep”

Poor old Ted can’t get a minute’s peace.

We attempt to stop in Kilcoy for a walk but the town is groaning with Saturday Market visitors and it’s not worth even trying to find a park for the vans. As we move eastwards, the scenery changes from tall grassland and cattle to rolling hills, smaller manicured properties overlooking picturesque dams and lagoons with a sub-tropical feel.

Now, this is where things turn ugly. Last year when we were heading this way to Kenilworth I was worried about how the Jeep and caravan would handle the hills so we took a wide circle picking up the Bruce Highway in the Sunshine Coast suburbs and then approaching Kenilworth from the north. It was 50kms further and hilly. It didn’t seem worth the effort. How wrong I was! This time I chose to take the route suggested by the GPS. Oh My God, steep and winding and at one point the poor old Cherokee almost came to a complete standstill. The ascents were frighteningly steep and winding, and the descents had the brakes shuddering in unison with our nerves (the brakes that had been put to the test only two days ago on the Toowoomba Bypass). It went on ever upwards and Elle was shocked to see the ocean away in the distance.

We stopped at Maleny to catch our breath but once again the town was busy with weekend city folk so we beat a hasty retreat. Once more we hit the roller coaster road, this time narrow with one-lane bridges. It’s funny how roads that seem charming and a joy to drive on, take on nightmarish proportions when you have several tonnes of caravan on the back.

I now hereby resign in writing, as Navigator!

We arrive in Kenilworth and having booked earlier in the week we got the same site as last year, #14 backing onto the hollow. After all the rains the little hollow behind us is now a pretty creek and ducks dive, and an egret and a crane stalk the shallows. On the other side of the Showgrounds, horses are going through their paces at the pony club.

Cooking dinner there’s a moment of excitement. Being back on power, we had turned on the fan heater, the air fryer and two hot plates and promptly blew a fuse. You’d think we’d know by now! Thankfully, our Swift stove has been exempted from the recall except for the left front burner, so we switched dinner to inside and voila! Chicken Schnitzels (from Inglewood butcher) with a curry sauce, mashed potatoes and of course Woody’s favourite, peas. Oh, and followed by Kenilworth Dairy Chocolate Mousse.

Accom: $25.00 (power, water, toilets, showers, dump point, laundry across the road) in the heart of town. Kenilworth Dairy is opposite with an extensive array of cheeses and yoghurts. Pub up the road too. Sounds like heaven eh?

Fuel: $72.65 (225.9 c/l)

Towing Kms: 128kms uphill

Unusual Names: Mary Smokes Creek Road (Mary must have been a character)