Tour Four – Dalby to Esk

Day 1 – Overnight in the Dalby Caravan Park

Meet up with the rest of the group over dinner at the Criterion Hotel.

Day 2 – Dalby to Miles.    Stop for lunch at Chinchilla.

Visit the Miles Historical Village Museum.  The Miles Historical Village and Museum is an open-air museum located near the town of Miles, Western Downs Region, Queensland.   The village consists of 30 buildings, replicas of ones built during the time period of the 1920s

Day 3 –Miles to Theodore.    Stop for lunch at Taroom.

Taroom is a quiet town servicing the surrounding rural properties. Its great claim to fame is that when the Prussian explorer, Ludwig Leichhardt, passed through the district he marked a tree LL 44 and that tree subsequently became a standout feature in the middle of the main street.

Perhaps the most unique feature of Theodore is its pub.   Standing on The Boulevard, the town’s main drag, Theodore Hotel’s white weatherboard exterior oozes old-time charm. But this pub, like the rest of the town has an interesting story to tell – it’s the only pub in Queensland owned by an entire community.

A pretty place, Theodore is shaped like a point between the Dawson River and Castle Creek, its palm lined streets give a tropical feel to the place. Hewitt Park surrounds the water tower and is a great spot for a picnic lunch or if you’d prefer a river view, Rotary Park in 5th Avenue overlooks Castle Creek.

Day 4 – Theodore to Biloela.    Stop for lunch at Moura 

Named the Heart of the Dawson Valley’, Moura is known for its coal mining, cotton processing, wheat and sorghum growing and chemical manufacture. This mixture of activities has ensured that, unlike most coal mining centres in Queensland, the town has not developed as a typical company town for miners.

Everyone says ‘G’day’ with a smile and a nod as you walk down the wide streets of Biloela.    It’s friendly, warm and welcoming.   Buildings wear the tell-tale signs of progress through the decades.   Eclipsing other towns as a regional centre, Biloela had some help along the way.

Just a village in the early 1920’s, the State Government set up a display farm close by, hoping the growing populous would develop the town.   It did.   However, the post WWII years were the kindest of all, Biloela becoming home to an ever widening, multi-cultural community, servicing big business, government and industry bodies, cooperatives and small business as well as the rural and mining sectors that surround it.

Day 5 – Biloela to Mundubbera.      Stop for lunch at Monto

The small rural service centre of Mundubbera is located on the Burnett River although it likes to think of itself as the “Meeting Place of the Waters” because both the Boyne and the Auburn Rivers flow into the Burnett 10 km west of the town.   Historically Mundubbera claimed to be the Citrus Capital of Queensland.   At the time the Mundubbera district produced over one third of Queensland’s citrus fruit and claimed to have the largest single citrus orchard in the Southern Hemisphere.    

 Today the Mundubbera district has diversified with local orchardists producing mangoes, avocados, lychees, peaches, nectarines, watermelons, rockmelons and blueberries.   It is now Queensland’s largest producer of table grapes. The town’s main attractions are the Bicentennial Park beside the Burnett River, the interesting Meeting Place of the Waters Mural and the local museum.

Day 6 – Mundubbera to Blackbutt.    Stop for lunch at Goomeri 

The original Grand Hotel and Post Office were taken by fire in 1939.   Goomeri Village is located in the wine region of the South Burnett, at the junction of the Wide Bay Highway from the coast and Gympie and the Burnett Highway, almost centrally between Brisbane and Gladstone.   The Bunya Highway from Kingaroy and Murgon also links into Goomeri just below town.

Surrounded by native forests, Blackbutt has a strong agricultural history and is abundant with crops of avocados, olives and macadamia farms showcased each year with the Bloomin’ Beautiful Blackbutt Avocado Festival

Day 7 – Blackbut to Esk.     Stop for lunch at Toogoolawah.

Toogoolawah is in South East Queensland. Toogoolawah is a centre for gliding and parachuting and in the past the centre of a dairying industry.   Cressbrook Creek, a tributary of the Brisbane River passes through the town as does the Brisbane Valley Highway.

The heart of Somerset, Esk is best known for its stunning backdrop of Mount Glen Rock.   Stroll down the main street and enjoy boutique cafes, gift and antique shops, country pubs and more. As you drive into Esk, leave your cares and worries behind you.

Overnight in Esk where the tour will end.