Mooloolah Quilters Open Day

Had a great day today.  I was invited to address a group of quilters who were gathered for the annual Mooloolah Quilters Open Day in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast.  Mooloolah is a gorgeous sleepy little village, and I believe has a huge number of quilters per square mile!!

The idea behind the day is to have a quilt show when you're not having a quilt show!  They have a huge morning of show and tells, raffles, lucky door prizes etc and everyone is invited to attend and enjoy the gorgeous quilt eye candy and some yummy morning tea and lunch.

I gave my talk to a very attentive group of quilters who are always looking for interesting ways to indulge their passion.  I took some photos of the fabulous show and tell, and I'd like to share them with you.   


A Beautiful Blazing Star

 

This quilter assured us that she LOVED Owls and she had a number of owly quilts and things to show us.

I particularly liked this quilt made by Judy. 



Judy's Disappearing Nine Patch.

Would you believe this pattern is a  Disappearing Nine Patch.  I don't think I've ever seen such a terrific arrangement of this very easy block.  I think this block would make a great charity quilt.  Easy to cut, easy to sew.  Judy completed it using the Quilt as you Go Method.  Fabulous Judy!

Brisbane Qld to Bingara NSW

My husband and I recently travelled by vehicle to Canberra, driving over 3,000 kms in 10 days.  A lot of time in the car ( I got plenty of knitting and stitching done!), but a pleasure enjoying the countryside and little towns along the way.  I won't bore you with every detail, but I took some interesting photos and I'm going to share them here with you today.
 
We headed down the Mt Lindsay Highway toward the aplty named region of the Scenic Rim.  This area is known as the "green cauldron" where many volcanic eruptions over millions of years have left their mark.  Large mountains of solidified lava soar into the air, and are currently covered in dense forests and bushlands.  A wide range of fauna and flora are abundant in this region.


Mt Warning, Scenic Rim on the border of QLD and NSW

We travelled through Tenterfield (known as the birthplace of Peter Allen and the wonderful song "Tenterfield Saddler" about his grandfather, and onto a pretty town called Inverell.  We've not spent much time here over the years, and have decided to make it a stop on our next trip.  We stopped for lunch at this pretty park.  Just about every town in Australia has the obligatory park and gardens, and you will always find them in great shape and good repair.


Inverell Parkland - a lovely shady spot for a picnic lunch

Our next stop was the pretty township of Bingara, but we wanted to make a pilgrimage just before Bingara at a very infamous location, that stands as one of the darkest historical significance of early settlement in Australia.  It is known as the Myall Creek Massacre, and having learnt about it in school, it was a place we both wanted to visit.

It was here in 1838, that 28 aboriginal men, women and children were massacred by white settlers in the area. This was my no means the only massacre that occurred during the settlement of inland Australia, but it was the first where the white settlers were convicted and punished for their crime. 

The local community together with descendants of those murdered victims worked together over a number of years to build a memorial to those whose lives were so brutally extinguished.  In June 2000, the memorial was dedicated and stands as a reminder as one of the worst atrocities carried out on the indigenous people during white settlement.  We enjoyed the walk through the well thought out memorial, which is about 1 mile or so, and dotted with a number of large plaqued stones telling the story of that horrible day.  For further information about Myall Creek, here's a link:  http://www.myallcreek.info/massacre/


Myall Creek Massacre monument

Onto Bingara and a very special little town with a unique set of buildings.  We had learnt about the Roxy via the web, and were keen to see just what all the fuss was about.  The Roxy Theatre and Cafe were built in 1936  by three Greeks who had immigrated to Australia after the First World War.  It was beautifully built and was used as a theatre and picture theatre until the late 1950's when it became run down and left dormant for many years.

The realisation that similar buildings still standing in townships across Australia were very rare, encouraged the local community to apply for grants to have the building renovated and returned to its former glory.  The theatre also had a cafe situated next to it, that was also rejuvinated. 

We arrived about lunchtime on a public holiday and didn't expect to be able to go inside, but as luck would have it, the owners were almost locking up and allowed us in and took us on a tour.  It was truly facinating, a real step back in time.  If you'd like to learn more about this remarkable make-over, here's a link:  http://www.roxybingara.com.au/about-the-roxy/



The gorgeous cafe that has a lot of the original fittings still in place

The inside of the theatre, with filligree windows and gorgeous velvet drapes.  The seats were found in gullies, and on properties, and were returned to the theatre and re-upholstered.

 

The wonderful Art Deco Stairwell

The Cafe with its Art Deco Design

Next will we visit the Black Stump and Canowindra NSW.