The story of a wet week away…

In all our years of travel I cannot remember such consistent rain being our constant companion. But this week away has been a story of dismal, damp, weather. At times torrential rain whipped by storm fuelled winds. But mainly just dripping and drizzly.

We are staying in a delightful Airbnb, a studio apartment/granny flat. Clean, quiet and feeling like a home away from home. But, oh dear, look out of the window at the pool. Not very inviting…

So what do we do? Time to relax, read books and sketch of course…

A delightful covered courtyard appealed to me and I spent time engrossed in trying to capture the serenity of it.

 

Three days into our week on the “Sunshine Coast” came a slight reprieve, a glimmer of hope, that maybe the rain had passed. A weak, apologetic sun peeped from behind the grey clouds, enticing us out to explore.

The hinterland beckoned.

Only a half hour drive up into the Blackall Ranges and into rainforest country. The destination is the small rainforest village of Montville. Once a logging and farming community but since the 1970’s it has turned itself into a tourist mecca for people wanting a change from the heat and humidity of the coast.  There are restaurants, wineries, cheese factories and craft and clothing shops. The highlight for me was the Montville art gallery,  (this is a Tripadviser site and shows some photos of the art work.) I was so busy looking and drooling over this treasure trove of inspirational art in all medias and talking to the gallery owner, that I didn’t take any photos.

Fortunately all the shops are under cover as looking across the valley I could see a thick, ominous layer of rain fuelled clouds heading this way.

It is 2-30pm and the crowds are quickly disappearing. We decide to have lunch before heading back to the coast. But we have almost left it too late, all the cafes are closing. But when all else fails the pubs are always open. So it is a quick dash to the Montville pub situated in a large Tudor styled building (raining too heavy now to stop and take a photo…)

Fuelled with fish and chips it is time to, slowly, wind our way back down the steep, twisty, narrow road. Visibility is not good and I am pleased we have Siri on the GPS guiding us back home.

So day 4 ends, how it started, wet….

(To be continued, 3 more days to go)…