It probably wasn’t Father’s Day where you live, but on Sunday it was for those of us who live here in Australia. As I explained in last years post about Father’s Day in Australia, Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in the UK and over 70 other countries. Here in Australia, Father’s Day is on the first Sunday in September; same as New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
This year we decided we wanted to do something different, go somewhere we hadn’t been before, but where could that be?
Father’s Day at Cormorant Bay
Where is Cormorant Bay?
You may well ask, I didn’t even know where Cormorant Bay was until yesterday and when Mrs Bobinoz, Elizabeth and I set off in the car, none of us knew we would end up there, but we did. Let me explain.
For Father’s Day yesterday we decided to drive west, because, well we don’t go west very often. So we decided to go west to see something we had never seen before and as we were on our way to see that something we had never seen before, we saw Cormorant Bay.
Check this out:
It had kids playing…
Others eating and barbecuing…
Kids play areas…
But this is no ordinary park, as the glimpse of the water in the background of the photo above will probably have told you. Let’s face it, you don’t get called a “Bay” for nothing.
Let’s take a better look; views were pretty good from behind the restaurant…
A few people were swimming…
So, where were we?
Would you believe this place is just 40 minutes drive from our house and in the almost 6 years we’ve lived here, we’ve never been? Incredible, isn’t it?
Yes, I know, 40 minutes from my home isn’t exactly “Rural Queensland Countryside”, but it doesn’t half feel rural when you get there. The something we had never seen before that we had gone to see was…
Lake Wivenhoe…
Home to Wivenhoe Dam. This is the wet side…
And this is the dry side…
… although that dry side wasn’t so dry during the floods in 2011.
Our original plan had been to drive west, go to a small town called Esk, have something to eat when we got there and, on the way, glance casually at Lake Wivenhoe as we passed it on the right hand side.
We didn’t realise that Cormorant Bay was here and there were other places to stop as well. Wivenhoe Park, Hamon Cove, Spillway Common, Logan Inlet, Captain Logan’s Camp and Lumley Hill are all places we didn’t have time to look at properly, giving us a great excuse to go back again some time.
After all, these places are pretty much on our doorstep!
We had a great day out, enjoying a (typically British) Ploughman’s lunch in Esk…
You could tell it was the first day of spring…
Esk was a really cosy looking country town, it has a population of just fewer than 2,000, but still managed to have two pubs, here’s one of them…
One of the most amazing antique shops I’ve seen since I’ve been here in Australia…
A small rural police station…
And the cutest looking hospital I have ever seen…
Of course, being in the countryside of Australia, it also has even cuter kangaroos running wild; there are three in this photograph. Spot the kangaroos…
On the way back, we passed through another small country town by the name of Fernvale, that has a population of just over 2,000 and also has two pubs. Here’s one of them…
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to live in rural towns like these, maybe one day I’ll find out.
As good as all this was though, the highlight of my day was reading the two poems Elizabeth had written for me in my Father’s Day card.
A little self-indulgent, I know, but here they are:
Hey Dad
Hey there Dad,
I think you’re so great,
your strength I do appreciate!
You help me in so many ways,
keep me safe
through nights and days.
In good times and
bad times too,
I know I can
depend on you.
And…
My Dad
I’m so glad that you’re my Dad,
to me you’re number one.
Though other dads seem quite okay,
we always seem to have more fun.
You always find the time to
listen to things I want to say,
so here’s a special message,
Have a happy Father’s Day!!!
