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DARLING DOWNS CHAPTER
The
MG Car Club was formed in 1954, the club is composed
of motoring enthusiasts who enjoy all makes of motor
vehicles, not just MG'S and provides activities for
all aspects of motoring, sporting, and social,
present membership Stands at 690.ds at 690.
The
Darling Downs Chapter was formed in September 2005,
and since that date the chapter has grown strongly
with a growing list of members in Toowoomba, Warwick
and as far west as Roma, who, enjoy access to all
the benefits of the parent body at a reduced
membership rate.
MG
Car Club of Queensland promote sporting and
concourse events at a State and National level in
addition to a strong calendar of club activities,
technical and historic information can be accessed
from the club web site. Darling Downs' members enjoy
regular monthly day runs and midweek lunch meetings,
organized alternately by the chapter conveners of
Toowoomba and Warwick.
Day
runs commence on the last Sunday of the month from
the information centre on James Street Toowoomba,
or, Lesley Park Warwick, at 8.00am in the summer
months and 9.00am in the winter.
For
further information contact Darling Downs's
Conveners:
Coordinator:
Brian Phillips 4615 4761 or
bjphill2@bigpond.net.au
Toowoomba Convener:
Gary Lawrence 0403 839 193 or
gjlawrence@aapt.net.au
Warwick Convener:
John McLean 4661 8565 or
warwickracq@bigpond.com
Midweek Run Convener:
Ron Gillis 4634 3267 or jrgillis@bigpond.com
JANUARY, 2012 NEWSLETTER:
The meeting point for the start of the October run
was Apex Park Gatton. To get there some of us took
the scenic run down through Murphys Creek while
others went down the lovely Flagstone Creek road.
After morning tea with Trevor Watkins in the lead we
took off for an enjoyable tour through Southern
Lockyer Valley passing through the towns of Laidley,
Mt Walker, Warrill View to our lunch stop at
Harrisville where we doubled the population of the
town. A fine meal and enjoyable conversation, we set
off for the second part of our tour to Cormorant bay
on Lake Wivenhoe. Through the interesting town of
Marburg with its quaint shops and then to Fernvale
where John and Helen were looking forward to tasting
one of the famous pies from the Fernvale Bakery.
Cormorant Bay is a popular spot for Brisbane
day-trippers and we enjoyed our afternoon tea on the
beautiful spacious picnic grounds on the shores of
Lake Wivenhoe. The return journey took us through
Esk then up the range to Hampton and home to
Toowoomba. The run was about 200km
Participants
Gary Lawrence MGB, John and Helen
Coverdale, MGB Brian Phillips MGB GT, Trevor and
Dell Watkins XR6, David and Meryl Miles MG Magnet
There
are so many lovely eating places tucked away in
small pockets of our area that I am always surprised
when we discover another one. The Hotel in Mill
Street Toowoomba is another of these little gems.
Twelve members turned out for this meeting.
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It is lovely to catch up
with friends we have not seen for a while. Graham and Lyn
Cope are back from their travels and George Englart who
I believe is still working on his MG TC. Great meal,
Great Location, and good company. Makes for a pleasant
day out.
As summer approaches
the changes in the seasons is portrayed in the colours
of the Darling Downs. Jacaranda Trees shed their flowers
creating a carpet of lilac across the road, which swirl
up as we drive bye. The landscapes turn in colour with
the crops ripening. Farmers cutting hay, dot their
fields with large rolls scattered through out the
distant paddocks. The heat of the midday sun along with
the build up of clouds in the afternoon remind us that
summer is on the way. These changing scenes greet us
every time we travel in our MGs through the Darling
Downs on our way to another enjoyable breakfast or lunch
meeting.
Our last run for the season saw eighteen members turned
up at the Warwick Golf Club for breakfast . Conversation
and laughter would have gone on for a while if we were
not pressed for time. Departing Warwick at 10.15am five
cars and ten people headed for the higher altitudes of
The Granite Belt wine growing area. Our first port of
call was the Heritage Winery near Dalveen where sipping
of the local produce followed by a complimentary a cup
of coffee or Tea were most welcome. Some purchases were
made from their fine selection of wines.
We journeyed on to our next port of call. Summit Winery
with its big cool shed looked very inviting. After
some more tasting we were given a tour through the
cellars where they can cater for large groups. This
was of interest to us as we were looking into
possible locations for the visitors who will be
attending the 2013 National Meeting. The Robert Channon Winery outside Stanthorpe was our lunch
venue
with a delicious selection of Spanish dishes and more
wonderful wine to sip. The view over the nearby lake
and the atmosphere made the time pass very quickly.
From here we took the ring road back to the highway
stopping off at the Castle Glen Liqueur Winery where
fudge and fortified wines in every shape, colour and
size could be purchased.
Our thoughts turned to home so our last stop of the
day was Vincenzo’s Big Apple for olives and coffee.
Another wonderful day out with the MG Car Club.
There are a few changes to the organising of the
Darling Downs group for 2012.
I would like to thank John McLean and Garry
Lawrence for their input for 2011, as both John
and Gary have work commitments for 2012 and are
unable to continue in the role of convenor for
their respective areas. I welcome Graham Cope and
Bob Marsh as convenors for the Warwick area runs. I would also like to thank Ron and Judy Gillis
for organising the Mid Week Lunch Runs and look
forward to some more interesting pubs in 2012.
Also thanks to Trevor Watkins for organising and
running a very successful sixteen day out back
tour.
The Breakfast runs
seem popular in the past, so we are starting off
2012 with a breakfast run to kick off the New
Year.
Cheers
Brian Phillips |
