Breakfast at Belle Vue Cafe was surprisingly good, but the coffees were on the weak side. It advertises as a dog friendly cafe, but that is simply because there are outdoor tables on the footpath.
Anita picked up a few groceries then I dropped her back at the van for some R and R with Blue and Tilly as she didn’t want to come with me touring Warwick’s attractions. There are lots of excellent historic sandstone churches and civic buildings in and around the city.
The marble statue is of Thomas Joseph Byrnes who was Premier of Queensland for only five months in 1898 as he died from measles at age 38 years.
Warwick has many historic homes. Pringle Cottage is another sandstone building which these days is part of a museum complex but unfortunately is closed due to Covid.
I stayed out of the CBD for the rest of the day as there is so much to see around the town and further afield. Close to Pringle Cottage I passed the delightful Abbey Boutique Hotel. The Abbey was built for the Sisters of Mercy in 1891. During WW2 girls from All Hallows School were housed at the Abbey. By 1987 only three nuns lived at the Abbey so it was sold to private interests. If they were dog friendly I would love to stay here!
Parts of Warwick are subject to flooding from the Condamine River and other tributaries. The Abbey is built on high ground as are the surrounding houses, some of which are well preserved historical homes.
I drove 18kms north of Warwick to the Glengallen Homestead which is gradually being restored from almost total ruin. Once regarded as the best house in the colony, the homestead was uninhabited from 1927 and was not maintained, almost being demolished in the 1940s. In 1993 it was purchased by the Glengallen Homestead Trust Ltd and restoration work began in earnest with funding from the 2001 Centenary of Federation Fund.
This is the remains of one of the earliest flushing toilets ever installed in an upstairs bathroom. It makes a caravan cassette toilet look simple
I drove back to our caravan park via the railway station precinct and saw this fabulous example of a Victorian era hotel opposite the railway station.
The only train that runs is the Downs Explorer steam train to Stanthorpe and Wallangarra. These trips have to be booked well in advance so remains on the bucket list.
The properties to the east of the railway station are close to the Condamine River and appear to have suffered flooding in the past. I walked across the rail lines on the old pedestrian bridge.
I picked up Bluey for an outing to the off leash dog park, only to discover it has suffered recent flood damage to the fence with built up debris. Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea to build a fence so close to the Condamine River. We enjoyed a riverside walk instead.
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