Tina & Andy get a job.

We search around for more work but no luck and head to Gayndah where Tina called the local Orange festival office to see if they had any work. Luckily they needed two bar workers because of the compulsory RSA law. We are working on Saturday & Sunday as the bar supervisors.
That night we stayed at the rest stop on the edge of town at Gayndah with another bunch of backpacking fruit pickers.
We drive to Biggenden today where the local CP has stay one night get one free. Power, water, showers & a laundry are always a nice change. We had a good drop of rain in the afternoon. It is Origin night so we head into town for a pub meal and some beers watching the Rugby with the locals. It is a good night.
Today we are doing some sight seeing and drive to Paradise dam which is 74% full after the recent rains. It is a free camp spot and we will return here after the weekend. Next stop Chowey bridge a rail bridge built in 1905. The brochure does talk it up a bit. Although it has rained there isn’t much 4WD to be done.

Mingo Crossing is on the Burnet river which flows into Paradise dam. It has a campground with all the mod con’s and we can camp right on the river edge. There are supposed to be lots of fish but along with myself the locals could not catch anything that day. It has a very interesting history and the river has been crossed here since the early 1800’s and there has been 3 bridges a ford and a ferry over years all steeped with controversy.

Back to Gayndah today as we are have to work today. Yes it is true Andy & Tina got a job, I know only for 2 days but the pay is good and so is the experience. The showgrounds is our home for 2 nights. The Gayndah Orange festival is a big deal and they have lots of events on including the Rodeo which has filled the showgrounds with horses and of course their dogs.

We walk into town and check out our bar, it is a big caravan from about 1950’s vintage decked out and painted bright orange like a Mandarin. It is a pretty quite day really with the work load coming and going during the day. We work about 10 hours between us.
Today we have to work the bar over at the Rugby club from 8.00pm – 1.00am so we have to bum around all day. We walked into town again and had our lunch time beer and even checked out a bit of the Rugby. Back to the van for a sleep and then over at 7.00pm to set up. The Rugby finishes and about 400 people just pack up and leave so they are bit worried about the crowd, but as soon as the band starts and they close the footy club bar people start streaming over. Well we certainly earned our money tonight 1 bar Tina & I serving as well as restocking from the cold room and about 250+ people. It was frantic but we managed to keep up all night.
The band was called Shag and they played some good covers, Kerry the organiser even managed to score Tina a band T-Shirt.
Gayndah is a lovely place with really nice people and we hope to go back there again some day.
We try to have a bit of a sleep in but all the Rodeo folk are packing up so between dogs, horses, screaming mothers as well as trucks there was little chance to sleep.

We packed up and drove back to Paradise dam. It is still packed from the long weekend. Why wouldn’t it be a huge dam good facilities and free camping.