Mt Barney: Eco Wedding

We had the pleasure of discovering the hidden beauty of Mt Barney National Park just recently, attending a good friend's wedding there.  This was my first QLD wedding since I was 12 (that was my Aunt Leanne's wedding in Rockhampton and I wasn't allowed to attend to the reception, so not sure if that even counts) and it was fabulous.  The location definitely played a huge part in the success of the celebrations.  The other interesting element was the "eco-friendly" aspect of the wedding - with the Mt Barney Lodge where we stayed, being NEAP accredited (Natural Ecotourism Accreditation Program). 

The highlights of the weekend:

• getting there was an adventure in itself - we didn't have our GPS (long story due to car dramas), missed the turnoff at Beaudesert and ended up in a "locality" called Kerry.  The area is very picturesque with horse studs and historic buildings, so it wasn't a wasted detour.
• the setting was stunning - Mt Barney itself loomed in the background all weekend and was an amazing backdrop for the actually wedding ceremony which took place by a small brook running at the front of the Lodge
• bonfire after the wedding was a real hit - people got changed out of their suits and frocks into more campfire friendly jeans/jumpers and gathered around for more champers, toasted mashmallows and good times well into the night

A lot of people have been very curious about the whole "camping at a wedding" experience.  I too must admit to having a few reservations about how this was all going to work.   But effort had gone into making sure the process maintained decorum.  The shower blocks had clothes racks so the girls could hang up their dresses and they were done up with lovely flowers, hand wash and pretty towels - bit more like a country B&B.  It was actually pretty comical seeing people running back and forth between tents in dressed-up clothes - look liked scenes from Alice in Wonderland. 

Small Town Queensland

I spent most of my childhood in small Queensland towns, so it always makes me feel somewhat nostalgic when I visit a place like Dalby. Although, technically I've never actually "lived" in Dalby - my parents moved here 12 years ago while I was at uni in Brisbane. But they're going to be moving to the big smoke themselves soon, so I thought I better get a visit in before it's too late.

Dalby - population ~12,000 people

Famous for - I'm probably not the best person to ask...they used to grow a lot of cotton, but given consistent droughts, this hasn't been that popular of late. Resources seems to be the new industry of choice. I did see a few cotton farms by the roadside.

Infamous for - about 4 pubs have burnt down in Dalby in about the same time my parents have lived here. Sounds pretty suspicious if you ask me.

No trip to Dalby is complete though without a visit to Jimbour House. It's a beautiful historic house just out of town. The architecture looks European (apart from the sandstone) and the gardens remind me of those in the movie "Atonement", with the quaint pool and decorative water fountains. You don't come across a place like this in Australia often, so it was a real treat to spend an afternoon there being treated to harp music.