Southern Tour Begins – Off to Goondiwindi!
And we’re off! Today marks the beginning of another southern adventure, with Goondiwindi our destination for the day. The travel gear is packed, the wheels are turning, and we’re once again pointing ourselves towards the New South Wales border.
Our accommodation for the night is the McIntyre Motor Inn, a familiar stop from last year’s travels. There’s something to be said for returning to a place you already know, especially when you’re on a road trip and don’t feel like playing accommodation roulette!
Unlike last year, however, this trip would be a fairly straightforward run to Goondiwindi, with no detours or side adventures planned along the way. Sometimes you just need to put the kilometres behind you and get to your destination without turning every intersection into a sightseeing opportunity. Even we can exercise a little restraint occasionally!
Goondiwindi – Border Country
I’ve always enjoyed visiting Goondiwindi. Sitting right on the Queensland–New South Wales border, it’s an interesting regional town with a strong agricultural connection and plenty of history.
But if there’s one name that springs to mind when you mention Goondiwindi, it’s Gunsynd, the legendary thoroughbred racehorse better known as “The Goondiwindi Grey”.
Gunsynd became a national racing favourite during the early 1970s, winning major races and capturing the hearts of racing fans across Australia. The grey gelding became such an icon that his name remains closely associated with the town today.
Not bad for a horse from country Queensland! Plenty of towns have famous residents, but not every town can boast a champion racehorse with a nickname that sounds like it belongs on the side of a country pub.
Lunch Stop at the Condamine Hotel
There isn’t a huge amount of new sightseeing to report along this stretch from the Capricorn Coast to Goondiwindi. Those who have followed our previous adventures will know we’ve already ticked off many of the worthwhile photo stops along the route.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t good reasons to pull over, though. A road trip without a decent lunch stop would be a missed opportunity!
This year, we called into the Condamine Hotel for lunch, and it turned out to be a great decision. The feed was excellent and well worth the stop if you’re travelling through the area.
It’s exactly the sort of place we enjoy discovering on our travels. Good country hospitality, a satisfying meal and a chance to stretch the legs before getting back behind the wheel.
We’ll happily put our hands up for more stops like that. In fact, we could probably build an entire touring itinerary around lunch venues, but we’d never get anywhere!
Beers and Relaxation at the Victoria Hotel
Once we arrived in Goondiwindi and checked into the motel, there was only one thing left to do: head out and enjoy a well-earned beer.
We made our way back to the Victoria Hotel, another familiar favourite from our previous visit.
After a day of travelling, it was the perfect place to unwind, enjoy a couple of beers and relax without having to worry about the road ahead.
No complicated itinerary, no rushing around trying to squeeze in another attraction before closing time, and no arguing with the GPS about where it thinks we should be going. Just a comfortable pub stop to round off the day.
Sometimes the simplest travel days are exactly what you need before the bigger adventures begin.
Goondiwindi, done and dusted for another visit. Tomorrow brings another day on the road, and with a southern tour ahead of us, there’ll be plenty more to see, eat and drink along the way.
After all, touring is thirsty work! 🍻
#TheThirstyTourists #TouringIsThirstyWork #Goondiwindi #CountryPubs #RoadTrip #ExploreQueensland
