Weekend Camp - Esk and Clifton 19th - 21st April 2024

 Friday 19th April 2024 - Esk Caravan Park

6 weeks after our Stanthorpe holiday and we're true to our word and off on a weekend camping trip.  This weekend we're starting off overnight at Esk Caravan Park and tomorrow we're doing a Pub camp overnight.

We get away smack on lunchtime, with a mighty 118klms to travel, so about 1 hour 45mins to reach Esk.  It was a slow trip with slow vehicles holding up everyone, but we're not in a big hurry.  Stopped at Toogoolawah for a comfort stop and grabbed a toasted sandwich from the little cafe.  Interestingly, Craig touched the caravan wheels to make sure they weren't hot while he walked around just checking everything and they were cold as a beer on ice.  Onwards to Esk and meet up with our friends coming along this weekend - Jon and Di and their Bullterrier Salty.

Pulled into Esk Caravan Park to sign in and as we followed the bloke showing us our site, we were getting some looks and fingers pointed at us, so I wound the window down to hear this Gold awful noise coming from the wheels on the caravan - Craig  "is that us", reply "umm yes it is".  Got to the unpowered area and set ourselves up in our little patch of grass.  Craig touched the caravan wheels and one was as hot as, so he did the old go forward, reverse and the noise stopped.  Something to have a look at when we get home.  Now, Craig did pull the wheels off when we bought the caravan, replaced the shockies, serviced the drum brakes, replaced the little spring thingy, new brake shoes, greased and whatever else you do under that area, so we are a little surprised at our noise.

We set up the caravan and I realised I'd forgotten a nice shirt for Craig to go out to dinner in 🕺💃, so suggested we should go for a walk and see if we could find him a nice collared shirt in town....  We actually stumbled across a great little shop up the end of the street, had women and men's clothing, gifts, handbags and a very friendly shop attendant who was very helpful finding a shirt for Craig.  Arriving back at the campsite and our mates had just turned up not long ago.

A bit about Esk Caravan Park,  we have stayed here once before on an earlier trip to Stanthorpe with our mates last year.  I had read wonderful reviews about it, so through it worth trying.  The unpowered sites are next to a walking path and along side a seasonal creek (this time there was water in the creek, last time there was not).  It's a big grassy area with campsites marked with paint on the grass, but you are escorted to your campsite by friendly staff  in golf buggys.

There are 2 pools (one for adults and one for kids), a big amenities block with.... wait for it..... heated floors in the showers!!!  There is also a small amenities next to the pools.  The main camp kitchen is awesome, big fireplace they light each afternoon in the colder months, pizza oven and the normal cooking stuff,  lots of seating - it's really impressive.  There is also a second camp kitchen but we have not gone into it as yet.  You have a choice of unpowered, powered, cabins, onsite van, motel rooms.  The staff are all very friendly.  Unpowered site is $54.00/night for 2 people.  They are pet friendly and you can have a campfire in the unpowered sites as long as it's in a brazier/firepit with a base and you get a fire blanket from the office to put underneath.  For a caravan park it truly is a lovely place to stay.

We had some nibbles while we caught up and decided we'd head to the Esk Grand Hotel for dinner.  Last time we stayed we had our Boris with us still and had to transport him to the pub in his little cart we had bought for him 💔🥲

It' a bitter sweet stay at Esk this time and dinner at the pub, but the thought of Boris always brings a smile to our faces.

As for the Esk Grand Hotel, do yourself a favour and go have dinner there.  Thursday night is parmi night and you will not be disappointed, we weren't last time we were here and this time it's a Friday night and there was no disappointment with the meals again, they were delicious.

Back at camp, we put the campfire on and sat around for a while, such a pleasant night and so peaceful in the campground - and it's not raining!!

 Saturday 20th April 2024 - Clifton: O'Shanley's Irish Pub

Awoke to a blue sky this morning, however by the time we'd all had breakfast and packed up, it was starting to cloud over, we are due for showers from this afternoon and we'll be coming home to more rain tomorrow apparently.

Today's destination is the small town of Clifton which is south of Toowoomba, so we've got a massive 113klms to travel, which should take about 1 1/2 hours according to GPS and google maps.  The scenery today was very pretty. We travelled through Gatton, Ma Ma Creek, Fordsdale, Pilton and past the Darling Downs Zoo, bit of a Zig Zag across the New England Highway and into Clifton - didn't know what to expect, never been to Clifton but have read wonderful reviews about O'Shanley's Irish Pub on the Country Pub Camping facebook group I'm on, so see how we go!

First stop in Clifton was the petrol station, we were close to sniffing the fumes to keep driving LOL.  Back over the train line to O'Shanley's Irish Pub and camp for the night.  Pulled up outside and went in to speak to the lovely Lady behind the bar (I did not get her name but when I'd rang a few weeks ago I spoke to a lady by the name of Mandy who was very friendly and helpful)..  I said to her we had to come down to camp the night and have dinner at the pub, which she smiled and said follow me I'll show you where to camp.  Went out the back of the pub where there were already about 3 caravans parked up and she suggested we could park at the back and side of the big shed where 2 other caravans had parked last night.

I thanked her and said we'd be in for a drink as soon as we set up.

Jon got their caravan into position at the rear of the shed and we came around and parked on the side of the shed.  Another camper came over and showed us the drinking water tap on the side of the shed and explained we could plug into power there as well.  Neither of us needed to do that.

So just prior to this trip, Craig replaced all of the solar panels on the caravan due to the issue we had with charging the battery while away for those 2 weeks, the other factor that our electronics guy and Craig established was that the Kings Lithium 300ah batteries management system was stopping the battery taking charge because it was too hot due to those excessively hot days we had while travelling - at high 30's outside the caravan, it would certainly have been around 40 degrees in the battery compartment under the bed.  We now have 4 new solar panels totalling 530watts and they are the black ones that put charge in even on a cloudy day or in the shade.  The boys also dumbed down the 40AH DC2DC charger to help the battery and Craig put in two vents in the battery compartment and where the charger is.  Hopefully if we get stinking hot days again that would melt your thongs to the bitumen, the power system in the caravan will cope better.  After installation for two weeks Craig monitored the battery, solar panels input, DC2DC charger and it has worked a treat.  Just charging from the panels while the caravan was parked in the shade of trees at our place, fridge/freezer was running and it took 2 weeks for the battery to come down to 13%.  Husband is happy.

Right, back to Clifton and O'Shanley's Irish Pub.  We headed in for a drink at the bar and find out about lunch and dinner and have a look at the pub.  What a cracker pub, locals were friendly, bar staff we friendly and happy.  The pub has some much stuff on the walls, ceiling just everywhere to look at.

Front and side veranda

The Bar

Beautiful Timber Staircase

Beautiful Irish Dancing Outfits including shoes

Dining Room

We have one thing to do this afternoon at 4pm and that's go to the train station over the road from the pub and watch the steam train come through on it's way back to Warwick.  Craig loves trains.

Firstly though, lunch needs to be consumed by all.  We each got a pizza and they were delicious.

We had a few hours after lunch before the train was due through, it's raining now so we went back to the caravans to either have naps or read.  Enjoying our relaxing afternoon and the next thing we hear is a train horn (not a steam train horn though), it's only 3pm.  Well I've not seen Craig jump into action that fast for probably 10 years or more 😆  Racing down to the corner of the pub, brolly in hand only to see the back carriage going through the station but we're pretty sure it wasn't a stream train, so perhaps they didn't run it today.  There was some disappointment let me tell you.  We went back and closed up the caravan and went into the pub for a drink.

Di joined us just before 4pm in the pub and we discussed the train may have gone through an hour earlier, so we finished our drinks and headed over to the train station, just in case........  yeah no train came but it's a pretty little station and at least Craig did get to go in a train after all.

Complete with hanging flower baskets

Waited about 15 minutes at the train station and decided that was probably the train an hour early, oh well maybe next time.  Back to the pub for more drinks.  I had asked the bar Lady at lunch time if we should reserve a table for dinner and she suggested we should, said the bar area was where the fun was and we reserved the same table we had at lunch.

Jon eventually joined us and I tell you what, the pub did get busy, there were people coming and going for dinner, take away pizza, staying for a couple of drinks then leaving.  Quite the hub of activity.

We got the internet password from the new bar lady that came in, which made life a lot easier for Craig and I, Optus didn't have a signal in the pub and about 1 or 2 bars outside.  Should have asked earlier but didn't see the sign. 🙄

Decided to order dinner and there was some quite good options to choose from. 

Craig order the Smoked Pork Chop with mash and veg, Jon and Di ordered the O'Shanley's Irish Stew and Guinness Pie and I of course ordered the Chicken Parmi.  All the meals were delicious and afterwards there was entertainment in the form of a bloke singing with a guitar - really enjoyable with some Irish songs and more.  Some locals even got up for some dancing (sorry no video but I wish I had of taken one).

Was a good night at the pub  

Headed home to bed, it was pouring rain and quite cool tonight.

 Sunday 21st April 2024 - Heading home

Had breakfast and chatted with Jon and Di about which way we/they were heading home.  It's only about 3 1/2 hours to home so we're not rushing off.  Jon and Di headed off before us going back the way we'd come, for Craig and I we were going home a different way to what we came, makes the journey more interesting.

Just a note on O'Shanley's Irish pub camping:  It is free to camp, however you are expected to patronage the pub for a meal and drinks in exchange.  There are toilets and they also have rooms available above the pub.  Camping is pet friendly and you can have dogs in the outside area at the back of the pub.

We took Clifton Felton Road north and stayed on as many back roads as we could going through Oakey and stopping at Cooyar Pub about 11.15am ish.  Decided we needed a break so hung around until lunch service at 12pm, chatting to the friendly bar staff who explained this is one of their biggest weekends with Cooyar Bike Ride for trail/dirt bikes but it was called off this morning due to the weather and everyone was leaving.  Sounds like a massive event, the pub does the meals on the Friday night and then Saturday night is at the showgrounds where everyone camps.  We grabbed two of the lunch specials Barra, chips and salad and sat in front of the fireplace that wasn't going but felt nice to sit there 😊  Great little pub and there is a free camping area called Swinging Bridge a couple of hundred metres away.