Current economic conditions make it easy for folk to live like hermits; hidden away and isolated. However, you can still travel and enjoy new sights on a budget as we recently discovered on a short break to
Tenterfield, just across the Queensland border.
Here are my Top 5 Free Things To Do in Tenterfield :
1. The first stop having left Brisbane is the heritage-listed
Wallangarra Railway Station which straddles the Queensland and New South Wales border and is only 18kms north of Tenterfield on the New England Highway. Built in 1877 to service travellers travelling from Sydney to Brisbane it was the point that passengers had to change trains because of the different sizes in railway gauge in use by the different States. The original Railway Refreshment Rooms are now a cafe, and the room size shows how many people would have been making their transfers between trains. It's possible to dine on the station platform 7 days a week for Breakfast, Lunch and Light Meals.
Of particular interest to those who are more frugal is the free-entry museum and historical display housed in the Station Masters Office. Exhibits include memorabilia, press cuttings and other fascinating bits and pieces.
Wallangarra Railway is located at Rockwell Street, Wallangarra and has wheelchair access.
2.Tenterfield is surrounded by natural attractions and parks that provide bushwalking and hiking options galore. The
Tourist Information Centre, located at 157 Rouse Street, is a mine and information and maps.
For the more sedate beautiful
Millbrook Park on the New England Highway, as you enter from Queensland, is the venue for a good stretch of the legs. Firstly, there are bathroom facilities which are always important when travelling. For the Little People, there is a fenced area with modern playground equipment.
The avenue of trees is full of autumnal colours during the season and I admit to behaving like a three-year-old kicking the fallen leaves around with the onset of an early winter. A concrete walking track takes you away from Millbrook Park and takes you parallel to the road through Tenterfield township. That too is a walk worth taking if only to read the signs marking the local history.
3.Tenterfield is home to a giant
Cork Tree which was brought out from England in a jam jar in 1861.
Did you know that Cork Trees, also known as Wishing Trees, are believed to have magical qualities dating back to the 1600s?
Fortune favours those who see
8232;More in me than just a tree
Look at my cork
And three times walk
Before my girth for all to see
The Cork Tree is located at 103 Wood Street, Tenterfield and is well worth visiting for its beauty alone.
4.The
Tenterfield Saddler Museum located at 123 High Street, Tenterfield, was immortalised in Peter Allen's song of the same name as a tribute to his grandfather, George Woolnough and his own family history. It is full of leatherwork and tools of the trade used in the days when there were more horses on the road than cars.
Once again, this museum is free-entry though is not wheelchair accessible. Opening hours are as follows:
Friday 9 am–1 pm
Saturday 9 am–12 pm
Sunday 9 am–12 pm
Monday Closed
Tuesday 9 am–1 pm
Wednesday 9 am–1 pm
Thursday 9 am–1 pm
5.Walking along the main street of Tenterfield doesn't have to be an expensive exercise though the Cafes with the aromas of homemade soups and hot coffee will undoubtedly tempt you, as will the clothing, gift and craft stores.
However, the streetscape with its old-world architecture and placement of historical plaques makes for an interesting snapshot of a Tenterfield of old.
There are many accommodation options in Tenterfield, from, hotels, motels, caravan parks, and cute Bed and Breakfasts. We stayed at the
Bowling Club Motor Inn, situated only a block away from the main street, where on presentation of our Seniors Card we were given a discount of $20 off accommodation costs.
Attached to the Bowling Club is the
Greenview Restaurant and Bar which is open 7 days a week for Lunch and Dinner. Think of that: you park the car for the day and walk 50 metres for dinner.
Located on the corner of Molesworth and Scott Street, you can find further information
here.
