Rather than take the freeway into Brisbane, a more pleasant drive was the Cobb & Co Tourist Drive which followed the original route from Toowoomba to Ipswich of the mail route in the 1860’s by the Cobb and Co coaches. The coaches were later abandoned when the rail road went through which provided a more reliable and faster mail service.

The trek went through Gatton, Forest Hill, Laidley, Grandchester (with its historical railway station that you cant get near to), Rosewood and Walloon. The country side varied greatly with the steep escarpment out of Toowoomba (which warmed up the brakes) onto the flood plains with corn and sorghum crops and market gardens before getting back into hills and scrub coming into Ipswich.

It was then time to tackle the Brisbane traffic and roads which were not much fun until north of the city and the Bruce Highway. Prior to that it was a series of windy, hilly, narrow roads with plenty of traffic lights to contend to.

Just as I was enjoying the Motorway north, the off ramp to Ningi appeared and it was off to Ken and Julie’s, Jenny’s cousins, where we will spend a couple of days. Of course I had better remember to pick up Jenny from the airport tonight. That will mean tackling the Brisbane traffic two more times. Bugger.

Jenny’s flight was due in at 9:25 pm with 10-15 minutes to get from the plane to the pickup area meant that if I got to the airport around 9:40 pm it would timed to perfection. Given we are staying 45 minutes from the airport, leaving around 5 minutes to 9 would be the ideal time to leave.

I was just about to leave Ningi at 9:00 pm when I received a text saying “we have just landed”. Great the one time I have decided not to stalk a flight on Flight Radar and it is half an hour early. Oh well, guess Jenny will be waiting for me.

A quick drive down to the airport apart from the roadworks on the Gateway Freeway, right on 45 minutes, picked up Jenny who was waiting with all her friends in the pick up area and back on the Gateway and Bruce Highway to Ningi for another 45 minutes.

Ken and Julie were still up so Jenny got to chat with her cousins until the yawning became too much.