Laura to Wirraba

An early meeting at the Wirrabara Hotel (closed) then a short trip out to Marner's Road to meet the bus.

Laura main street

RailTrail pooh

After gathering around CJ in the main street of Laura for a group photo, we headed off along the RailTrail that parallels Main North Road, or Horrock's Highway as it has been renamed.
Deemed the dullest part of the reroute so far we eventually deviated to the west to get onto some pleasant back roads.
The country surprisingly lush and the creeks running and puddles to negotiate.
Morning tea saw the group listening to Russell give us some background to CJ Dennis and then came the poetry reading deferred from the previous night.

CJ gets a reading

Russell kicked off to be followed by Peter Wynen, Vicki and Julian, all giving a different slant to CJ's talents.
More roads leading us a rough road reserve, blighted by four motor bike riders and their noisy machines.
Lunch at Charcoal Road and then on to the end back at Marner's Road again.
Another section completed.
 

 

Mount Zion to Laura

The first walk for the new year and we're not even walking on the "true" Heysen Trail!!
A large fire that burnt some 30,000 hectares around the Wirrabara Forest has robbed us of this opportunity, due to closure
of the forest.
E2E 5 is to walk on a new, as in completed 3 days prior, reroute around the "exclusion zone".

Russell give the oration

Vicki presents the Heysen Hotshots Award to Ian for Ned Kelly costume at Gladstone Gaol and changes the rules.
In future the previous month's Hotshot will choose a successor.

Ian takes the award,

It's then off along the back roads for a relatively short day into Laura, home of our theme man, CJ Dennis.
All in all for road walking it's not too bad, green countryside, running creeks and some excellent views over the plains to Laura and Gladstone.
We hit Laura for lunch and the local Café de Laura does a roaring trade in pies, pasties and black coffee.
It's then a free afternoon to do other stuff, or just contemplate our navels until dinner at the North Laura Hotel.
We have a full house at the pub, however not many take the opportunity to dress up to our theme, and one simply didn't get it at all.

Two Doreens, a Sentimental Bloke and a Giant Twin

The pub was too noisy for the anticipated poetry reading however the meals and company were good anyway.