Warwick Jumpers and Jazz Festival.

We were in dire need of a day out in the country, so off we went to Warwick where the annual Jumpers and Jazz in July was on.  It was hyped up as a real art, craft and jazz event, so I was pretty eager. Bob was, as usual, very accommodating, if not quite as eager.

It is a long drive from Brisbane ( about 2 hours) along the Cunningham Highway, but you get to drive through some very pretty and varied country once you are out of the city ( the roads on the way to Ipswich seem to be an ode to concrete). I especially love the Moogerah Peaks National Park.  I am fascinated by the incredible formations of the rocks  on the mountains.   A lot of the  mountains retain their volcanic shape, so you can clearly see their origins.  We always seem to go here on the way to somewhere.  Having more time to get out of the car and hike in the bush, like we once did, would be fantastic.  Another day. No photos, unfortunately, even though it was a very clear day.  They were digging up the road so we couldn't stop.  Apart from the natural terrain, the drive kept us entertained by the collection of odd sights on the way.  One driver had a sign " I have run out of oestrogen and I own a gun" - scary! Otherwise, I knitted and untangled wool ( still going on the eternal blanket) as we talked.

In spite of our GPS directing us to a back street instead of the city centre, we found the main street, and finally found a place to park.  Judging from the amount of cars and people, it is a very popular event.  What struck my eye was the amount of women wearing red in the town .   My sort of ladies!

There was town crier in full regalia taking groups round to explain the history of the town.  Other locals carried crocheted poles and gave out maps and information, which we took advantage of.  I was very impressed by the old 19th century buildings built from local sandstone and very well preserved.  It was obviously a very prosperous town in its heyday.  

I had been tempted to Warwick by the mention of yarn bombing, and the trees in the main road were indeed decorated, but unfortunately, not very many were knitted, crocheted or very artistic.  It is good to see that there was so much community involvement, especially by the local schools, but I had hoped for a bigger representation of work.  Still, it was fun.

There were quite a few jazz bands playing outside the town hall - some of them very good- and some people actually danced to the music.  Other buskers in the town weren't quite as professional but there was a choice of music to be had.   I had to restrain Bob from running away from the country and western droner.

We explored some of the art shops, but there didn't seem to be a large number and they didn't seem very special.  The Suitcase Rummage was rather small.  For me, the highlight was this lovely lady.

We discovered and observed the art of sheep shearing and examples of wares by the local spinners, weavers and knitters association,

 

 

and admired the works outside the Warwick Art Gallery.

 

Then, we entered the Portraits of a Tea Cosy exhibition.  This was excellent!  Some wonderful photographs and some very amusing tea cosies.  The highlight of the whole day, in my opinion.

Next, we popped over to the Pringles Vintage Museum and had a wonderful time exploring what life used to be like in the old days.  Thank God I wasn't a woman back in the days where you used to have to wash clothes by hand, make your own clothes, do housework and cook without the use modern gadgets.  On the other hand being a male shepherd - often Chinese immigrants or Ticket-of -leave men, was hardly a great life, if you looked inside the typical shepherd's hut which has been moved onto the grounds.  They have an incredible collection of items and buildings at the museum - all donated by locals.  I was very taken by the equipment used for printing, the inventive machines used for doing everything from carding horsehair for stuffing mattresses, to pressing cheese, to sewing together books, to churning butter.  Bob examined all the farm machinery with awe.

Unfortunately, there isn't much evidence of aboriginal life here except for a few tools and a replica of the Talgai skull ( the skull of a fourteen or fifteen year old aboriginal boy believed to have lived 9 to 11 thousand years ago).  The skull is now in the University of Sydney.  The special exhibit was "Bibs, Bonnets and All Things Baby" and had beautiful examples of embroidery, knitting, drawn threadworms, lace and handwork.   Women really knew their needlework in those days.

On the way back, we decided to go via Allora and take Gatton-Clifton road back. This time, entertainment was provided by a set of parachutists.  The route was not as steep as the the way there, but equally attractive.  The way down the mountains warned of rock falls and reminded you to fasten your seat belt, but we managed without mishaps  When we reached the Lockyer Valley, we decided that the country seems to have recovered a lot from the recent floods and the new crops were in the fields. Hopefully farmers can make up for the money they lost during the floods with a good season.

We arrived home exhausted.  If we had arrived the next day, we would have seen the craft exhibition. If I had booked, I could have done a workshop.  For outsiders, it is a pity the craft events are so spread out , but the locals must enjoy it all.  Not sure we would go back again, but it was, on the whole, an interesting day out.