Tara Lagoon (beside the showground where we stayed)

The sun set on the final leg of our journey in Tara on Sunday evening.We thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment, market stalls and food from different nations during what was billed as Tara’s “Festival of Culture and Camel Races”. At Friday evening’s Spanish Fiesta we were entertained by Flamenco dancers and two wonderful Spanish guitarists while we ate our dinner.

The camel races commenced on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. with six races on both days of the weekend. The saddle was worn behind the hump and some camels ran very very fast, some very very slow and some even turned around and ran the wrong way.

In the straight during the first race

The winning jockey sits on her saddle behind the hump

The majority of the jockeys were female and it was a great spectacle to see a camel thundering down the straight with the jockeys vying for the winning post. I never had a bet as there was no such thing as a handicap and clearly the bigger camels seemed to have the advantage. The bookies weren't giving anything away as no matter who won they couldn't lose with the odds they had spread across each race.

Great Company

Saturday evening’s entertainment ran from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. with my favourite half hour performed by the group The Twine. The remainder of my Saturday evening was spent enjoying a clear sky full of thousands of shining stars and a waxing moon while I drank a salubrious red wine. This year's actual Melbourne Cup was on display for photograph opportunities on Saturday evening and Sunday.

On Monday morning we got off to a fairly early start (for us) at about 8:30 a.m. and drove the 360 klms home reminiscing on what was a fabulous four week trip and feeling very thankful for the wonderful friends we shared it with. To those heading off to Mount Tamborine next weekend, travel safely.

Sincere thanks to Liz for all her researching before our trip and a great big thanks to Marie, Joy, Liz and Shell for your company during the first three weeks. When's our next trip?

L to R: Marie, Lyn, Joy, Liz and Shell

Luv

Lyn