Exploring the Hinterlands & Neil Diamond

4/23/2014

We continued our eating and drinking adventures as our travels today focused on exploring the Hinterlands of Queensland, with our first stop being the Maleny Dairy. After a good laugh about the name of the port they were selling (see photo collage below - only in Australia), we sampled the many delicious cheese and yogurt samples they had on the main counter before purchasing some apple/cinnamon and passion fruit Greek yogurt and a couple of the herbed feta cheeses.

The Maleny Dairy factory and shoppe.

On to our picnic spot with a beautiful view of the Glass House Mountains, where we enjoyed wraps, the other half of the lamingtons (which Graeme absolutely forbade me to eat at breakfast earlier that day), and some lemonade. 

The Glass House Mountains in Queensland.

Following lunch we continued our adventures with a visit to the Budrim Ginger Factory at Yandina, where there is a dizzying array of ginger plants from all over the world; multiple play areas & a little train for the children; an incredible shop with ginger everything; and a little dining area, where we enjoyed an ice cream cone after exploring the factory.

The Budrim Ginger Factory at Yandina.

Our last activity for the day was the Neil Diamond faux concert and a dinner at the Coloundra RSL (Returned Servicemen's League). What a hoot! I think the closest American equivalent would be dinner theater. There was a choice of 4 restaurants in this facility, lots of long tables for dining, a small stage and dance floor, and always in Australia - slot machines. 

Loretta and I enjoyed beef cheeks (tenderloins) with mashed potatoes and green beans, and Graeme, who've I discovered favors Moroccan and Indian cuisines, tried the lamb patties. While we started eating, the man referred to as Neil Diamond came onto the stage and started working through Neil's hits. (As you can see from the photos it was a stretch to envision him as Neil - the only thing they had in common was the gold lame~ shirt. This guy could have used a dark wig and some dark chest hair). But it was great fun and we enjoyed dancing to many of the hits.  I even tried my hand at the slots, and as usual, it was a loss.  I have been on such a dry spell of late.  But again, good fun.

Neil Diamond concert at the Coloundra RSL. 

Another dress???