Lingering Look at Windows : Tolga

After a week of very welcome rain, the sun is back and the temperatures are soaring, more like summer than early spring. Records are falling all over the state. So time for a country drive to explore another area.

Several people mentioned the village of Tolga as a must see. The Tolga Woodworks Gallery, I had been told, is outstanding.

In a country of such vast distances between attractions the Tablelands are an exception. A pleasure to explore as so many places are within an hours drive in all directions from Malanda.

We were not misinformed about Tolga. The Gallery featured a stunning display of craft and art by North Queensland’s finest artisans. Many of the pieces are crafted in an adjoining studio and the workmanship is truly outstanding.

This particular piece of art, crafted in wood had a story that touched my soul. I read the accompanying script and as I stood there I felt I had become part of the audience that witnessed this magic moment.

Making music with what you have left

I wonder if you felt as I did as you read that moving story, then looked at the sculpture of the violin with the broken string. Sometimes you come across a work of art that will stay with you forever.

Then I noticed a large painting of lorikeets in all their vibrant glory, unmistakably done by William Cooper. Take a look at the gallery web page, this Gallery in this small town deserves the description as ” a most prestigious woodworking centre showcasing a superb collection of woodwork and craft.”

Time for lunch and the Gallery Café served a delicious array of meals using the freshest local produce with flair and imagination. Then I remembered it was Thursday, windows day. I noticed the louvered window at the far end of the café balcony area framed a perfect Banksia. Lit by the sun it became a work of art, a sculpture created by nature.

Banksia

After lunch we went for a walk along the short main street and look what we found…

On the way home we drove past Tinaroo Dam, a large man-made lake that was built between 1953 and 1958 for the irrigation of the fertile Tablelands farming areas

It was the first large dam in Queensland built primarily for irrigation. Its construction opened up new areas to farming and allowed different crops to be trialled.

Tinaroo Lake

Lake Tinaroo

These huge irrigation machines (is that the correct name?) are everywhere

Signs of spring growth is every where

This post is inspired by the challenge from Dawn of “the day after” to show off windows we have found on our travels. Visit her post to see more windows bloggers from round the world have found to show us