"A homely spot for a weary soul"

There's a homely spot at even',
And a weary soul is bound
Where the purple jacarandas shed
Their blossom on the ground;
And the crimson rambler roses
Nestle freely 'midst the green
While the tall and stately fir tree
Towers proudly o'er the scene

Millicent Watson wrote these words nearly 100 years ago while she was a student at Lagoon Pocket School. The school is now long gone, but the new owners of the original headmaster's cottage have opened up a wonderful little B&B - our destination for the weekend!

Tony surprised me last week with a "mini weekend break" for the three of us (yes, Zack as well!). After a lazy start on Saturday morning we drove up the highway and took the Beerwah/Landsborough exit and headed for Maleny. Here we picked up fresh breadrolls and some chicken to complete our picnic basket of wine, strawberries and cheeses. We drove west from Maleny towards the southern end of the Mary Valley. From here we followed the Mary River north, past the Conondale National Park before stopping at a lovely picnic spot for a late lunch. Zack raced around the park chasing his tail, sniffing and exploring while Tony and I ate like Kings and Queens.

With full bellies we packed up and continued north on the tourist drive through Kenilworth, east of Imbil and the Amamoor National Park arriving at Lagoon Pocket Bed & Breakfast around 4'ish (about 15 minutes south of Gympie). It was such a lovely drive and so close to Brisbane - we highly recommend it!

The B&B is tucked in a quiet spot amongst the gum trees and hilly paddocks. The owners, James and Suzannah, are animal lovers and they adored Zack at first site! They've also got a dog - a collie called Tullah - and after a few growls the two "fur kids" were firm friends. Zack wasn't too keen on the chickens and cows though!!

We settled into our lovely cabin and went for a country ramble across the paddocks, down the road, passing by horses and dams, under the Mary Valley Rattler tracks and up over hills. The views of the valley at sunset were amazing - the sky was like a layer cake; green hills topped with orange, pink, mauve and blue icing.

For dinner we went into Gympie and were delighted with our meal at the alternative cafe-cum-art-gallery-cum-live-folk-music-venue, Abundant Soul. Our dinner was organic - grilled dory, wok-tossed vegies and potato bake. Yum!

On Sunday morning we were treated to a BBQ breakfast on the deck with farm eggs and home-made rolls with home-made spreads. Another yum! We said our goodbyes and headed south again to the Kenilworth Cheese Factory. After trying every sample on offer we settled for the garlic cheese.

We then wiled away an hour in the park listening to the local musicians playing for the Kenilworth Art Festival. Back in the car, we headed east up the steep Obi Obi Road to Mapleton, then winding back down through Nambour and Bli Bli to Mudjimba. Final destination: the doggie off-leash area on Mudjimba Beach.

After a run up and down the beach and a few tentative steps in the water, Zack mastered the doggie paddle! He had a bow wow of a time and was covered in sand from nose to tail! Here's a pick of our exhausted pooch after his frolick in the waves...

We drove home to the rythym of Zack snoring from the back seat. On our way, we stopped by Mum and Dad's to see my Grandma and Auntie Jill who are visiting from Sydney. After dinner and a chat we finally made it home around 10pm.

p.s. Zack spent the most part of Monday sound asleep. Obviously the excitment of new friends, the country air and a surf at the beach was just too much for our little pup!