GREY NOMADS

TOOWOOMBA (nicknamed 'The Garden City') is a regional city in the Darling Downs region in the Australian state of Queensland. It is 125 km  west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road.  The estimated urban population of Toowoomba as of June 2017 was 135,631. A university and cathedral city, it hosts the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers each September and national championship events for the sports of mountain biking and motocross. There are more than 150 public parks and gardens in Toowoomba. It has developed into a regional centre for business and government services. It is also referred to as the capital of the Darling Downs. Toowoomba is served by Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport and the smaller Toowoomba City Aerodrome. Toowoomba is the second most populous inland city in the country after the national capital of Canberra. Since 2015 it has also become one of the fastest growing towns in the country, with low unemployment and an increase in infrastructure leading to employment generation. This plate comes standard as a  flat and non-embossed plate and for a little more cost we are able to give it a pressed out embossed border, so you have a choice. Please select your preference from the drop down menu. These novelty number  plates are made from high quality aluminium and the artwork applied by a dye sublimation process with a lovely gloss finish. They measure 37 x 13 cm, exactly the same as the traditional fully embossed type of plate and look just like our other Aussie made novelty number plates; even the mounting holes are in exactly the same positions, so they can easily be hung on display indoors or outdoors. One great advantage the flat non-embossed version is that owing to the absence of embossed border, and being just under 1 mm thick, it’s quite flexible and will flex about 10 cm from the centre, so can be mounted on curved surfaces. Each embossed rim style plate is sealed in a clear plastic sleeve, and each flat non-embossed plate is shrink-sealed in plastic film, so both types are ready for retail display, plus we offer the option of fixing them to a cardboard display card, so they can then be hung and displayed on the same display racks that are used for the other Aussie size plates we sell. To see what the display card looks like please click here. For protection during delivery we use extra packing materials to ensure they arrive in tip-top condition The design and photography of this plate is the property of Dixie Souvenirs If you would like plates or signs made to your own design, we can easily do this for you. Virtually anything you want can be created with our modern digital equipment.  The key is good art, and we can do ANY GRAPHIC!    ANY DESIGN!    ANY COLOUR! For more details on how to create a sign or plate to YOUR design PLEASE CLICK HERE Important note about images we provide : Just as we sometimes see that “pricing is subject to change without notice”, so too are “designs subject to change without notice”. In 99.99% of cases, what you see on Dixie’s website or brochure is what you get. However, there are the odd times when designs have changed in some small way (eg: maybe a logo moves to a different location on the item, or the colour changes). Sometimes this information doesn’t always trickle down until the new designs are manufactured and shipped to Dixie. We hope this is helpful and understandable. TOOWOOMBA AS DESCRIBED BY A TOURISM WEBSITE - see this link HERE Toowoomba is Queensland's largest inland city. It occupies a commanding position atop the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, 700 metres above sea level. As the regional capital for the Darling Downs, Toowoomba has long been a major centre for commerce, industry and education. Wealthy pastoralists sent their offspring to one of the many private schools where they mixed with the children of local merchants and professionals. With suburban growth, especially since World War II, a stately city centre with lush parklands has had to compete with huge suburban shopping centres. By the early 1840s most of the Darling Downs was taken up by pastoral runs. Near the intersection of the Eton Vale, Westbrook and Gowrie runs a rudimentary settlement occurred, convenient for passing stockmen. Known as The Springs, it included a permanent settler Thomas Alford. He named the place Drayton, soon after his arrival in 1842, after the village of Drayton in Somerset, England. About six km north-east of Drayton there was a marshland, Drayton Swamp. Its almost perennial dampness was an answer to the dry spells that beset Drayton, and in 1852 Alford moved his residence to the swamp area. The location had good market garden land, a better track down the Range to Brisbane and more passing traffic. Local interests had the area surveyed for farm lots and a township. Alford named his residence Toowoomba, based on an Aboriginal expression describing the swamp or a small native melon (not endemic to the area). Neither has been verified. FARMS, SCHOOLS AND GARDENS Farm lot sales proceeded throughout the 1850s and urban settlement gradually moved from Drayton to Toowoomba. A hotel was opened in 1856, and another the following year, although the best in the district remained the Bull and Mouth (1847) in Drayton. Church of England and Presbyterian churches were opened in 1857 and 1859. In 1860 Drayton interests proposed the creation of a local government division to include both Drayton and Toowoomba, but the latter opposed any such union. Led by William Groom, Toowoomba achieved recognition as a municipality in 1860. Groom, formerly a transported convict and Drayton storekeeper, became Toowoomba's first mayor and a Queensland parliamentarian, ever intent on getting advantages for his local electorate. Farmers prospered on the upland soils, and in 1866 the Toowoomba and Drayton Agricultural Society held its first exhibition. Horticulture preoccupied the local council who took control of the 26 ha Queen's Park, formerly a Crown Reserve, in 1865. Toowoomba's garden city reputation began with this park, 8 ha larger than Brisbane's Botanic Gardens. William Groom chaired the formation in 1875 of the Toowoomba Permanent Benefit Building and Investment Society, a facility for local saving and building finance. Over 100 years later the Society amalgamated with another building society to form the Heritage Building Society and redevelop a city block for its new headquarters. With a population of about 4000 people Toowoomba was described in 1876 in the Australian Handbook: Education in Toowoomba began with the Church of England St Luke's school in 1856. Three more private schools were opened before the first National School in 1865. Twenty more private schools were opened by 1900. The survivors of those early schools include Toowoomba Boys' Grammar (1876) and Christian Brothers' College (1899). Several more private secondary schools which opened during the next century made Toowoomba a regional educational centre. Agriculture and industry underpinned the economy. The Darling Downs were a fertile grazing and cereal-growing area and the upland ranges provided timber for mills, pasture for dairying and markets for agricultural implement makers. The Toowoomba Foundry (1874) began with farm equipment such as troughs, wool presses and wagons and diversified into wind pumps, steam engines and locomotives. Its Southern Cross wind pumps became a national emblem. Defiance Milling (flour) began in 1898 and by 1983 had 40% of Queensland's flour trade and bread market. The approach from Brisbane to Toowoomba was by a toll road. Telegraphic communication with the capital began in 1861. In 1867 railway communication spread from Toowoomba, west to Jondaryan and east to Gatton. Rail connection to Brisbane was completed in 1876. Toowoomba and nearby Gowrie Junction became a railway hub with lines to Crows Nest, Wallangarra (New South Wales) Pittsworth and Allora (1886-97). Further branches from the main western line were opened to Haden, Millmerran, Cooyar and Cecil Plains (1910-19). CAPITAL OF THE DARLING DOWNS By 1900 most of the pastoral estates had been resumed for closer-settlement. The livestock saleyards, however, were kept busy with cattle from the western plains. A butter factory was opened by the Downs Co-operative Dairy Association in 1905 and by 1919 it had branch factories at Clifton, Miles, Dalby and Crows Nest. A similar enterprise arose from dairy farmers feeding skimmed milk to pigs, the Darling Downs Co-operative Bacon Association (1910), which constructed a factory at Willowburn, 4 km west of Toowoomba. Toowoomba was described in the 1903 Australian handbook: Toowoomba was known both as the 'Gateway to' and 'Queen City of' the Darling Downs, being raised to the status of 'city' in 1904. Its touristic and recreational qualities were confirmed by the Governor taking the Harlaxton homestead as his summer residence: the Darling Downs Souvenir booklet (1906) observed that 'nearly 2000 feet above the level of the sea Toowoomba is blessed with a glorious clime. Even the hottest summer days are followed by lovely cool nights'. It predicted that tourists would be attracted in large numbers. For Anglo-Celtic and German populations, the ease with which exotics such as plane trees, willows and Norfolk Island pines grew in Toowoomba was a balm to heat-oppressed minds. Annuals and perennials grew equally well in a climate both temperate and sub-tropical. The Spring Carnival of Flowers became a major tourist attraction, with dahlias 10 inches in diameter. Architecture also tended to the exotic, avoiding the raised timber houses typical in other parts of the state, and using finely cut Helidon stone for public buildings. Monuments were erected to local notables and heroes, including George Essex Evans (patriotic poet) and Littleton Groom, lawyer and politician, son of William. William Peak, one of the founders and a life member of the Toowoomba Agricultural and Horticultural Society, was commemorated in a drinking fountain, while World War I casualties were remembered in the Mothers' Memorial. In 1946 the Australian Blue Book described the 'Capital of the Darling Downs': By 1949 its population was about 40,000. Half a century later this figure had doubled. Although its long term postwar growth did not match that of Townsville and Cairns, the population increase was impressive for an inland city. Manufacturing remained important, recording 13.5% of total employment in 1976 and 12.2% in 2001. This was despite the decline of the Downs dairy industry and the loss of the co-operative butter and bacon factories. Wholesale and retail employment, however, recorded more than one-fifth of total employment, 22.7% in 1976 and 22.4% in 2001. Ruthven Street and adjoining thoroughfares constituted the retail heart of Toowoomba until the 1980s when the Clifford Gardens (1983) and Village Fair (1989) drive-in centres to the west of the city centre were opened. The Grand Central, with a Myer department store, is a short distance from Ruthven Street. Suburban drive-ins on the residential outskirts are fewer than in other large regional cities. In 1967 the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education was opened in south-suburban Darling Heights, converting to the University of Southern Queensland in 1992. Also on the outskirts of Toowoomba are the airport, Clifford Park Racecourse and the show ground, venue for the Royal Show each March. Easy access from Brisbane, first by rail and then by road, helped make Toowoomba a popular tourist destination. Motorists had access to comprehensive tour guides in the 1930s, and the Carnival of Flowers has been an annual drawcard since 1950. Jack McCafferty (1914-1999) developed a bus business in Toowoomba from 1940. McCafferty served as Lord Mayor from 1958 to 1967 and his bus business grew into a major national firm. Prior to the twentieth century, Toowoomba's importance grew as a regional commercial centre for distribution and finance, together with a growing role in education. Toowoomba has about 50 sites in the central city and inner suburbs listed on the Queensland heritage register. In the main thoroughfare, Ruthven Street, there are the Defiance Flour Mill and the next door Foundry (c1911) near the railway station, Piggots department store (1910), the Alexandra building (1902), the White Horse Hotel (c1900) and the clock-towered city hall (1900). The railway station and yards (1873) are also heritage-listed. In Neil Street there are St Patrick's Cathedral (1883), a massive masonry edifice, Wesley Church (1877), the adjoining Empire Theatre (1911) and the court house (1876). Around the corner in Margaret Street there is the clock-towered former post office (1878), and elsewhere in Margaret Street the Strand Theatre (1915) and the former Toowoomba Technical College (1911). Other religious and civic buildings in the heritage list include the Anglican St James complex (1869) in Mort Street, the Anglican St Lukes complex (1897) in Herries Street, the Lutheran Concordia College (formerly Redlands, 1889) in Stephen Street and the Soldiers memorial hall (1923) in Herries Street. Toowoomba's best-known philanthropist, Clive Berghofer, made his money out of suburban development. He served as Mayor of the Council from 1982-1992 and as National Party member for Toowoomba South from 1986 to 1991. He opposed the referendum on recycled water for Toowoomba in 2006, suggesting that his town ran the risk of being called 'Poowoomba'. FLOODS 2011 In contrast to the water shortage in 2006, a change of climate delivered a downpour on 10 January 2011. Toowoomba’s swamp history was amply demonstrated when a wall of water poured down East and West Creeks, merging into Gowrie Creek north of the railway station. There was localised flash flooding of Chalk Drive (beside East Creek), Margaret Street, Campbell Street and Russell Street. There were two drowning deaths. (The water proceeded onwards to the Condamine and, perhaps at some future time, the mouth of the Murray River.) There have been previous flash floods, often blamed on poor drainage and silting, further evidence of Toowoomba’s origin as a swamp. In March 2008 Toowoomba City was amalgamated with Cambooya, Clifton, Crows Nest, Jondaryan, Pittsworth and Rosalie Shires to form Toowoomba Regional Council, with an estimated population of 153,000.

COFFS HARBOUR is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, 540 km north of Sydney, and 390 km south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with an estimated population of 71,822 in 2018. Coffs Harbour's economy was once based mainly on bananas, now being superseded by blueberries as well as tourism and fishing. The wider region is known as the Banana coast. The city has a campus of Southern Cross University, a public and a private hospital,  several radio stations, and three major shopping centres. Coffs Harbour is near numerous national parks, including a marine national park. There are regular passenger flights each day to Sydney and Melbourne departing from Coffs Harbour Airport. Coffs Harbour is also accessible by road, by NSW TrainLink, and by regular bus services. Coffs Harbour is a regional city along the Pacific Highway between Newcastle and The Gold Coast. It has become a major service centre for those living between South West Rocks in the south and Grafton to the north. The surrounding region is dominated by coastal resorts and apartments with hinterland hills and mountains covered by forests, banana plantations, and other farms. It is the only place in New South Wales where the Great Dividing Range meets the Pacific Ocean. This plate comes standard as a  flat and non-embossed plate and for a little more cost we are able to give it a pressed out embossed border, so you have a choice. Please select your preference from the drop down menu. These novelty number  plates are made from high quality aluminium and the artwork applied by a dye sublimation process with a lovely gloss finish. They measure 37 x 13 cm, exactly the same as the traditional fully embossed type of plate and look just like our other Aussie made novelty number plates; even the mounting holes are in exactly the same positions, so they can easily be hung on display indoors or outdoors. One great advantage the flat non-embossed version is that owing to the absence of embossed border, and being just under 1 mm thick, it’s quite flexible and will flex about 10 cm from the centre, so can be mounted on curved surfaces. Each embossed rim style plate is sealed in a clear plastic sleeve, and each flat non-embossed plate is shrink-sealed in plastic film, so both types are ready for retail display, plus we offer the option of fixing them to a cardboard display card, so they can then be hung and displayed on the same display racks that are used for the other Aussie size plates we sell. To see what the display card looks like please click here. For protection during delivery we use extra packing materials to ensure they arrive in tip-top condition The design and photography of this plate is the property of Dixie Souvenirs If you would like plates or signs made to your own design, we can easily do this for you. Virtually anything you want can be created with our modern digital equipment.  The key is good art, and we can do ANY GRAPHIC!    ANY DESIGN!    ANY COLOUR! For more details on how to create a sign or plate to YOUR design PLEASE CLICK HERE Important note about images we provide : Just as we sometimes see that “pricing is subject to change without notice”, so too are “designs subject to change without notice”. In 99.99% of cases, what you see on Dixie’s website or brochure is what you get. However, there are the odd times when designs have changed in some small way (eg: maybe a logo moves to a different location on the item, or the colour changes). Sometimes this information doesn’t always trickle down until the new designs are manufactured and shipped to Dixie. We hope this is helpful and understandable. COFFS HARBOUR AS DESCRIBED BY THE GREY NOMADS WEBSITE - see this link HERE I’m afraid no self-respecting grey nomad can miss out on Coffs Harbour … even if they want to. What would the friends and rellies say if you got back home and couldn’t show them a pic of you next to the Big Banana? Nah, love it or loathe it, that giant, curvy, yellow structure is so integral to a trip around Australia that it’s probably what put the Big in the Big Lap. OVERVIEW Coffs Harbour’s other claim to fame, of course, is its legendary sub-tropical climate, reputedly the most perfect in Australia. Beautiful in winter, not too hot in summer. Be warned though, that Coffs Harbour is a high-rainfall area and sometimes when it rains … it really rains. If you are unlucky, you might cop for a good drenching over a good couple of days. Don’t let it put you off, though, because Coffs Harbour is a magical place. It’s where the mountains meet the sea and, despite its beach paradise reputation, it has a lot more to offer than sun, surf and sand. Nonetheless, the beaches are magnificent … and numerous. Both to the north and south, glorious stretches of uncrowded golden sand make it easy to just sit and stare. If you’re into fishing, then you’re also in the right place. This is a top spot whether you’re ready to go out on a game fishing boat or simply wanting to dangle a line off the wooden jetty with the locals. Coffs has grown a lot in recent years and, with the population, have come improved facilities. There’s great shopping, great restaurants and, it has to be said, great caravan parks to suit all budgets. There is also some excellent national park camping at Station Creek and Minnie Water in Yuraygir National Park to the north. IN THE AREA Some wonderful seaside villages nearby provide a nice alternative if you’re looking for a quieter place to park up or just take a stroll. To the south, Sawtell and its historic First Avenue, and Urunga and its spectacular river estuary location spring immediately to mind. Both offer superbly located waterfront van parks. The same can also be said of Red Rock and the underrated township of Woolgoolga to the north. They are stunning. Yet it is in the hinterland that the Coffs Harbour area surprises most. The country around Bellingen is green and beautiful and, if you’ve got a DVD player in the van you might want to watch Danny Deckchair while you’re in the region. The movie (which incidentally isn’t bad at all) was filmed in the township. Bellingen is set on the magnificent Bellinger River and it boasts a lovely ‘oldy worldy’ feel. It hosts the highly-rated and always-entertaining community markets on the third Saturday of every month. It’s worth trying to make your visit coincide with this event. A little further inland is the mountain-top settlement of Dorrigo. It’s home to the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre where you can enjoy a skywalk above the world heritage listed rainforest. Bring a jumper though, you might notice a bit of a temperature drop from sunny Coffs Harbour. The drive from Coffs to Dorrigo is really the start of the much vaunted Waterfall Way, a drive some claim (probably a little ambitiously) nearly rivals the Great Ocean Road in its beauty. Even if you don’t keep pressing on along the Waterfall Way, if you get as far as Dorrigo make sure you visit Dangar Falls just outside town. The Coffs Harbour region then, for all its fame, is still full of surprises. Nomads who grab a quick Big Banana pic and then keep on rolling up or down the Pacific Highway are missing out on something just a little bit special. MAKE SURE YOU  ….  get your picture taken at the Big Banana; stroll down main street at ‘Sunny Sawtell’; visit the ‘Jetty’; consider climbing Muttonbird Island; visit  Dorrigo to check out the rainforest skywalk and spectacular Dangar Falls; head out to the newly renovated Sealy Lookout to enjoy spectacular views over Coffs Harbour and south along the coastline; try to get along to the community markets at Bellingen, west of Coffs.  . WHERE TO CAMP … numerous excellent caravan parks in Coffs Harbour and surrounding towns; great coastal camping at Station Creek and Minnie Water in Yuraygir National Park to the north; Platypus Flats camping area in the Nymboi-Binderay National Park to the west of Coffs is an idyllic riverside spot for those happy to get off  the bitumen.