We spent this morning strolling around Stanthorpe with our "tourist guide" John. He filled us in on a lot of the history of the area. In winter there is a Brass Monkey festival and here is the brass monkey in the main street.
Where does the saying ‘cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey’ originate? There are several accounts. One version suggests a brass monkey was the name given to a metal rack used to store cannon balls on sailing ships. Water would collect in these racks, and in winter it would freeze and expand, dislodging the balls so they spilled out of the racks. So that's one way to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!
Views of the town centre and post office
Prior to1872 this area boasted large pastoral runs. At that time, the area was known as ‘Quart Pot Creek’. With the discovery of tin and the influx of miners and new businesses, a ‘more suitable’ name was sought by the town fathers. Thus, Stanthorpe (meaning tin town) became the name which encompassed all, as this area became for a time, the largest alluvial tin mining and mineral field in Queensland. Now, of coarse this is a large fruit and grape growing and wine region. There are more than 50 wineries in the Granite Belt region.
The temperature has been quite warm here during the day, up to about 35 degrees, but cools down overnight to around 14.
The afternoon was spent relaxing and Peter having his "poppy nap", followed by happy hour.
Time for me to organise some dinner, so bye for now.
Love from
Lesley and Peter.
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