We are staying at the Starlight Motor Inn a group of 15 or so motel rooms a short walk from McDowell St the Main Street of Roma. The conference is being held over at the Maranoa Region Town Hall where we register and pick up the conference bag and our tickets for breakfast and the conference dinner on Saturday night.
Kerry has some child hood memories of Roma and tracks down one of her relations on whom we spring a surprise visit. After our visit we walk to the Maranoa Regional Council Chambers where we register and then we take a walk through McDowell St and see some of the historic buildings of Roma. The Western Star building, The School of Arts former hotel, The Commonwealth Hotel to name a few.
After a bit of a kip we join Ros and Julie for drinks then a walk to the nearest pub for dinner. Early to bed as we have a big day tomorrow.
I start the day at 5.30 am with a walk around the town for an hour. I walk past the Commonwealth Hotel around to the Courthouse and two interesting old houses, down the main street and check out the biggest bottle tree in Roma (9m around its girth). From there I walked down to the park by the Big Rig and spotted the Roma Rotarians setting up for breakfast in the grounds of the Big Rig. I also encountered a flock of Red Rumped Parrots, a flock of Apostle birds and a Crested Pidgeon. By the time I got back to our motel the Sun was well and truly risen and the atmosphere was heating up.
Breakfast was a Rotary BBQ held in the grounds of the Big Rig a museum on the Gas and Petroleum Exploration Industry. It was basic but a good way to start the conference. At the breakfast there was an old slab hut (Slab Hut Museum) giving us the chance for a group photo (minus 1). Lenroy’s Hut built in 1893 by Thomas Keegan for his family of wife and 9 children was moved to Roma for preservation.
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