A QUAINT, remote little western Queensland property at Eulo is a treasure trove of unusual things, from taste sensations to touches of whimsy.

At Palm Grove Date Farm, Ian and Nan Pike offer a fascinating range of products, most of which have their beginnings as either dates or figs. Try the date wine. It comes in three styles - dry, sweet and one that’s in between. Enjoy the superb sticky date liqueur.

You can also buy lusciously moist fresh dates, date chews, delicious date spreads (date and ginger, date and chilli) and date topping. Other products using date extracts are moisturising creams and a foot cream.

Then there are the figs. Try them sun dried, pickled or as jam. And the figs in port are to die for! The newest offering will be a fig salad dressing. Ask after it when you’re there. And if you get hooked on any of the products, you can order them by mail order.

While you’re there, browse through the House of Stuff. You’ll find good stuff, young stuff, old stuff, used stuff ... everything from a clothes wringer to old lights and cooking utensils to an early computer.

One wall of the shed is made from petrol tins - a time-honoured bush building material! - while another is lined with ripple iron. And out the front is a galvanised steel post which they call their camel post – not because it was a hitching rail for camels but because camels were used to carry these posts when the overland telegraph line was being erected.