Hamilton Island Christmas

We decided to take advantage of our time off during the Christmas break and plan a few trips. We would have loved to go home for the holidays but plane fares were outrageous. So, we thought we would take an adventure and celebrate Aussie style, at the beach. So many people rave about Hamilton Island and the Whitsundays that it was the top destination on our list.

Arriving on Christmas Eve, we were greeted by our welcoming hostess and the rain. Much of the accommodation on the island is serviced condo style units which offer personal golf buggies as part of the transportation. After receiving our luggage in a pretty non-conventional way, from the back of compartments steered by mules, we followed our hostess to our condo on our own golf buggy. Our unit was nice and offered a pleasant view of the bay but it needed some Christmas flare.

After we decorated the unit and settled in, we made our way back to ‘town’ and had a nice lunch at the pizzeria next to the harbor. The rain had not let up so we were soaked but didn't mind too much since it was Christmas Eve and we were on an island, with a golf buggy for transport.

We enjoyed amazing Italian food and wine at one of the restaurants on Christmas Eve, not unlike going to Spaghetti Warehouse in Houston after church and the seeing the big Christmas Tree downtown. We woke up on Christmas and exchanged our presents then Skyped the family. It was so fun sharing the view with everyone and seeing how bundled everyone at home was. They even got to see the cockatoos try to attack us on the balcony. Skype is a wonderful thing!

We even got to watch our families open presents on their Christmas morning. We definitely missed the comforts of home though, turkey and dressing, apple pie, fajitas and guacamole. What? With so many Christmas dinners, you have to mix it up a bit. But overall, it was definitely a Christmas we will not forget.

On Sunday, the rain finally cleared up a bit and we took a ferry over to Dent Island which is the Whitsunday golf course. We enjoyed a very nice lunch and a tour of the back nine.

Monday was pretty cloudy but thank goodness it wasn't raining. We finally got to enjoy the beach and the pool a bit and were even able to get some sun through the clouds.

We had planned a tour on Tuesday which could not have worked out better for us since it was the nicest day of our stay. The boat took us to a snorkel spot close to the island, not the reef but attractive all the same. Then we stopped at Hill Inlet which overlooks Whitehaven Beach, voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It definitely has our vote! If you have not seen Fool’s Gold, you need to watch it, mostly because it's a great movie, ;) and because it was filmed in various parts of Australia including Whitehaven. In the movie it’s the Caribbean, but every tour guide in Australia reminds us of the truth. The breathtaking view from Hill Inlet speaks for itself and was the absolute highlight of our trip.

The last stop on the tour was Whitehaven itself. The sand on the beach is 98% silica and actually squeaks a little when you take a step. We didn't spend too much time in the water because they advise you to wear your Lycra suit since it was still stinger season. We didn't feel like dying from invisible jellyfish stings so we mostly kept to the beach.

Back on Hamilton, we once again visited the lookout for cocktails at sunset. Greg took his camera to capture a million more shots but the battery ran out right before the most amazing sunset we’ve ever witnessed. I’ve said that sometimes we rely on pictures too much as memories so we just took it all in as this was an experience that couldn't be captivated in a picture.

We very much enjoyed everything about Hamilton Island. The restaurants were amazing, the service was friendly and the islands beauty is overwhelming. Overall, we had an amazing experience and a wonderful Christmas adventure.

Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef

We arrived in Cairns on a rainy Friday afternoon. After checking into the hotel, we ventured out in the rain. It didn’t take long to learn this small town was built around tourism. Rightfully so as the views were amazing and the Great Barrier Reef is only a short boat ride away. The Esplanade is home to many quaint restaurants, mostly seafood, and shops.

Early Saturday morning we packed our beach bag and walked a few hundred feet from our hotel down to the main terminal at the harbour. After checking out the other reef boats, we were pleasantly surprised at the day tour we had chosen for our first GBR experience. The hospitality on the boat was extremely helpful and generous, thankfully so because it would be a long eight hours otherwise. The crew thoroughly briefed us on safety and the importance of our lovely, form fitting, Lycra stinger suits. The summer waters invite invisible jellyfish, some even lethal. Let me tell you, Lycra does not look good on anyone but we decided not to take any chances and ruin everyone’s vacation. The weather hadn’t let up too much from the day before, if anything, the winds had picked up. It was a bumpy, almost sea-sickening hour long ride out to the outer reef but we finally arrived at our first stop. We spit in our goggles, tugged at the Lycra suits, slipped on our fins and jumped in.

Immediately we saw colourful fish swimming around the endless corals. We floated around in the waves taking it all in for almost an hour. We spotted a reef shark resting below the shelter of the coral, a long, sly eel we couldn't catch for a picture and tons of Rainbow fish.

The second and third stop allowed for us to witness movement of huge blue clams and many Nemos. I actually spotted Nemos as big as my fist but the current was so strong, by the time I got to Greg and the camera, I forgot where I had seen them. Overall, the day could only really be described as a Discovery Chanel episode. Swimming along with the fish was everything we expected and more. Even though the visibility could have been better, the day was perfect.

On Sunday we woke up to the rain again but didn't let that hault our adventures. Cairns is home to more tourist options than just the reef or great water activities. The area is actually known as “Where the Rainforest meets the Reef.” We decided to participate in the amazing rainforest experience that the Sky Rail has to offer. Spanning 7.5 kilometres, the Sky Rail glides over the rainforest stopping at amazing lookouts on the way up to Kuranda. We enjoyed the amazing views of the Coral Sea and the Rainforest canopy on the way up to the Barron Falls.

Once we reached Kuranda, we shopped the somewhat unique, mostly not, markets. The town itself thrives on these markets and the tourist experiencing the Sky Rail and the Kuranda Railway. After walking the markets and failing to find anything we couldn't live without, we opted to take advantage of the other side of the mountain and decent by way of railway. Arriving at the stop at Barron Falls on the other side of the gorge, we were glad we did.

After navigating through bends and turns, the train reached the bottom of the mountain and we walked though the historical terminal on our way back to the hotel.

Feeling extremely satisfied with everything we experienced in Cairns, we headed back to Brisbane on the early flight Monday morning. We’ll definitely go back to experience the reef again but we were excited to be able to check that one off the bucket list.

Kayaking

Back to our favorite website, Spreets…. we purchased a voucher months ago for River Life which included kayaking, abseiling, rock climbing and roller blade or bike hire. With a completely free day, we chose to go kayaking on the Brisbane River.

Our instructor led us around the boat docks, under the Storey Bridge, around the bend and back again. We enjoyed the blazing sun the breeze in our face and the cool salt water that splashed down from the paddle. When we were getting out, a group of around 15 women were getting going. Two of them tumped over shortly after getting into the kayak. Reminded me of the Guadalupe and watching people get in at Texas Toobs. Only we didn’t have a cooler kayak, and we definitely had to work harder to get anywhere. We’ll definitely hire kayaks again and enjoy the city sites from alternative views.

Fishing Attempt - Number Two

We were all set to go fishing on Sunday. This time we watched the weather all week and didn’t make hotel reservations. However, we woke up on Saturday and the weather was beautiful. Our friend Fiona was down from the Sunshine Coast and wanted to enjoy the sunshine as well. On the way to the Gold Coast we decided that even if we didn’t go fishing, we could at least stay overnight and try to enjoy the beach on Sunday as a backup plan. So we booked a room at Jupiter’s Hotel and Casino from the iPhone on the way and not five minutes after confirming the reservation, the clouds rolled in. Things cleared up again but when we checked into the hotel and started walking towards the beach showers continued. Good thing we marched on in the rain because when we finally made it to the beach, the clouds disappeared and the sun came back out to stay.

 After soaking up enough sun, we enjoyed cold beverages and a snack at a café in Broadbeach. We walked back to the hotel and got ready for a night out, an early night out because we were set to go fishing at 6 am.

Before heading to the Hard Rock Café at Surfer’s Paradise, we had to stake out the casino and decided where we’d place our bets later. HRC, I imagine, is quite the same in a lot of places worldwide, but there’s no doubt it’s American. We enjoyed great food and great company and as promised, we headed to the casino when we got back to the hotel.

Security almost didn’t let me in to the casino because all I had was my TXDL. The guy even had to look at Greg’s to make sure it wasn’t fake. After I lost $20 on Roulette, Greg put in another $20 while I went to get him a beer. When I got back he was up to $80, not bad. We kept betting 29 black and it FINALLY hit! We decided to cash out and take our winnings, after all we were getting up in a few hours to go fishing. Not so fast, we had to play penny slots before we left. So I put in another $20 and hit the bonus games. The wheels kept spinning and when they finally stopped, I had won more than I thought in 20 minutes with 20 bucks. Cash out. When is the last time you went to a casino and it spit out your winnings in coins instead of tickets? No ticket machines at this casino. Luckily there are $1 coins though. We won enough to pay for the hotel room, not bad for a Saturday night.

Our alarm went off at 4:45AM. We arrived at the pier around 5:30 and found our fishing buddies, Ali, Frank and friends waiting for us. After everyone was onboard, we left on schedule and the guides informed us it should be a good day despite the fact the winds had unexpectedly picked up overnight. After leaving the protection of the bay and surviving the bumpy ride through the jetty, we hoped for the best. However, we immediately feared that with the 8-12 ft  waves, it would be a long day.

 Wave after wave, we held on as best we could and small talked with the guides in between swells. One mahi-mahi bit while we were on our way out and a guy reeled him in only to find he was a bit too small. Our excitement heighted as we once again hoped for the best. We finally weighed anchor. The guides demonstrated how to bait and drop our lines and let us loose.  Greg and I held on tight as we made our way to the back of the boat to our designated rods, trying not to look around at a few of our fellow fisherman/women chumming.

After casting my line I was watching intently, waiting for a bite. Not the best idea to stop looking at the horizon. As I contemplated waiting for the yuk feeling to pass, I could hear the guide asking for a show of hands of who was not feeling so well, yes sir, that would be me. At least four of the twelve people had already been sick and oh how I couldn’t help being number five. “There goes Texas over the back,” the captain said, “There’s no way we’re going to catch a fish in these conditions,” he continued. All of our lines were tangled and almost half of us were sick so they graciously took us back and refunded our vouchers. We were back on solid land by 7:45 and more thankful to get off a boat than ever before.

We decided not to let our sunny day go to waste and after a much needed breakfast back in Broadbeach, we spent a few hours by the hotel pool. After a tan and a snooze by the pool, we headed home. We still haven’t rebooked our fishing trip but we will try to go in February or so.

Toowoomba

The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers started in 1949 to boost the city’s appeal as “The Garden City,” and over 60 years later, the Carnival attracts thousands of visitors and raises over $40,000 a year for local charities. Greg heard about the Carnival at work. Knowing the weather wasn’t going to be great for the beach, we decided to go check it out. Sian so graciously volunteered to drive us, so all three of us enjoyed celebrating flowers. The festivities take place over two weekends. We missed the wine and food festival that goes along with the flower festival, but we feel like we probably skipped the crowd too.

On the way to Toowoomba, we decided to stop at Mt. Coo-tha, about 20 minutes outside the city to enjoy the best views over breakfast.

Sian had a brilliant idea when we arrived in Toowoomba: stop at the visitors’ center for a map of the best gardens.  Every year the city holds a competition for the best private gardens, or yards, but they also host beautifully landscaped public gardens. We visited two amazing exhibition gardens with bright, fragrant, creatively placed flowers and took tons of pictures.

At lunch time, we drove up to the lookout point and enjoyed more magnificent views of hills and valleys. After lunch we browsed around the Japanese garden much like the one in Memorial Park in Houston, only more extensive. The Japanese garden hosted at least three weddings that afternoon. We were so close to all of them that we forgot that we weren’t invited. Our final stop was the Grand Champion garden, a meticulously landscaped yard, front, back and sides. The homeowner’s were definitely not amateur gardeners and there was no shortage of time that went into planting where each and every flower was placed.

We learned that we don’t have to go to the beach every weekend to find amazing landscapes.

Fraser Island

As most of you who are close to us know that a typical conversation goes something like this. “What do you want to do this weekend?” “I don’t know what do you want to do?” This is precisely what we were asking each other on Friday at lunch time. We had been so busy all week that we didn’t book anything and our schedules on Friday were jam packed. So I’m sitting at my desk trying to dig my way out of emails and Greg sends me a link to Fraser Island Tours. We’ve heard lots about Fraser Island as a top Queensland destination so without much thought I called the company and book our reservation. Great, now that that is out of the way, I can go back to work. I didn’t take time to pay attention to pictures or tips on what to expect or what to wear.

None the less, this was going to be an adventure. Complete with rain forests, eucalyptus woodland, sand dunes and a 75 Mile Beach, Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. The Island is rich with history and is now World Heritage listed but I’ll leave you to Google it for further info.

Friday at rush hour, we pick up our rental car and plug Hervey Bay into the iPhone. It’s about a four hour drive to Hervey Bay so we knew we would arrive around 10. We stopped at Maccer’s (McDonald’s, Mickey D’s, Golden Arches, etc.) on the way. First time through the drive through on the left side of the car was a success. We checked in late and crashed from our long week and expectations for the next day.
We woke up early on Saturday as we had to be at the office at 7:45. As I got ready, I Sykped home and told them all about our exciting trip we had planned. So we finally walk out the door and checked in at the desk, apparently we were late because everyone on the bus was waiting on us. It was an interesting site I’m sure for them as well as me. Here I am with my swimmers, a dress and my beach bag all ready to go to the beach. Everyone else seemed to put together the fact that we would be walking along an uninhibited sand pit because they’re all wearing hiking boots, jackets and their convenient hiking backpacks.  Ah well, don’t think they would have appreciated me asking to run back into the hotel to change. The bus/four wheel drive/van takes us to the dock and we board the ferry over to Fraser. The trip takes about 30 minutes and holds around 100 people. Our vehicle was the first to let off the boat so we were on our way.

After about a 10 minute bumpy ride through the narrow path, we arrived at Lake Birrabeen for a 45 minute stop to enjoy the partial sun and the quiet lake. A few people decided to swim but the water was a bit too chilly. We took pictures of the untouched mountains behind the sparkling lake and sat on the white sandy beach.

We then got back on the vehicle which took us through Eurong, a small beachfront block of accommodations and restaurants, to the highway. The term highway is used a bit loosely here as the wide beach is the highway, complete with speed signs and all. There are no lane dividers or medians or if they were they were washed out by the tide. Low tide is the most reasonable time to travel on this 75 mile beach but our tour guide complained about the shape of the roadway. He was certain we were going to be bogged down in the mud but after careful maneuvering, luckily we did not get stuck. On the way to Happy Valley and our lunch break, we saw wild dingoes! The goofey tour guide told us he was not allowed to open the door of the vehicle, as if someone would want to get out. I have yet to see Koalas or Kangaroos in the wild (Greg saw a few on a golf course) but we were lucky to see wild dingoes on Fraser Island. They reminded me of the dogs we had growing up because they used to go burry any scrap food they were given and leave it to dig up later. Obviously the dingoes had done the same with a fish. We watched the momma dingo eat the fish and the male watch her and us. They were not fazed by the audience and pretty much acted like they knew they could do what they wanted anyway.

We arrived to our dining destination and didn’t so much hesitate to take advantage of the bar. We sat with a young couple from the UK and an older couple from the beaches south of Sydney. We all talked about our journeys to Hervey Bay, and Australia, and we discussed the trip thus far. Everyone pretty much agreed that our tour guide was very intelligent and passionate about Fraser, but undoubtedly a character. He talked in funny voices and said strange things but surprisingly didn’t get on anyone nerves, too bad. I’m sure it was all of the interesting and insightful fact he had to share.

After lunch we drove along the highway to the Coloured Sands also known as the Pinnacles. Sculptured by natures elements, these formations are truly one of Fraser Islands natural wonders. Next, we visited my favorite part of the tour, the Maheno Shipwreck. This massive ship was used as a hospital ship in World War I and was also used as a bombing practice in World War II. In 1935 the S.S. Maheno was in tow on it’s way to a Japanese scrap metal yard when it was caught in a cyclone and grounded on 75 Mile Beach. The owners decided it would cost too much to get back out to sea so they took the entire valuable interior and left it to deteriorate.

After taking our pics, we ventured to Eli Creek, our second swimming destination. This freshwater creek was surrounded by lush plants and nice boardwalk. We opted out of swimming, again the water was freezing, but enjoyed the view. After a quick stop for afternoon tea at the same restaurant, we drove back down the beach to Eurong. The way back was a bit sketchy but again, thank goodness we didn’t get stuck.

The last stop was a rainforest called Central Station. The walk through the rainforest was shorter than the one we walked at Byron Bay but the boardwalk was nicer and there weren’t any hills. Some of the trees were massive and the greenery was beautiful. Atlas, it was time to board the ferry and we ventured back to the mainland.

After the bus/four wheel drive/van dropped us off we quickly got changed and went to dinner. We chose a hopping place down the walkway from our hotel and enjoyed some cold beers and amazing seafood. We were exhausted and stuffed and called it a night. Sunday we had breakfast on the dock and got on the road. The journey back to Brisbane was another adventure in itself. We followed the iPhone which lead us around all kinds of back roads and gravel paths. We finally made it to Noosa on the way back and enjoyed a stroll along Hastings Street and quick lunch, love the veggie spring rolls. We arrived back in Brisbane Sunday evening and started asking again, “So what do you want to do next weekend?” “I don’t know, what do you want to do?”

Joy Ride

Here’s a little bit of background. One of the latest internet crazes is group buying. I’ve seen the sites like Groupon back home but when I heard about Spreets here in Australia, I had to check it out. First, there was a massage, haircut, mani package that all of the girls in the office bought, second, Tiger Moth Joy Ride. This was actually Greg’s pick, we’re both addicted now and we’ll be blogging about deep sea fishing in about three weeks thanks to Spreets. The way these sites work, they get local places to offer vouchers on the website, Groupon, Spreets, etc, for one day. If enough people commit to buying they voucher, they sell them at 50-60% off. Anyways, I’m supposed to tell you about our adventures, not how group buying sites work.

Tiger Moth airplanes were made in Australia and England starting in 1931 for the wars. The particular one we flew in was made in 1940 and flew in WWII. Many of the remaining planes are used for crop dusting, a boring retirement compared to flying over the Gold Coast of Australia day in and day out. When we arrived at the air field, a group of Japanese people were waiting around for the planes to come back down. Anxiously, so were we. We finally heard the engines and looked up to see a small, red plane, falling out of the sky, twisting on the way down. The Japanese group held up their cameras and screamed. The plane stopped what looked like was falling, and pulled back up, gathered itself and continued with the acrobatics. The group continued to scream. After what had to be a gut wrenching ride, the plane landed and the passenger moved slowly. Come to find out, the group was a film crew for a Japanese comedy show. We couldn’t understand a word they said, but judging by the enthusiasm and over exaggeration, we assumed it was a comedy.

Finally, they cleared out and it was our turn. We flipped a coin, Greg went first. I took a few pictures and watched him take off. I sat and entertained myself for a bit and waited for his return. After what felt like only 20 minutes, I heard the engine again, looked up, hung up the phone and snapped more pictures. Greg lands with a huge smile on my face and it was my turn to put on the leather bomber jacket and goggles. My nerves were running high before the take off. All week I told Greg, “I can’t tell my mom, she’ll freak out, I’ll just wait until I land.” I didn’t have time to think before I was in the air to lock the keys on my phone.

After a short runway and few seconds, I was in the air. Wow, things were looking smaller and smaller down there on the ground. After about a minute, you can see the coast. Absolutely breath taking.

The plane takes you closer and closer to the high rises on the Gold Coast, going over the water and looking at the beach. Sometimes you can even see the dolphins in the water.

The plane takes a sharp turn and heads back. As I was cruising along with the wind in my face I snapped some awesome pictures of the beach, and myself, naturally, but mostly enjoyed the ride. The whole trip is about 20-30 minutes and is absolutely amazing. It’s not as adrenaline pumping as sky diving, but calm and scenic and absolutely remarkable.

After a smooth landing, Greg came up to take pictures of me in the plane. The first thing he said was “You didn’t tell me not to tell your mom.” The text message conversation between them is hilarious. “She’s up in a plane.” “Plane, what plane?!? Who is this?! Spill it!, I’m going to kill you!” After taking more photos, talking to the pilot, buying a teeshirt and thanking our hosts, I had to call mom and calm her down. She finally laughed as I promised to upload pictures asap. I think that was the quickest I’ve ever uploaded pictures to Facebook.

There is nothing in the world like flying in a WWII airplane over the beautiful coast of Australia and we loved every second of it.

Riverfire

Riverfire, which is held at the beginning of Riverfestival, includes a choreographed display of fireworks. Using some of the most advanced pyrotechnic technology, Riverfire is one of Brisbane'smost popular annual celebrations. It includes 30 minutes of non-stop pyrotechnics and fireworks from Brisbane's three major bridges (the Victoria Bridge, the Story Bridge, and the Goodwill Bridge), as well as from boats and buildings, and often includes a flyover and "Dump and-burn" from one or more of the F-111 Strike aircraft based at RAAF Amberley. Dump-and-burn of Riverfire 2010 was able to be seen as far as the Gold Coast and Toowoomba as the F-111 climbed from 300 ft to a higher altitude of about 10,000 ft. (Wikipedia).

We were invited to hang out with our Exxon friends for Riverfire and headed over to one of the guy’s apartments. We brought out our own artillery and took queso over. Again watching Aussies clean out the dip bowl. There were several Americans also impressed of our importing tactics. We actually did the math and are perhaps starting a side business soon.

We had a perfect front row balcony seat viewing the Storey Bridge. The fireworks began and they synchronize them to the radio. This was a pretty spectacular fireworks show but the dump and burn was icing on the cake. The planes light up the night sky with the huge fireballs. It was so fun to be a part of the so called last year for the F-111s to do the dump and burn.

Noosa Longboards

Greg surprised me by planning a trip to Noosa and on Saturday morning we drove north. We drove along the Sunshine Coast for about two hours and after a few wrong turns, we finally arrived in Noosa. Finding our resort was somewhat of a challenge but we were pleasantly surprised when we finally arrived at the quiet retreat tucked away in the hills. We checked in to our hotel and immediately wished it was our apartment. It was new, fresh and lovely which made it a perfect getaway spot.

Famished, we walked down the hill to the buzzing Hastings Street. We settled for an outdoor cafe and I decided on the veggie spring rolls. (I don’t always like to talk about food, but these were so good, we actually went back the next day.) The sun was shining and we hustled back to the hotel room to put our swimmers on and rushed to the beach. We skipped the shops and made our way down to the beautiful white sands and found a nice spot to throw down our beach towels.

Bliss. I read, Greg people watched. Once he started to get red, we decided to go grab a bottle of wine and a snack and go back to the hotel room. We sat on our balcony enjoying the serenity and just relaxed. Dinner was nothing to write home about but they can’t all be winners.

The next day we woke up early to enjoy our Sunday in the sun. Before lunch we walked up and down Hastings Street, this time venturing into all of the shops and boutiques. We ventured into the Noosa Longboards shop which I fell in love with.

This locally owned shop is like Hollister, only authentic, and I can fit in their clothes. They have skateboards, surfboards, books, DVDs clothes, hats, shoes, soaps, pictures, memorabilia and even a pinball machine. The owner was super nice and quick to strike up conversations, and, he didn’t even ask if we were Canadian! I tried to stop myself from buying an adorable maxi dress, I even walked out of the shop, but I eventually walked back in and purchased it. My shopping habits are different here, I find that I hold out for the special items that mean more than going to the mall to find something for that day. We love the markets and the
boutique shops and our wallets can tell.

After we were shopped out, we found a plot of sand and relaxed on the beach again. Again, Greg started getting red so we decided to leave Noosa and take the scenic trip back to Brisbane. We left the comfort of the GPS and followed the signs on the Tourist Drive to the Glasshouse Mountains. The Glass House Mountains were named by Captain James Cook as he sailed north up the coast of what is now Queensland in 1770 as part of his epic voyage aboard his ship HM Bark Endeavour. They were so called as the shape of the mountains reminded him of the huge glass furnaces (glasshouses) back in his native Yorkshire. (Wikipedia)

You can see the majestic mountains from the highway and all the way up the narrow tourist drive but each kilometre is more and more beautiful and when you finally reach the lookout point the almost 360 degree view leaves you speechless. We had an absolutely wonderful weekend taking in the views from beaches to mountains and definitely plan to go back to Noosa again.

Rugby and Coolangatta!

So it's been a while but here's a quick catch up. We went to our first Rugby game, so much fun! It was pretty tame compared to what we expected. Australia won! We still don't understand the game but still had a blast.

The next day we went for a runjogwalk around the city in the drizzle. We're runwalkjogging the Bridge to Brisbane which the locals participate in every year. This year it supports Children with Autism and it's on the 29th of August. As planned, we enjoyed dinner and drinks at the Storey Bridge Hotel, SBH, with Stephanie. One of the three restaurants was hosting Christmas in July. It was rainy and chilly outside and appropriate for the so called holiday, but we ate at the more happening side of the SBH.

On the 30th, we rented a car and went to Coolangatta for the weekend. After sitting in traffic, we arrived a little before 5:00 giving us enough time to take pictures from our balcony before deciding where to go to dinner.

We ended up at Aztec. That's right, we gave in and had Mexican food for the first time in Australia. After an intense conversation with the waitress who told Stephanie it was indeed too complicated to put refried beans on a separate plate, we all ordered enchiladas. For most Mexican food restaurants I've ever eaten at, it's not a hard concept to serve enchiladas with rice and beans. However, the idea has not caught on in Australia. Neither has cilantro. They also seem to think black olives is an acceptable garnish for burritos. Fair enough. We did not get sick and it was actually acceptable for as desperate as we are for Mexican food. After dinner we walked down the street to what we thought was an iviting beach pub. Ha. They wouldn't get Greg in with his flip flops, aka, thongs, so he went back to the hotel and changed his shoes. Fifteen minutes later, the big so called security guy with an unmistakable mullet walked over and told Steph and I that we would need to finish our drinks because we were wearing flip flops, aka thongs. We looked around as if saying, "Buddy, look around, we're the least of your worries." However, out of fear of being deported, we obediently left to change our shoes. When we came back, as luck would have it, ten other people came in the bar wearing thongs, cut off shirts or fifthly tennis shoes, not to mention, more mullets. None the less, we told the so called security guard how we felt and after he tried to chat up Greg, we left.

Saturday we were supposed to go whale watching but the hostess called to tell me it was too windy and we would have to go on Sunday. Fine, beach day it is. It was overcast and somewhat chilly but we had a great, relaxing day. Greg went and walked around while me and Steph tried to lay out. It looked like it was going to rain so we took that opportunity to take a much needed nap.

Greg, of course, came back hungry and told us to get up. After lunch, we found a quiet spot on the beach and enjoyed the rest of the sun.

We had pizza and beer for dinner and debated on trying to go back to the same bar. We we found out it was $10 to get in, we respectfully declined.

We woke up to a beautiful surf on Sunday, completely different than Saturday. The wind had died down and we knew it would be an exciting day.

Yes, it is winter here, and yes, there are sharks. However, Greg and I geared up in wet suits for our surf lesson with Dan. We both surfed, one, better than the other, but I did in fact stand up on the board. The whole objective of surfing right? No shark bites or major injuries so surfing was a success!

Whale watching was also a success! We set out from the Tweed Heads Golf Course, which is really a country club/casino. We tried to have lunch there with no success, evidently Sunday's are pretty popular with the locals. After about fifteen minutes on the boat we saw the first whale. He came right next to the boat but kept going, so did we. We stopped to see a whale who actually jumped out of the water for us.

Next stop, momma whale and her baby. They came right up to the boat! The guides were so excited about seeing momma and baby. Greg said he saw the hostess in the bottle shop afterwards probably buying some bubbly to celebrate. Their video footage was supposed to be on the local news that night but we didn't see it. After leaving momma and new born, we saw two whales jumping together. They were magnificent!!!

We tried to get as many pictures as possible but didn't want to view the whole experience behind the camera screen. Which is why most of my pictures are of the sky or water but we did manage some cool shots. Overall, our weekend in Coolanagatta was amazing and we had so much fun!

That's all for now. We'll fill you in on the rest as it happens. Hope y'all have a wonderful week!!

Sunday Funday

After a really long week and full on work trip, all I wanted to do was sleep on Sunday. However, Greg drug me out of bed and we had a nice Sunday Funday. Brisbane is really big on markets. We have markets on Wednesdays which are fresh produce, food and treats. Southbank markets which are trendy up and coming designers and local vendors of jewelry, clothes, trinkets, etc. And Eagle St. Pier markets every Sunday which are similar to Southbank markets but offer unique gifts ideas and treats. We’ve passed the markets at the pier a number of times but haven’t stopped so Sunday we made a point to do so. We bought a few things but mostly looked at everything the locals had to offer.

Around noon we took the City Cat over to New Farm which is a nice suburb with huge parks and beautiful river front apartments. We walked, and walked and walked, trying to decide if New Farm is an area in which we would want to live. The jury is still out on that but we’ll see soon.

We finally turnaround and walked back to where we got off the City Cat to a place called The Powerhouse. This is an old warehouse type building which always has something to offer in terms of food, drinks, art and live entertainment. We met Stephanie and enjoyed people watching from the downstairs restaurant and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon.

Greg and I caught the City Cat back to the city and just so happened to pass our favorite $7 beer and pizza Sunday special restaurant. How ironic huh? Early evening, we had about enough and called it a weekend.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow I leave to go to Perth and I get back very early Friday morning. For most of you, I’m sure you’re wondering what in the world that means to you in terms of time. I don’t know either. Saturday we’re either going to look at apartments or go to the driving range and then Saturday night we’re going to the Australia vs. South Africa rugby game. No, we don’t get it yet, but it will be so much fun! We’ll check out the Storey Bridge Hotel, which is actually a pub, on Sunday and try to get some rest in between. Next weekend we’re going to Coolangota which may sound familiar, we passed through there on our way to Byron Bay last month. The beaches look beautiful and we’re going whale watching. We’re so excited and we’ll post more as it happens.

We miss you all so much and hope to talk to you soon! We’re going to have to start staying up late or getting up earlier. We want to hear what’s going on will y’all too!!

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Yesterday we went to the Koala Sanctuary about 20 minutes outside the city. We had so much fun watching the cuddly little cutties.

We also watched the kangaroos lounge around, the wallabies hop and the emus stare oddly at us (not as cute as the others but neat to see).

One of the fluffy wombats waddled his fat body over to the glass where we were standing like it was time for him to be fed. They’re very interesting creatures, haven’t figured them out yet. We also saw birds, crocodiles, a platypus, Tasmanian devils and some of Australia’s most poisonous snakes. There was even a beautifully colored peacock running around the food court with the ugly bush turkeys trying to pick up on scraps.

Born in the USA

On the Fourth of July we went to Stephanie’s for a party to celebrate American Independence day with the Australians, Brits and a few more Americans. We fixed burgers, mac ‘n cheese and potato salad and of course DIP!!! Queso and ranch dip to be exact. YUM! (Thanks again for our care package Debra and Amy!)

Of course we had a great time! Steph even fixed Root Beer Floats. We proudly wore our boots and I even wore my pistols necklace (not too sure how that was perceived really.) I was asked if everyone in Texas has a gun. I’ll let most of you answer that question. Most people here have not heard the term “shoot first, ask questions later.” Disclaimer: this is a joke, we do not abide by this advice.

(Thanks Mom!) Our care package from Mom came on the 6th which was loaded with the most adorable pictures of Nash, a few of my dresses and most entertaining, “How to Speak Texan in 30 Minutes.” I took it to the office and everyone got a kick out of it. One of our British visitors asked if I really say “This aint my first rodeo.” OF COURSE I DO!! They also asked if there was really a place called Waxahachie. Yes, one of my really great friends parents live there, love you Jill!

Steph and I get a kick out of making the girls in the office listen to world class country songs such as “Honkeytonk Badonkadonk,” “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy,” and “Boot Scootin Boogie.” They snicker every time one of those amazing tunes plays on the ipod in the office.

The biggest highlight of last week was GREG GOT A JOB!!! He’s now working for URS as a Senior Water Engineer. Evidently his boss likes to fish. (He wants to take me, since I catch the biggest fish.)

This past weekend our new friends who work for Exxon took us to eat good BBQ. The owner of Smokehouse is American and the menu was pretty extensive. We had wings, spinach artichoke dip, brisket, mac ‘n cheese, cole slaw and corn on the cob. Amazing! Apparently it’s the only place in town with BBQ as we know it and we really enjoyed it. We expressed our appreciation to the owner but definitely plan to go back soon.

Again, we miss everyone back home and wish y'all were here to experience this with us! We miss the Good 'Ole US of A but we're enjoying our new home. See y'all soon and take care!