Brisbane and beyond!

---

After arriving in Brisbane and having a few days to clean up, Sheena and I started to plan some short day-trips to the many sights around Brisbane to ensure we took advantage of our wheels while we still had them. First stop - Surfer’s Paradise.

Gold Coast / Surfer’s Paradise

With the sun beating and temperatures high we set out for Sufer's Paradise. Stef & Jakub lived in Surfer's during Jakub's time at Uni and so we were really excited to see what all the hype was about. Driving into Surfer’s was like driving into Miami - neon signs, lots of clubs & hotels, and lots of activity. Definitely a long way from the deserted beaches of Western Australia!
With a quick walk around the strip and a bite to eat, Sheena and I finally settled on a patch of beach that wasn’t too crowded. We lounged the afternoon away, and with a last quick walk around some of the sights we were ready to take off - but not before we were reminded how small the world is. We were just walking on the main strip in Surfer’s when someone yelled out “SHEENA?!?” Obviously confused, Sheena looked to the sky, thinking it was a talking parrot. Seeing nothing but blue, she turned around to be greeted by Nadine - one of Nicole’s good friends from Fanshawe in London, whom Sheena had spent a few nights with while partying. Small, small world indeed!

Sunshine Coast - Caloundra

Not getting enough beach time on the Gold Coast, the following day both Stef and Jakub were off in the afternoon so they decided to take us to some of their favourite spots along the Sunshine Coast (north of Brisbane). First stop was Redcliffe, a small suburb north of Brisbane that is the jumping off point for the ferry to Moreton Island (a small but beautiful island off Brisbane’s coast). We grabbed a bite at Jakub’s favourite Mexican takeaway spot and loaded up to head to - you guessed it - another beach. Caloundra is a quiet beach town with a great little fjord (not sure if they have fjords in Australia, but if they did its what I would imagine one would look like) where there were tons of kite surfers taking advantage of the afternoon breeze. No surprise, I tested the beach's ability to have a snooze, and it received full marks as I was able to doze for about an hour while the girls read their books and gossiped. After another long day on the beach, we packed up around sunset and headed back into Brisbane, getting ready for some days in the city and trying to think of some final trip for the van before it was due back at the rental agency.

Rock Pools and Waterslides

After throwing some ideas around with Stef & Jakub, they pointed us in the direction of some rock pools and natural water slides that they'd heard of (but never been to) somewhere near Gold Coast. With our trusty Lonely Planet, a few quick internet searches, and Jakub's GPS we set off for Currumbin Valley - about 1.5 hours south of Brisbane. Known as the 'Coogal Cascades', the scene consisted of a 2-tiered natural pools/swimming holes, and a nice natural waterslide! Itching to test it out, we first observed some local kids who went WAY up the waterslide and were promptly thrown off the slide about half-way and went scarily close to hitting some limbs on the surrounding rock walls. Not wanting to take the chance, we only went up the slide half way - and safely slid into the refreshing pool below! After some photos and some more runs of the water slide, we relaxed in the pool for a while before packing up and heading back into Brisbane to give up our trusty Hippie Van and fit in some more city sights.

Brisbane City

Now, after being in Perth for 6 months and a few days of 39+ temperatures, we thought we knew Auzzie heat. We were wrong. We were told that Brisbane has more sunny days than Florida and we saw nothing but 32 degrees and sunshine for our entire trip. But it was HOT. The humidity in Brisbane was killing us, and making more than Sheena’s hair frizzy. However, we loaded up with some water, hopped a train and went into Brissy’s CBD for an afternoon of exploring. We got into the CBD and headed straight for Queen Street - their outdoor mall - to get a feel for the city. We continued on to the city botanical gardens but didn’t last long in the heat and soon found refuge in the first pub we could find with AIR CONDITIONING. How people live without it here is beyond us….however I am sure we will be changing our tune soon enough as we make our way closer to home and the cold. We did, however, find our way to the our first brewery tour - the historic Fourex/Castlemore establishment in Brisbane. Can someone give me a 'hallelujah!' - Sheena found a beer that she enjoys! We went through the 90 minute tour and developed quite a thirst, and were able to quench it in the Fourex pub (Sheena downing a number of their tasty "Summer Ales") before heading back to the apartment and getting ready to prep for our next trip, Byron Bay!

Byron Bay

This was no doubt the highlight of our time in Brissy. Byron Bay is a hippie haven and surf town just 2 hrs south of Brisbane. Byron Bay brings a whole new meaning to the term ‘laid back’. Bathing suits and bare feet are standard dress as you walk about the many shops and café’s/bars. Taking advantage of Stef’s day off, we booked a last minute stay at Nomad’s Backpackers. The hostel was bright, clean and very new with a modern twist. Once again we found ourselves living the childhood dream of bunk beds!
After a day at the beach we headed over to the famous ‘Beach Hotel’ for a Sunday session. Auzzie’s love a good Sunday session but given the fact that this was essentially a long weekend for most (due to Australia Day holiday) the place was buzzing with activity. Stef and Sheena were immediately drawn towards the dance floor where a larger than life Aretha Franklin look-a-like who had the place in a frenzy!
Everyone was dancing. Never had we seen such a mix of young and old (even a few kids) party to the same beat in a way that was infectious….everyone was smiling and dancing to the beat. It was a great start to a long night - but eventually we all retired back to our dorm room and crashed.
The next morning (after the obvious slow start) we drove up to the famous Byron Bay Lighthouse for a quick photo and walk about. Byron Bay is the most easterly point of Australia, and with a great view from a cliff we were able to see lots going on in the shallows below. We caught glimpses of a Sea Turtle, a couple of Sting Rays, and finally - DOLPHINS! Not only did we see a few dolphins, we saw two pods of about 10-15 dolphins each swimming and playing in the water. With the help of our telescopic lense, we got some great photos and spent more than a few minutes soaking up the activity.
Feeling great (and another tick off Sheena’s Auzzie Animal Expedition) we drove back to the beach to soak up some rays and get a quick snooze before making the drive back. The day being windier than previously, we were disappointed to see the shore littered with small, blue jellyfish (called Blue Bottles). Not sure if they were in the water or had been blown in last night, Sheena and I decided to brave the water (everyone else was doing it) for a quick boogie board. I was waist deep in the water when I heard a scream of pain and looked back to see Sheena holding her legs - she’d been stung! A veteran of jellyfish stings, I asked Sheena if she wanted me to urinate on it - she promptly mind-slapped me, and told me to stop being an idiot. A quick trip to the lifeguard’s station brought the remedy of ice to cool the sting, and that seemed to help ease the pain. Needless to say, we spent the rest of the day high & dry on the beach!
Side note from Sheena - To set the record straight, Eric has been stung ONCE and it was the most mild sting ever recorded in history.

Australia Day

With no rest for the weary, the following day (Tuesday, January 26th) was the day Australia celebrates its independence. Now, in Canada we are used to flag waving, fireworks, and the occasional act of patriotism. However, in Australia patriotism is best spelled B-E-E-R. Many Auzzies set up camp at their favourite beach/picnic/bbq spots as early as 5:30AM to ensure prime location, and with their eskie’s (coolers) full of booze they are ready for a looong day. Our Australia day consisted of a pool party/bbq with some of Stef & Jakub’s friends, and it couldn’t have been better! With some lamb on the barbe’ and some cold beer in the cooler, we celebrated as best we could and even managed to see the fireworks from the roof of the house. Granted, the fireworks display wasn’t up to Perth’s standards - apparently more than $400,000 was spent in our old home!!

Packing up and moving on

After just over a week in Brisbane, Sheena and I flew to Melbourne yesterday to spend four days with new friends Leanne and Mark (from Newmarket and Bolton - who knew!) whom we met back in Fiji and have stayed in contact with. Excited to get out of the humidity of Queensland, the countdown is now less than 10 days until we fly back to Canada - and still so much to see!!!

---

Photos

Bunk Beds!!!
Backpackers in Byron Bay

Comments

[Lou Graham]

Nice :-)
Glad that you both got to spend some time with Stef and Jakub. Stef really enjoyed her time with Sheena, she's been missing her friends back in Ontario. Have a safe trip home.

[TYLER]

HI SHEENA ... ITS TYLER AND JAIME LYNN. WE MISS YOU