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Published: January 6th 2007
DisclaimerPhotos of New Year's and Brisbane will be added later as there has been some techinal difficulties so please check back at another time to view us rockin' out to the smooth stylings of Silverchair and relaxin' in Brisbane.
Part 1: Newcastle I want to say one thing before I move onto New Year's is that anyone who is looking for a good laugh should watch the Australian miniseries
We can be heroes. It is a show about finding the Australian of the year and if you have any sense of humor at all it will have you in stitches. Definitely a must see.
New Year's. I really don't know where to start. It was awesome. The day began innocently enough with a swim in the Mereweather baths (the largest outdoor pool anywhere in the world), a successful shopping trip for Moria and a nap. Then we headed to a house party where there were absynthe shots to be had. And by absynthe shots I mean just the alcohol. No sugar. No burning off the alcohol. Basically I drank lighter fluid. I haven't found a drink so hard to swallow since Auqavit shots in Rome in 2002. Then
it was off to the Brewery as we eagerly awaited Silverchair's arrival on stage. Brad and Lara's friends were absolutely lovely and welcoming and everything you could hope for in terms of Aussie hospitality. We partied it up, saw some amazing fireworks, and then headed to the stage to be serenaded by Daniel Johns. Since we hadn't really heard anything from Silverchair since their Frogstomp days and even then we had only heard Tomorrow we were unsure of what to expect. But they rocked. I am not kidding that it was a fantastic concert. Maybe it was the warm weather, Touey's New, or the company but that show will definitely be up in my books as one of the best concerts ever and I was too short to even see them. Clint had to lift me up so that I could get a good view of the band. He is strong and Aussie's are too tall. Or maybe we are too short. After the countdown to midnight, Silverchair played a few more songs and then we headed off in different directions. We lost the crew in an effort to find our first meal of 2007, had a bit of a
tiff and walked back separately to the O'Hara's. It was an excellent New Year's and we must send huge thanks to Brad and Lara for making it possible.
On New Year's day the morning was a bit rough but a swim took care of any discomfort in our heads and stomachs. I even went for a very unsuccessful surf. I was on a rescue board which does not have a leash and lost control of my board and basically knocked a nine-year-old girl off her board. She was not happy with me. The good thing was that I got a sick bruise (please see photos). I love a good surf injury. Our first professional sporting event of the trip happened on New Year's Day where we watched the Newcastle Jets play the Sydney FC in Soccer. Unfortunately Newcastle lost two nil. It was great to see a match despite the poor results. Then we went back to the O'Hara's for our final meal where Kay cooked a beautiful roast with all the trimmings. The dinner was full of fantastic food, wine and company. A truly bittersweet evening as I was very sad to say goodbye to all the nuovocastrians.
Part 2: The Coastal Drive On the second we picked up our Toyota Corolla had a farewell to Kay, Dave, Tim, Brad and Lara and headed off to Brisbane. I was the first at the wheel and was impressed with my skillz behind the wheel. The left side driving was not at all as difficult as I thought it would be. Our journey on the Pacific Highway was dramaless. The firt day's main excitement were the purchase of Silverchair and Hank Williams cds as well as some pies at Freddo's pie shop. If anyone is going to be near Kempsey NSW anytime soon the pie shop is a very worthwhile stop. Then we stopped at Coff's Harbor for the night. We went to a carnival where we rode the Dungeon of Doom and saw a circus. The DOD was scary and the circus was interesting as it was basically a family that had some ponies trying to put together a show. They did have a very strange and soft cow. Afterwards we finally saw Borat. It recieved 2 thumbs up from us. Then we returned to the car park of the carnival put the carseats down and slept. Moria
didn't sleep to easily because she kept seeing or thought she was seeing people looking in on us/her. I slept very well.
Day 2 began with a hike up Muttonbird Island and a stop at the famous Big Banana. We were disappointed. It wasn't really that big. I will say the frozen chocolate bananas were delicious and made the stop worthwhile. Moria then got behind the wheel and did very well. We didn't do too much stopping and arrived at the backpacker's paradise of Byron Bay in the late afternoon. Since it is school holidays all the hostels were booked so we headed off to the campground. We grabbed a shower, changed out of our grubby clothes and walked into town to have the world famous Earth 'n Sea pizza. Best pizza I've had since NYC. We also had a bottle of wine with dinner so after our walk on the beach we were tuckered out and couldn't do the night out in Byron. It was a bad thing for our social life but very beneficial for our wallets. Sleep for me was rough as I was eaten alive for the first hour or so and finally had to
break down and deal with the nasty smell of Deet so that I didn't have to feel bugs crawling on me and biting me. Sorry for the run-on sentence.
Our last day with the car was a good one. We headed to the surf beach at Byron saw some amazing sets and quite a few 360s. We weren't the ones doing them, but that was only because we didn't want to show them up. Then we headed off to Dreamworld. Despite the expensive entrance fee we headed in to say that we have ridden not only the largest and fastest rollercoaster in the southern hemisphere but also the highest and fastest ride anywhere in the world. The park was great. The first ride we went on was the Giant Drop where we dangled over the theme park for maybe 45 seconds or so before the drop you at a very rapid rate. It was quite scary. Then we headed for the Cyclone, the rollercoaster that is largest and fastest. We were lucky enough to sit in the front car and had an amazing ride. As we were heading back to go on the Tower of Terror, the fastest and
highest ride in the world, I thought it would be a good idea to go on The Claw because it didn't look like it was going to be ride the spun. Boy, was I wrong. When we got on it I felt like I was going to ralph after about 2 seconds. It was like being at the shore for Maura's 21st birthday party in OC all over again. I was screaming so loudly for them to stop the ride but I think the fact that we were going at 90 kph only silenced my shouts and made me seriously ill. After we got off I had to haul ass to the ladies to get rid of everything that was in my stomach. It was embarrassing and I can't believe that I can no longer go on those rides. I gathered my composure and we went to the Tower of Terror. There was a half hour wait before we got into the car. The initial start was the scariest part of the ride and I think everyone on the car let out a yelp. The ride was fantastic fun and I am very happy to say I have done it. We were able to see the tigers play and pounce. They are phenomenal creatures. There were some water rides afterwards and then we headed off to Yatala pies and finally arrived in Brisbane. My navigational skills left much to be desired but eventually we arrived at Natalie's sister's house near the University of Queensland. It was terrific to see Natalie and Brian. Her sister, Annemarie, has been very generous and given us a place to stay in a house that is full of future contestants for Australia's Next Top Model. Nat and Brian gave us a tour of the city at night and we went to Mt. Coot tha. The view was absolutely stunning. Then we were able to see all of the places Natalie told me about so many times in Dublin. They were amazing guides.
Our next day in Brisbane we returned the car and hung around the CBD-Central Business District-and then walked back to St. Lucia. The walk was fairly long but great because the city is so accessible to those trying to get around by foot and bike. We quickly got changed then headed to Kangaroo Point for a barbeque before we went and saw the Twenty20 cricket match. The barbeque was delicious and the way Brisbane has set up the park with communal picnic tables and barbeques that are all completely handicap accessible made me like the city a little bit more. There was short walk to the Gabba (Brisbane's Cricket Ground) and then FREE tickets to the match. Pretty great. Queensland played New South Wales and won. I am proud to say I understand cricket now and think that after watching so much of the Ashes, Twenty20 cricket is the kind of cricket for me. It is only 20 overs a side, full of big hits and the players actually wear colors. I dug it. We headed off for a few quiet ones, and called it a night.
Today was a great day because I finally got to have breakfast at Fat Boys. This was probably what I heard about most from Natalie in Dublin. The $4 breakfast was well worth it. Then we hung around the swanky neighborhood that is the Valley. Natalie and Brian then took us to the Merthe Bowls club. This bowls club was right on the river and was quite a happening spot. We enjoyed some of Australia's best Cooper's Pale Ale and then rode the CityCat back to St. Lucia. We are headed out into the country this evening as there is lots planned for our last two days in Brisbane. But since the Australia Zoo is on the list I will let Moria write about that.
Happy New Year to you all. If you miss our voices and would like to give us a ring please dial +61435036114. We would love to hear from you.
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Jonathan
non-member comment
best concert?...Really?
Kate, I believe you said the Spice Girls was the "Best Concert Ever" - twice.