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Published: July 29th 2011
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A day at the Gold Coast, spent participating in some very hair raising rides at Movie World with the boys, has made the relaxing week we just had at Byron Bay feel like a distant memory! We arrived at the Gold Coast yesterday, to meet up with my sister Nicole and her family for a week of adrenalin pumping action at the many theme parks the Gold Coast has become famous for. The kids are ridiculously excited, and Quinton and Hayden even more so, because they have been reunited after six long months of separation. It was very sweet to see. But, the Gold Coast is a blog on its own, so first of all, catch up time…
Sunshine greeted us at Byron Bay, and our caravan park was located right by the beach, so we were all very excited. We set up camp - including erecting our full awning - and rushed off to the beach. Wonderful. The following day we spent a lazy day by the beach, and then that afternoon, we decided to take a walk up to the lighthouse. We were told we could spot dolphins and whales from there. But we never made it! We
were way-layed when we spotted a hang glider, and decided to check out the launch pad. As we arrived, a girl was going for a tandem ride, and silly me boasted that that was something I could see myself doing (me, who is terrified of heights, and, Paul will attest, pretty wimpish at the best of times). The instructor, on hearing this comment, informed us that there were in fact two more hang gliders waiting below, and as the wind was still blowing, they could take me and somebody else if they wanted, for a $10 discount, nogal! Well, before I could change my mind, I found myself running alongside a man called Brian and leaping off a ramp into...air. Amazingly, I did not scream, and in fact, quite enjoyed it. Wonders never cease. I did however make up for not screaming at take off, by being the first person ever to trip Brian up at landing. Not my best moment.
But you won’t believe who the second person was who hang glided. While Paul was keen to do it, Quinton was quite worried for us and I don’t think would have dealt at all well with seeing both
his parents airborne, but Oliver was desperate for a go. Again, because there was no time to think, I agreed to let Oliver go! He was fearless, and it was only when I saw him soaring above me (being lighter than me, he was lifted higher!) that I started to wonder what kind of mother I was to let a 9-year-old boy go out on a hang glider! He loved it though, and continued walking on air until at least the next day. Not once was he afraid, and is now very keen to do this in South Africa, and has been enquiring how much it would cost to buy a hang glider!
The rest of the week was not as eventful. The caravan park was great, and the boys spent a lot of time riding on their bikes, building castles and collecting baby sea urchins along the beach, watching the surfers, and generally just making the most of the sunshine. Paul did take a day off to hike up Mt Warning, the plug of an extinct volcano rising out of the McPherson Ranges. He returned that afternoon exhilarated, saying it was one of the most beautiful hikes he
has ever done. The initial part of the track meandered through rainforest, with the trills of the Whip Bird and other birds accompanying him on his walk. The last 50 metres or so were so steep that he said he had to haul himself up using chains that were secured by stakes on the rock (though after a bit, he reverted to what he enjoys, and managed to get some rock climbing in). He said the view from the top was stunning. He was a very happy man.
In fact, so enchanted was he by this hike, that he insisted I do it. So the day before we left, I got to have a day to myself, and drove out to Mt Warning. It was quite a challenging walk: 4.4km one way, on an incline the whole way. It was very steep. But it was very beautiful. I am not sure if it was the forest and birds that made the hike so wonderful, or the fact that I was by myself, not having the constant chatter and inevitable whine that usually accompanies any hike I have done in the last while (I mean, what is the point of
whining when there is no one to listen!). Thank you Paul, for insisting that I do this hike!
I am afraid this is a relatively short blog, as I am feeling quite shattered after a day at a theme park (and there are still six more to go!) and I want to get to bed reasonably early, to recharge and energise for a day at Wet and Wild!
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Robert Wilson
non-member comment
Short & sweet
Loved reading about your adventures with hang-gliding and your hikes up Mt Warning - short & sweet too !! all the best - enjoy the sun as it is sooooooooooooooo cold in Melbourne, at the moment. PS I think you will all enjoy wet'n'wild