# 48 Teaching at Taizhou Teachers College-Holiday in Oz -Gold Coast, My Hometown

---

My first visit home after nearly a year started with a strange feeling of being a little bit alien as I stepped onto the train at Brisbane airport. No pushing and shoving to beat each other to what remaining seats there may be; no cacophony of excited voices; just the piercing, nasal chat of a number of local teenagers enjoying their summer holidays. Their voices sounded really strange to me. It wasn’t until an Asian family boarded the train and started to speak what to me sounded like Chinese that I felt a bit more at home! ”Now, that’s weird!” I told myself.

It didn’t take me long to settle back into the cruisy lifestyle that is the Gold Coast. I stayed most of my time at my friend Lisa’s as my own apartment was rented. Spaz you are a life-saver! The weather was glorious and I revelled in the good old Aussie Summer. It was so good catching up with friends and family, spending time lapping up the bright sunshine, the clean air and the smell of the ocean.

The following four blogs (this one included) are a visual “summary” of my six weeks back home in Oz.

So, for my eager students who have been pleading for more photos of my “hometown” and Australia in general, these blogs are dedicated to you! View on and enjoy!

---

Photos

Burleigh Heads National Park
Burleigh is one of my favourite spots on the Gold Coast and is situated towards the southern end.It was the first place I visited when I was a small child. Living in the country, it was often very dry. I was amazed by the ocean- all that water!

Beach Wedding
The Aussie lifestyle thrives on people being outdoors as much as the weather permits. This is especially so in Queensland.Here a wedding party lap up the gorgeous weather and the spectacular views.

Bootcamp on the Beach
One of the newer activities on the Gold Coast beaches in recent years are early morning "boot camp" type exercise groups. A bit like military training. These girls are actually doing an open-air version of "boxercise"

Japanese Surfers
Burleigh is known internationally for it's surfing beach. Here a group of Japanese surfers limber up on the beach, ready to take the plunge. The waves don't look terribly promising, do they?

Surf School
Here some youngsters are receiving surf lessons in surf skiing.

Lifeguard Tower
Each beach has at least one Lifeguard tower where Surf Life Savers watch for hazards like rips (strong currents), "stingers" and possibly sharks. They also keep an eye on swimmers to be "on call" should someone come into difficulties in the water.

Rescue Jetski
This motorized "water scooter" can be used for rescue purposes or for ensuring that surfboard riders stay out of the swimming areas, designated by red and yellow flags on the beach.

Burleigh Esplanade
Early morning finds many people enjoying a bit of exercise, not to mention the gorgeous view!

Rollerblading
A popular mode of transport with young folk, along with conventional bicycles, motorized scooters and skate boards. The Esplanade sees them all.

Looking North from Burleigh Head
Stormy start to the morning, framed by one of the few remaining Pandanas Palms. Very sadly this iconic tree was almost wiped out when a fungal disease struck a few years ago.The remaining trees are not very healthy either. A real shame.

Contrasting View
What a difference a few hours makes! View North from Burleigh Beach the same afternoon as previous photos. This beach once sported many pine trees, under which we used to camp for our holidays! Now that's a long time ago!

Location,Location!
Mermaids Cafe has an awesome location right on the rocks at Burleigh Beach.

Burleigh Head National Park Information Centre
Although Burleigh Head National Park covers only a tiny area, it has a lot of history and is one of the sacred places of local indigenous Australians. You can learn all about Burleigh and the surrounding area and it's Natural History from the friendly, informative volunteers at this centre.

Favourite Jogging Route
Southern entry point to the Burleigh Head National Park. One of my favourite jogging spots.

Early Morning Training
A crew of rowers train in the early morning light at Tallebudgera Creek mouth.

Fishing on the Creek
Popular fishing spot for local anglers is Tallebudgera Creek.

Lizard in the Leaves
Visitors to Burleigh Head National Park may encounter a number of birds and animals on their early morning strolls/jogs. Like this beautiful lizard I spotted in amongst the leaf litter.

Pandanas
A Pandanas palm struggles to survive on Burleigh Hill.

Comments

[Bill]

From the Canadiana in Toronto.
Hi Sue, It's hard to believe that it's been more than a year since you were here with us in Toronto. But it's been fantastic following your adventures through the Middle Kingdom. Many thanks for taking me along. I look forward to hearing about your next trip! It's great to see that there are still some people who don't treat life like a dress rehearsal!

[Vicki English]

Where's the sunshine??
Gee Suzie.... we have sunshine most days but in these photos I can't find it....but.... really like the idea of photos rather then "chat" - after all, a picture's worth a 1000 words..... ir so I've been told! and they're great!!Take care Lovely!