Brisbane and the coast

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After a long journey via Manchester, Stockholm and Singapore we finally arrived in Brisbane. Martin and Gemma met us at Brisbane Airport.

We all set off on the short car drive to their "Queenslander" style home in Clayfield, Brisbane. It was a few days before we fully adapted to the time difference and settle in to the Australian lifestyle. Our first major outing together was North to Coolum where we rented an Airbnb house. From here we could explore the beach and places nearby on the Sunshine Coast, such as Noosa. It was a very pleasant few days and we returned to Brisbane via the spectacular Glasshouse Mountains.

The next 2 weeks we spent our time in and around Brisbane city visiting the botanic gardens, the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and enjoying walks along the riverside.

We left Martin and Gemma for a week to travel by rail to the Gold Coast where we had a super apartment at Burleigh Heads. Our balcony provided us with wonderful views along the beach to Surfers Paradise. From Burleigh Heads we had lovely coastal walks and also visited Coolangatta. Martin collected us at the end of our stay and we spent a great day in the Springbrook National Park before returning to Brisbane.

Our next week away was to the Sunshine Coast. We travelled by rail to and then bus from Brisbane to Mooloolaba. Again we were fortunate to have an excellent apartment. we spent our time walking for hours along the scenic coastline between Mooloolaba and Maroochydore and also around Caloundra.

A fantastic holiday. Many thanks to Martin and Gemma, Poppy the dog and Max the cat for making our stay so enjoyable.

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