I'm only sleeping

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Last few days in Oz so it’s time to hire the first car of our trip. Pick up our tiny Hyundai Getz, head off on the Gympie Road, then the Bruce Highway (Yep, it’s really called that), finally the Sunshine Motorway. 80 minutes after setting off we find ourselves at the Beachside apartments in Mooloolaba. They’re not quite beachside, but they’re definitely apartments, separate bedroom, lounge and bathroom. Good(ish) cooking facilities which I almost immediately put to use as I had been gagging for spaghetti ailio, olio e peperoncino, I had seen it on many menus while in Oz, but always with the unnecessary addition of bacon (always) and chicken (frequently). Just not traditional, and not in the title either. First time I’d cooked in weeks, and it was delicious. The apartment was really nice, balcony overlooking a small pool, satellite telly, what else could I want. Well, I’d have really liked the edge of Cyclone Larry not to have spoilt the weather for our last 2 days in Oz, but at least we didn’t get anything like the poor guys 900 miles to the north. They got hit pretty hard, and it’s gonna be hard to get bananas in Oz for quite a time now.
Third day on the Sunshine coast we decided to drive back to Brisbane and take AW to the koala sanctuary. Those little fellas really are the strangest things, they just eat, screw and sleep. And they really know how to sleep. Just put them on anything they can hold onto, bingo, they’re asleep! The wombats are pretty much the same except you need to put them in a hollow log. Sadly the screwing is really putting the koalas at risk as they are riddled with some STD that is slowly wiping them out. The kangaroos were fun too, they really can shift when they decide to, but they lay around a lot too, must be the climate.
Mooloolaba is seaside done very well, good range of bars, restaurants, shops, public barbies, seating areas, sculpture and of course a great beach. The only thing that spoils it is the same thing as every other beach area in Australia. The mens obsession with speedos; guys the rest of the world realised years ago that they should be kept for competition swimming in pools, or the privacy of your own home. Please stop it. NOW.
Harmony Day ( YOU and ME make aUStralia was the tagline) passed without notice while we were there, despite lots of publicity on TV. Australia may be multi-racial these days, but it doesn’t seem too multi-cultural. I don’t feel it is a racist society, but it sure is an advantage if you’re white. That said, I’ve enjoyed the place immensely, and the people have been very friendly. Then again I’m white.

Hi Luvs, Well did enjoy Oz, it feels well spacious, has great country - we did the Glasshouse mountians & Mt. Beerburrum lookout, fab beaches, great weather. Would have to agree with jb it’s white. Planning to come back and explore more, as we only saw so little of it. Hope Mal likes the picture of bunny hugger! know we are gonna have that zoo conversation over our next bottle of vodka!

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Photos

Bunny hugger
Please be careful, those claws look sharp!

This is how wombats sleep
Like a log

And this is how koalas sleep
most of the time

Rod Hull?
Never 'eard of 'im

Another sleeping marsupial
It's nice out

Glasshouse mountains
From Beerburrum lookout

Mooloolaba beach
Dig those showers!