Blogs from Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 3

A really strong wind came up in the night and we kept getting such fierce gusts that they shook the van. It did drop a little during the morning, though, and the sun was lovely and warm so it turned into a quite pleasant day, out of the chilly wind. We went into Montville along a road that constantly revealed wonderful scenery glimpses through the trees or around corners, especially from the tops of the many hills. The town, itself, is very picturesque and has lots of fascinating shops and galleries all the way up (literally) the main road, specifically designed to part you from your money. We succumbed to the first almost immediately. The Mayfield Patisseries and Chocolates shop also sold coffee, which you could have while seated on a balcony with the most spectacular ... read more

Having lived on the Sunshine Coast for many years we did not set out to do all the things that holidaymakers would normally do when visiting this incredibly beautiful part of the world. Just some of the things we did get up to besides spending lots of time with family and friends were :- Celebrated Australia Day twice, that being on the Sunday and Monday. Celebrated my birthday, both lunch and dinner. Played 10 pin bowls which we had not done for quite a few years. Plenty of shopping we had lots of things we so needed to buy. One of my best purchases was a Manfrotto tripod that I scored at a 40% discount – very happy with that. Enjoyed the natural beauty of the Noosa River and Noosa’s beaches and parks. Enjoyed some delicious ... read more

Late June & early July 2013 - I celebrated my last two birthdays in Mongolia and Phuket. This year I planned to go to Mt. Bromo in Indonesia for this special event, but ended up visiting Australia. One of the birthday presents for me was a boat cruise on Noosa river which is 50 minute drive away from the town where I stay. It cost AUD 150 to rent a small boat for an hour and it can carry 4 people. The sunset and reflection of houses on the water were so beautiful as you can see in my photos. So far, the river cruise as well as local markets and beaches have been my favorite things to do and see in the Sunshine Coast. It has been nearly one month of my stay in Australia. ... read more

When Pamela escaped the big house in Selangor, Nambour, we made Labalsa Park, Point Cartwright, our Sunny Coast base to chill and catch up with Pam, John and friends. Labalsa Park is smack bang in the middle of Millionaires Row, at the base of Point Cartwright. Here the mega richies, don't seem to mind sharing their little patch of paradise with surfees, dog walkers, free campers ( that must be us) and an assortment of fitness fanatics, jogging, power walking or using the free outdoor gym, that bilbo and basho made good use of. Their is also another breed of fitness fanatic that roll up in their posh cars and designer outfits, that rendezvous with their personal trainer to do a public display of "Look at me, I can afford a huge amount of money to ... read more

Midterms are finally over and we had a long weekend to celebrate! On the four-day weekend (9/28/12-10/1/12) I spent two days in Brisbane and two days farther north at a campsite on Dicky Beach of the Sunshine Coast. In Brisbane, we went out in the Valley (where all the clubs/bars are) and had a great start to the weekend! Saturday, Alexa and I went shopping on Queen St., an outdoor pedestrian strip with everything from Hungry Jacks (Australian Burger King) to Christian Dior. I’ve fallen in love with the store called Cotton On, which is basically an Australian Forever 21. Don’t worry Mom, I know I already have a ton of clothes so I’ve been limiting my shopping (sort of). On Sunday, four of my best girl friends and I left early in the morning for ... read more