Bye Sydney, Hello Brisbane and Canberra and Few Points Between

Now we have wheels!  We picked up our Juicy car and we did well, it really isn't a sub compact, but a compact, in great condition.  Cheryl drove, which was a good thing, as I kept dropping off to sleep.  We stopped at Port Macquarie for a walk around, then onto Coffs Harbour, where we are staying for two nights.  The forecast was for all rain, we had sun and rain, which made the drive pleasant. The next day was all rain, so we went to a movie.  Not a thing to do in Australia, as it was $18.50 per adult!  a bit of a shock!

Next stop is Brisbane!  On the way up we stopped at Bryons Bay, and walked to the light house.  Aside from being a lighthouse with great views it is also the furthest east point of Australia.

Google Maps is amazing, got us easily to Gail's.  We met Gail in Fiji diving.  We were greeted at the door by Bella a lovely Greyhound, not so much of a guard dog, as she just let us take the chain off and walk in!  Bella was great company,  Gail and Karen definitely had many doggie walks.

We visited a  Koala and Roo reserve, our first Koala and Roo experience..so cute.  Sundays are local market day, way more variety than in Fiji.  Mushrooms for Karen and corn on the cob  and fresh peas for Cheryl.  Heaven.

Just for fun we went to the dermatologist/skin cancer clinic, that Gail had arranged for us.  We both got some bits burnt off, and then got the all clear!  After that we went into some stores, including boating camping fishing, their MEC.  Bought a couple of things for the boat, we can shop now as we have the car to haul stuff.

Dinners at Gail's have been an food extravaganza !  Fillet minion, salmon, kangaroo meat...!  Someone has to do it!

We spent a day just walking the waterfront!  (Did  we mention the two chandleries we went to?). Lunch at a cafe in a marina, looking over the boats!  What else!

Yup we even went camping at Lamington, a national park, 2 hours south of Brisbane.  Bev a fellow cruiser we know from our marina in Fiji has a camper and lucky for us, an extra tent.  Gail who camps, went to her closet and pulled out a bag with all the other camping things we would need, voila we are set!!  We spent two nights!  We did one or two walks each day.  Great company, while we have known Bev for a couple of years, it has been fleeting meetings, so lovely to spend the time.  Walking with her is like walking with a naturalist, amazing.  Bev names all the birds by their call or appearance.  Our favorite part was probably the bird song each morning!  You woke to a symphony as the birds greeted the new day, it didn't last long, but sure was beautiful.  We would also have a few wallabies hopping around our tent in the morning as well.  Way cool!!  Making fruit salad was interesting as the parrots would land on your arm or head wanting to sample your breakfast.

My breakfast buddy

Karen, Cheryl and Bev at Lamington 

Back in Brisbane we tried for the walking tour, but it didn't happen.  So we did our own.  As with Sydney, some wonderful buildings that have been beautifully maintained.

 We went to a park with Duck billed platypus, pandymelons, pretty faced wallabies, kangaroo...  the animals are at this place have been injured and can't be put back in the wild.

Found a great dive shop!  Got all the things I wanted and my Christmas present from Cheryl from 2015!  We now have new rash guards, neoprene vests, for an extra layer under our dive suits.  Yes we are Canadian, but have been living in the tropics for 8 years!

 A day visit to another cruiser who has their boat beside us in Fiji.   Andrea lives just 1 hour outside Brisbane in the hinterland. Their house is amazing, built so that it fits into the landscape.   A little walk to a waterfalls with her and her soon to be daughter in law.  We finished the day with a lovely lunch and then back to Gail's in Brisbane. 

Karen, Andrea and Cheryl

 

 Another lovely day in Brisbane, this time a northern suburb of Brisbane,  called Redcliff. 
Cathy lives there, who has also has a  boat at Vuda, called Wings of the Morning.  After coffee and a gab, we went sightseeing.  Turns out that the Bee Gees grew up here! 

 We had a lovely lunch on the waterfront after half our tour.  Then finished the tour with a walk along a pier, newly resorted and a lagoon, man made for swimming, all very well used by the locals.  Lovely to see families all out fishing or playing together.

Once again we headed into the Hinterland, the hills, this time further north of Brisbane.  We did a couple of walks and then had a lovely lunch at a place Bev had recommended.  We went to the ginger factory, only to find out it is now just a theme park.  We booked a room at the YHA  hostel  in Noosaville,  which is the north end of the sunshine coast.  We met up with Cathy and Bev for a tour, drink and dinner!  Cheryl feel in love with Oysters here. The next morning we got up before sunrise to see the sunrise on the walk on the point at Noosa.  Saw our first Koala in the wild!  Worth getting up early!

Back to Gail's for one of many lasts nights dinner  which was simply, a cheese plate!  Served on a wooden board say a foot and a half by two feet and it was full.  The three of us did not finish it but certainly made a dent, yummy! We did really have a last night dinner as we went with Gail and her mother to the Queensland Yacht Squadron.  It was the second time we had been there, both times with Gail, both times good food. 

Gail and her Mom overlooking Brisbane

 

First night dinner on Straddie in our Shack yummmy

Early the next morning we said our "see ya" to Gail and headed to the ferry that would take us to Straddie island (North Stradbroke Island for those who speak English). We were early so we got to go on the earlier ferry which meant we would have more time to explore the island while we wait to check in to our Shack.  Yup it is a 2 level thin building the Ozies call shacks.  As we are wondering in the cemetery what do see 2 Kolas.  Not bad for our first day on the Straddie.  Then later we are sitting have a glass of wine on our deck at our Shack and along comes a kangaroo! This was a way cool first day.  

We got up one morning to see the sunrise and then we spy a herd of roos okay several kangaroo, along with a mom and joey!    Mama Roo would bend over to eat, Joey would lean out and eat too!  The island was beautiful and  peaceful.  Fresh seafood!  Prawns and oysters brought in that day and let me tell you, you can taste the difference!  Cheryl is really hooked on Oysters now, but when we buy them at the supermarket they just don't match Straddies.  We walked the beaches, walked to the fresh water lake and generally relaxed.  We also had lunch with Matty and Bobbie and son Sammie on Australia day.  Later, drinks at Matty and Bobbie's restaurant.  The restaurant has an amazing view!

The view on the point in Straddie




Matty, Cheryl and Bobbie at their restaurant

This our room

Then back to the big island, or back to Australia as one Straddite put it!  Our first night was in Tenterfield, at Stannum house, a period mansion, restored and furnished to the turn of the last century.  They have a chain across the rooms, so you look in, lovely.  Then they remove the chain and tell you this is your room!  It really was mansion, so is this what it feels like to live in laps of luxury.  A little walk around  the town, it reminded us of a lovely small town  in Ontario, with amazing friendly people! Did we mention at the mansion they put on a buffet dinner for $10 OZ and it was surprising really good.  Highly recommend this place.

By fluke we stopped for lunch at a rest stop on our way to it Musselbrook, the rest stop kind of looked like sails of a boat.  Turned out to be the memorial to the first and second fleet to come to Australia.  A guy wanted to put one up, no one was interested until he found Willow Tree, a town, a small town, many kilometers from the sea!  We stayed at the John Hunter Motel, nice and clean, once again a small town serving the mines in the area. 

Another pit stop at Cessnock for the evening, we stayed at the Royal Oak, in a word a 'dive'.  But the good news we are now at the start of the hunter valley,  Australia's oldest wine growing area.  Known for its whites!  Especially Semillon.  Cheryl is trying to deal with white wine tastings, being a red girl!  We had one of the most informative wine tours ever at Tyrrell's.  Australia wine is grown differently from Canada's, they trestle to keep sun off the grapes, sometimes even spray ash on the vines so the grapes don't burn!  And so on! 

Next day was a long drive to Canberra, the nation's capital.  We are staying with Lee and Rob, friends we meet at Paradise Resort in Fiji they were vacationing there and we said we will be in OZ  and they invited us to stay at their place when we are in the neighborhood.   The day we arrive, Rob takes us to a deep space listening station, a part of NASA.  To get coverage 24 hours a day there are stations in Spain,  Australia and the USA, who knew.  This is where Neil Armstrong was heard when he said "one small step....". 





Rob and us at the Parliament house

Canberra day 2,  we went to parliament house.  As it turns out, security there was Rob's last posting, so we had an amazing tour, while the building is beautiful and reflects Australia, Rob's commentary made it all come alive.  Canberra was a planned capital city, and it was planned well.  Rob and Lee took us up Mount Ainsley, which has an amazing view and shows you the layout of the city.  Canberra is built with a central city surrounded by pods of suburbs.  As the city grows it will be one big city, right now there is lots of green space.  To top off the day we also went to the museum.  We had drinks at Rob and Lee's club, the Burns Club.  It was a great day, but a long one.  Too short a visit, but time to move on.