What we’ve been up to!
Caxton Street Seafood & Wine Festival 2011: Fantastic food and drink, glorious sunshine, fun entertainment and dancing in the street, what more can I say!? Live beat boxing was class. Would recommend to a friend.
Sunny Side Up: We landed at the Gabba stadium for some AFL fury – Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast Suns. The GCS underdogs trashed out one hell of a game against the Lions after an extremely slow start from the Lions it looked like the game was already won, much to the excitement of the GCS fans. The atmosphere was electric as the Lions launched a major comeback in the second half to match the Suns and battle it out in the last few minutes of the game playing table tennis with the scoreboard. In the end the Suns prevailed with a 124-116 win over the Lions.
Bushwalking: Today we headed to the outskirts of Brizzie to explore the picturesque rainforest and panoramic views of D’Aguilar Range National Park. An invigorating outdoorsy afternoon was had by all.
Pelican Brief: As the autumn weather rolled into Brisbane we escaped up stream to Maroochydore and Cotton Tree just north of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast. We sat on the beach and watched the stunning sunset late Saturday evening. Sunday we caught a few snaps of a pelican hanging out on the beach a few feet away keeping close surveillance on a fisherman by the waters edge. All in all it was a fun relaxing weekend by the beach.
Victoria Visitors: This weekend we stayed put in Brizzie as Paul and Kev came to visit. Boy’s night out on Friday followed by a scenic trip on the Brisbane River Citycat ferry on Saturday. With Kev out of the running myself, Jim, Paul and Kieran hit the town for a few “quiet” ones that night. Then up to Mount Coot-tha Sunday to check out the spectacular views of the city before bidding farewell at a very early 6 o’clock in the morning on Monday.
Dippin’ our toes into NSW: Ahoy, Byron Bay. We headed across the border for a long weekend in Byron. Day 1 we took a stroll on the beach and up around to the lighthouse to soak in the fresh sea air and stretch the legs. From the cliff top we watched a pod of dolphins ducking and diving in through the waves. It was incredible. We caught a glimpse of a kangaroo running through the bush as we were trekking up hill. After we’d had our fill of history and signed the visitor book in the lighthouse we headed on our way back to the town for some Pot Belly Pies, delicious. Day 2 we hopped onto the Grasshoppers bus tour to Nimbin to check out the colourful and alternative shops and cafes. It was an experience. On the way there we stopped off at an old Australia pub where we cracked open some macadamia nuts with an old school nutcracker. Yum. Back on the bus listening to some chill out tunes from the likes of Bob Marley and Harry Nilsson (check out the lime in the coconut song on YouTube, you’ll get the idea) we headed to the hills surrounded by lush Australian rainforest for some Aussie BBQ tucker. Day 3 was shopping and back to Brizzie day.
Yeeeeehaawwww: The world’s legendary cowboys descended on the city for the Brisbane leg of the 2011 Professional Bull Rider Championships so we caught the train out to the Entertainment Centre to watch them battle it out. The monster sound system, extreme lighting, fierce bulls, wiry cowboys and exhilarating atmosphere combined to make it one hell of a night.
Road Trip: Today we took the “Beaut” out for its maiden voyage. It was a momentous occasion. We hit the highway and it was smooth sailing down Gold Coast to Burleigh Heads. Talk about cool customers!! The faded paint on the roof gives it that rustic feel and who needs power steering anyway. Jim can handle it. We’re thinking in a few years the car will be classed as vintage and worth bundles! O Yeah, heads screwed on with that bargain. Ha There’s nothing like the freedom of just hopping in the car to leave the woes of the city behind with the wind in our hair (from the AC) to hit the beach. The weather was a little cool but we warmed up with a bit of grub from the Surf Club before laying out our towels on the beach to watch the whales in the surf just off shore. At first I thought it was a rock until the waves scattered and there was no sign of a rock so I enlisted the watchful eye of the Hacksaw Duggan. It was amazing. I had never seen a pod of whales in the wild before. Migrating season is awesome.
Saddle Up: To celebrate our 5 year milestone we put our hostel days by the wayside for the weekend and sunk into the cosy arms of a hotel in Surfers. We kicked off the day with Paula’s gourmet brekkie before hitting the road. First stop Surfers to drop our bags and run for the hills, quite literally as we met our pick up for an afternoon of horse riding at Tamborine mountain. The horse riding trail took us through a forest filled with wallabies and then into an open meadow for a gallop. The next day we chilled out at the beach and watched the street performers on show for the Surfers Paradise Festival before hitting the road back home.
Prodigal Son: We had a rocky start with cancelled flights but with a bit of determination we made it to Sydney for the weekend to visit the rellies we had abandoned back in February. On arrival the sun was shining and there was a crisp freshness in the air. We quickly settled back in as if we’d never left and spent the afternoon hanging out in the park enjoying the sun. That evening we went for a gorgeous meal in Manly before hitting the old hotel hot spot for a few drinks. Sunday we all piled into the car and road tripped to Taronga Zoo for the day. That night after a feed of pizza we bid a tearful goodbye and hopped on a plane back to Qld.
