Airlie Beach

June 30 – Carmila Beach

We were still feeling depressed about our tropical disappointment from yesterday when we awoke. We made breakfast and got chatting with our older Irish neighbour who was spending a year traveling around Australia in his little campervan. We hit the road and drove about 60km to Carmila Beach where there was another free campsite. The camp area was a little difficult to navigate through since it was all sand and we didn't want to get stuck. We found a spot then had a little walk around to scope out some other areas. Where we were seemed the most likely place for us to get out of easily. We decided to set up our great big tarp to give us a little sun shade. After making tuna wraps for lunch we decided a walk on the beach was in order. Actually it was more like a walk out to sea. There was a huge difference between the high and low tide marks. We probably walked for about 1 km before we hit the ocean. We walked through some pretty mucky bits where our feet sank down to clay. We also had to watch out for crabs, snails and sand dollars. It was a nice walk and we soaked up some sun while the on shore breeze kept us cool. After we found our way back to the van we sat around with a book and guitar, as usual. We started making dinner while we had light but by the time we were done the sun had set and the mozies were out in full force. We had dinner inside and finished the night with more reading.

July 1 – Mackay to Airlie

Beau woke up for an early bathroom break and caught the sunrise. He quickly grabbed the camera and took a bunch of pictures of the sunrise. I had a little peak at the sun too but we went back to sleep for a few more hours. We took our time about getting breakfast and packing up. We went for another walk along the beach with our coffees in hand. We eventually got the awning packed up and made a careful getaway. We drove up to Mackay and stopped for groceries and some lunch. We wanted kangaroo burgers but had to go into a second grocery store for our roo patties. We continued on our merry way and finally arrived in Airlie Beach after a total of 200km. We headed straight to our caravan park and arrived just in time to catch the office open. We were both in dire need of a shower so we knocked that off our list first. We then made our kangaroo burgers. While Beau was grilling away he chatted with an older guy who used to drive the boat out to Heron Island. This guy later helped couple skin a fish which Beau watched with interest. After dinner we read in the van for a bit before bed. 

Sunrise at Carmila Beach

July 2 – Airlie Beach

The van has been squeaking lately when we go over bumps and have to make tight turns. We aren't really sure what it is whether it is the suspension or the ball joint so Beau tried to take it to a mechanic this morning. He visited two shops but both had no time for our poor Dotti so we'll try in another time. While Beau was off doing this I put laundry on and got it all hung up to dry. Beau returned and we had some breakfast. We were hoping to visit the library to do some updating but they charged for internet so we were reduced to McD's internet. We struggled to check our e-mails with the crappy wifi. We then headed back to the main drag. We walked to the reception for our boat trip to get some info about our trip tomorrow. I had been eyeing up a big floppy hat and actually bought one. We then had lunch out at a place called Beaches that had meals and a beer for $13. I had a chicken burger and a cider while Beau enjoyed a steak and a beer. We then went for a nice walk along the board walk around the lagoon, a waterfront pool, and over to the marina. When we came back and we stopped into a book store. We swapped a couple of our books for a new one for Beau. I've also been wanting a real pair of shorts and found a pair of short jean shorts for $15. We headed back to the caravan park and had roo burgs for dinner again. While we had dinner the couple from the night before where around and had much more success fishing today. They enlisted the help of the older gentleman from the night before to help clean them. He got through them super quick and made it look a cinch. Beau is dying to go fishing now.

The Airlie Lagoon

July 3 – All Aboard the Anaconda 3

We packed our bags this morning in preparation for our Whitsundays Sailing Adventure aboard the Anaconda 3. We weren't allowed to take any bags with zippers because of bedbugs so we packed everything in our sleepbag bags and reusable shopping bags. We headed into town to the grocery store where we picked up some snacks for the boat as well as electrolyte drink so make sure we stay hydrated. We then went for a walk along the waterfront towards the sailing club. We headed back to the lagoon and decided to sit in the sun for a bit. Once 1pm rolled around we went to check in to the boat and got the rest of the trip paid for. We were pretty hungry once that was taken care of so we went back to Beaches for $13 lunch and drink. Lunch was not as good as yesterday though, I had calamari and it wasn't great. We then walked over the marina to rent some stinger suits. We could rent them from the boat for $22 for 3 days or from another spot for $12. We did have a little trouble figuring out what thickness we needed but settled for 3/2mm, it's 3mm in the torso and 2mm in the arms and legs. With that taken care of we went back to the van. We didn't want to be in the sun any more and the shade was too chilly in the wind so we ended up reading in the van which was a nice warm temperature for the sun being on it. We drove over the marina and scored some free parking. We made some sandwiches for a light dinner then made our way over to the meeting area. We were assigned our cabins and then walked over to the boat. We put our stuff away in our cabins then met back up on deck for a briefing and a glass of bubbly. One of the deckies went through introductions as well as some safety and rules including only being allowed 1 minute showers per day to conserve water since all the water is in a tank on board. We were expertly maneuvered out of the harbour and motored along for about 2 hrs before coming to our mooring for the night.

Agnes Waters/1770

June 27 – Agnes Waters/1770

We woke up fairly early this morning but the sky was against us again. We made some breakfast wraps but they weren't quite the same without cheese and bbq sauce, both of which we are out of. We drove up the road to the Town of 1770 which is even tinier than Agnes Waters. There was supposed to be a great lookout. We walked out to the lookout and while I can see it being awesome on a nice day it just didn't quite have the same effect in dreary weather. We then headed back to the library so I could update my blog. The internet was painfully slow though and took forever to upload a whole four photos. This morning we had seen some pamphlets at the hostel regarding some Whitsunday's Cruises so we decided to have a look at a few online. After the library closed for lunch we headed back to the hostel to make some lunch of our own. We then walked into “town” or rather to the few shops that make up the main hub. We picked up a few groceries and also finally bought stamps for our New Zealand postcards. We had forgotten about them and since we rediscovered them we thought we should send them out. We also popped into a travel agency and got a little more info on other Whitsunday's Cruises. Back at the hostel we discussed what we should do about that part of our trip since we knew it was something we really wanted to do but we were nervous about the weather. It's supposed to get nice tomorrow and remain that way for the foreseeable future but we want to go in a little over a week and weather predictions just aren't too accurate. We hummed and hawed and then debated which boat we should take. We opted for a nicer one that actually goes out to the GBR, Whitsunday Islands aren't actually a part of it, and also is 3 day 3 night. We talked to the guy that ran the hostel and we just had to put down a $50 cash deposit each to secure our spots on the boat for next Friday. We figure if the weather is brutal $50 each isn't much of a loss to not go. I read and Beau played guitar for a bit before we made some dinner. The kitchen and dinning area was pretty crowded but we shared a table with two Aussie dudes. We chatted with them for a bit and they might be visiting a buddy in NY State early next year to do some boarding. Beau gave them our contact info in case they decided to come up to Canada at all, assuming we'll be in Montreal too. We finished off the evening with my nose in a book and Beau on his i-Pod. It was pretty brisk out but the sky had cleared.

June 28 – Agnes Waters

We finally woke up to blue sky and sunshine! Although by the time we had breakfasted and showered it had clouded over quite a bit. We headed back to the library as Beau wanted to check his e-mail and I needed to fix some typos in my last blog entry. While there I had a peak at flights from Kelowna to Ottawa. We found an almost direct, it stops in Toronto, flight from Kelowna to Ottawa with AirCanada for $209. We figured it probably won't be much cheaper than that and not with that good of connections. It's only 6hrs of travel which is nice because we'll have a little monster with us. So we booked another flight. We've really broken the bank over the last few days. But our flights to get us back to Ontario are way better than they would have been if we had done a flight from Sydney to Toronto. So we are getting Sydney-Honolulu-Kelowna-Ottawa for about $1300pp I think I'm okay with that. I called AC to book Monty on the flight but since we are in Australia I dialled the Australian toll free number. I think the guy was a bit flabbergasted at my request. He didn't really know what to do but got all the information and said he'd get back to me... okay. After being a couple big spendas we went for a walk along the “Discovery Trail.” The map showed it to be a short walk but there seemed to be numerous paths we could take and not many signs. We made it to the lookout and then found our way down to Workman's Beach. We then made our way back to the van in a convoluted manner. We drove down to the main beach and soaked up some sun for a wee bit. We then made some lunch in the park before heading out of town. We drove towards Gladstone and pulled into a rest stop about 20min out of town. There were quite a few caravans and campervans at the rest stop but were back in a grassy area. We decided to it would be better back there further from the road. On pulling into that area we noticed a sign saying no camping or caravans, we sort of shrugged and figured it was fine since there were a bunch of people there. We had just gotten settled and were at a picnic table when a lady came by to and mentioned another lady had said there was a ranger around taking licence plates and if we were still here in the morning he would be handing out fines. What?! Another woman came around say she was passing on a message from the powers that be (I can't remember what she actually said) that we weren't allowed to stay in that area. We had to be on the other side of the posts and could only stay for a max of 20hrs. She was going to every site telling people this. We decided not to risk it and moved into what I guess is the designated rest area. Not sure why they haven't fenced off the other part or anything. I think they've been having issues with people staying for extended periods of times in the rest areas. They are all to a max of 20hrs but people have been abusing it. One guy said he'd been for a week and another lady for 3 months! On a separate note dude from AirCanada got back to me and “put in a request” for the the cat but is waiting for confirmation. He said there were no other animals booked on the flight so it should be fine. He also said I would pay for the cat at check-in. I've never done it that way but I think because I called the Australian people they don't exactly deal with it, hopefully I get e-mailed confirmation shortly and it'll all be taken care of.

June 29 – A Tropical Disappointment

We awoke early and full of excitement for our tropical excursion. We quickly packed up the van and headed into Gladstone. We stopped at an ATM and then got brekky and wifi at Hungry Jacks. We made our way down to the marina, parked the van, secured all our valuables and triple checked everything. As we headed to the Heron Island desk we overheard one of the girls apologizing to another guest and our hearts started to sink. We found out that the desalination plant on the island had broken down about 12 hrs earlier and they weren't going to be able to get a part out to fix it until later the following day. Because of this they weren't taking any guests out to the island and probably bring the people currently out there back early. They suggested we reschedule our trip to Wednesday.... that didn't really jive with our plans so we got a full refund and crushed hopes. When we asked about what there was to do in town the tourist information lady told us not much. Not only were our paradise island dreams shattered but we were stuck in a beachless industrial town on one of the first hot, blue sky, sunny days we'd had in a week! We drove up to a look out but it pretty much just gave us a good view of the coal plant. We bought some groceries and gas and high tailed it out of town. We drove to Rockhampton and crossed the Tropic of Capricorn in the process. The tourist info girls weren't too much help and the beach was about 40mins out of our way. We had some lunch in a busy park then carried on to a free campsite. We ended up driving about 300km today since we couldn't find anything better to do!

Dolphin Feeding, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg

June 23 – Dolphin Feeding

We were awoken this morning by my alarm going off at 7am. We wanted to get down to the boat ramp by 7:30 which is when we had been told the dolphin feeding was. We had a granola bar and unloaded the bikes. There was a little bit of rain this morning so we had to wipe down the seats, it was also very overcast and grey so we made sure to wear our raincoats. We arrived at the boat ramp and there were some people milling around waiting for the dolphin feeding. Around 8am one of the volunteers got on the microphone and told us a bit about the dolphins we would be meeting. They are Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins and the alpha male, Mystic, is a third generation feeder and comes almost every day, sometimes with members of his pod to get some free fish. He is 21 years old. While we were waiting it started to rain, most of us took cover under the neighbouring cafe's awning. 8:30 rolled around and still no dolphins. Many people grew impatient and sick of the rain so they left. Probably about 9 o'clock Mystic showed up with one of his pod, Patch. She's the oldest in the pod at 25 and was recovering from a shark bite she received from a bull shark about 2 weeks ago. Those of us left came down to the waters edge to get the dolphins used to us before the feeding started. The volunteers had a look over the dolphins to check for new scars or injuries. Once that formality was completed we got our little buckets with two wee fish in them. Beau fed his two fish to Mystic while I took pictures then I pulled a butterfingers trying to juggle the camera and my fish bucket and dropped the bucket. A cheeky pelican scooted in and stole one of my fishes but I didn't let him get my other one. I fed my little fishy to Mystic and the lady told me to go get another fish. So I got another bucket of two fish and fed them to Mystic too. It was super cool. You just held the fish in the middle and the dolphin gently took the fish from your hand. When I went to return our fish buckets the one lady asked me how I liked and I said it was amazing. She said have another bucket so I got two more fish. This time I fed them to Patch. Afterwards the fish were all gone and the rain had let up once again so we biked back to our park. We made breakfast now and enjoyed it with some coffee before set out again. We were driving up to Hervey Bay and stopped in Maryborough along the way. This town is home to the writer of Mary Poppins and when we went into the visitors there was a lady dressed up like Mary Poppins. They also have an annual Mary Poppins festival. Crazy. We went to the grocery store, then got some lunch at subway before driving onwards to Hervey Bay. We took a little drive through town before going to our holiday park. They had free wifi as well as a hot tub. We took advantage of the hot tub and went for a little soak in the rain. Unfortunately 35 deg was not quite as hot as it initially sounded so we didn't get the hot soak we were looking for. We had a shower before relaxing in the van before dinner. This place also boasted a pizza oven, while we didn't have a pizza base we decided to make flat bread (or tortilla) pizzas which worked out deliciously. We spent some time in the rec room on the internet before getting kicked out at 9:30. Back in the van we spent some time writing up before bed.

June 24 – Hervey Bay

It was still raining when we awoke, much to our disappointment. We made a yummy breakfast of sausage and egg taco's with potatoes on the side. I finished updating my blog while we were cooking/eating then we got packed and out of there. We headed down to the jetty to have a look at the bay and Fraser Island. It wasn't really raining at that time so we went for a walk along the 800m historic jetty. There were a bunch of people fishing off the end of the pier. We could see Fraser Island easily from here but we were both glad we hadn't booked a tour since the weather is supposed to suck till Wednesday. Back at the van we looked at the map and decided we would head towards Bundaberg. It looked like there might be a rest stop along to way to stay at tonight. Since we had nothing better to do and since the library was closed today we set off on our way. We stopped into a gas station and Beau adjusted the air in the tires. We found our rest stop about 20km outside of Bundaberg and pulled in. It was only about 2pm at this point but we didn't really know what else to do with ourselves so I read while played guitar. We had some guacamole with chips for lunch and a side of knock off peanut M&M. Then we read some more till we made dinner. It was still raining but it's very fine although there's quite a bit of it. We sat around for the rest of the evening too and in general had a very boring day.

Historic Jetty

Fraser Island

 June 25 - Bundaberg

We were pretty slow moving this morning but it was still raining so we didn't have much motivation to move quickly. We made oatmeal for breakfast and Beau played some more guitar. We finally made tracks around 11:30 and headed into Bundaberg. We went into the info center and found out about a rum distillery in town as well as the location of the library. We went to the library first but the internet was painfully slow and Beau couldn't update his site. We left the library and headed to the distillery. The Bundaberg Distilling Co has been around since 1888 and was opened in order to use up excess molasses created from the nearby sugar mill. We got a tour of the distillery and a couple of taste tests. I tried a “Dark and Stormy” with the original rum and local ginger beer. My other taste test was the Royal Liqueur on the rocks that had a coffee, chocolate, rum flavour. It was very nice. After our tour and tastings we popped into McD's for a snack. We then headed out of town to another free rest stop for the night. Over the course of the evening we discussed our plans for the next two months including when we might go home.

June 26 – Agnes Waters

We attempted to make pancakes for breakfast but the bbq was a little too hot and made it very difficult. They turned out a little more crepe like which was fine and this time we had syrup to go with, yum. Beau made friends with a french couple who had a guitar and ukelele. They jammed for a little bit and Beau showed them some new songs. We hit the road and continued to Agnes Waters. It was pretty gloomy out today and rained some on our drive. We headed to the information center when we arrived and it was raining pretty good by that time. The library was right next door but was about to close for lunch. In the info center we got the low down on the area and heard about some nice walks and views which unfortunately we wouldn't really get to enjoy. We asked about any reef trips since we are at the southern most tip of the Great Barrier Reef. They told about the day trip to Lady Musgrave Island and also about overnight trips to Heron Island. The more we heard about Heron Island the better it sounded. We decided on a 3 day 2 night trip for $318pp (ouch) but it is a 5 star hotel, with all food included. We can go diving off the island for about $60/dive and all the snorkeling we can handle. Normally the boat trip out is $300 but it was included since there was a deal going on via the info centers. We bit the bullet and splurged. We were pretty excited about our trip coming this weekend. After booking the library had reopened so we headed over and Beau updated his site. Then we started looking at flights. The best deal was still JetStar to Honolulu and then WestJet to Kelowna. The prices had gone up from a couple of weeks ago so we decided it was time to giver. We bit another bullet and got flight direct from Sydney to Honolulu on August 13^th for about $700pp and then a flight from Honolulu to Kelowna via Vancouver on Aug 20th for about $300pp. So we'll be getting to K-town for just over $1000 each which is pretty good considering the cheapest I saw previously was Sydney to Vancouver via Seoul for $1200. This way we get to stay in Honolulu and go directly to Kelowna. After we finished maxing out our credit cards for the day (jk) we head up the road to the Cool Banana which is a hostel that lets you stay in your van and have full use of their facilities for $10pp; we were in desperate need of a shower. Since we had kind of skipped lunch we opted an early dinner and had a loaded curry. Afterwards we had nice hot showers and then lounged around in the lounge. Sadly it still rained on and off for most of the evening.

(I picked up some Aussie pronunciation at the library today apparently crocheting is pronounced crochering....wtf)

Sunshine Coast

June 20 – Sunshine Coast

Beau got up before me this morning and played guitar for a bit before I joined him to make breakfast. After our oatmeal Beau set to work on the van trying to figure out which brake was squeaking. He jacked up the van and spin each tire but nothing squeaked for him. The back passenger wheel though wouldn't spin well so we think it might be that one. Once the van was back on all fours we drove into Caloundra and got some info on the Sunshine Coast. We also popped into the library so Beau could e-mail his resume to Bombardier. Once out of there we started driving up the coast, we went through the town of Mooloolaba and then stopped to make lunch in Marcoola. We made ribs with potatoes on the bbq. They were pre-cooked beef ribs and weren't too bad. Afterwards we continued on to Coolum Beach where we decided to stop for the night. We popped some laundry in and went for a nice walk along the beach. After our lovely beach walk we hung the laundry to dry, unfortunately in the shade now, and walked over to the liquor store for a new box of wine. This time we bought a 4L box. We also popped into a dollar store and bought some beach towels for $5 each. We are hoping we'll be spending more time on the beach and I'd rather not get my shower towel all salty and sandy. We then sat in the fading sunlight with a cup of wine and a book/guitar. We made some sidekick noodle things again and got talking with another travelling couple who were also Canadian. We chatted for awhile until we decided it was too chilly to be outside. It's frigid tonight. Beau and I made some Milo with milk and enjoyed it back in the van with a book.

Coolum Beach

Coolum Beach

June 21 – Noosa

We enjoyed our breakfast in our camp chairs in the sunshine. Our laundry that had been out all night now had a hope of drying in the morning sun. We got our laundry all packed up and put away before driving up towards Noosa. We stopped at Sunshine Beach and spent a few hours surfside. Beau and I kicked around the beach ball but there was a slight wind and the ball didn't go where it was supposed to. I gave up and read on my towel while Beau went for a walk on the beach. When Beau got back from his stroll he tried to just chill on the beach but was too antsy to sit still. He went in the water and was inspired to try body-surfing by some guys attempting to surf. He had a lot of fun as well as many face-fulls of water. I waded into the water for a little bit. The water was actually quite warm. When Beau got our he was pretty wiped so he rinsed off and then we made some guacamole in the park for lunch. We drove into Noosa and stopped into the visitors center to find out where the library was. We'd both had enough of the sun for the day. We spent a bit of time getting up to date on our blogs then headed down for a few groceries as well as a hair trimmer. Beau's hair is out of control and I'm going to attempt to mow it for him... gulp. Noosa is a really pretty little town with lots of canals and waterways through out. There were some really nice places with docks and boats on the canals. We headed out of Noosa as the sun was starting to set. We were headed towards Gympie and stopped at a rest stop just out of town. The rest stop was packed with campervans, caravans and RVs. It wasn't a bad little spot though because it was sheltered from the highway a bit and it was free. We made fish curry for dinner but the potatoes was barely cooked enough and everything else was almost too cooked. It still tasted good though.

June 22 – Tin Can Bay

With no check out time we slept in a little bit then got up to make some breakfast at a picnic table. The sky was a mix of sun and cloud but we got some sunshine with our breakfast. After cleaning and packing up we moved the van closer to the picnic tables and I attempted to cut Beau's hair. Unfortunately the inverter wasn't up to the challenge of powering the razor but luckily it died before I even started. We drove out of our rest stop and onwards to Tin Can Bay via Gympie. Once in Tin Can Bay we checked into a rather run down park but it was a couple steps up from the other option in town. Sadly at this point it had clouded over. I set to work cutting Beau's hair which turned out okay although it took a little while. We both had a quick shower since we were covered in hair then made some lunch. We made french toast for lunch but since we lacked vanilla, syrup and butter they just weren't that great. We took a walk along the water and scoped out where the dolphin feeding was supposed to take place in the morning. Once back at our site we set up the table and chairs outside and guitared/read as well as munched on some Doritos. I went in to read once the sun went down since it got chilly. When Beau came in we hummed and hawed about dinner but since neither one of us was very hungry we just had some cheese and crackers.

Tin Can Bay

Queensland!

June 17 – Tweed Coast

Well it was back to oatmeal this morning as we finished off our eggs yesterday. I guess I've gone a few days with out it but man I didn't miss it. We got showered and battened down the hatches before hitting the road. We popped into a chemist on the way out of Byron Bay so we could get us more sunscreen, me some cough meds and Beau new soap. I still have chesty cough going on so I figured I should try to do something about it. We got back on the highway for a bit then off of it for another tourist drive. On our way through Hastings Point we stopped at a lookout which was quite spectacular. It's also a gorgeous sunny day so that helps. In the distance we could see huge splashes of water from whales jumping and breaching. Sadly they we much too far away for my little camera, but it was pretty cool to see. We drove up to Tweed Heads and made some tuna sandwiches at Rainbow Bay. We had a walk along the beach in the sunshine but since we hadn't put sunscreen on that morning I didn't want to be out in it too long. I think we'll have to start slathering up every morning again. We started down the road again but stopped when we saw a “Welcome to New South Wales” sign. We were confused until we realized that the state boarder runs through the middle of town! Strangely there was no “Welcome to Queensland” sign. After taking a picture with the boarder marker we set out again and headed up the Gold Coast. We drove through the towns along the beach like Surfers Paradise. The ocean looked amazing but there were tons of high rises everywhere. Beau was also getting quite frustrated with the traffic since every time we almost got up to speed we'd hit a red light. We got out of the Gold Coast snarl and back on the freeway into Brisbane. We found our caravan park with little trouble, only one U-turn needed because we missed the turn due to the itty bitty street signs. After checking in we left shortly after for Linda's place, Mom's cousin. We found Linda's street with little difficulty but had a touch of trouble finding the house. We parked and walked up the street but knew we had gone to far, then we found the teeny tiny numbers that denoted 93. We accidentally came around the back because we went in the wrong gate but we made it. We had a lovely evening with Linda, we told her all about our trip and she shared her plans and some pictures of her daughter and grandson. Dinner was amazing with roast chicken and potatoes as well as Pavlova for dessert. A proper Sunday dinner. We said our good byes and hope to see each other again some time. We had a little trouble getting back to the park since a coupe streets we couldn't turn right onto but we eventually made it onto the right road only to get caught in a random breathalyser check. We were both a little nervous since we had some wine at dinner but Beau blew a triple zero (or 0.000) so it didn't even detect his glass of wine. Phew. We made it back to the park without further incident and wrapped up our evening in the usual way

Hastings Point

Humpback Whale

Queensland-New South Wales Boarder

Dinner with Linda

June 18 – Brisbane

We awoke to a beautiful sunny day, perfect for exploring Brisbane. It was only four km into the city from our park so we decided to bike in. Our bike ride turned out to be a little more strenuous than we thought since we had to go up a few hills. We biked along the sidewalk till we found the bike path into the city. We reached the CBD and started off at the Queen Elizabeth Mall which was actually a pedestrian street. It also had the information center. We got the down low on sights to see and started out on a self guided walking tour. We quickly gave up on our walking tour since we kept missing the alleged sights it was also the arts and architecture tour. Brisbane is on a river and there a bunch of pedestrian bridges crossing it. We took a funky one across and started walking along a riverside boardwalk. We knew we wanted to take a ferry along the river but had to figure out which to take. We were in the area called South Bank and popped into another info place where we got the dl on the ferries and were recommended to walk along the river to next ferry terminal along. South Bank was very cool with some restaurants and shops as well as a pool with a man made beach. Seemed like the spot to be on a gorgeous day. We continued our way along the boardwalk past the Maritime Museum. We walked up to the top of the cliffs that run along the south bank and were rewarded with a great view of the city. Once we reached our ferry wharf we hopped on the City Ferry and were taken across the river where we had to change boats to a City Cat. The City Cats are the fast ferries and go up and down the river for some distance. We were headed down stream. There were soooo many massive houses along the water with huge boats out front. It was really enjoyable to see the city from the river. We went to almost the end of the ferry's route which took about 30min from where we started then headed back up stream and alighted outside of the Queen Elizabeth Mall. We were feeling a bit peaked after all our biking, walking and sun so decided to head back, we also didn't want to bike in the dark. We were side tracked by a spraypaint street artist who we watched work for a little bit and then picked up some fish and fococcia bread for dinner. We wanted naan but there wasn't any so we are substituting fococcia. We retrieved our bikes and set out for home. We arrived back at the park just before the sun finished setting. We made some delicious fish curry and the focaccia went surprisingly well with it.

A City Cat on Brisbane River

Brisbane

A City Ferry

Story Book Bridge

Brisbane River

June 19 – Glasshouse Mountains

We awoke to another blindingly sunny day and enjoyed our oatmeal and coffee in it. We hit the road then hit up a grocery store and a gas station. Back on the road we start heading out of Brisbane but pulled into a McD's after not too long. Beau wanted to send his resume off to his buddy's boss at Bombardier but the internet was too slow to upload the file. We had some 30 cent ice cream cones than gave up on the uploading. We'll find a library tomorrow and do it then. Back on the road we drove for about 60km then turned off for the Glasshouse Mountains scenic drive. The Glasshouse Mountains were once a volcanic range surrounded by sandstone that eroded away over many 20 odd million years and left only the plugs of the volcanoes. We headed into one of the parks and made some lunch. Then went for a short hike to a lookout point. The look out was pretty good but the sun made photo's next to impossible. We drove up the road a short ways to another look out and got some great views of the surrounding mountains. I also got some pictures this time. After having our fill of the mountains we decided to check out a rest stop hoping it might be okay. Turns out it was back far enough from the main road that the noise wasn't substantial. Since we still had a bit of day light we set to work patching a small hole in the canvas was well as reattaching some velcro for the screens. With those jobs out of the way I did some crocheting while Beau played guitar. We made some sidekick like pasta with a bunch of vegetables thrown in. It turned out alright but there wasn't a lot of flavour to the sauce. We finished off our box of wine and did some more crocheting and reading. 

Mt Coonowrin

Mt Beerwah

Glasshouse Mountains

Us at the Glasshouse Mountains

Byron Bay

June 14 – Byron Bay

We were especially lazy this morning since we didn't have to get out of the caravan park for 10am. So we slept in. We made egg and sausage burritos for breakfast, showered and set up the tarp to dry out since it looked like we might finally have a nice day. We eventually made our way out of the park around 1pm. Once in town we stopped into two dive shops to see if we could go out. The dive spot here is a marine park at Julian Rocks which is rated in the top 5 dive sites in Australia. Since the weather had been pretty bad up until today there were huge swells in the bay and both dive companies thought they wouldn't be going out until Saturday at the earliest. And even then they wouldn't be making that call until Friday afternoon. We also checked out a surf school since Byron Bay is the place for learning to surf. They have also been struggling with the huge swells since it's not safe to teach people to surf when the waves are too big. We headed up to Cape Byron for the 4km walk around the point and over to the lighthouse. At Clark's Beach there was a look out atop a big rock and you had to walk through the water a little ways to get out to it. From the look out we observed a multitude of surfers. We continued along the path to Little Watego's Beach where there was another lookout on a point. Our next lookout stop was the most eastern point of mainland Australia. We reached the Cape Byron lighthouse just in time for a free tour. The lighthouse was built in 1901 and still had it's original lens in use. There was an awesome view from the top but the ocean was too choppy for any whale spotting. We followed the path back to the van then headed into town for some late Subway lunch. We made some phone calls and then headed to the visitors center to find out more about the surf schools in the area. We found a surf school that goes to a different area than most and was also the cheapest at $44 for a 4 hour lesson. We booked it and then headed to the brewery for a happy hour schooner to celebrate. After our beer we came back to the caravan park and made some dinner. We also decided that since we were going surfing tomorrow and had high hopes about diving we would stay at least another night. We decided to make it two nights since we got another 2 for 1 deal.

Surfers in Byron Bay

The Light House

Point Byron, most eastern point in mainland Australia

View south east

June 15 – Surfs Up Dude

We got up early then yesterday since we wanted to do some stuff before our 2pm surfing pick up. We made egg, sausage and vegetable grilled tacos for breakfast then headed into town to the arts and industrial park. It's supposed to be a cool/trendy area with lots of artisan shops. We went into an amazing glass blowing studio. The artists made some incredible sculptures and vases out of glass. There also thousands of dollars. Unfortunately there wasn't going to be any glass blowing until 1:30 and we were going to have to miss that since we had our surf lesson later. We then went into a wood working shop with some great looking furniture. They also sold unfinished pieces of wood that you could take home and work on yourself. Pretty cool! The lady there was very nice and was already putting her two year old to work oiling the cutting boards they sold. After that we went into a jewellery studio they sold some awesome pieces of metal working. Made me itch to get my hands on some tools and wire! We then went into a leather place that smelled great. It also had some beautiful purses and Beau was eyeing up a leather notepad cover. We didn't find too many other shops after this so we decided to head back. Once back at the campsite we set to work applying the waterproofing spray we bought as well as fixing our leaks. We should be now ready when it rains again which hopefully it won't since we have done all this work. We made some lunch, threw a bag together with towels and such and went out to meet our surfing pick up. The van picked us up, there were 6 other people plus the two instructors. The older guy was very entertaining in a zoned out surfer sort of way. We headed south to Ballina where we were in a protected bay. The waves were pretty small, ankle snappers in surfing lingo, but they were big enough that we could learn to surf without getting tumbled by the waves. We wet suited up, did some beach work first then set out in the water. Beau and I got up our first try but our first try also had the instructor supporting the board and giving us a boost to get up to speed with the wave. After a few of those starts we started trying the catch our own wave. We were in waist deep water so we had to push off the bottom, jump on our board, paddle paddle paddle, then once we were going stand up. We were both successful but I think Beau caught more wave than me. The sun was starting to set and we were all chilly and ready to go in. By the time we got back to the caravan park it was dark and we were cold, salty and hungry. We had a steamy hot shower and decided to go in to town for dinner. We were feeling much to lazy to cook. We had seen a place advertising $7 burgers so we thought we would check that out. Once in we saw there was fish and chips for $9 and for an extra $3.50 you could add more fish and chips. We decided on that instead of a burger and also got a jug of beer. The Aquarius Bar, where we were, is attached to a hostel and had a little buffet dinner for the residents it also meant there was going to be “entertainment” later in the form of karaoke. When our meal arrived it was huge! There were 6 pieces of fish, a mound of fries, and salad. We were stuffed when we finished our meal and karaoke was about to start. They were offering free beer to the first 10 performers. I said what the hell and “sang” Tracy Byrd's “Drinkin' Bone” which nobody knew and Beau sang “You've lost that loving feeling.” We had some fun and got a free drink out of it. 

Our surf area

June 16 – Lazy Day

We had hoped to go diving today but the swell in the bay was too big so they didn't think it was worth going out. So instead we had a lazy day. We slept in and had a toasted egg, avocado and tomato sandwich for breaky. Beau skyped his parents and then I skyped Mom and Dad (we have free wifi at the park). Afterwards we had a nice walk along the beach and then came back and had some guac and chips for lunch. We lazed about in our arm chairs reading until the sun went down. It cooled off pretty quick without the sun. We made dinner and then did some computer updating. It's hard to do much at night besides sit in the van when it gets dark at 5:30. Our day was uneventful but enjoyable none the less.

Our Beach

Coffs Harbour and Yamba

June 11 – Coffs Harbour

The morning started off with rain and eggs Benedict yum! Nice to have a couple of mornings of change for breakfast. When we set out from South West Rocks it looked like the day might brighten up but our hops were quickly dashed by rain, rain and more rain. We arrived in Coffs Harbour and went into the info center. The towns is more known for it's lovely outdoors scene and since it was a public holiday the library was also closed. We asked about a good place for lunch and a beer and were directed to the Deep Sea Fishing Club. Beau and I got a jug and a window seat. The view would be lovely on a gorgeous day; it overlooked the historic jetty and bay. There was supposed to be free wifi but with the rain and wind it wasn't working properly. We split a pizza and another jug before heading out. We went into McD's for some quick internet and $1 fries. We found a holiday park up the road and checked in there for the night. It was raining so hard out we started taking on water. The roof vent usually leaks a little but it was dripping pretty good. Also, the roof at the end of the van, right where the pop top connects, dripping... on the bed. We scrambled for buckets and to mop up the drips. When the rain let up we grabbed our tarp out and put it over top of the van thinking it would help which it did. We figured we had done the best we could so we went out to make dinner. We combined beans, corn, tomato and avo into a wrap with cheese and made burrito like things. We are getting good at coming up with new ideas. We headed back to the van and didn't discover any new leaks although there was still a little bit of water coming in. Well we'll have to cross our fingers that it doesn't rain too hard over night... gulp 

Coffs Harbour Historic Jetty

June 12 – Yamba

Unfortunately our tarping didn't work out quite as well as we hoped and water still got in and dripped on the bed. Uggg and it's still raining. We investigated the source of our leak and it looks like the incorrect screws were used at some point to attach the pop top support at the back and water was dripping through the hole in the fibreglass. At least we know what the problem is now so when we eventually dry out we can fix it. We had breakfast and showered before heading out to the library. It's good to get caught up on the internet indoors while it's raining. It doesn't torrentially rain all the time, more bipolar with the sun out one minute and then crazy rain the next. We got sort of updated and then went to the grocery store. We also bought a box of wine so we'll see how that goes. We travelled about 120km today to Yamba with a stop at Sandy Beach for a windy leftover bbq lunch. We found a reasonably priced park in Yamba and got ourselves set up for the night. We assumed it would continue to rain so we set up the tarp again except with our posts to hold it up too. There was an indoor camp kitchen where we made dinner and watched a bit of the news and Myth Busters before heading back to the van for some bed time reading.

June 13 – Yamba to Byron Bay

We made some awesome egg mcmuffins for breakfast this morning. They had sausage patties, cheese and egg with onion, garlic and broccoli inside. While eating breakfast we watched the news and ended up getting pretty wrapped up in it, before we knew it it was almost 10 and we had to get out of the park. After a hasty departure we drove into town. We parked the van and started walking along the waterfront and out onto the breakwall. Some pretty major breakwalls were built here in order to create a deep sea shipping port. The ocean was extremely rough and the sky over the ocean was very black. Over land though there was patchy blue sky and the weather didn't seem to be coming in land at all. We walked out fairly far onto the southern breakwall, on the way back a huge wave hit the wall and we got majorly splashed. My body mostly shielded my camera and Beau. I had a huge wet patch on my left arm, back, and thigh as well as a big hunk of hair on my face. It wasn't a pretty sight. We headed back to the van and I started strategically placing my wet things in the van to dry. Fortunately it's warm enough out of the wind to just be in my t-shirt. We popped into a campstore in town and bought some waterproofing spray for the van. Now all we need is for it stop raining. We headed out of town and on to Byron Bay. We got off the highway in Ballina and stopped into the McD's for a quick e-mail check. While there we splurged on a 30 cent soft ice cream. We did some recon on caravan parks around Byron and were at first unimpressed with the options but we scored on one that was just out of town that had a 2 for 1 deal going on and free wifi. Done! Since the place was on our way into Byron Bay we checked into the park first and then made a late lunch. We got some tourist information for the lady at reception and saw a poster for the Byron Bay Brewery. We headed over to the brewery for some $3 schooners. Beau had a dark weisse and I had the Blonde. We also tried their brown ale. Later we ordered a pizza and two more schooners before the end of happy hour. I had the Pilsner and Beau the Premium Ale. After pizza and beer we headed back to the holiday park and lazed around in the van wasting time on the internet.

Yamba

The Breakwall