After a short stay in Brisbane we drove north to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast for our final 4 nights in Australia.  It’s only spring but the heat differential between New South Wales (Sydney) and Queensland was significant.  The air was dry and temps were in the high 30s C (95-97 degrees Fahrenheit).

Despite the heat, there was no way we could miss the Australia Zoo, formerly the wildlife animal hospital made famous by Steve “Crikey!” Irwin.  It’s located in Beerwah which is not a huge distance, “kilometers wise”,  but required some navigation through many unmapped construction detours and upwards of 158 roundabouts.  It seemed like we were driving in circles but eventually we got there.  Yeah!  Des has self proclaimed master of the roundabout status (he can have it).  The Zoo was  was dearly missing Steve but his spirit was definitely felt.  The zoo is going strong.  We were all fans of the Crocodile Hunter and it was bewildering how a stingray took down this bigger than life person.  I read that Steve is buried on the property somewhere, so that’s pretty cool.

The crocodile museum was packed full of bones and stories of adventures and mishaps from Irwin.  Kai says crocodiles are basically dinosaurs because they’ve been around so long.  He also noted that you don’t have to have a big brain to survive millions of years!   The Irwinesque trainers gave us good advice on how to not get eaten by a crocodile:  stay 5 meters from the waters edge and don’t hang over bodies of water unless you’re 5 meters above.  The big crocodile demonstrated his reach at the show!  It concluded with a greatest moments tribute to Steve Irwin complete with a very mod rap song about his exploits.

Wallabies and grey kangaroos wandered around about an acre of protected habitat.   Here Kai gets up close and personal. They have mad hops and game respects game…

The Koalas were the cutest.  Eucalyptus leaves are the only food on their menu so they sleep a lot.  These moms and their joeys were pretty active though.  Unfortunately their numbers are dwindling now, mostly due to urbanisation and loss of habitat.  And, sadly,  dogs attacks are common.

We found the Australian water dragons!  They were on the loose at the park, quite curious critters, and like to pose for photos.

This sumatran tiger cub greeted us just inside the park.

Noosa Heads and the National Park was amazing.  Lots of eucalyptus trees and pristine beaches.  Noosa proper was “Old Del Mar on steroids”!  Our lodging at the fancy pants French hotel was on the main drag, Hastings Street. Below is Little Cove and Main beach in the background.   A nice boardwalk winds all the way from Hastings street to the headlands.

Jen didn’t have to go far to have her first true wildlife encounter.  At the start of the Tanglewood trail head she met this guy…

It’s a laced monitor lizard or a type of goanna.   Their bite is probably venomous due to an oral toxin and the claws can definitely leave a mark.  There have been koalas in the park but no one mentioned these big lizards.  This one smelled the BBQ!  Something just didn’t feel right being close to one of these beasts. I have nightmares about tangling with one…

 

 

 

Jen was jolted out of some peaceful shade when a green tree snake jumped out of this pandanus palm and landed right next to her!  Long, skinny, and green but not poisonous. It had a mouthful of something, maybe a spider nest, and had lunch on the rocks.

 

Another surf club!  The young ones were training this night.

The waves were quite small during our stay, perfect for swimming and stand up paddling.  Noosa hosts a major surfing festival every February.  The longboarder competition draws big numbers. Hmm…maybe next time, Des.

 

Another rare bird sighting… Des claiming his retail therapy sesh!

 

A random Noosa local making a visit to our balcony.

 

Laguna lookout sunset gathering above the village. As always, the pic doesn’t quite seem to capture the scene. Take our word, colorful as. This and more has me grasping the attraction of Australia. It’s big too. Des plans a 12 month roadie around it in 2022. Book your seat now…

See ya next time!

 

 

After a great stay in Sydney moved on up the east coast to Brisbane.  The city looked a bit like Austin with a river winding through it.   The main reason for our stop in Brisbane was to take a day trip to Moreton Island.  Kai and I embarked on a guided tour at 6:00 am.   Des wasn’t feeling well so he slept in and toured Brisbane on a bike for the day.

Moreton Island is the 3rd largest “sand island” in the world.  (The biggest is Fraser Island just a few hours farther north.)  It’s part Jurassic Park and part Sahara desert.   Anyway, the tour was “touristy” but a super fun way to see the island.  The hour and a half ride on the jumbo passenger and car ferry was smooth.

After “docking” our first activity was a 4 WD adventure to the top of the island via “middle desert road.”  We bumped and rocked through the thickest, heaviest sand I’ve ever seen.  Our driver, Josh, was a pro and the Mitsubishi ute (SUV)  never got stuck.  Others did.  Passing them on the narrow “road” or pulling over in the bush to assist other drivers was just part of the adventure!  Once arriving at the desert,  Kai sand tobogganed down a huge sand dune a couple of times.  He got a mouth full of sand the first time.  Fun as!

 

 

The tour continued with lunch on the beach and snorkeling through the “Wrecks.”  The shipwreck site was created by delivering and deliberately sinking 15 old ships.  This created a breakwall for small boats and cultivated the formation of a natural reef.  The fish came and stayed.  Once in the water we were virtually surrounded by various species of reef fish.  The clear plastic kayaks were also a cool way to see the colorful fish and the ships.

The Sunset Safari guides are a group of young folks from all over the world.  Zee is from Singapore and is a biochemist.  Unable to get a job in Australia right away he became an overqualified kayak and snorkelling guide.  He’s a wild man too!

 

We didn’t get any Gopro footage or water shots but this video below is exactly what it’s like to the spend the day on Moreton Island.

 

Here’s downtown Brisbane in an area sectioned off for the shop and swap market.

Right at home with a 7 Eleven!

To Joshua, the world island expert, sorry but no magnet.  It was a quick trip and the ferry souvenir supply was rather limited.  But I have a friend from Port Aransas who lives in Brisbane.  We didn’t connect with her but I’m hoping she can help us out.

 

 

Air New Zealand flies across the Tasman Sea in under 3 hours. Then, just like that, we are in Australia!

Our trip was “short”, 10 days, so we took full advantage of the spring weather.  In Australia in summer it is said that only mad dogs and Englishman stay out in midday… and for good reason.

Jen’s first planned adventure was a whale watching tour. So to keep Kai awake, we booked the speed boat experience with Blake from Ocean Extreme.  The twin 425HP Yamaha engines propelled the 11 meter inflatable craft at high speed, thrilling us all!   It’s migration season and the whale numbers are way up this year.  Once seriously endangered with numbers in the hundreds,  humpbacks whales have made a proud comeback.  It is now estimated that 33,000 whales are swimming south along Australia’s east coast right now,  including many mom’s with their calves.  The southern hemisphere whales have white underbellies and tails.  Kai said seeing the whales up close was “amazing”, “crazy” and couldn’t believe something that big is out there.  The whales were surprisingly quiet and when we saw the tails up we knew they were swimming down for a deep dive of at least 5 minutes.  No close up breaching but Des saw them in the distance.  Definitely a highlight of our vacation.  (Captain Blake took these photos for us and his friend got the drone shots of our boat.)

Our Holiday Inn on the Rocks hotel was a short stroll to Sydney Harbour.  It’s busy with ferries coming and going to other beaches and parts of the city.  The huge Princess cruise ship was docked for a couple of days and people watching was fun entertaining too.

You can’t go to Sydney without seeing Bondi Beach. (pronounced Bon-die).  It’s famous for lots of reasons and it reminded us of La Jolla Cove… only much more massive with gorgeous light yellow sand, clear blue water, and a world famous surf break.  Bondi Beach is perhaps famously the home of the first ever Surf Life Saving Club. The teams rescue several people a day when they get caught in a rip on the south end or swim outside the flags.  Kai and Des body surfed and then Des rented a small, soft surf board and rode several great waves.  Bondi Beach is extremely popular and we were shocked by the crowds. But, even Des said it was such an iconic scene he was thankful to have been able to experience it.

There’s Des surfing above!

Des and Jen ferried across the harbour to Manly Beach for the afternoon on our last day in Sydney.  The snorkeling was nice along the rocks and the vibe was good.  School breakers dominated the beach so it was full on.

 

Is this La Jolla ?  Jen feeling at home on the seaside.

Kai spent the day in town and went to the Museum for Contemporary Art.  Our Holiday Inn on the Rocks hotel is located in the CBD (central business district) just a short stroll to the harbour, restaurants and shops.  It was hot by our standards, around 27 C.  The harbour is a bustling area and the Sydney Opera House sits at one end.

The Culture Kings retail experience was unrivaled.  Jen and Des felt old…  Super Bro Marcus assisted Kai amidst the onslaught of “bloody rap music”.  Travis Scott was bumping with a ferocity that precluded unclouded judgement.  Hey, “all the young kids” love it and sales are good!The Rocks is an area of town originally quarried to build much of downtown Sydney.  We weren’t sure we were in the hippest part of town but it suited us well.  I hadn’t thought of any Australian city as old but Sydney has a very intact and preserved legacy of original buildings from pre 1900s. Cobblestone alley ways, many interconnected footpaths, secret staircases, and more give it much character.

Above is an open air fashion show for the clothing brand Kookai.   The gals were supermodel tall and pretty (hot-ish but a bit alien-like per Des).

We got tickets to see the musical “Hair” at the Sydney Opera House on our last night in town.  The acoustics are amazing and the concert hall is beautiful.

The next day we flew to Brisbane.