Real Spectacles Are Not What You Wear On Your Nose: Australia Blog Post No.8: March 16-23, 2024

 

In Australia, we continue to encounter a plethora of spectacles that will not be forgotten quickly when we return home. We truly relish the amazing Australian scenery, exciting demonstrations, performances and various public events that we’ve experienced during our travels. Since our days in Brisbane are numbered, we refuse to take anything for granted, and we plan to ensure that we remember every spectacular experience when we return home. 

 

We’ve noticed that the people from Brisbane really enjoy getting out of the house on the weekends to attend big events whenever possible. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade (held on the Saturday before the big day itself) was no exception. City workers closed many of the major roads downtown well in advance of the parade, and large crowds of people lined up and down the streets to witness the grand event. To obtain a good vantage point of the parade, we picked a spot near the Port Office Hotel, a heritage building with a very popular pub that is frequented by many of the locals. An event organizer told us earlier that this location was a prime spot from which to view the parade. At this position, the general parade participants and bands all stop for a moment to perform a salute to the dignitaries who are observing the parade from this spot. People from the community and outlying areas (many dressed in green) all gathered for the parade with tremendous enthusiasm. From the side of the road, the crowd cheered, clapped, and rallied spirit for floats, bands, costumed characters, politicians, dance troupes, and other participants.

Crowd Gathers By Port Office Hotel for St. Patrick's Day Parade 

Costumed Marionette at St. Patrick's Day Parade

Characters on Stilts

From the moment that we first read about the Spectacle Garden at the Roma Street Parkland on a travel brochure, we wanted to ensure that we paid a visit to this incredible green space located in Brisbane’s city centre. When Trevor first stepped out of the car near the rainforest and fern gully section of the park, he practically jumped 3 feet off the ground after he almost stepped on an Eastern Bearded Dragon (a lizard) that was wandering around casually. We subsequently encountered many of  his little lizard friends (and even baby lizards) everywhere throughout the park. We quite enjoyed eating our lunch beside the pond and watching the ducks, turkeys, birds and other wildlife frolicking around. At the Spectacle Garden, we found brilliant seasonal colour and unique subtropical foliage as promised in the brochure.

Roma Street Parkland

The Spectacle Garden in Roma Street Parkland

Eastern Bearded Dragon in Roma Street Parkland

Upon visiting the Irwin family’s Australian Zoo in Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast, we found it virtually impossible to see everything in the park in one day. The late Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) founded the zoo originally, and his wife Terri, daughter Bindi and son Robert continue to operate and develop the world-class facility. The Irwins also continue to add new displays to the zoo regularly, and we were a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place. During our visit, we found animals from Asia, North America and Africa as well as the Australian animals that one would expect to encounter in an Australian Zoo. The daily afternoon show at the Crocoseum is attended by hundreds of spectators, and features the feeding of a huge crocodile. We would never ever consider attempting to do something this crazy, but the zoo staff appeared to know what they were doing. We were able to document this spectacle by shooting a short video. 

Poster for Bindi Irwin's Daughter's Birthday Celebration at the Zoo

Lorraine Feeding a Kangaroo at The Australia Zoo

An Elephant Struts His Stuff

Croc Feeding at the Crocoseum

Video: Crocodile Feeding (click to view)

After driving for two hours up the Sunshine Coast north of the city, we stopped to investigate Noosa Heads, a very popular holiday resort town. When we arrived, we were surprised at how well the buildings of the town have been camouflaged from the beach area. We were quite impressed at the manner in which the town has preserved the trees and beaches along the shoreline. It was sunny and extremely humid as we walked along the spectacular trail following the shoreline at Noosa Heads National Park. Numerous people in bathing suits (young and old) carrying surfboards passed by us as we traversed the trail. We spoke to a well-tanned, older gentleman in his 70s or 80s (dressed in a bathing suit) who was about to carry his equipment down the rocks into the water. He laughed when we told him that we hoped he wouldn’t fall off his surfboard. “That’s all part of the fun,” he said. 

Tea Tree Beach at Noosa Heads National Park

Noosa Heads National Park 

Lorraine at Noosa Heads 

 Spider at Noosa Heads

Trail at Noosa Heads National Park

On Tamborine Mountain which lies inland, west of the Gold Coast, we visited the Tamborine Mountain Skywalk. At the Skywalk, we walked along impressive bridges that have been constructed through the top of the rainforest. We then visited the Knoll Section of Tamborine Mountain National Park and drove along the top of the mountain which is relatively flat compared to others we’ve experienced. We passed avocado farms where the owners were selling fresh produce, a coffee plantation, and to top it off, we observed a wedding party in a Rolls Royce that had stopped along the edge of the cliffs to take wedding photos.

Tamborine Mountain Skywalk

View from the Top of Tamborine Mountain

Finally, we must mention another phenomenon which is uniquely Australian; signs advertising pie shops along the highway. Just like in Canada, we frequently spot the big golden arches of MacDonalds that may be found everywhere in Australia, and we see countless signs for KFC and for Hungry Jack’s (Australian version of Burger King) and for pizza joints and other fast foods. Australians, however, also love to eat a good meat pie, and we discovered Beefy’s pies along the highway near Bribie Island and also on the freeway leading up to the sunshine coast. On the highway back to Brisbane from the Gold Coast, we came across the Yatala Pie Shop where throngs of people were lined up inside the store and at the drive-through to purchase savoury meat pies and sweet pies for dessert. We were advised by our Australian friend Alan earlier on our trip, that meat pies are best served warm. During a subsequent picnic lunch, Trevor successfully warmed up meat pies from the Yatala bakery at one of the electric barbeques that are provided for free public use in many of the parks and recreation areas throughout Australia.

 

Yatala Pies (Off the M1 Motorway)

Electric BBQs (Barbies) in Australian Park

Warming Up Pies in an Electric BBQ

Our days are numbered in Australia, but we will be sure to take full advantage of every minute in this country to enjoy the other spectacles that still await us.

 

 

 

 

Embracing the City, Coastline, Interior and Australian Wildlife: Australia Blog Post No.7: March 8-15, 2024

When we planned our trip to Australia, we really liked the idea of travelling to Brisbane because staying in this city provides us with the opportunity to not only embrace the city itself, but also to explore the surrounding coastline and the mountainous land of the interior. We also wanted to have a chance to see as much Australian wildlife as possible by visiting various sanctuaries and trying to spot some of the country's unique creatures in the wild. After our first two weeks in Queensland, we feel that we are well on the road to accomplishing these objectives successfully. 

Road Warning Sign

From our home base downtown at Quest Apartments, we’ve expanded our exploration of the Central Business District in a variety of ways. First, we have found and investigated many of the tourist highlights within the city itself including the Anzac Square, Post Office Square, the Cathedral of St. Stephen, Brisbane City Hall, the Treasury Casino Building, the Queensland Parliament, and the list goes on. We find it quite fascinating to observe the dramatic contrast between the numerous stately old historic buildings and the modern, recently built structures. For example, we marvel at the way many of the old hotels (where the tourists and locals may be seen mingling in the bars) constructed in the city’s early days, blend in with the modern skyscrapers. Secondly, we have found it quite easy to carry out our normal day-to-day living activities in the downtown area, including grocery shopping, walking through shopping malls, podiatrist appointments, haircutting appointments (yes, our manes were getting a bit shaggy), and Trevor even scheduled an appointment with a registered massage therapist. We also purchased tickets for a couple of upcoming choral concerts that are taking place while we are in town; more on that later.

 

The Ship Inn, a Heritage Building on the South Bank

Post Office Square in Brisbane's CBD

Anzac Square in the CBD

Cathedral of St. Stephen

Everyone loves the Brisbane River, locals and tourists alike. Brisbane is located slightly inland, away from the Pacific coast, and the Brisbane River winds through the centre of the city. Many people get up very early in this town (as early as 6:00 in the morning) during the cooler part of the day to enjoy casual strolls and runs beside the river.  Local organizers have planned several runs that we’ve witnessed firsthand over the past two weeks. During last weekend’s “Fun Run,” for example, over 7,000 participants walked and ran in honour of International Women’s Day. 

Fun Run for International Women's Day

We see throngs of customers on the patios of the bars and restaurants downtown beside the river regularly, especially on the weekends. We've also taken advantage of the very impressive local river ferry system to explore various parts of the city. Choosing this mode of travel provides us with a much cheaper option than some of the river cruises offered by tour companies, and allows us to see the city skyline, expensive homes, trendy condos and parks from the river This past week, we travelled on Brisbane’s TransLink CityCat catamaran service out to Queensland University to explore the campus, and we also used the free KittyCat City Hopper Ferry to bring us back to the main ferry terminal from the trendy Howard Smith Wharf located under the city’s historic Story Bridge. 

CityCat Catamaran Ferry Passes Under the Story Bridge

Travelling on the CityCat

KittyCat City Hopper Ferry

Riding on the KittyCat

While most of the Australian population lives close to the coastline where the beaches are “hopping,” we’ve really appreciated the subtle contrast that we find in the mountainous interior lands away from the water. On a beautiful Saturday morning, we drove northwest out of the city to D’Aguilar National Park where we arrived at several spectacular lookouts after climbing up windy mountainous roads with hair raising hairpin turns. From Jolly’s Lookout and the Westridge Outlook near Mount Nebo, we were able to view the breathtaking scenery of the Queensland countryside for miles and miles in the distance. We drove to the top of Mount Glorious where we stopped at the Maiala picnic ground to eat lunch, and where many hikers walked the trails to explore the beauty of the mountainside.

Westridge Outlook, D'Aguilar National Park

No matter whether we are traversing the city or the countryside, we find ourselves constantly seeking opportunities to see the Australian wildlife. In the City Botanic Gardens, we see many Ibis birds wondering all over the place constantly. On one of our day trips, we were thrilled when a Kookaburra bird landed near us and put on a big show while we took photos of it. While we ate our picnic lunch during our visit to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, an Eastern Bearded Dragon Lizard and his wild turkey buddies kept us company. Birds such as Ibis and turkeys constantly hover close by whenever we eat lunch outdoors looking for some scraps of food.

Ibis in the City Botanic Gardens

Eastern Bearded Dragon Visits Us

Kookaburra Puts On a Show

 The Lone Pine Sanctuary is located just outside of the city, and we drove to it quite easily from the CBD. However, a tour operator also brings visitors out to Lone Pine by boat. Unfortunately, we arrived at the sanctuary at the same time as the tour boat. For the first part of the morning, we found that large groups of tourists (many American) crowded out some of the prime animal exhibits, and they also monopolized the areas where visitors are allowed to feed kangaroos (bags of food pellets are sold for $2 each). As a result, the kangaroos were fully fed when we tried to get close to them and they were not very interested in the food that we held out to them. Therefore, we have saved our bag of kangaroo food for another occasion. Lesson Learned!

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Koalas at Lone Pine Sanctuary

Feeding Kangaroos at Lone Pine

Sheep Dog Demonstration at Lone Pine

Our exploration of the Queensland coastline outside of Brisbane continues. We previously travelled to the Gold Coast south of the city. We have now expanded our travels toward the coastline north of the city onto Bribie Island and the Sunshine Coast. In a previous blog post, we mentioned that Gold Coast is a very trendy tourist area. We have found Bribie Island and the Sunshine Cost north of Brisbane to be much less “touristy” and less commercial than Gold Coast. It took just over an hour for us to drive to Bribie Island, and we crossed the bridge to the island during a weekday when less visitors were present, and when traffic was light. On the island, we found beautiful, paved pathways that follow the water for miles at the inland towns of Bellara and Bongaree. We also drove over to the more isolated, undisturbed Red Beach area that the lady who cut our hair in Brisbane recommended as her favourite beach. We watched several surfers excitedly unloading their boards from their car roof racks at Woorim Beach on the open ocean side of the island as they prepared for some exciting action in the water. 

 

Bribie Island With Bridge to the Island in the Background

Red Beach on Bribie Island

Australian Pied Oyster Catcher Birds on Bribie Island

On another beautiful sunny day, we drove a bit further north out of the city onto the Sunshine Coast where we planned to explore several communities and scenic lookouts. We stopped at Kings Beach in Caloundra and became so enthralled with the beautiful coastline, that we ended up spending the entire day at this location. The temperature was above 30º on the day we visited Kings Beach, but a beautiful breeze blew in from the ocean consistently, so we felt very comfortable. The waves were swelling quite high in the water, but several swimmers still braved the waters under the watchful eyes of the lifeguards who were equipped with surfboards, dune buggies and jet skis. Surfers demonstrated their skills skimming through the water, while several brave souls flying their hang gliders jumped off a cliff and manoeuvred their crafts high in the air over the beach. Once again, we really enjoyed the beautiful views that were offered from the paved walkway and boardwalk that followed the coastline. As we ate our lunch at one of the picnic shelters overlooking the water, we were again pestered by Ibis birds that were looking for us to share tidbits of our food with them.

 

King's Beach, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast

Pedestrian Walk at Kings Beach

Kings Beach, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast

 Our adventures in Australia continue! We are very excited about the plans that we are making to tour more areas of Brisbane and the amazing State of Queensland during our final two weeks in Australia. Stay tuned for the next edition of our blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planting New Roots in Brisbane and Sub-Tropical Queensland (Australia’s Sunshine State): Australia Blog Post No. 6: March 1-7, 2024

 

As we drive along the roads of Queensland, we see many licence plates displaying the caption, “Australia’s Sunshine State,” reminding us that Florida is not the only place that lays claim to this designation. We landed in Brisbane on March 1^st and have replanted our roots in this large city which boasts a population of over 2-1/2 million people. We’ve discovered that the average temperatures during the day, at this time of the year, in this part of the world range between 28ºC and into the 30’s most frequently.

 On the Goodwill Walking Bridge Over the Brisbane River

24ºC at 8:00 a.m. gets the locals up early!

Ella's Pink Lady sailboat at the Brisbane Maritime Museum used by the teenager Jessica Watson to sail around the World (see the 2023 Netflix Movie True Spirit)

Streets Beach (manmade) on the Brisbane River’s South Shore

For our new digs, we have moved into a unit in another long-term stay building, this one operated by the Quest Serviced Apartments chain which owns buildings throughout Australia and New Zealand. We originally booked a one-bedroom apartment; however, the Quest staff has upgraded us to a two-bedroom executive apartment on the 19^th floor due to a water main flood that occurred in the original apartment we booked. At this Quest location, we find ourselves living in the heart of Brisbane’s Central Business District amongst office towers and tall condo buildings, a sharp contrast to the suburban location where we stayed in Melbourne. A short hop across the street takes us over to the Westin and Four Points Sheraton Hotels. If we continue walking for another few blocks, we find ourselves at the City Botanic Gardens, Queensland University of Technology and the Queensland State Houses of Parliament. In minutes, we can stroll easily to the Queen Street Mall, a bustling, open street shopping venue that we find is very similar to the Sparks Street Mall in Ottawa.

In the City Botanic Garden

Queen Street Mall

An advantage of staying in an apartment as opposed to hotels is that we may shop in the stores with the locals, discover all the Australian products, and cook our own meals also. Two big supermarket companies, Woolworths and Coles, dominate the grocery chain market in Australia, as do Loblaws, Sobeys and Metro in Ontario back home. We’ve made an interesting discovery in that the operators of the downtown supermarkets close to where we are staying do not supply shopping carts (or trolleys as they refer to them in Australia). We could only find small baskets for shopping at the grocery stores downtown, and noticed that a lot of the people shopping in the stores were young, university-aged students in their late teens and early 20’s. We assume that shopping trolleys would disappear if they were provided, because many shoppers would probably use them to transport their groceries home to their apartments/condos in the neighbourhood. For major grocery expeditions therefore, we drive to supermarkets outside of the CBD which are geared more toward families, and where we can load up our shopping cart to our hearts’ content.

 

Thanks to our friend Alan Boughton who introduced us to the James Squire Orchard Cider brand while we were in Melbourne, we even made a trip to one of the bigger Australian liquor stores, Dan Murphy’s, to purchase this very addictive concoction. We have not tried Kangaroo burgers yet, although we did come across them at a food truck in the Sunday market at the Botanic Gardens.

 James Squire Orchard Cider

Kangaroo Burger Cart at Botanic Garden Sunday Market

Try One the Next Time You're in Town!

While we may walk to many of Brisbane’s popular attractions and shopping venues downtown frequently, we also use our Camry hybrid rental car to explore areas outside of the city. On one such trip, we admired beautiful, lush, green vegetation on the scenic drive up to the top of Mount Coot-tha, where we achieved an amazing view of the city from above. During our drive, we also passed by the headquarters that are owned by a couple of the local television stations that broadcast from the top of the mountain. By the way, the City of Brisbane also maintains a much larger botanic garden on the mountain (as well as the one downtown close to our apartment) which we plan to visit soon.

Mount Coot-tha Lookout

City of Brisbane from Mount Coot-tha

We see a lot of hype about the Gold Coast region in the Australian travel brochures and literature. Travellers who are drawn to tacky beach resorts with hotels, time shares, casinos, amusement parks, and souvenir shops can fill their time at Surfer’s Paradise easily. In one of the DK Eyewitness Australia Travel Guides, we read that we would find a relaxed haven at Burleigh Heads in the Gold Coastal beach area. Indeed, we were awed by the stunning views of the coast as we walked along the trail at the top of the steep cliffs beside the ocean in Burleigh Heads National Park. We were very happy that we visited this spot during the week though, because while we explored Burleigh Heads, several crews were setting up stands for the Hyundai Australian Boarders Battle Grand Finale. The national surfing competition is being held at Burleigh Beach this weekend (March 9-10) and huge crowds are expected. Check out the link to this event at https://australianboardridersbattle.com

Soaking Up Some Sun on Burleigh Beach

Burleigh Beach, Gold Coast, Queensland

Surfer at Burleigh Beach

On the Trail at Burleigh Beach National Park

Looking Over at Surfer's Paradise from Burleigh Heads National Park

For the duration of our stay in Brisbane during the month of March, we look forward to continued explorations of the city, Mount Coot-tha, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and the green mountainous area away from the coast. Stay tuned for detailed reports of our upcoming exploits in Queensland.