Travel Home Day

 I don't feel I have anything to write but I guess deep down I have something to say.

It is home ward travel day. Currently in Melbourne it is April 1, 2023 and 10am in the morning. Our first flight is to Auckland New Zealand with a three hour lay over and then at 8pm Auckland time we fly to Vancouver, still April 1 and when we arrive in Vancouver it is 1pm April 1.. Literally the longest day of travel.

It is bittersweet. Australia is a beautiful country and warm. Oh the warmth is so beautiful. I am amazed that I was able to be on vacation for three weeks. This is the longest vacation I have taken in my working career. I have enjoyed the places we have visited, the people we have met, and the journey we have embarked on and am sad to go, but I look forward to seeing my friends and family back home.

Take care of the memories, smile at the destinations, and remark upon the journeys.

Gold Coast - 3 day adventure

 Well... we did not do much here or see much here.

Upon arriving we dropped our bags and headed for groceries, as per usual on all our arrivals in new locations.

After carting the groceries back to the apartment, we ventured to the Ocean to see what all the surf hype was about. These waves are for the experts, the equipped, the locals, not us Canadian folk. Wave after wave pounding on the shore no reprieve for the weak, faint, or inexperienced swimmer as you got through one wave you were immediately hit with another! Thankfully there was a pool, hot tub, and sauna at the apartment. Now we're talking. The first and only hot tub of our trip. The weather here is cooler, highs of 30* during the day and lows of 22* but not a hot 22* more of a manageable temperature.

The weather turned ugly but very delighted we stumbled along a mall on our journey down the esplanade. Inside the mall we located a Timezone, which is a large indoor games center with bowling, laser tag, bumper cards, and games you play to win tickets (which you cash in at the end for prizes). I spent $60 for Erik to have fun playing games indoors while it rained outdoors. We also came across a Ripley's Believe it or Not and went for a stroll through the amazing artifacts that Ripley had located in his life, along with some optical illusions that he discovered. All in all we enjoyed our time spent hanging out doing kids stuff together.

Erik's big prize from Timezone which we need to package home is a Basketball...glad they had a deflated one I can tuck away in my suitcase.

Each morning we swam in the pool, each afternoon we swam in the pool. Blessed to have some relax time in before heading home to life and work.

And that it... we saw a mall, a swimming pool, and part of the esplanade!

Sunshine Coast Day 3- Noosa Heads

 

Today we ventured by city bus to Noosa Heads in the Noosa National Park. For $10 an adult and $5 a child we received a day pass to hop on and off the city bus as we wished. First stop, the Cotton Tree Market. One small city block and the market was over, but we did happen to find some nice rings to purchase for family members back home. The rings appear to be oil slick! We were under the impression the markets were a big deal on the Sunshine Coast, but we were wrong.

Back on the Bus we travelled about an hour through the suburbs, over some motorways (highway in Canada), and along some narrow streets before arriving at our destination. Noosa is filled with niche eateries and shops at the main bus junction station as well as shops all along the Noosa Heads section where we hopped off. Meandering our way past small stores and through eateries we found the main beach of Noosa which is lifeguard patrolled within the flags and the beach was filled with many families for a Sunday morning swim and surf.

We did not stop there, we turned around, decided we needed a gelato to start our soon to be hike through the National Park. MMM gelato is so yummy. Assimilated and ready to hike we found our way to the information booth to collect our map and be on our way. The path was a beautiful boardwalk with holes cutout for trees, handrails bent to go around trees, and benches along the path for resting. I love the natural preservation that took place in developing the access along the Ocean. The next part of the path was paved, where we came across fairy pools (small pools of water atop the rocks formed when the tide goes out), private beaches (for public access by foot only), and a boiling pot (the way the ocean crashed into the rocks from all directions made the white swirls of water appear like a boiling pot of water upon a cookstove).

After making it as far as we wished to walk, we turned back to access one of the private beaches along the pathway. Thinking this was going to be the best dip in the Ocean of the whole trip. Excitedly we’re trying to take off our socks and shoes and race to the water to be the first one in. Erik won! We ran in dove in the water splashed in a few waves and then kind of looked at each other and stated coincidently, “I feel like I’m being bit.” Now it was a race to get out of the water. So much for the best little beach around.

Back at the main beach we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade then made our way to the bus station. Once the bus halted at the station all passengers exited Grandpa decided we were close to a store called Silly Solly’s. So, on an adventure to find this place we went. We walked into a mall which appeared to be alongside a canal waterway, after taking a few more steps we could see that there were many bridges all along the canal that went over to the other side which was all part of the mall. After confirming from the directory that Silly Solly’s does exist in this mall we needed to find it! The mall was huge! At Silly Solly’s we purchased candy as this store is a dollar store and Erik’s eyes lit up for candy.

After having dinner at the apartment, we decided our bus day passes were still valid, so we hopped on a bus heading to the Sea Life aquarium/Marina area to experience some night life on the town!

Sunshine Coast Day 2

 Today was relaxing and enjoyable. After a full good nights sleep we were able to enjoy what the Sunshine Coast is know for to the locals, good surf! We were able to borrow some beach towels from the apartment manager and spend a few hours in the Ocean splashing in the waves, building sand monuments, and burring Erik from head to toe in the sand. Erik is definitely a water baby and enjoys the water for hours on end at any given time when you place him near water. As he splashed around with Grandpa excitedly and waved to me at shore, while I caught some downtime, the surf rescue team were a little concerned for his safety. Erik displayed the universal sign for help me, while trying to obtain my attention, waving both hands over his head! With their floatation devices strapped around their bodies the two lifeguards waded in the water a few meters to then realize that Erik was just waving ashore to someone...

After swimming in the Ocean we ventured back to the apartment rinsed the sand off our bodies, the Sunshine Coast sand is so fine, excellent at exfoliating, and sticks to every crevasse of your skin. We then jumped in the pool for another hour of splash time. The pool and the Ocean are roughly the same temperature sitting at a whopping 26*C, refreshing for me, I can last about an hour in that temperature of water!  Throw in a little mini golf and table tennis to call it a day. Thank you Australia.

Barbeque Lamb and Chicken for dinner fixed with baby potatoes, bok choy, and salad mmm, mmm, mmm. Finishing the evening with National Lampoons Vegas Vacation on the couch with popcorn, drinking tea, absolutely exhausted.

Sunshine Coast - Mooloolaba

 

We have safely arrived in Mooloolaba. This is the first picture I took. We were dropped off by the Greyhound on the side of the road and I thought, I better take a photo of where we are located so that we know how to get back here when we try to leave this town for the last portion of our holiday.

Due to riding the bus overnight and not getting much sleep, we have done zip so far. No other pictures have been taken thus far.

After walking 15minutes to locate the apartment which we will crash for the next four days, we unloaded our gear and travelled back to where we were dropped off to pick up our groceries for the stay.  Due to the weight of bottles and general grocers we hailed an Uber to get back to the flat.

Our apartment is equipped with a swimming pool, mini golf and table tennis, so we enjoyed these on premise activities in the afternoon. By 8pm we were all in bed and slept till 5:30am.

Well rested we are now ready for the Sunshine Coast Vacation!

The Great Australian Road

 Along the hidden path in Airlie Beach, we found our Greyhound bus location nestled among the marina with open fields of grass and walking paths for your comfort. Located at the Greyhound station was the Port of Airlie Beach which had a cute café and a tour ticket office inside. It was a bustling location this morning with many tourists who had signed up for local excursions along with many passengers taking the ferry over to Whitsunday and Hamilton Beach Islands. Among the tourists were jet ski excursions, flying excursions, and backpackers locating a taxi into the town. Erik decided to grab an ice cream from the cafe on his own dime! He enjoyed a chocolate chunk drumstick with peanuts on top. His face and hands were sticky with evidence of deliciousness gobbled up.

After cleaning up his face and hands we grabbed our belongings and headed for the 29* humid weather to sit in the Greyhound holding area for our 57-passenger bus to arrive. Upon the arrival of the passenger coach, we stored our bags underneath the bus and boarded seats 6A and 6B. Erik enjoyed a lovely window seat next to his mother in the aisle. Departure from the station was quick as the bus driver was behind schedule and needed to make up time on the Great Australian Road.

The highway roads in Australia are full of bumps and potholes… good luck getting decent sleep on the tour. Another interesting note about the road down the west coast of Australia is that it does not follow the Ocean scenery line. The highway road is almost all inland, and some of the roads are straight for miles on end like we are driving in the prairies, in Canada. The bus ride from Airlie Beach to Makay was supposed to be approximately two hours where we were to have a meal break and stretch our legs but the bus driver was even more behind, so we had ten minutes tops to gather food from the gas station and take a quick pee. Fortunately for us, he decided we would stop in Rockhampton at 6:00pm to have a 20-minute dinner break!

Along with the driver choosing to stop in Rockhampton, it happened to be the end of his shift so we can see why he wanted to push through to the end of his day. But, luckily for us there happened to be a KFC at this Greyhound station for our enjoyment and fulfillment along with a gas station for necessary snacks to continue on any given road trip. KFC was delicious and filled our bellies. It has been about eight years since we last consumed this treat.

Back on the road headed to Agnes Water.

Agnes Water

 The acquainted small town of Agnes Waters is located one hour off the beaten path with only one way in and one way out. Originally, prior to COVID-19, the town had approximately 2500 residents, since the world realized employees could work from home Agnes Waters's population grew to 10,000 people. Located in town along the main beach is one motel, which we stayed in, The Mango Tree Motel, and down each of the other two roads in town there are two hostels! The entire town shuts down at 7pm. So, if you are looking for a happening entertaining eat out 5-star kind of stay, I do not recommend going here but if you are a low-maintenance chill person who may like to catch some waves this is the place for you. The main beach is equipped with a lifeguard for your safety as all the kids in town hang at this beach and surf. The groceries are over-priced due to the transportation costs to bring the food in and there is not a hospital in the vicinity. Another noticeable difference from my Canadian hometown is that there was nowhere to get your hair cut or even get your nails done, not that I get my nails done but I do know this is a common Kelownafornia thing to do!

In the Motel we were provided with a small map of the town, which made everything look close together, like within walking distance so we rented bikes and thought this will be a nice relaxing stroll... it was not. The distance from A to B was far, hilly and hot! Thankfully, we knew some locals so before our bike ride Crystal and Margaret took us for a lovely drive around town to see the paperback forest, out to the town of 1770 where captain cooks monument was located, and to the lookout point which is suppose to be famous for sunrises and sunsets! Unfortunately we did not get to see a spectacular sunrise or sunset due to the weather. Oh the rain here is ridiculous, torrential downpours. It woke us from a dead sleep thinking it was a major windstorm. But the other really cool element to the rain in Australia that we have noticed is that if you wait fifteen minutes the rain passes and the day is sunny and nice again for you to enjoy.

We rode the bikes to Workman's Beach where we enjoyed the waves all to ourselves. Splashing in the Salty Ocean with sandy undertows pulling you back in. Having the waves crash against your body as they break from their curl and push you to shore riding each Ocean charge we stirred about for an hour before making our way back to town on our pedal bikes. Upon arrival at the motel we all needed to rinse off. The salt makes your skin so sticky and then the sand sticks into every crevasse of your body that you need to have a good soak to clean yourself up!

And that sums up what we did in Agnes Waters! Splashed in the waves and rode bikes.

Snorkeling

 Upon the seat of the boat, we placed our feet in our stinger suits, stood up, pulled our suits up, and inserted our arms, then zipped ourselves into the glorious, sleek, muscle-defining suits. The skipper then handed us our masks and snorkels for our big adventure into the rippling waters to explore the fish beneath the surface. Masks fit. Snorkel was on the wrong side, but that doesn’t matter according to these boat operators who were a little on the slack side of operations.

Receiving the OK sign, Erik and I stood up and made our way to the entry point on the side of the boat where a ladder was placed in the water to ease our entry. I, Mom, went in first, with a pool noodle I might add for extra flotation support, then Erik slowly came down the ladder and joined me. We placed our faces in the water and saw some brightly colored fish inches below us, except where was Erik? I popped my head up to see that his face was full of water along with water in his snorkel. Quickly instructing him to tilt the bottom of the mask and spit the mouthpiece out to clear the water he was about to drink. The Ocean was so salty, if you got any water in your mouth you were spitting it out and if you happened to get it in your eyes it stung so bad.

I tightened his mask, and we attempted number two. The problem persisted. Every time Erik would lift his face from the water and try to adjust his mask and snorkel the current would pull him towards the boat and I would grab his pool noodle and pull him away from the boat. He tried again which lasted a few minutes, would smile at all the fish centimeters from his body, and then his mask would fill with water and he would pop up to the surface. After about the fifth time of this happening Erik and I were in stitches laughing at each other upon the surface of the water. He was so happy and excited to be in the water, and see all the fish but couldn't quite sort out his mask and snorkel, laughing every time his face popped out of the water. Shortly after we sorted ourselves out the skipper came by in his zodiac and threw fish food at us and we were swarmed by hundreds of fish. Erik and I screamed and laughed historically at the fish touching us and nibbling at our stinger suits we were trying to swim away from the fish and all the excitement as we were so nervous.

After a few more times with water-filled masks, we made our way back to the boat to take our gear off and enjoy the view of the sandy beach, the crystal-clear water, and the vast ocean around us. Once all the passengers were back on the boat, we escaped to a coral reef for snorkel number two.

Airlie Beach Day 2

 

I, Janine Harrison, wanted to spend my day at Airlie Beach by going to Whitsunday Island. So we called on a local friend to contact the owner of the vessel above, Luke, from Red Cat Tours operating the Thundercat Boat to see if we could get a deal.  Sure enough we did. We got a deal. With no research about what our day would really look like we jumped in, both feet, signed up and we were off.

We met the tour bus transport ladies at the Red Cat Adventures store front, steps from our motel, where they transported us to the Marina, and we received a stinger suit, signed in with some other lovely ladies and received a colored wrist band. We were Yellow banded for the day.

There were approximately 90 people, 3 boats filled. The weather was windy, spontaneous rainfall, cloudy, and a little drab. Due to the weather the captain unhooked and we were off to the races, literally. His skipper, Jacob, got up in front and gave a speech about the safety features except I was at the back of the boat and heard nothing. After the boat left the protected area of the Marina the wave swells were at least two meters and the boat was rocking.

I am water person, I do not get sea sick, and generally I am in for the experience. Picture this; close your eyes you are on a plane and it is the worst turbulence you have ever experiences for the next hour of your life. For me, this was a very out of my comfort zone, zero control over the situation, hope for the best with the great big sea that could gobble you up.

I was terrified. I can honestly say that was one of the most terrifying experience I have ever gone through. I was thinking to myself when do they consider this ride not safe for patrons/passengers? It got worse. The swells got bigger and the shoreline was disappearing with every up wave ride we went on. I kept thinking to myself, Janine, you signed us all up for this. Due to limited seating my son was on the other side of the boat with his Grandpa and his head was buried in a towel. I am sure he was praying to make it to land safely without having to swim with the sharks! After one hour of torture we landed on the island, Whitsunday Island.  The picture says it all.

Stunning. And then we walked to the Beach and this was the first view.

Erik loved it. He spent the whole hour and a half playing in the waves and in the sand. In his glorious happy moment playing he said to me that he would never complain again about the experience as the reward was worth the scare!

The sand was white! Miles of white soft, spongy sand to enjoy. In the water was a small stingray and a sand shark. Erik and I laughed as we rode the waves in the ocean. Luckily enough the weather was splendid for our time on the white sand beach and Whitsunday Island.

All good things must come to an end. We had to make our way back to the boat for the afternoon adventure that Red Cat Tours had in store for us!

We set course for the swells in the open Ocean over to another Island to snorkel in a bay area. Thankfully enough the weather gods held off and we were able to swim with hundreds of fish right in front of our masks. Grandpa had fish jumping over his back to get to the food the Skipper was tossing in the water. Erik and I were so nervous with so many fish so close to us we were screaming and swimming away together. What a neat experience.

Then... it was time to go. 4pm and the sky opened up. Torrential downpour. The Skipper grabbed raincoats for the passengers at the front of the boat to attempt to keep them dry as we needed to take another one hour boat ride back to Airlie Beach. Grateful for the rain as the ocean swells were kept to a minimal... A little sorry for the young adults at the front of the boat.

At dock, the skies opened up again. Buckets of water were coming down, there was no escaping the wet! We had to exit the boat and make our way to the marina for a tour bus ride back to the motel.

Tired. Long, fun day!

Airlie Beach

 Arrival 11:30am. We had the entire day to explore. Our day went like this:

    Checked into the motel. Location across the grass to the Ocean. Check - done that right!

    Get groceries. Settled on spaghetti one night and tacos night two. Success />

    Met Horse and Chrissy Villa for drinks at Magnums. Complete strangers to us but friends of friends to my dad. Absolutely lovely people. I wish I was related to them.

    Walked along the beach to Marina #2.

    Sat on the deck at the motel and enjoyed a glass of sparkling water while listening to live music from the streets.

    Went for a walk to see the live music. Consisted of a 12 piece band. Let me remind you this is Sunday at 5pm and this bar is packed with patrons singing, dancing and clapping along to the music.

    Next to this bar is another restaurant with a live pianist.

    Have dinner. Delicious. Yumm. Spaghetti was approved by the 11 year old #goodeats

    Went for an evening stroll to Marina #1. First marina we found.

    Walked along the downtown street. Found live music at Magnums. Enjoyed a few songs. #goodvibes

    Back in the room 8pm. Ready for bed.

Tomorrow we are taking the big red boat to Whitehaven Beach for a snorkel. Stay tuned for the write up.

:)

Townsville

 

The Strand

Townsville. I presumed we were stopping over in a small town, but Townsville, as the name indicates is not a small town it is quite large, spread out, and difficult to get around.

A short walk along The Strand passed the marina, the local port, and trough the treed passage way we arrived at our motel. On the second floor we enjoyed a modern, renovated, two bed suite for the evening. After settling in, the warm pool was our oasis for next few hours.

Walking along The Stand in the evening was beautiful and very windy. We passed by outdoor community pools, many playgrounds, a basketball court, and a netted in swimming area which families could enjoy crocodile free. Ending our stroll at one of the many piers along the way.

The Strand is a seaside foreshore. Until today I have not heard of one. Apparently there is a Strand in London which is famous for coffee shops, restaurants, and taverns.

This quaint town had a sweet smell to it, even my 11-year old son enjoyed the scent. Along with many restaurants, pubs, gelato/coffee shops, and eateries along the street side of The Strand where you could savior cuisine from all over the world.

Here is a photo of us on the Pier with the wind. In the background is an indigenous statue called, "the Ocean Siren." The Siren reacts to live water temperatures of the ocean. Here the Siren is red for warm, the Siren also goes blue for cold.

Cairns

 

Ah the night life. The smells. The beautiful people. The tans. The sensational sites.

What a dazzling little town.

If I could change anything less than a week into my holiday I would stay in this community longer.

We have managed to walk kilometers on end and get turned around several times. When you look at the map you feel as though you only need to walk a couple blocks and you will reach your destination, but let me tell you.... some streets are not named on the map.

I have been to the rainforest where we saw some crocodiles, koalas, kangaroos, frogs, wombats and more. What fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the colors and the experience. It is hard to put into words all of the remarkable area.

Melbourne

We decided we had viewed enough of the Vancouver like city so we took the train down to Geelong. The train system in the state of Victoria from what we have seen is extensive! A relaxing one-hour dip down the coastline and we were there. In Geelong we walked along the water, touched the sand, ate fish and chips at the wharf, walked through the mall, and viewed the cultural district architectural buildings.  The performing arts building front was designed as a curtain opening for the face! Quite spectacular to view.

Back in Melbourne for the night Tash picked us up and took us to Hecho En Mexico for Tacos and Mexican eats. Absolutely delicious. Thank you, Tash, for dinner. 😉  After dinner we went for a nice drive over the big bridge and down to St. Kilda for Gelato on the beach. I am normally not a Gelato fan but that was yummy.

https://hechoenmexico.com.au/

Melbourne Official Day 1

We did a walking tour with my friend Tash. We started off heading to the East from our hotel over to Flinder's station. The architecture of the buildings is amazing. Rounded accents, angled walls, curved buildings and lots of places in town with large concrete pieces sticking out on an angle from the ground like a piece of artwork.

From Flinders station we crossed the roadway and walked along the Yarra River.  It was Labour day long weekend here so there was a festival named, Moomba, happening all along both sides of the river. The festival included food trucks, rides, and entertainment. While on the other side of the river we were able to take in an international wakeboarding competition, I have never seen anything like that before.  The female athletes we watched would attach a rope to their leg and complete one pass of tricks spinning on their board behind the boat, along with front flips and back flips!

From there we headed North to the Museum. Inside the museum was a dinosaur exhibit with in depth explanations through interactive screens and movies about fossils and archeology. We were also able to see insect skins, live spiders in enclosures and a replica of a forest ecosystem in an atrium space at the center of the museum. Fabulous job creating a good, interesting experience.

   

Melbourne is home to a large indoor market where you can purchase fresh produce, meats, and artisans. Due to the public holiday, it was closed. On a side note, due to the public holiday there is a surcharge at each restaurant to eat take-out food…. And if you order a Starbucks, you are most certainly a tourist.

We experienced an indoor mall with six stories! At the top of the mall was a cinema and at the bottom of the mall in the ground was a grocery store and in between all the levels were retail shops and food stops.

After dinner we walked North to see some different sights and find an ice cream shop. Stumbling upon the University grounds we toured the growing Melbourne University campus before making our way for dessert then onto the room for a sleep.

Travel Part 2

 New Zealand to Melbourne 

The airport was nice. We had to go through a bag check/security in order to proceed into the the airport. In line was a flight directory that said Relax next to our flight to Melbourne  

Desperate for a cup of Java we walked around the little airport looking for coffee. Apparently New Zealanders don’t drink drip coffee. They enjoy Espressos, long or short. 

Unsure what either of those options were I asked the nice couple behind me. We had a lovely conversation about Traveling and settled on a long espresso.

Coffee was so delicious we had a second cup!

This Air New Zealand plane was bigger and seats were even comfier! But it is daytime and I have slept enough for an evening. I pre-paid for our seats where I had no-one in front of me so I could stretch my legs out which made a huge difference. 

Although this flight was only 3.5 hours I felt like I was driving through the prairies in Canada. Long, straight, and boring. I would add draining to the description as well. 

In Melbourne we went through 2 security checks as my 11 year old son was not allowed to go through express. The border lady made me feel awkward as she kept scanning my sons passport and looking at him. But in the end she gave us the ok!

Tash was waiting for us on arrivals and took us to the car park to start our journey into Melbourne. 

Travel

 Day 1 - Travel Day

Zero sleep. WOW how little sleep I get when my mind goes.

10am we headed to the airport to hurry and up and wait... sometimes being at the airport can be a terrible experience.  You want to be in the know but no-one shares the information.

After an hour of waiting the APP updates and the flight is delayed. Now what do you do? I profusely click update to see if the delay time changes.

In the end we found out the weather was causing the planes to not land with the ceiling being too low and the pilots were unable to see to land in Kelowna. The planes were circling the sky waiting for the clouds to break.

Finally, a nice Gentleman next to me showed me his phone with a live tracking of our plane, FlightAware, and we could see the plane taking a decent and coming in for landing.

HOORAY 

From our 12:30 scheduled flight to actually boarding at 1:30 I was feeling to sick to my stomach that I was not going to make it to Vancouver for the connecting flight to New Zealand.

But I made it Vancouver for 2:30 found our Gate and settled in for a comfy rest before the Long Haul to New Zealand.

Fourteen hours in the air but we left at 7:15pm from Vancouver so it was dark once we got on the place and dark the entire flight so it seemed natural to have dinner and then watch a movie and doze of for a sleep. The plane was nice, new, clean seats, great food, excellent staff, and free Wi-fi! 

Nervous about the long flight I contact my doctor prior to departure and requested a prescription of Ativan for the flight.

After a little dinner, I popped an Ativan, sorted my belongings, tucked myself in with the nice airplane blanket, and fell asleep.

Completely passed out on the plane, my father attempted to wake me up and request an Ativan from me along with my son attempting to wake me up to go to the bathroom, but I slept.  I believe in total I slept seven hours. I feel great. Thank you medication. 

Lights came on, and breakfast was served, we were on the final trek to landing.

I did it! We did it!

Bring on the Holiday.

Wait, wait, wait...

We have another flight to catch... New Zealand to Melbourne... I'll keep you posted.