HALF WAY THROUGH OUR HOLIDAY

We are now mid way through our trip and how the time has flown. It’s hard to believe such a lot has happened in 3 months. We have seen and done so much; had a great family sadness; met some wonderful people and Jim and I are still speaking to each other!!

We are now in Brisbane and tomorrow we move onto Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast. We had planned to go to either Maroochydore or Mooloolaba but all camps in those areas are booked up and we only managed to get the second to last site at Caloundra. There are at least 6 camps in those areas so that gives you some indication of how popular caravanning is at this time of the year. Admittedly it is school holiday time but lots of people aren’t travelling this year because of the high cost of fuel.

We had a great time in Southport on the Gold Coast. We met up with some people who we’d met in Ballina and they had another 4 friends they’d met through going to the same spot for the last few years. It reminded us of our days at Foxton Beach with drinks every night before dinner, everyone picking on each other in a jocular way; loads of laughs and no one able to get a word in edgeways. We went out for $5 and $8 lunches at local bowling and league clubs and a special night and dinner out just before we left. We were threatened with all sorts of practical jokes, either to us, or the van, before we left on Monday morning and I don’t think Jim was too sure what to expect, but we managed to get away unscathed. We hadn’t been to Surfers for over 18 years so we noticed quite a few changes but some things never change; the traffic is as bad as ever or worse; the shops are still full of t-shirts and bikinis; they are still building more and more malls and apartments are still growing taller and taller. We played some golf and went to Sea World where we hadn’t been to for over 21 years. Last time we were there all we wanted to do was to go on the roller coaster, flume rides etc. but this time we were more interested in the shows. We must be getting older. We had a lovely day there watching the dolphins, seals and polar bears. The best part was a 4D movie we saw on the warming of the planet. I know it was all an illusion but I screamed my head off as snakes, bears, crocodiles, monkeys and storms bore down on me. The weather was just the best in Surfers and temperatures were in the mid 20s. This at the same time NZ is having snow and freezing temperatures.

On to Brisbane next and although we had been there for day trips over the years, we had never stayed there. Our camp was only 4 kms. from the centre of the city so we just used public transport all the time. Brisbane is a very pretty city with lots of green parks and a lovely river where we had a day cruise. We drove up to Mount Coot-tha to the look out and then went for a walk around the Botanical Gardens. It was very peaceful and the Japanese Garden was lovely. The photo doesn’t do it justice. South Bank where the Expo was held in 1988 was very busy with cafes and ferries going to and fro. We travelled up to Nudgee Beach and Sandgate on the northern side of Brisbane where we saw some lovely old Queenslander houses with some beautiful gardens.

I have mentioned before how we meet up with people and then move on like ships passing in the night but sometimes we meet the same ones further on in our travels and this happened when we drove into the camp in Brisbane. The couple we met in Stockton drove in to the park in front of us. This was the guy who is a magician and it was great to catch up with then. It’s nice to see some familiar faces occasionally. We had planned to go for a drive up to Mount Coot-tha with them but the rain set in so we spent the afternoon playing Trivial Pursuits, the Australian version. Lots of laughs. We also went to the Broncos Club for dinner on the night of the final State of Origin. The atmosphere was great, Almost like being there.

As I said, on to Caloundra tomorrow and some more beaches with holiday atmosphere and crowds of swimmers and hopefully some more friends to catch up with.