I am here awaiting my flight...... the first hiccup! My flight from Cairns had been cancelled and I had not been informed. No problem, as it gave me an opportunity to catch up with my diary.
I arrived in Brisbane at 7 pm - a good flight - I was sitting next to a lady who is an Aborigine. She was a very elegant lady of about 6 foot in height! She told me that she was going to a conference in Brisbane about the impact of global warming on the Great Barrier Reef - she is an authority and has complete responsibility for the whole of the Reef and had attended the World Conference in Copenhagen on Global warming last year - a most formidable woman!! But, very interesting to have as a travelling companion. It is amazing who you meet when travelling!
When I got to Brisbane I was met by Paul - he was in Siobhan's class in infants school and I have known his mother for at least 35 years!! Paul and his wife and children have emigrated to Brisbane where his sister Helen already lives. They have a beautiful house in the Brisbane suburbs with loads of space - the same house in the UK would cost serious money. When Paul has decided what company and where he is going to work, then they will buy a home. In the meantime, they are very happy where they are. Paul came with me to the Hertz car hire desk and I got my Toyota Corolla (I ordered this on the net in the UK before I left home) without a hitch - no trying to sell you extra insurance, a dearer car or any other inducements! I went with Paul to his home - I was glad he was there as I would still be looking for the house if I was left to my own devices! Anyway, I had a lovely glass of chilled Sauv Blanc with Linda (his wife) when I arrived and met their two lovely children Cameron and Amy. They made me very welcome and I slept like a log.
Next morning, I went into Brisbane with Paul - he went to his office and I went to meet Jack at Brisbane station (he had come up on the train to accompany me down the coast from Brisbane to Sydney). We left the car in the station car park for the day and did the whole of Brisbane - firstly, by the River Cat and then by bus. I can highly recommend the river cruise - you get a great overview of the city and there is a lovely cool breeze! It was a boiling hot day (about 34 degrees) and walking the city was hard going. The bus tour was also very interesting as you get to see all the buildings and you can hop on and off as you wish. There are some beautiful buildings in Brisbane. We had lunch in the Botanical Gardens which is a peaceful oasis in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of a big city. After lunch we walked around the area and saw the Government Building and Town Hall - also St. George's square with its large Christmas Tree! There is also a great area called the South Bank Mall - this has outdoor swimming areas like lidos with sand around them - a legacy of the Great Exhibition in Brisbane in 1988 - the place was packed with children and mums so we made a hasty retreat!!
We finally threw in the towel at 5 pm and returned to base - Paul did steaks on the barbie (see I am getting used to the lingo!) and we had a very relaxing evening - after a terrific thunderstorm, lightning and torrential rain!!
9th Dec..............Our road show started the next morning when we set off to cover south QLD and NSW to Sydney - not all in one day!! First stop.... Steve Irwin's Zoo (you know, the fella who hunts crocs and appears on TV shows). Needless to say, he was not there in person - he had better things to do - like filming TV shows! But, the zoo is a major attraction in that area and he has built up an acreage from 4 acres to 70 acres with more to come. Everything there was well done and it was worth a visit. Then on to Glasshouse Mountains - we went up to the lookout point and the views were well worth it - no one else there only some geologists. We then went north to a Ginger Factory - not worth the bother - a little toy train taking you around and really for kids! Our overnight stay was in a place called Noosa - what a pretty place - rather up market - lots of boutique hotels and swish apartments and expensive restaurants - but, worth a visit, and we managed to find reasonable accommodation. Had dinner in a wonderful Thai restaurant - many of the restaurants are BYO (bring your own bottle) and if you purchase your wine in the shops nearby they give you a discount, so you can enjoy a really good bottle of wine at a fraction of restaurant prices (you normally pay corkage of about 2.50 dollars.
10th Dec.......After a good night's rest we set off for Coolum Golf Club (for my golfing buddies, the Aus PGA has just been played there - Robert Allenby won the tournament). It is a Marriott Resort Hotel and Golf complex. We were given a guided tour of the resort in a golf buggy by a very informative young lad! The course was in excellent condition and I could have played there for 90 dollars but I had no clubs or time to play. However, the pro there gave me a ball marker as a memento of my visit!!
It was then on to Surfers Paradise - I must say, I was rather disappointed in this place - all you saw was loads of high rise apartments, hotels, motels and traffic. It is a very commercial and tourist area and a bit tacky. I am sure someone out there will disagree with me but, that was my impression. Southport - farther down the coast - was much nicer. The highlight of my day was a visit to Sanctuary Cove GC - this is a real showplace of a golf course - a private member's club with one course open to the public - there were plenty of Japanese playing - that tells you the prices!! Adam Scott is the professional attached to this club. However, again I was given a ball marker of the club but no guided tour this time - too top drawer for that (not me, the golf course sillies!!) There are lots of nice beaches as you go down this stretch of coastline - I cannot get over the wonderful green/blue of the sea and the great empty sandy beaches as you go. We stayed in Miami Beach (yes, there is one in Aus also) where I was glad to get into a nice refreshing pool on arrival. Dinner was in a nearby place where we had delicious John Dory at a fraction of the price at home! In the pubs here, there are machines called Pokies - they are like slot machines but it is poker - I tried one and I won 15 dollars - beginners luck! I did not put it back in the machine but used it for breakfast next morning!
11th Dec....
The Captains Drive-In at East Brighton Golf Club in the UK - lots of luck Judy and Keith - hope you have a very happy and enjoyable year - I was thinking of you both this morning and hope you had a good day for your drive-in - miss you all, but not the weather!
Set out this morning for New Brighton (would you believe it!) near Byron Bay and another spectacular area - we arrived at my friends Pam and Graeme for lunch and what a splendid fare was put before us - large king prawns, salads and beautiful white wines - they know their wines in this house! We sat outside on their deck and had lunch - the ocean being just a stone's throw away. After lunch we went for a walk on the beach and later on swam in the inlet in the bay - wonderful - after a shower and a rest we all had a piazza and some wine in the local village - it was full of life with a live band playing outside and everyone enjoying the music in the open air while socializing. What a great end to the day - we stayed with Pam and Graeme that night and after breakfast next morning we set off for Byron Bay.
12th Dec....
Byron Bay - walked up to the lighthouse which must have been about 200 steps - good exercise and quite bracing - took lots of photos - (I am afraid I have not had the opportunity yet to upload any more pics - but, have not forgotten) and saw the dolphins swimming below us. This is a big surfing area and all you saw on the top of cars was surf boards - not skis! Wategos Beach is the place to surf. From there we drove on to Bellinger which is a quaint village in the mountains but, the cafe had great coffee. On that note, the Aussies certainly know how to make decent coffee unlike other places I could mention! Even in the remotest of places you can find a cafe with excellent coffee.
While we were in this area Jack wanted to visit a good friend of his so we went to see him - he was delighted to see Jack and took us back to his house to meet his wife and 6-week old baby. He also recommended a place for us to stay in Brooms Head (a National Park) that evening. We arrived in Broom Head at about 4 pm and found a fantastic four-star B&B - we had the place to ourselves as the season has not started just yet. They were a lovely couple from NZ who also owned a hotel in Port Douglas - the house was very elegant and I would recommend it to anyone - the breakfast was also superb. The lounge was overlooking the ocean and we could sit out on a deck also facing the sea. That night there was a thunderstorm but next morning it was back to sunshine and blue skies as usual.
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