Queensland!

May 2012
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In May we went to Brisbane thanks to a Conference George was sent to. We decided to take a week vacation while we were up there since we like to take every opportunity we get to see more of this amazing place. The city of Brisbane has a very different layout compared to Melbourne and Adelaide which both have a rectangular form to the CBD (City Business District). The city of Brisbane is built along the Brisbane River that snakes its way in from the Moreton Bay! The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, so it takes a little studying to find your way around. Also, there is no tourist trolley or bus to take around town to get an idea where things are. They do have a subway system and a great tram that takes you back and forth to the airport. What this meant for me was that I did end up doing a lot of walking to get to places which I don’t mind anyway.
The visits to the Gallery of Modern Art, and the Art Gallery together with the City Botanic Gardens, and Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (one hour by boat from town) were highlights of the days in the city. While I fell in love with the city of Melbourne, I felt like the city of Brisbane didn’t quite have a heart. It felt like a very big city with lots of people running around busy, busy. It also got really cold those days in the city, and that didn’t help. We did end our days in Brisbane by taking a tour with a BBQ at the town’s famous 4X brewery and that was a great experience. We ended up getting a couple of extra free beers thanks to the tour guide who took liking to us, and told us some inside stories after the tour was over.


On Saturday morning we picked up a rental car and started our drive north. Our goal was to reach Airlie Beach by Sunday since we knew we would be able to visit The Great Barrier Reef from there. Not much after leaving town we soon started to see the most beautiful nature on our way north. Large mountain ranges, huge fields of sugarcanes, and driving across many rivers and creeks on the way. We spent the first night in a town called Rockhampton. We found an affordable motel and walked to a restaurant and had a delicious meal. Left pretty early next morning and made it to Airlie Beach in good time to have a look around and find a decent place to stay. Motels are really funky looking sometimes, and come in all kinds of colors inside and outside it seems like.
After driving for 2 days we took it easy the next day did some laundry, and George needed to get a new chip for his phone that had broke. In the morning I walked to the grocery store to get some lunch for us and saw for the first time Black Cockatoos in the wild. Three of them walking around on the lawn in a park. Very cool! Adult Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are around 60 centimeters (24 in) in length and sexually dimorphic. Males are completely black in color, excepting their prominent red tail bands. That night we took out some Thai food, ate early and went to bed since we needed to be ready to be picked up by the bus at 7am next morning that would take us to the boat for our whole day visiting the Great Barrier Reef.
We were very excited the next morning boarding the boat that was going to take us out to the Reefs. It was quite a windy morning with 3 meter/10 feet swells. Luckily the boat was a high-speed catamaran that kind of rides on top of the waves, but still a lot of people got sea sick. The boat made a short stop at Hamilton Island to let some people off, and then continued out to the reefs. Arriving at Reefworld, which is the base for exploring the reefs, was almost surreal. It was so incredibly beautiful! The color of the water with the the long rows of reefs showing was amazing. The reef here is named Hardy Reef and is located in the Great Barrier Reefs Marine Park. Reefworld is the largest floating pontoon facility in Australia (2 pontoons measuring a total length of 86meters/282 feet.) There is a semi-sub you can ride in to get a close look at the reefs, and we did that first. Then we got in to all the outfits and gears provided for us for snorkeling. Body suits to protect us from jelly fish then wet suits to keep warm and help us float. Snorkels, masks and fins at last and then in to the water. That was a really awesome feeling to get in and take a look at the reefs for real. The water was still pretty choppy out there, so I got tired pretty fast, but George stayed in longer and got some good looks at it. After snorkeling we had worked up a big appetite, and dug in to the buffet lunch that was served. Grilled meats, chicken, fish and lots of delicious salads, bread and more. The boat ride back was just as bumpy as the way out, still this is one of the most amazing things we have ever done!
The next day we started our drive back towards Brisbane. This time taking our time and enjoying scenic roads. We made it to a town called Yeppon, and checked in to a purple motel called Tropical Beach Hotel on the beach. Next day before driving we visited Cooberrie Park, a wildlife sanctuary, and had the greatest time with all the animals kept there. Among some new animals we were introduced to was a bird called Tawny Frogmouth (I kept thinking she said "Tony") a very interesting creature that when they open their beak it’s an enormous gape. And then there was the Cassowary – very scary looking thing! We then drove on south to Childers where we spent the night in another funky motel. The drive the following day was the most beautiful of this trip. We first went by Tin Can Bay, a small, very picturesque and peaceful place. Tin Can Bay is one of only three places around the whole of Australia, where you can officially hand feed dolphins in the wild. We took a stroll and had a cup of coffee watching locals launch or pull their boats out of the bay. After that we went to Rainbow Beach. This I believe is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. The sand has a golden color, the water is blue with a turquoise tint to it, and with the mountains in the far distance it’s just breath-taking. We spent at least an hour there just enjoying and taking it all in. We continued driving down the Cooloola coast towards Noosaville, and came upon one pretty beach after another. South of Noosa Heads it’s all part of what’s called the Sunshine Coast. Right before Noosaville we found a mountain, Mount Tinberwaah 265m/820feet above sea level that we could drive up and then walk up the last part to the top where we got a beautiful 360 degree view of the area. That night we enjoyed some delicious seafood at the Boathouse restaurant in Noosaville. Next day we drove down the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane and after dropping of our rental got on to our plane and flew back to Adelaide. We really enjoyed our visit to Queensland and know there is much more to see. Hopefully we get a chance to go back there again.