One last drive down the Great Ocean Road was a must before going home to Canada. Glenis, Alexis, Reid and I left Torquay early in the morning and made our way along the Great Ocean Road, heading towards Cape Otway. Cape Otway is at the southern tip of Victoria’s western coast where the Southern Ocean meets the Bass Strait. The area is protected by the Great Otway National Park, where rainforest and streams meet the rugged rocky cliffs along the coast. Along our drive, we spotted koalas in the trees, as this area has an abundance of these cuddly marsupials.

We arrived at the Cape Otway Lighthouse and enjoyed some lunch at the Lightkeeper’s Kitchen. We then explored the area, climbing up the iconic lighthouse, offering breathtaking views of the coast and a chance to spot a magnificent Southern Right whale.

The Cape Otway Lighthouse is Australia’s oldest working lighthouse and the most important one. It once offered guidance for ships trying to pass through the Bass Strait, which was considered one of the most difficult parts for ships to pass along the coast on their way to Melbourne.

We continued exploring the area, originally inhabited by the Gadubanud people. We had the opportunity to understand and appreciate the local indigenous culture by visiting the Aboriginal meeting hut where we listened to storytelling and received bush tucker (food) lessons from the local guides.

But the highlight of the area was spotting a whale, not far off the coast, for the first time!

We continued our drive a little further down the coast to see the Twelve Apostles for one last time. It is one place that can literally take my breath away, it so spectacular. We arrived close to sunset and the lighting from the setting sun on the standstone stacks was amazing.

After a long day, driving along the beautiful Great Ocean Road, exploring the iconic Cape Otway Lighthouse and finally, the stunning Twelve Apostles, we can’t help but be in awe of the beauty of this place and feel so grateful for this time in our lives.

The wildlife in Australia has been a fascination and a highlight for us, especially for Alexis and Reid. We have tried to see and learn about as many native Australian animals as possible while we have lived here. One of the more difficult animals to spot in the wild is the platypus, as they are mostly nocturnal and rather shy.

We drove to Lake Elizabeth, a place known as a home for the platypus, to spend the afternoon enjoying the surrounding forest as well as to go searching for a platypus. We went with Glenis, Sarah and Rowan and their kids, Alby and Molly, Kristy and Nick and their kids, Jack, Henry and Charlotte. When we arrived, we took the kids on a hike, exploring all things nature along the way.

By the time we made it to the lake, our group had diminished by half. Jack, Alby, Alexis and Reid made it to the lake in hopes of seeing the much anticipated platypus. The lake was so still that its reflection created a perfectly symmetrical landscape. After some time standing very still and being very quiet, we left the lake without spotting a single platypus. However, the kids were convinced the bubbles they saw in the water was from a platypus just beneath the murky surface.

After hiking back to the campsite, we enjoyed dinner together, sausages, delicious homemade soup and fresh bread. We finished the night off by roasting marshmallows and lighting sparklers.

Even though we did not see a platypus in its natural environment, we had such a wonderful day exploring Lake Elizabeth with great friends, good food and lots of laughs.

Some bits and pieces…too good to be missed and not to be forgotten…

1. The beach…the most beautiful part about living in Torquay.

2. Field trip with Reid’s kinder class to Jirrahlinga Koala and Wildlife Sanctuary and to Barwon Heads Foreshore playground.

3. Field trip to Geelong Botanic Gardens with Alexis’ year 1 class.

4. Watching footy at Simonds Stadium, cheering on the Geelong Cats with Paatchie, Wes, Liam and Charlie.

5. Watching the Superbowl at Bar 61 at 11am with Jodie and three other fans in the place.

6. Days at the beach. While Alexis was in school, Reid and I spent countless days riding our bikes around Torquay, trying out every coffee shop in town, library visits, feeding the ducks, beach hopping, playing in tide pools, searching for wildlife, building sand castles, playing ball and looking for whales.

7. Lots and lots of family adventures…

8. The beach…again…there is a path along the coast that connects Torquay to Jan Juc and beyond. Shane and I both enjoyed running on this Surf Coast trail in preparation for our respective runs.

9. Just hanging out…

10. Learning to play Aussie rules footy (AFL) through Auskick.

11. One of our favourite places to eat dinner…get a pizza or throw some snags on the barbie at the flying fox park on the Esplanade. This is how we spent one of our last dinners before Shane flew home to Canada.

12. Fisherman’s beach…one last time…

Over the past two years, Shane has spent several nights at the Crown in Melbourne on multiple occasions when he has had to be in Melbourne for work over a couple of days at a time. The Crown Melbourne is a luxury resort featuring 3 hotels, Australia’s largest casino, award-winning restaurants, highend boutique shopping and it’s in the heart of Melbourne on the Yarra River in Southbank.

One of the last times Shane stayed at the crown (I should mention that when he stays there, he has the privilege of staying in one of their luxury villas), Alexis, Reid and I came to Melbourne to join him for one night. We had been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time as it was gifted to us by a very special friend of Shane’s.

We took the train from Geelong to Melbourne and before heading to the Crown, we made a quick stop to the Block Arcade in the city centre to visit Haigh’s Chocolate shop. We picked up some freckles there, which are chocolates covered in sprinkles, as Haigh’s has the best freckles in Australia. After a delicious coffee at a laneway cafe, we headed to the Crown.

When we checked into the Crown, I was asked for ID and told to follow the receptionist to our private elevator! We walked through an unmarked door and were led to an elevator that we were told is the fastest elevator in Australia. It went from ground floor straight to floor 31, with no option to stop on a floor below that. We got off on the 35th floor and opened up to a beautiful corridor with mirrors and gold.

Once in the villa (it is so large, it isn’t referred to as a hotel room), we were blown away by the size of the villa, the luxurious finishes of gold and of course, the spectacular breathtaking view in the living room.

We spent the afternoon playing and enjoying the villa and all it’s amenities. Alexis served me coffee, tea and anything else I wanted while Reid worked on his computer, checking people in.

We quickly learned that the lights turn on when you enter a room and the toilet seat lifts up when you enter the bathroom! It even flushes itself when you are finished! We discovered that the window shades, blinds and lights were controlled by an iPad as well as the television and music.

We made ourselves a bubble bath in the jetted tub with the bubble bath and bath salts that came with it.

As part of staying in one of these luxurious villas, we had access to the Crystal Club where we enjoyed afternoon tea, evening drinks and entres and breakfast in the morning. 

We had a wonderfully comfortable and luxurious stay at the Crown. We have never and may never again stay at such an exclusive and fabulous hotel. It was fantastic and we are so grateful to have had the chance to experience it! I’m not sure how Alexis and Reid will ever be satisfied with a regular hotel room again!

A long weekend in June was the perfect opportunity for a short getaway to Sydney, our last trip before heading back to Canada. We flew out of the Geelong airport, Avalon, which was a quick one hour flight. We arrived at our Airbnb, located amongst the maze of tiny streets in the trendy suburb of Surry Hills.

After getting settled, we ventured out towards Darling Harbour, known for its amazing entertainment and waterside dining. We walked around the area, playing at the fantastic playground, admiring the lively nightlife, the lights and the fireworks display and enjoyed eating waterside at one of the many outdoor patios along the wharf.

The next day, we spent the morning wandering through the streets of Sydney, making our way from our apartment to the Royal Botanic Gardens, stopping to have a seat on Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, and then continuing on to the Sydney Opera House, admiring the large scale art works along the way.

We ended up at the Sydney Opera House, a performing arts centre, famous for its unique nature-inspired form and functional design. We spent some time exploring the outside of this iconic landmark as well as taking a peek inside. We also enjoyed the beautiful Sydney Harbour Bridge, located across the harbour from the Opera House.

Later that day, we wandered around the cobbled stone streets of The Rocks, a historic area of Sydney’s city centre, once a convict settlement, now home to artisan markets, friendly pubs and Sydney’s oldest sandstone terraces and cottages. We enjoyed lunch at the open-air market and found a German pub serving very large beers. Alexis and Reid met an Aboriginal man who showed them how to play the digeridoo.

That evening, we took a boat around the harbour to see the Sydney sights at night. At the time, Vivid Sydney, a unique annual winter festival of light, music and ideas, was happening all around Sydney. We enjoyed watching the Opera House light up at night, as well as the Harbour Bridge and many of the other buildings around. It was spectacular.

Our last day in Sydney was one of the most anticipated activities of the weekend. We had the opportunity to go whale watching, as the humpback whales are migrating along the coast during this time of year, passing by Sydney along the way. After a lovely tour past the harbour, we saw several humpback whales, blowing spray from their blowholes and we even saw one breaching.

What a fantastic way to end our epic adventures in Australia. We admire Sydney’s beauty and all the fantastic attractions we have had the privilege of enjoying.

Alexis is turning 7 years old! Her birthday seems to come around faster and faster each year. One of the most exciting days at school is the day its your birthday at school…at least that’s the case for Alexis. Her birthday landed on a Thursday this year and she was excited to hand out treats to her classmates as well as have a special birthday balloon on her table for the day. We started the day with pancakes for breakfast with presents to follow.

This year Alexis wanted to plan, prepare and run her own birthday party. In years past, she has been very involved in the planning process but this year, with some guidance, she wanted to do it all herself. So she did. Starting a month early, Alexis wrote out each invitation to her 13 friends in grade 1. She decided on having a jewelry party where her party guests would be able make a bracelet, a necklace, a ring and a jewelry box.

Alexis spent time planning the games she wanted to play as well preparing the decorations and making the loot bags. She put a lot of time and effort into this party and in the end, it paid off. She was very excited about how everything turned out and it was a fantastic party.

Her party guests arrived at 1pm on Saturday and the fun started with some bubbles in the driveway. The party moved inside to where the girls played Pin the Necklace on the Princess, went on a scavenger hunt to look for jewelry and lollies and played a round of Pass the Parcel.

Alexis had set up stations where she instructed the girls to get into groups and rotate from the ring station to the necklace and bracelet station to the jewelry box station.

Alexis had planned every detail of the party, including the food she would serve her guests. She decided on some of her favourite foods; macaroni and cheese, pizza, fruit, pretzels and popcorn. Instead of cake, she wanted to have ‘make your own’ ice cream sundaes. 

After months of anticipation and weeks of planning, Alexis pulled off a wonderful 7th birthday party with some of her closest friends here in Torquay. No party would be complete without a game of freeze dance.

It was wonderful to have a house full excited girls, dressed in their best, giggling together, spontaneously bursting out in song, enjoying each other’s company.

Happy 7th birthday precious girl!

For Mother’s Day this year, there were so many secrets going on around me in our house. It was exciting and fun that our kids are old enough now to be involved in the planning and execution of surprises. Unfortunately, Shane had to be away for work over the weekend, but he more than made up for that by spoiling me with all kinds of treats.

The celebrations started on Thursday night, the night before Shane left for his trip. We went out for dinner at Ole, a Mexican Restaurant in Torquay, where we enjoyed the homemade chips and guacamole as well as the tacos and margaritas.  After we had dinner, Shane and the kids gave me some beautiful cards and tickets to go up the gondola at Arthur’s Seat in the Mornington Peninsula. I was very excited about this and very impressed that Shane remembered that this was something I had wanted to do here. 

On Friday, Alexis had school and both Alexis and Reid has Auskick that night. Auskick is footy practise for young kids, footy is a right of passage for an Aussie kid and footy on a Friday night is not complete without a sausage and bread at the end of practise.

Saturday morning started with a card from Shane and the kids with some money in it. We had decided to go to Arthur’s Seat and use the tickets I received to go on the gondola. The money from the card was meant for us to have some coffee and cake while we were there. We drove to Queenscliff and took the ferry across Port Philip Bay to Sorrento, where we got off and drove to Mt. Martha. 

Along the beaches in Port Philip Bay, the iconic bathing boxes line the beaches, some bold and bright in colour, and I had wanted to see them for ages. Mt. Martha is a small bayside town that boasts of these beautifully bright and colourful bathing boxes. Seated on the edge of the beach, these iconic bathing boxes are the symbol of Aussie summer. No more than a shed, with no water or electricity, these historic boxes have been passed down through generations and remain in high demand. We stopped for a few minutes to see these beautiful bathing boxes as well as collect some gorgeous shells that had washed up on the shore. 

We drove on to Arthur’s Seat to take the gondola up to the highest point in the Mornington Peninsula. The gondola is a newly updated attraction as the former chairlift closed in 2006 due to safety reasons. We thoroughly enjoyed the 15 minute ride up the hill, admiring the breath-taking views from the bay all the way to the city, as well as trying to spot wildlife as we soared above the bushes.

At the top, we took some time to look around and admire the view. We also enjoyed a coffee and some sweet treats in the cafe.

A short walk from the gondola is the Enchanted Adventure Gardens. We walked the 500m and entered the park to find amazing gardens, mazes, brain teasers, obstacle courses and thrilling tube rides.

We had a blast at the Enchanted Adventure Gardens but the time came to return to the gondola and descend back down the hill.

I really enjoyed our day on the Mornington Peninsula and as we drove back home to Torquay, I felt totally spoilt and dearly loved by my wonderful husband and beautiful kids! I think Mother’s Day might just be better than my birthday!

 

Over the Easter weekend, we decided to head west on a road trip to South Australia. Starting in Torquay, we planned to drive to Warrnambool, then on to Mount Gambier and the following day to Adelaide where we would spend the weekend and return home on Monday. Adelaide is about 700 kms from Torquay and it should take about 8 hours to drive there. However, having two small kids with us, we decided to stretch out the drive over two days.

Our trip started in Warrnambool, about 2 1/2 hours west of Torquay. Shane spent the day at the Flight Centre in Warrnambool while Alexis, Reid and I filled our day at Flagstaff Hill. While we were there, we met the two new Maremma dogs, Avis and Amor, who would eventually replace Eudi and Tula, the dogs that currently work on Middle Island to protect the fairy penguins there.

At the end of the work day, we picked up Shane and continued west towards Mount Gambier, where we would spend the night. We arrived early evening and were excited to see the prison where we would spend the night. We stayed at The Old Mount Gambier Gaol, a refurbished jail that offers a variety of boutique hostel accommodations.

We stayed in Cell 27 which used to house women and was made up of 3 individual cells as well as a common area. It has been changed into a 2 bedroom, lounge, bathroom and kitchen family unit. We wandered around the prison to discover many interested stories and facts about the prison, as well as to see the men’s yard, the chapel and the yard for the most notorious prisoners, including the cell where prisoners had once escaped.

That night, after settling into our cell, we went out after dark to meet some of the residents at the Umpherston Sinkhole. There are numerous sink holes and caves all around the Mount Gambier district. Thousands of years ago, the Umpherston sinkhole had been a cave that had formed by the erosion of limestone rocks by seawater waves. When the top of the cave chamber eventually collapsed, a large open pit, or a sinkhole, was formed. Umpherston, the owner of the land where the sinkhole is located, created a garden in the sinkhole, clearing the existing vegetation, carving a path in the side of the rock and erected a set of steps so people could enter garden filled with all sorts of flowers, shrubs and ferns. Originally, there was a lake at the bottom of the sinkhole where people used to have boat rides, but the water has since dried up. Umpherston died in 1900 and over time, the sunken garden fell into disrepair. However, the City of Mount Gambier eventually took it over and it became a South Australian Hertiage site. It is now an incredible garden, taking over the interior of this massive sinkhole and a sight to be seen. 

At night, the Umpherston sinkhole is visited for a very different reason. It comes alive with hundreds of possums as they come into this peaceful garden to feed. With our leftover sandwich crusts in hand, we made our way to the sinkhole and descended down the steps looking out for possums. Reid had no fear and made it his mission to feed every single possum in the garden. Alexis, on the other hand, was a little more hesitant at first, but in the end, she fed and patted them as well.

The next morning, we made one last stop in Mount Gambier before driving to Adelaide. We drove to the Blue Lake, which is a large crater lake located in a dormant volcanic maar, and supplies the town with their drinking water. The attraction to this lake is the colour changing phenomenon. From December to March, the lake turns a bright blue colour and it returns to a colder steel grey colour from April to November. There are theories, but scientists aren’t exactly sure why this happens. We visited the lake in April, so the bright blue colour had already changed to a grey colour.

We spent the rest of the day driving to Adelaide, passing by endless vineyards and roads lined with massive trees, a gorgeous but long drive.

We finally arrived in Adelaide by late afternoon. We passed through the beautiful Adelaide hills and continued on to the coastal town of Glenelg, where we would be staying for the rest of the weekend. Glenelg is a charming seaside suburb of Adelaide with sandy white beaches, plenty of shops and many delightful restaurants. We settled into our Airbnb accommodation, a tiny cottage with charming features. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening strolling along the Esplanade, enjoying the beautiful coast and watching the stunning sunset.

The next day, we decided to explore Adelaide’s city centre on our way out to the Barossa Valley.

We drove northeast out of the city, past the Adelaide Oval, to spend the day visiting a few of the wineries in the famous Barossa Valley. The Barossa Valley is a wine-producing region, the shiraz grape being the local specialty, consisting of a variety of wineries offering tours and cellar-door tastings. We had great expectations for this particular day of our trip, but having two kids in tow, it didn’t go as smoothly as planned. We did, however, visit a few different wineries, experienced a couple of cellar-door tastings and enjoyed the landscape of the region. We started in a small town called Tanunda, which seemed to be the centre of the region and a good starting off point.

The first stop on our self-guided tour was Chateau Tanunda Estate. This wine estate is Australia’s largest and oldest Chateau (est. 1890) and boasts of being the birthplace of the Barossa wine industry where some of the first plantings and the first winery were established in the 1840s. It is a magnificent building, with elegant gardens, a croquet lawn and beautiful views overlooking the vineyards and the surrounding Barossa ranges.

Our second stop was Peter Lehmann Wines Estate but with lunchtime fast approaching and the crowds at the cellar-door tasting, we decided to move on to another location that may not be so busy.

We continued on our self-guided tour to Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop. Maggie Beer is a well-known cook as well as a writer and founder of Maggie Beer Products. A visit to her Farm Shop suited the whole family. The kids enjoyed the animals around the property as well as the turtles in the pond. The shop is a food haven where we tried all kinds of delightful dips and spreads. Shane and I were able to do some wine tasting, sampling wines exclusive to their cellar door. We would have liked to stay a little bit longer and enjoy some lunch but it was just too busy a day at Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop.

Our next and final stop on our self-guided wine tour for the day was Murray Street Vineyards. This vineyard turned out to be my most favourite of the day and more along the lines of what we had expected from the Barossa Valley. Murray Street Vineyards is set against a stunning backdrop of endless rows of grapevines with old stone winery buildings surrounded by beautiful gardens. We had a personalized sit down wine tasting accompanied by a delicious artisan platter of beautiful local cheeses. It was a very enjoyable, informative and relaxing experience with some of the best wines we had sampled throughout the day.

The next day was Easter Sunday and we drove to Brooklyn Park, a western suburb of Adelaide, to surprise some very special people, Nate and Ally Vawer and their kids. We know the Vawers from Toronto as Nate used to be the pastor at the church we attended there, the Meeting House. The Vawers were in Toronto for seven and a half years but recently moved back to their hometown, Adelaide, to be the pastor of Brooklyn Park Church of Christ. Nate knew that we were living in Australia but was taken by total surprise when we showed up at his church on Sunday morning. We had a lovely time and a wonderful catch up with Nate and Ally. It was so nice to connect with them and see how happy and settled they are in their new life.

After church, we drove to Port Adelaide to meet up with Kayak Adventure SA tours on Garden Island for the afternoon. We kayaked through the mangroves in the area, searching for dolphins with little success. While on shore, before even getting into the kayaks, we did see some dolphins come up above the water’s surface. It was a beautiful afternoon and a good upper body workout, especially when your partner is Alexis or Reid!

As we drove back to Glenelg later that afternoon, we drove along the coast, passing through many small and charming seaside towns. We returned home and decided to go out for a stroll along the famous Jetty Road, where we were certain to find something delicious to eat. 

The next day, we started the long journey home, taking a small detour to the Fleurieu Peninsula in the south, to see the beautiful town of Victor Harbor. The Fleurieu Peninsula is known for its world-class wineries, charming towns, rolling hills, wild surf beaches as well as pristine, white sandy beaches and its untouched rugged coastline. We reached Victor Harbor and enjoyed lunch at this charming seaside town with clear, turquoise waters surrounded by spectacular scenery. We made sure to meet the horses from the famous horse-drawn tram which takes patrons across to and back from Granite Island.

We reluctantly left the beautiful town of Victor Harbor to continue our journey home. We drove for the better part of the afternoon and into the evening, attempting to make it all the way to Torquay. However, as evening turned to night, we quickly changed our minds and settled on trying to get to Hamilton. When the GPS took us through small, remote, country roads with no streetlights, rarely seeing another vehicle on the road and no cell phone reception, we began to feel nervous. The anxiety and feeling of nervousness only exponentially increased when we began dodging the mighty kangaroos, who seemed to be appearing out of nowhere, jumping across the road in front of us. Alexis, Reid and Shane were on the look out and would let me know if they spotted a kangaroo in the darkness, while I gripped the steering wheel, white-knuckled, praying that we would get to Hamilton in one piece! After what seemed like forever, and several close encounters with the roos, we made it safely to Hamilton. We found the only place open for food at that time of night and enjoyed our Chinese take out in the comfort of our mediocre hotel room.

The next day, as Shane worked in the Flight Centre shop in Hamilton, Alexis, Reid and I passed the entire day at the wonderful playground at the Hamilton Lakes Edge Adventure Park. Later that afternoon, we finished the last leg of our road trip and finally returned home to Torquay.

 

We survived term 1 (barely) and I could not be more thrilled that I do not have to drop Reid off at kinder for another 2 weeks. To put it mildly, he did not enjoy kinder this term. For the past seven weeks, I have brought him to kinder three days a week (one of those being a half day). He has kicked, screamed, cried, pleaded, negotiated, begged, argued, sobbed, shouted, hollered, cried some more, hid under his bed, refused to put his shorts on, cried even more, hid under the couch at kinder, banged on the kinder door, ran away, laid on the floor in front of the door, hid under the table at kinder and cried some more…all in an attempt to avoid being left at kinder. It has been a rough term and Reid has not enjoyed a single day of it. He has refused to participate in most of the activities, he didn’t play with any of the other kids, he refused to use the toilet there and he would not sit at the table to eat lunch with everyone else. During whole group time on the mat, Reid sat under a table and refused to participate in anything that was going on. Many times I wondered why we needed to continue doing this to him and what he was getting out it. I often wondered if it would ever get better and what was the point of it all! But we persevered, made it through the term and now we can enjoy two weeks of holidays and forget kinder even exists!

Alexis, on the other hand, had a great term but definitely needed a break and was looking forward to some unstructured time with no routine to follow.  For this school holidays, we came up with a plan to explore as many different beaches in the area as possible over the span of the week. We also had a few more items on our Melbourne bucket list that we wanted to get to.

Melbourne Bucket List:

The Children’s Garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Bamboo forest being our favourite.

The National Gallery of Victoria where we went on a scavenger hunt through the gallery.

The fairy penguins at St. Kilda Pier who emerged from the water after sunset to go back to their burrows amoungst the rocks.

Luna Park, the iconic amusement park, where we whirled and twirled until we felt sick.

Beach Hopping:

For the second week of holidays, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and enjoy the beautiful beaches in our backyard, starting with a day at Point Addis. Our day at Point Addis may have been one of the most perfect beach days we have had yet. Not only was the weather perfect, the tide was out, exposing a maze of tide pools but we were literally the only people on the beach. It was absolutely perfect!

The next day we spend some time at the Torquay Surf beach. Another absolutely perfect day in terms of weather and tide but perhaps the most exciting part of the day was discovering 13 bright red and orange sea stars in the shallow water.

We made sure to spend some time at our beloved ‘Fishos’ or Fisherman’s beach, which happens to be the closest beach to our house and consequently, the one at which we spend the most time. Another perk to Fisho’s is Bomboras, a cafe on the beach offering the best spot to enjoy a coffee or lunch in all of Torquay.

The following day, we decided to go a little further away and take the Queenscliff ferry to Sorrento. Our good friend Glenis came with us to enjoy the day, introducing us to the world famous vanilla slice and exploring the white sand beaches of Sorrento. What a beautiful little seaside town, full of impressive historical buildings, quaint boutique shops and delicious cafes.

Our final beach hopping day, we went for a walk along the Surf Coast Walk, a 44km trail along the coast from Torquay to Airey’s Inlet. We hiked a small section of the walk, my favourite part of the trail along Jan Juc beach.

We ended up at the world famous Bells Beach, another beach along the Surf Coast walk, known for the annual RipCurl Pro surfing competition. We enjoyed the view as well as the unique black sand we found there.

Unfortunately the school holidays were quickly coming to an end. We filled the last few days with days of the park, the skate park, enjoying delicious coffee and playing outside. What a fantastic staycation in Torquay, exploring the beauty of the coast and enjoying the wonderful outdoors!

8 years ago, Shane and I lived on the Gold Coast in Queensland. That being our first experience in Australia, we have very fond memories and were looking forward to spending some time there again during our current stay in Australia. The anticipation of this trip had been mounting as we looked forward to catching up with old friends as well as sharing our old life with our two kids. We were so excited to show Alexis and Reid where we lived, where we worked and what life was like for us so many years ago.

We flew from Melbourne to the Gold Coast airport and the strangely familiar humidity immediately hit us as we stepped out of the plane onto the tarmac. We picked up our rental car and made our way to a holiday park in Tweed Heads. Alexis was excited to have landed in Queensland and then, having driven only two minutes from the airport, we were in New South Wales. For Shane and I, it took us a day to figure out that there was also an hour time change between states (Queensland doesn’t have daylight savings).

We stayed in a cabin in a holiday park that had a billabong, inhabited by sting rays and other sorts of pond life and a trampoline in the centre. For the sake of the kids, I did swim in the scary, dark water to the trampolines, praying that nothing would touch me and that I would make it without panicking! The park also had several water slides, a pool, a jumping pillow and a fantastic camp kitchen with seating overlooking the billabong. This place was a gem, great amenities, close to the airport and set in among the beautiful water ways that make up this part of the coast.

We spent our first afternoon at the holiday park, taking advantage of the wonderful amenities, more specifically, the much anticipated water slides. The kids had an absolute blast as they were able to go on any and all of the slides by themselves. Later that evening, we made use of the camp kitchen for dinner. While many of the Aussies around us were cooking the standard sausage and bread, Shane had the grill filled with steak, shrimp and roast potatoes. Needless to say, we had a feast that night.

The next day, we were excited to visit the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Years earlier, Shane and I had been there and we were looking forward to sharing it with our kids this time around. Some of the highlights of the day were the birds of prey show, holding a possum and a baby crocodile, feeding the kangaroos and riding on the train through the park.

The following day, we left the holiday park and took a drive along the scenic coast from Tweed Heads to admire the stunning coastline.

We eventually made our way to Brisbane, where we spent the next two days with Alisa and James VanHekken. Alisa was presenting in Brisbane for the week, which is why we decided to come to Queensland at this time, in the first place! How very exciting that Alisa’s work would bring her to this side of the world while we happen to be living here! We spent some time on the South Bank in Brisbane together, enjoy food and fellowship together, admiring how lovely and livable Brisbane is.

The following day, all six of us piled into our rental car and attempted to find our way to the Port of Brisbane to board a boat that would take us to Moreton Island. With James as our navigator and the help of a map on a pathetic mobile phone, and Shane driving, we miraculously made it to the boat on time. While on the boat, we introduced James and Alisa to the iconic sausage roll and meat pie in attempt to share some Aussie culture with them.

The boat brought us to Moreton Island, a place to enjoy the beautiful beaches and turquoise water that is Australia. We spent the day enjoying the pristine, white sand beaches and snorkeling around the shipwrecks that were only a couple hundred metres off shore. We also enjoyed watching tourists that appeared to be snorkeling and kayaking for, perhaps, the first time, seemingly ill-prepared for a day on the beach. We also found some sea stars which the kids desperately wanted to bring home as pets. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the boat on our way back to the mainland which seemed to be a perfect way to end such a fantastic day out.

The next day, we left Alisa and James in Brisbane and made our way back to the Gold Coast. We settled into our apartment at the Chevron Renaissance Towers in Surfers Paradise. We were very excited about staying here due to the fact that we used to live in this exact building eight years ago with Jeff and Tracey Leung. It was just as we remembered it, right down to the pay phone and the smells in the lobby!

We spent a couple of days enjoying Surfers, wandering around, reminiscing about days gone by, using the hotel’s fabulous outdoor pool and catching up with old friends.

That evening, we met up with Lisa and her daughter, Stella (who we had never met), and had dinner together and a swim in the pool at the Chevron Renaissance. Shane worked with Lisa at Flight Centre Broadbeach when we lived here years ago. During that time, we had spent a lot of time with her and her family, one of the best times being the Easter weekend on a house boat.

We also caught up with Nathan and his family, who used to be Shane’s boss at Flight Centre Broadbeach. Nathan and Cindy’s two children had never met our kids. However, over 6 years ago, we had sent them a birth announcement when Alexis was born and their daughter Anais, showed us that she still has it hanging in her room to this day. The kids became fast friends and had a blast together. We spent some time together at their house, enjoying a meal, a swim and a cuddle with their many pets. Reid was especially interested in the blue tongue lizard that frequently visits their home.

The next day, we went to Sea World in Southport. The highlights of the day were the dolphin show, the seal lion show and feeding the string rays. We also enjoyed the shark viewing and the fairy penguins. The kids learned a lot about the work that Sea World does in rescuing injured animals as well as what we can do to help. It was a great day out.

That evening, we left Surfers Paradise to stay with Hamish and Aileen in Hope Island. It was so exciting to see them again and reintroduce our kids to each other. Their two children are about the same age as Alexis and Reid and got on really well together. We enjoyed catching up that evening and as an added surprise, Sally came over for dinner as well! It really felt as if no time had passed at all, except now there were four noisy kids in the background!

The following days, we went to Movie World and Wet n Wild, the infamous theme parks on the Gold Coast. To my surprise, the parks turned out to be better than expected. The kids had a fantastic time on the rides and in the waterpark. While at Movie World, we met up with Duane and Liz Mootoo and their kids, and enjoyed catching up with them.

At the end of the week, I went back to Brisbane to see Alisa and James again before they flew back to the States. Alisa had spent the week presenting in Townsville and Brisbane and was scheduled to leave on Saturday morning. So, leaving Shane and the kids in the Gold Coast, I spend the evening with Alisa and James, enjoying St. Patrick’s Day along the waterfront at Eagle Street Pier in Brisbane, as well as taking the City Hopper water taxi along the river and ending up in South Bank. What a great way to end our time in Queensland.

After saying goodbye to Alisa and James, I returned to the Gold Coast and spent our last day with Hamish and Aileen, enjoying their beautiful home on the canal, swimming in the pool and soaking up the sun. That evening, all 9 of us (including Sally!) went to Springbrook National Park to view the glow worms at the Natural Bridge at night. The kids had a great time using their torches to light the way and then discovered the hundreds of glow worms on the cave walls, which looked like tiny little fairy lights above our heads. What an incredible sight!

As we made our way to the airport to return to Melbourne, we couldn’t help but feel sad that we had to leave so soon. We had such wonderful memories of the Gold Coast and felt like we made many more on this trip. It was so wonderful to see and catch up with old friends as if no time had passed at all! The Gold Coast has always had a special place in our hearts and it always will.