23.03 Easter Sunday Big Day Out
A slightly earlier start was had on Easter morning, as the easter bunny had delivered a large number of eggs and someone was very excited! It wasn't me by the way!! In fact, there were so many eggs that Gracie started on hers at breakfast time!  Then it was time for the Mystery Tour & Picnic organised by Deidre and driven by Roger.  What better is there to transport ten people on a mystery tour?! An orderly queue forms as people find their seats in the maxi-taxi, luckily the meter didn't start until we started moving!   The first stop on our tour was at the Warrego Vineyard for a quick tasting/tea/coffee, a toilet stop & a bit of a run around!   Spring Bluff was our destination to de-camp and tuck into the delicious picnic! Although the station itself isn't in use, the track is. To prove this a massive goods train came through!     Everyone having a relaxing time at Spring Bluff! Mean while the meter is still running... From Spring Bluff we headed to Toowoomba, for some spectacular views!    The clouds close in on Toowoomba, and our mystery tour!  Arden is looking quite innocent here, but unknown to his Pops (Roger) he's just created a diversion so the rest of us can escape from the $800 fare!! Cheers Arden!! Poor Rog, he's still trawling for these passengers through CCTV! Best of luck though, lets hope that you get those mongrels! Wow! That brought a happy end to thirteen months of living / working / travelling in Australia and what a great way to conclude by spending our last week with the Coys!! We had such a brilliant time! Find our post about the move from Austrailia to New Zealand here! Labels: easter, maxi_taxi, photos, queensland, sam_dan, spring_bluff, toowoomba
22.03 Dockside Comedy Bar
Sam & Dan very kindly treated us to some adult time (as paper cuts were increasing at an alarming rate) at the Dockside Comedy Club in Brisbane! Sam thought it would be a great idea to pipe up after the compere had asked a question to the floor, which resulted in references about me being posh(?!) & english for most the night! Sam did say that it was better that way than saying we were from Melbourne!?    It was a superb night and we had a lot of fun! And thank you Dix for the lift to & from the Club! Labels: brisbane, dockside_comedy_bar, joanna, nathan, photos, queensland, sam_dan
21.03 Good Friday on the Gold Coast
QLD - Day 13: Australia Zoo
Uncle Nath & Aunty Jo take Arden to Australia Zoo!
 Just after this photo was taken a strict briefing was held with Arden 'stay in the pushchair & don't say a word!', this was so that we could get Arden in as an under 3, and it worked a treat!
 The only time in the whole trip where we saw a real Cassowary!
 The only time that we've seen Koala's too!
 LazyVee t-shirts all round! A cunning idea just in case one of us wandered off and got lost!
 Aunty Jo & Arden sitting near good 'ole Steve.
 Arden feeding a Kangaroo!
 The kangaroo's lost interest because Arden's out of food, actually I think both of them have lost interest!
 Little Echinda's!
 Two wombats taking it real easy!
 It isn't a real crocodile, we're not that irresponsible!! Actually Aunty Jo isn't! We can be trusted with children, honest!! And I'm sure Sam will testify that we brought Arden home safe and sound, although perhaps a little high on some jellied snakes!! Hmm, who's idea was that?!Labels: australia_zoo, brisbane, photos, queensland
QLD - Day 12-14: Sunshine Coast & Brisbane
We left Noosa for Brisbane and decided that we would take the day to get to Sam & Dan's. The journey took us from Noosa down the coast through Coolum Beach, Mt Coolum, Maroochydore, Mooloolaba & Caloundra before we got back on the Bruce Highway.
At this point we had taken the Bruce Highway all the way from the beginning in Cairns to the end just outside Brisbane. We had covered just over 2000kms on our trip, which had taken about 21 hours to complete - Joanna drove for a single hour out of all of that!! However, she had navigated us for the other 20 hours!! Our journey down had taken us from the lush green bush of the north, to a dryer, more scrubbier bush of the east coast. We had avoided speed traps and wildlife, but gained a massive stone chip in the windscreen from a passing car! The roads are wonderfully clear, but their construction leaves a lot to be desired and with all of the rain they had had, wash-outs were a common sight! Luckily, somehow, our insurance covered it!
We took the motorway all the way down to Burleigh Heads, which is the south end of the Gold Coast, before we headed back up the coast via Surfers Paradise, where they were setting up for the Indy cars, and then out back to Brisbane.
 Joanna on a Surfboard bench in Mooloolaba!
  These photo's were taken at the 'loo with a view'. The shiny pipes were actually showers!
 Part of the beach at Caloundra!
 Looking up the coast, with Surfers Paradise in distance from Burleigh Heads.
 The classic sign of Surfers!
 Our wonderful hosts (again) for our few days in Brisbane!
 The 'special' visitors! Why did we choose this photo?!Labels: brisbane, mooloolaba, photos, queensland, surfers
QLD - Day 10-11: Noosa
Our first full day in Noosa was spent on Fraser Island, on a Frazer Island Discovery tour.
 A map of our journey to and on Fraser Island!
 Not a good start. We come off the first bit of beach and we get bogged! Fortunately this was the one and only time it happened!! We won't talk about the guy in his Toyota Kluger with road tyres and no sand driving experience!!
 A short ferry trip...
 ... to Fraser Island! 'On Ya Jetstar'!
 Yes, we're doing the trip in a little style, and with just five of us in our vehicle too. Slightly better than the 4x4 buses we saw taking people round!!
 Beach/Road its all the same here! Road rules do apply on the beaches!!
 Morning tea stop, with a cup of tea, a cake...
 ... oh and some champers darling!
 Naturally artistic!
 These signs are everywhere, unlike Dingos!
    Lake MacKenzie is a freshwater lake in the middle of Fraser Island. The water was a little a 'fresh' when we went for a swim, not quite as warm as we thought it might be!
 The Land Cruisers!
 Joanna on a bush walk!
 A Strangler Fig Tree
 In convoy on our way back to Noosa!
 Afternoon tea at Red Rock!
 Joanna's arty shot!
 Hmmm!
 We spent some of the second day walking around Noosa Heads.
 Looking back towards Noosa!
   
 Joanna just after a swim on Sunshine Beach!
 Noosa Beach at Sunset!
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Accommodation Review: Noosa YHA, Noosa, Australia
We stayed in a double room at the Noosa YHA. The room was a great size and very comfortable. The hostel is in an old queenslander style house, so the it has a lot of the original features. Therefore it can be quite noisey, as sound travels through the wooden floor boards and walls. One of the nicest hostels we've stayed in though. The hostel also does great value food.
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Trip Review: Fraser Island Discovery, Noosa, Australia
We had a great day out with Mark from Fraser Island Discovery. Although this was a high-end package, it was good value. We had great food throughout the day. Mark was very knowledgeable about all aspects of Fraser. We didn't quite get as far as we thought we would but the company is supposed to be starting two day tours in the near future, which would be very interesting. We'd highly recommend this trip for people who like small groups and the intimate experience of what Fraser Island has to offer.Labels: 4x4, fraser_island, noosa, noosa_heads, queensland
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What better is there to transport ten people on a mystery tour?! An orderly queue forms as people find their seats in the maxi-taxi, luckily the meter didn't start until we started moving!
The first stop on our tour was at the Warrego Vineyard for a quick tasting/tea/coffee, a toilet stop & a bit of a run around!
Spring Bluff was our destination to de-camp and tuck into the delicious picnic! Although the station itself isn't in use, the track is. To prove this a massive goods train came through!
Everyone having a relaxing time at Spring Bluff! Mean while the meter is still running...
The clouds close in on Toowoomba, and our mystery tour!
Arden is looking quite innocent here, but unknown to his Pops (Roger) he's just created a diversion so the rest of us can escape from the $800 fare!! Cheers Arden!! Poor Rog, he's still trawling for these passengers through CCTV! Best of luck though, lets hope that you get those mongrels!
