Australia Day Weekend & I’m still a Petrol Head….

The roar of revving engines, the smell of smoke from burning rubber….. It’s been a long time since I have allowed myself to indulge this side of my personality And on a hot summers day on the Gold Coast I found myself totally immersed & enjoying ‘The Drifting’.
Marty & I took soooo many photos’ (it’s taken me forever to sort through them). It was hard just to pick one or two to post on this page.
Some of the more ‘dare devil’ drivers had us on our feet & holding our breath wondering if they were going to collide. Driving skills certainly improved as the day’s events unfolded & they finished up with some entertaining team events.

Sunshine Coast & Noosa

Heaven can be found driving along an Australian motorway listening to music in a cheap black station wagon………Yep another road trip (love road trips). This time to the Sunshine Coast to show Marty where I had holidayed with my good friend Julie a year & a half ago.

First stop Mooloolaba to my favorite shop full of wonderful things imported from Asia & India, especially the Jewelery! I had to leave with at least one treasure (so hard to pick only one!!!)
I decided on a lovely teak bangle with sliver & onyx on the outside of it.

With that mammoth task done we took a short stroll up the road for a yummy Jamaican Blue coffee. Then to the ‘Loo with a View’ before jumping back in the car for a short drive down the road to Maroochydore showing Marty the apartments that I had stayed in when holidaying with Julie.

Noosa was our next stop. A lovely tourist destination. We only drove through the shopping center as Marty was all shopped out, (after stopping at my favorite shop in Moolooaba). And of course you cannot leave without a visit to the lovely beach at Noosa.
By this time our ‘heavenly black car’ was in need of gas! Noosa’s Servo’s (Aussie word for Petrol; Station) are all hidden!!! What a mission to find one? With our fuel light ‘glowing’ we eventually found a ‘Servo’ – filled our petrol tank to the brim, complained to the lovely lady attendant about hidden Servo’s and went on our merry way in search of the Noosa Lookout. After driving around in circles & consulting the map we found one – (Not sure if it’s the one we were looking for?), took photos & headed off in the direction of home.

Byron Bay (NSW) – Just Love it!

The streets were filled with people wearing comfortable cotton ethnic clothing, leather sandals & dreadlocks are a part of the dress code.

The shops are a total trap selling all the things that stimulate the creative ethnic/grunge dresser. (that’s meeee!!!) And I won't even start on the jewelery..........

Beautiful sandy beaches & oooooooh a’ lighthouse’ (one of my favorite things) From the lookout points at the lighthouse we could see stingray, turtles & what we & others thought was a shark!!! Other days it is a good viewing point for dolphins & whales

The day we went there was very hot, sweat was leaking out of every pour of our bodies, but you won’t hear us complaining. Marty & I just had a laugh about how annoying it is when the sweat runs into your eyes. Bryon Bay just has a lovely feel & we were so happy to be there………

A shark attack happened up the coast that day, so I guess it was a good thing we had forgotten our togs?!!

We will be going back to check out more of the cafes & the Pub which has live bands. I’m told my favorite NZ band Kora sometimes play there. And of course to take a tour of the lighthouse.

I can’t wait………..

Springbrook NSW

We crossed the border to NSW to venture into another rain forest. Visiting the Purling Brook Falls along the way……a real tourist attraction so we discovered. Although you feel like you are out in the ‘boonies’, you are actually only a 30 minute drive from Surfers Paradise. The road is narrow & winding & there are stretches of road 180 meters long that are one way only, along with other one way bridges. We drove up steep & high to the ‘Best of All Look Out’ (Yes that is what the lookout is called!!!) The wind had a chill factor that reminded me of home. In fact a lot reminded me of home. It is so lush & green! I had to walk fast to keep warm, past trees that were 2000 years old, only stopping briefly for a quick photo & moving right along to keep the blood circulating!!! At the top you could see for miles & miles, absolutely breathtaking. However, we didn’t stay long as yes I was cold, so off I headed back down the mountain at speed to where mother earth is nice & warm!!
Photo’s.….Spot the lizard in the wild & the photo with Surfers Paradise in the distance! Tree Trunk is the 2000 year old tree & check out Marty’s silly pose at the ‘Best of All Look Out’?

'HAPPY NEW YEAR' to everyone

New Years was celebrated at our new favorite bar, The Beer Garden. They have a great live band & yet again we danced the night away.
We went for a walk on the beach after the band had finished (I’m still finding sand in the apartment, I would of hated to see the state of the taxi we caught home!), & we talked shit to God knows who??? There were still people everywhere……. Just like The Mount at home in extreme!!
We had a feed in the wee small hours of the morning. A Kebab was our first meal for 2009!
Then it was off to pick up Jo from work accompanied by a couple of her ex-boyfriends that we had caught up with along the way!!! (So cool that we are all friends).
By the time we got a cab home the sun was well & truly up; I think it was about 6am!!!
So the rest of the day was spent sleeping & recovering, which was fine as it was hot & muggy as hell.
Welcome to 2009 in OZ……..

I Hear Thunder........

Another wonderful Queensland Tropical Thunderstorm, (Monday 29/12/08) but this time we got Pictures. Apparently there were 18,000 strikes recorded that night. The electrical storm went on for 2 hours. I love a good thunderstorm!

Tambourine Mountain

Saturday found us driving up into the rain forest at Tambourine Mountain. A lovely drive & just the nicest place to wander around the shops & have a bite to eat. After a very pleasant lunch we drove to Brisbane, walked around the markets (my favorite place) & then we jumped on the Quick Cat for a ride up the river, Out on the front deck, the warm wind in your face, & a false sense of freedom……..
A yummy coffee & cake at a riverside café should have been a nice end to a very pleasant day, but Oh No……… after a gin or two on the deck at home we were off to town to dance the night away…..again!!!