Joneses take on the Outback

Once everyone woke up back in Brisbane, Andrew and Eliza had just one week left to explore Australia. They sat down with the guidebook and figured out a trip for themselves that would maximize their chances of seeing the native wildlife. (Larger pictures are from Eliza and Andrew. Smaller ones are mine.)

They borrowed the Laser and headed east towards the Darling Downs, a large farming region. They had their sights set on Girraween National Park, an area full of granite boulders that promised good bushwalking and campgrounds "which teem with wildlife," according to the guidebook. It's also a popular spot for rock climbing, which Eliza and Andrew sort of accidentally participated in.

Photo of accidental rock climbing. We were told this was much steeper than it appears and they scrambled to the top only to discover a more reasonable track 'round the other side. Apparently this is a common mistake.

They camped there two nights and saw plenty of wallabies, kangaroos and possibly (probably?) even wallaroos on their daily bushwalks.

Their campsite.

Roo and Joey

On the way home, they stopped in the unofficial capital city of Darling Downs, the cutely-named Toowoomba, known for its manicured lawns and nice botanical gardens.

Toowoomba's Japanese garden

They arrived home with the Laser in one piece and still running. We weren't worried about the drivers (reports were that Andrew cottoned on pretty quick to driving on the opposite side). They drove more kms on their adventure than we had since we bought her, so we were quite glad to hear she handled the roadtrip like a champ.

The Laser out getting some fresh air.

Becky and Lindsay touched down in their spaceship on Saturday. Before they arrived, Nate treated Eliza and Andrew to their second commando workout in the backyard. Nate's workout includes lot of lunges, pull-ups from the guava tree and weightlifting bricks.

hold it...hold it...

I picked up Bek and Linds Saturday afternoon...

This is how I found them at the drop-off location. They were enjoying some Aussie brew.

...and we had an afternoon of barefoot bowls (basically barefoot lawn bowling). We were given instructions by a local club member, nicknamed Croc, who took time out from the competition taking place on the green next to us to show us how to do it.

Croc's bowling lesson. He was very helpful and friendly.

Lots of discussions about distance and scoring.

Later that night the crew (minus me and Rox) headed up the road to The Gabba to catch an Australian Rules Football game.

Nate, Andrew, Eliza and Lindsay

Lindsay flew home the next morning. After she left, we decided we didn't get enough bowling the day before, so spent another full afternoon perfecting our bowls.

Monday was Eliza and Andrew's last full day in the country, so after a slow morning, we went to the Mt. Coot-ha Botanical Garden to stroll around. It was a beautiful day and the Garden was full of Water Dragons! They surprised us at every turn and Eliza surprised one when she tried to take his picture.

Water dragon. They're so cool.

Joneses inside the dome in the garden.

We were on the other side of the river, so we decided to surprise Nate in his lab before heading home.

Surprise!

Eliza and Andrew flew out the next morning and didn't arrive home for another 25+ hours. We were quite sad to see them leave and I think maybe they were sad when they got off the plane in New York in the middle of a heatwave. We were so happy to have them with us for so long. So great for Roxy to spend so much time with her aunty and uncle. Come back soon!

Eliza and Rox sharing tea.

More quality snuggle time.

Uncle Jonesman enjoying baby duty.

Coming up - Becky's week with us!

Straddie and Cans

Nate's sister and brother-in-law, Eliza and Andrew, showed up about a week and a half ago from Philadelphia. After a day or so of acclimating, we took advantage of the perfect Brisbane winter weather and went on a few adventures.

View of the Pacific from Straddie.

We took the ferry out to North Stradbroke Island, also called "Straddie" by the locals. The island is about a half hour away by ferry and a prime location to watch the migrating whales. Lucky us, we spotted some while eating lunch. We also watched a pod of dolphins surfing and playing in the waves for about half an hour. We would have joined them if the water was just a tad warmer.

Eliza and Andrew on Frenchman's Beach.

We forgot the baby carrier and had to fashion a sling from a blanket. Here's Nate carrying a sleeping Roxy down the epic staircase to Frenchman's Beach.

The next day we drove over to Mt. Coot-tha and hiked up to the summit for a great view of Brisbane. I didn't have my camera (but I remembed the baby carrier!), but I have no doubt we will head up to Mt. Coot-tha again in the future.

My sister Becky and her travel buddy Linsday arrived a week ago. The next day we all boarded a (delayed) flight to Cairns. Cairns (pronounced Cans), is the most popular place for tourists to depart the mainland and visit to the Great Barrier Reef and Far North Queensland.

Waiting at the airport for our delayed flight.

Cairns is full of hostels, tourists, backpackers, rental campervans and tour companies. We stayed at the Bellview Hotel, a family-run hostel across the street from the marina. It was clean, cheap and had a night guard imposing quiet hours from 10 pm - 6 am. The staff was very friendly and helped us book our tours and car rental. I think we will definitely stay there again if we go back to Cairns.

Perfect weather for our trip in Far North Queensland.

Sidewalk just outside of our hotel reception.

The Bellview from the street.

We had two full days in Cairns. On the first day, we took a day trip out to Green Island, which was about a 50-minute boat ride from the mainland and we snorkeled in the Reef right off of the beach.

Nate and Roxy enjoying the beach on Green Island.

Lindsay on the beach at low tide.

One of the pesty "ducks" that steal chips right out of your hands! (Duck is our nickname for this bird. When we arrived on the island, a little girl was pointing at one and calling it a duck. We didn't figure out what it actually was, so for the rest of the trip, any pest bird was called a duck.)

Walking out to the boat at the end of the day.

Becky brought everyone underwater cameras, so you'll have to wait until those get developed to see anything under water. Nate, Linds and Becky swam out the furthest and spotted a sea turtle, giant clam amongst all of the colorful fish.

It was Eliza's first time snorkeling and was her last for the rest of our trip. After the choppy boat ride and fear of the open ocean, Eliza and Andrew decided to stay on land for Day 2.

Our friends Eddie and Lisa flew down from Papua New Guinea and met up with us after we returned from Green Island. They get plenty of snorkeling where they are, so they decided to accompany Eliza and Andrew in the hills for Day 2 while Becky, Linds, Nate, Roxy and I booked a snorkeling trip to the Outer Reef.

I get quite seasick, but decided that I could tough it out for a day if it meant seeing more of The Great Barrier Reef. Our tour departed at 9 and returned at 4:30, with 1.5 hour boat rides there and back.

Becky and Lindsay had no problems with seasickness. Roxy threw up her breakfast about an hour into the ride, but was just fine after that. I took ginger pills (dramamine and breastfeeding don't mix), and threw them up just as we arrived at our first snorkel spot. I felt queasy for the rest of the trip and threw up again on the way home. I felt great once I got into the water and would have just as soon swim 60 kms back to Cairns than get on the boat again.

Becky and Roxy

Sadly, Nate fared the worst on the boat and getting into the water didn't help at all. He spent about half an hour snorkeling around, but the rest of the time he was hunched over a puke bag aboard the boat. If you ask him about it, he will tell you that the half hour of snorkel time was worth all of the suffering!!

Poor Nate!

Roxy enjoying the boat ride more than either of her parents. She didn't go into the water, but we got her dressed in her swimsuit so she would fit in with everyone else.

The other half of our party spent the day in the hippie rainforest village of Kuranda. They took a skyrail up and the scenic railway back down. They wish they would have taken the skyrail both ways.

Coming up: Daintree River, Cape Tribulation, Coral Sea, Crocodiles and much more!!