Recent Visitors

Just a couple of weeks ago, we got to put our spacious new house (and our water heater) to the test with three people visiting at the same time! My aunt Jean flew in from California for a quick, one-week visit, and our friends from Davis, Tara and Dani, were in town at the same time. 

Jean arrived mid-week and was eager to check out some of the Australian wildlife. We first visited the Daisy Hill Koala Sanctuary and got up close and personal with a few grazing wallabies and the recuperating koalas. The next day we decided to check out the Queensland Museum near the city to check out the preserved animals that we probably wouldn't see in the wild. That afternoon, we took a hike around Mt. Gravatt, which is a little forest park just a few minutes' drive from our house.

On Saturday, we left Roxy and Nate at home and drove down to Springbrook National Park. We haven't been there since my sister Becky visited a year ago, and it's just as gorgeous as ever! We did the hike to Natural Arch and then drove over to a new section for a spectacular hike to a few waterfalls.

Natural Bridge

Jean beside a waterfall in Springbrook. Should be a great swimming hole come summertime (it was a bit chilly during this visit).

From the trail behind the same waterfall. Definitely want to see it after a storm.

That night we had delicious pizza in Mt. Tamborine and drove home well after Roxy had gone to sleep. 

Tara and Dani arrived back from Papua New Guinea the next day without their luggage (it was lost on their flight from Brisbane to Port Moresby), but with high spirits! 

Nate went to work and the rest of us crammed into the car and drove up to the Sunshine Coast hinterland for a visit to the Australia Zoo, which should be called The Crocodile Hunter's Theme Park, because Steve Irwin was EVERYWHERE (yet somehow I managed not to get a single picture of him)!

Waiting for the show at the Crocseum.

Dani looking a bit nervous with the 'roo.

Super photogenic Tara seems much more relaxed.

Rox practicing her haka face at our 'roo. Check out the size of my belly! Amazing!

Dani and Tara beneath the display that shows how high a kangaroo can jump - see the feet suspended from the ceiling above them?

I'm not the biggest fan of zoos, but The Australia Zoo isn't too bad. There was an emphasis on conservation, they don't use disposable plates (cookery) or silverware (cutlery) in their Food Court, and they even have a big gift shop that sells wares made by Australians in Australia from Australian materials. But, a zoo is a zoo, and the animals were in cages and pens. They had imported elephants and tigers putting on shows and lines out the door to get a $20 picture taken with a bored carpet python. 

Our next adventure was to North Stradbroke to spend the night and wake up to do some whale watching. During my sister's visit at the same time last year, the whales were jumping out of the ocean like popcorn and I was really hoping that would happen again.

We woke up to a cold and rainy day and because we didn't all fit in our car (4 adults + 1 toddler = not enough seats in the Laser), we had to take the train to bus to ferry to bus to get to the hostel on the island. Not so much fun in pouring down rain.

Our hostel was nice and clean and 3 km from town. We took a cab into town for dinner and settled in back at the hostel for a night of movie viewing (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Jurassic Park - classics!). 

It rained all night, but cleared up when the sun came up. The guy at the front desk warned us that whales don't really like storms and we probably wouldn't see many. Unfortunately, he was right. On the bright side, North Straddie is a gorgeous place to visit and we spent the morning checking out the crashing waves and managed to spot a couple of whales.

Walking into town.

Playing in the puddles and waiting for whales to surface.

Napping on our hike around the island.

Jean and me with the whale-less Pacific in the background.

Back at home: Coloring on a rainy day with Aunt Jean

Jean had to fly home the next day, so Dani and Tara took advantage of some downtime and read those addictive books from the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy. Roxy loved loved loved hanging out with the big girls and nestled herself right in with them on the couch. (I think she was reading a book about colors.)

Get comfy!

Dani and Tara had to leave a couple of days later and we had a great time reminiscing about grad school and catching up on the past 2-3 years. 

Happy to report that our full house is a happy house. Jean was a trooper and slept on the couch cushions for a couple of nights in our empty 3rd (!) bedroom and Tara and Dani shared the futon, even when they didn't have to. Nate's big pot of Mulligatawny Stew was a hit with everyone (although I'm sure my Asian-inspired pumpkin stew would have been just as popular).

Grandpa Charlie's Visit

We're moving house this weekend! That means we have interrupted internet beginning on Friday and it might not get reconnected for a week! I figured I had better put up some photos from Charlie's visit while I can. What has he been up to these past three weeks?

Lawn Bowled on the weekends

(Roxy spends her time at Bowls in the sandy gutters.)

Explored the rugged scenery on Straddie (and took pictures meant to scare Grandma Doreen back at home).

Acted as a barber.

Played Wii tennis and baseball.

Climbed an epic boulder in Girraween National Park (Can you make him out about 2/3 of the way up?)

Assisted Roxy on her first bushwalk (she walked 500 meters mostly by herself to Curtis Falls in Mt. Tamborine National Park).

(She didn't like being carried through treacherous sections.)

Worked out with Nate.

Spent time being Grandpa.

He also played lots of mandolin, ate meat pies and kebabs, went to an Aussie Rules Football game, caught World Cup fever, celebrated Nate's birthday with oysters, visited some museums, ate up everything I cooked (even the disastrous rugelach), went on an historic walk, helped out immensely when we were searching for a new place to live, was a great friend to this homesick stay-at-home mama AND also managed to fit in a whole lot of nothing (he's on vacation, for goodness sakes!). 

He's leaving tomorrow morning. :( Come back soon, Grandpa! Until then, Roxy will make sure you get tucked into bed for plenty of nap time. I wonder where I can find a tiny wooden mandolin...?

Crikey!

Two news items of note. The first is a news clip about a shark hanging out around North Stradbroke Island, which some of you loyal readers may know as one of my favorite day trip spots. The video is only about a minute and a half long.

Second news item: Huge 4.7m crocodile caught at popular swimming hole. This croc was found in a swimming hole up in the Northern Territory, sort of near where we were doing lots of swimming in popular swimming holes. My favorite line from the article, "He had barnacles growing on him, which suggests he's been in saltwater for quite some time." Barnacles! Crazy!

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!!