Oct 2010 b

Hooray for wide lanes

Tue 26 Oct 2010
This morning we hopped in the car and drove down to Fingal Head, south of Surfer's Paradise.

Here we enjoyed a lunch of fresh fish and chips overlooking pristine Dreamtime Beach.

Come hither, time for lunch....

Steve ventures down to the almost deserted Dreamtime Beach, Fingal Head.

The little pebble and shell shards dotted on the beach were so rich in varying colours.

After lunch and a nice walk along the beach, we headed back northwards and here's a pic of Steve (below) at Burleigh Heads with the Gold Coast skyscrapers in the background.

Late afternoon we arrived at Ashmore's Stakehouse and Seafood Restaurant, Ashmore. It's a family friendly and well priced restaurant, here we caught up with our friend Sharon, her kids Emily and Isaac; and Jen's sister Vicky, Stu and niece Alex.

 

Oh my, we've been salivating for some Moreton Bay Bugs! They look a bit like something halfway between a crab and a lobster, or an Aliens facehugger without the tail. Taste really wonderful though, and we weren't disappointed! These bugs are cut in half lengthwise.

Wed 27 Oct 2010
So last night we stayed at Vicky and Stu's place in Buccan. This morning after an excellent cooked breakfast (thanks Stu) we headed toward Mount Tamborine. On the way we stopped in to visit Steve's dad's grave, and admired the nearby views.

Atop Mt Tamborine we parked the car and wandered along the Cedar Creek falls walking trail, and saw that the creek was really gushing after all the rain in recent weeks. 

 

We decided not to go for a swim (Cedar Creek falls) as the water was pretty cold.

In the evening we drove over to the north side of Brisbane to the local fighter practice there and to catch up with various other old friends.

Thu 28 Oct 2010
After another lazy morning (hey we're on holidays) we met up with old friend Finnian in town at the Emporium.

Steve and Finnian

After lunch Finnian had to get back to work, so we headed up to the Mt Coot-tha summit to enjoy views from the lookout there. Unfortunately massive dark clouds and tropical downpour spoiled the views, so we headed home. One thing we've been missing is the brilliant golden hue on everything as the sun sets. There's no twilight in Brisbane - once the sun starts to go down you've got about 15-20 minutes before its pitch black out. 

Here you can see the golden light of the setting sun, wet roads and dramatic storm clouds from this afternoon.

Dinner tonight, with a few friends at the Norman Hotel (pitched as Brisbane's worst vegetarian restaurant). Significant slabs of award-winning bovines were acquired and devoured!

 

 
 
Fri 29 Oct 2010
This morning we wandered in to South Bank parklands, which includes a series of man made beach / lagoons, alongside the river in the heart of Brisbane. And its all completely free to swim here! Just a short 15 minute walk from the CBD and skyscrapers.

After our swim we headed back to base for showers, then hit the supermarket to stock up on Aussie favourites - Tim Tams, mint slice, wizz fizz, twisties, cherry ripe, nutrigrain cereal - to take with us on our trip back to old blightey.
This evening, one last family dinner of sweet fresh seafood with Steve's mum, Fleur (sister) and Lynn. Lots of card playing (crib) until we had to unfortunately call it a night. Should have taken a photo, but so much fun was had it slipped our memories - sorry!

Sat 30 Oct 2010
This morning the final pack and weighting of bags. A final lunch with Jen's family with a spread of food just like the traditional Xmas lunch of cold meats and salad (well it is a Summer tradition after all). 

Jen's family lunch

In the afternoon we still had a few short hours spare before needing to hit the airport, so we had a final farewell with our buddies Alex and Rachel.

A big thanks to everyone who hosted us, had dinner with us, and also to Jen's folks for the use of the car and keeping our laundry under control.

Sun 31 Oct 2010
Arrived home, about 4pm!
Home.... unpacked, laundry, showers, in bed asleep 7:30pm. Jen woke at 2am! Its gonna be a loooong day. Unfortunately for Steve he's already back at work today - Jen's back tomorrow.