Gold Coast

Wednesday 27th April (Cont)

After setting up camp we made our customary trip to the Information Centre.  We also had to do some grocery shopping and had a look around the shops.  The Art Gallery adjacent to the Information Centre had a display called ‘Box World’. 

This was a model city covering an area about 10m by 10m and everything was made from recycled rubbish.  It was absolutely amazing with incredible detail. About the only thing we saw not made from something that had been recycled were the toy cars and trucks on the streets.   We found out that WARWICK had an Indoor heated Swimming Pool and decided we would visit that tomorrow.

Thursday 28th April.

This morning it was washing and other chores about camp.  I had bought some shade cloth at a reject shop, (very cheap of course), and cut that to size to hang from our awning.  We had been told we would need it when we got further north.  We had also blown one of our outside lights on the caravan, and had finally found a matching bulb, so that was repaired.  We then went into town for a visit to the heated pool.  A complex not quite as big as New Plymouth’s Aquatic Centre with a 25 m swimming pool, a couple of toddlers pools, and a river, which is a circular channel about a meter deep with water flowing around it.  There were only 2 other people there for the whole two hours we were there.  Very relaxing. Then it was back to camp for dinner and to prepare the van for storage before heading off to Ron and Leanne’s tomorrow.

Friday 29^th April.

After parking the van in storage we headed north out of town for 10 km on the New England Highway, and then north east on the Cunningham Highway towards IPSWICH.  We crossed over the Great Dividing Range through a place called CUNNINGHAMS GAP, and continued on to a small place called FASSIFERN about half way between WARWICK and IPSWICH.  The road over the Great Dividing Range was nothing more than about going over half of Mt Messenger, if that makes sense.

At FASSIFERN we turned east, soon passing through BOONAH, and then on to BEAUDESERT, where we stopped for lunch.  We had travelled much of this road on our last visit to the Gold Coast. From there we continued to CANUNGRA and MT TAMBORINE before dropping down to NERANG where we hit the Pacific Highway. From there it was a short run down to Ron and Leanne’s at REEDY CREEK where we arrived at about 1.30pm.

We had rung Ron when we got to NERANG, and he came home from his work and let us into the house.  Christel quickly rang Joe and Riet.  What a surprise for them when they found out where we were.  Leanne arrived home with Luke and Kyle at about 3.00pm, and within minutes the three boys had picked up from where they had left when they last saw each other in July 2009.  Naturally the swimming pool was quickly on the agenda.

Saturday 30^th April

We all spent a lazy day catching up, and then in the evening, Ron Luke and I went to a Rugby League match being held at the nearby Robina Stadium.  The Gold Coast ‘Titans’ playing the Sydney ‘Roosters’.  Luckily the local team won. A fantastic New Stadium with a wonderful atmosphere.  A Roosters fan sitting a couple of rows behind us, was particularly passionate about his team, and quite scathing about the local team, especially while the Roosters were winning. He was starting to get on everyone’s wick, but was so wrapped up in the game he was completely unaware of the spectacle he was making of himself.  As the game went on and the local team started to dominate, he got quieter and quieter.  When we looked around at the end of the game to see if he was still there, he was hunched right down in his seat.  A picture of absolute humiliation and misery.   Oh Dear. How Sad. Never Mind.

While we were enjoying the league, the girls took Kyle and Cameron to see the movie “Rio”, which they all thoroughly enjoyed.   Ron and Leanne’s new neighbours are the parents of Stan Walker who won last year’s ‘Australian Idol’, and has since gone on to make quite a name for himself as a singer.  There was great excitement among the kids when he turned up to visit his parents next door.

Sunday 1^st May

We decided to take a drive through the TAMBORINE  NATIONAL PARK and stop off for lunch at a Hotel Ron and Leanne had heard about called the Bearded Dragon.  A beautiful setting with excellent food and facilities, including a live band and playground for the kids.  Obviously a very popular spot for Gold Coastites with lots of people coming and going.  Several classic and beautifully restored cars called in as well as motorbikes of all shapes and sizes.

After lunch we watched a Live Reptile Show, which included a Bearded Dragon,

a Shingle Back Lizard, a Long necked Turtle, a Python and a Brown Snake, which is one of Australia’s deadliest, and last of all of course a crocodile.  The kids got to stroke and touch everything except the brown Snake of course.

Monday 2ndMay

Another beautiful Australian morning.  Today QUEENSLAND celebrates Labour Day, so it was a holiday for everyone.  We decided to go to nearby BURLEIGH HEADS beach for breakfast and a swim.  While eating breakfast we watched all the beautiful people strutting their stuff in their designer running gear, pushing the latest design baby buggy , or riding the latest model exercise bicycles, or scooters.  All very trendy and artificial.

After breakfast the girls went for a walk along the beach, Ron tried out the surf on his board, and the boys and I had a swim or played in the sand.   Then it was back home for lunch and a lazy afternoon.  Leanne’s parents, Jim and Isobel, called round for afternoon tea, and it was great to catch up with them again.  They were very interested in our travels as Jim had spent some time in the outback, and was familiar with the areas we would be travelling through.  He even went home and got a book about the outback, for us to take on our travels.  Thank you Jim, but I don’t know when you will see your book again.

Tuesday 3^rd May.

This morning it was back to school and work for the Van Belois family, and after fond farewells we loaded up the Pajero and headed north on the Pacific Highway towards BRISBANE.  We were going to see Pat Broadmore for a quick visit, before heading back out to our Caravan at WARWICK.  Pat lives at NORTH LAKES, a brand new suburb on the northern outskirts of Brisbane.  We had rung her earlier to get her address which we then programmed in to Know-All Nancy.  Remember her?  Our trusty SATNAV.

Wonderful Nancy.  We sat back while she cheerfully guided us through BRISBANE, avoiding Toll Roads just like we asked her, and into the rabbit warren of streets that make up the newly developed housing settlement called North Lakes.  If we inadvertently missed a turn off, Nancy quickly recalculated a new route, and before we knew it we arrived at Pat’s front door.  One thing’s for sure, we would never have found you Pat without Nancy’s help.

We had a lovely lunch and catch up with Pat, and then all too soon it was time to go.  We wanted to get back to WARWICK before dark, and knew we had a good 3 hours travel ahead of us.

Storm clouds were gathering, and thunder rattling overhead, as we said goodbye to Pat, programmed WARWICK into Nancy, and faithfully followed her back to the Bruce Highway, and into BRISBANE.  Heading west out of BRISBANE towards IPSWICH, we could see huge thunderstorms all around us.  We got caught up in some major road works near IPSWICH and caught the edge of some of the storms, but nothing much. We later heard from Leanne that we had just missed some spectacular storms which caused damage and power outages to parts of the Gold Coast.

Once clear of IPSWICH we headed south west on the Cunningham Highway rejoining our route out to the Gold Coast at FASSIFERN. Then it was on to WARWICK where we arrived just on dark.  Our caravan was just as we had left it, and we soon had ourselves set up and tea cooking.

Tomorrow we will stay here and catch up on groceries etc, and it would also be the start of Christel and Cameron’s second school term.  Then on Thursday we would pack up and start our trek back out west towards CUNNAMULLA, and hopefully CAMERON CORNER.