3/5/08

We woke up in the carpark in Hervey Bay, where we had parked for the night, to find a beautiful sunny day - and a huge sign saying 'Trespassers will be prosecuted'!!! I quickly jumped into the front of the van and drove out of the carpark onto the road - the boys both still in bed!! Stopped off at Woolworths for some food shopping and ate our breakfast in the carpark, getting some funny looks and comments!

We left Harvey Bay and headed towards Alexandra Headlands, near Mooloolaba and Maroochydore where we were meeting Bec (a girl Alex and I met in Cambodia!). We met her at her parents 'unit' which turned out to be an amazing holiday apartment on the 12th floor with stunning views out to sea! Spent the evening being entertained by Jamie on his guitar and after a take-away went out for a few drinks at a nearby bar with one of Bec's friends.

4/5/08

Had a lazy morning, eating breakfast while watching hundreds of surfers on the beach below. Then set off to find the 'Big Pineapple!' This was a huge model fruit which you could climb up inside! Next door was the 'Big Macadamia' although this was closed! Jamie bought an Indiana Jones style hat which didn't leave his head for the rest of our trip with him! Next stop was Noosa Heads where we got some lunch, walked along the beach and went for a walk in the National Park, managing to spot 2 Koalas up in the trees! After some drinks at a surf club in Maroochydore, we returned to Bec's unit where we cooked some Kangaroo steaks for dinner. They were really nice although I'm not sure I could tell the difference between kangaroo and beef. The evening was complete with a viewing of the 1st Indiana Jones (of course with Jamie wearing his new hat!)

5/5/08

The morning was spent kayaking on the Moochy River and up a canal. Afterwards, Jamie, Alex and I got some sunbathing in while Bec went for a swim. We drove up into the Glass House Mountains and walked to a waterfall where we ate our packed lunch. Bec braved the freezing cold water for another swim and Jamie found a rope swing off a tree halfway up a cliff next to the waterfall. It took him three tries to swing out far enough to jump into the water below! Found a viewpoint where we watched an amazing orange and pink sunset before driving back to Bec's unit. She left to get back to Brisbane while we stayed another night, and watched a film Jamie had bought called Once. The music from the film became the theme tune for our little trip as Jamie played it whenever he could get his hands on a guitar!

6/5/08

Spent the day at Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin's zoo). The zoo was mainly full of Australian Native animals with a few endangered species like Asian elephants and tigers as well. Watched the famous crocodile show in the main arena where a man made a huge crocodile jump out of the water, only missing him by inches!

After the zoo, we drove to Brisbane where we had arranged to meet a girl called Anna who is my 4th cousin!!! After some difficulty finding a parking space (she lived right in the centre of the city and her parking wasn't high enough for our van!), we went up to her apartment which had an amazing view over a huge bridge. The evening was spent at the Down Under bar where Anna works. We got a cheap meal, then because it was 'Ladies night' the boys had to put on girls clothes (which were provided!) so that they could get the same cheap drink offers as the girls!!

7/5/08

We had to have an early start as the van had to be moved by 7am! After driving around Brisbane for ages we eventually found somewhere to park and the rest of the day was spent wandering around the sights of Brisbane. Did some shopping (buying a hoodie and jeans as it was beginning to get a bit cold!), went to the museum and walked around the botanic gardens where we saw a Pelican in the river! In the evening we went to the cinema to see Iron Man (which I enjoyed despite having to be dragged there by the boys!) and had dinner at a Wagamamas. Jamie was explaining what all the food was like as he had just got back from Japan. On the way to the bus stop, we bought a box of 12 krispy kreme doughnuts!!! That night we stayed at Bec's house on the edge of Brisbane.

8/5/08

Breakfast was krispy kremes (nice and healthy!!). Bec's housemate dropped us off in the city, where we walked through a beautiful walkway on the Southbank to get to the museum. Spent about 4 hours at the museum before walking across the river to George's Square where we climbed a small tower for some nice views. Found a big clothes sale in the town hall and managed to get some cheap levis - only 5 pounds! Walked to China Town before meeting Bec and going back to her house for a game of monopoly!

9/5/08

Spent the morning playing with Bec's housemates dog in the garden! Packed up the van, and said good bye to Jamie - he was now going to fly up to Airlie Beach, while we drove down to Byron Bay.