A land of dragons.

On Saturday, after all our state hopping, Dave drove us up to Tamborine Mountain. Much of the subtropical rainforest was cleared for agriculture, human settlement and logging, but some remains and some has been replanted. 

We first stopped off at Gallery Walk, a street filled with cafes, souvenir shops, distilleries and craft shops. After walking down the one side of the street we crossed over and walked back up the other, stopping off for a cream tea. It was in the gardens of the cafe that I spotted a species of fern that Lynne said was a elk fern (Platycerium bifurcatum), just one of many plants I saw.

After our cream tea we set off for the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens, where we walked through the a rainforest garden, saw a couple of lizards having a fight and found a sculpture by Matt Bird, something that Lynne found hysterical.

We then set off for Curtis Falls, in the Tamborine National Park. The walk down to the falls was amazing. The tall straight trees growing ever upwards in an attempt to reach the sun. The forest full of the sounds of birds. The strangler figs in particular were very impressive.

After our walk back up the hill and a cool drink we set off for The Glow Worm Caves.

As I was about to walk down the path a great big metre (well maybe not quite) long lizard ran across the path in front of me. I shouted out in surprise, but by the time I got my camera out it had disappeared into the bushes. I did however get to take some photos of some juvenile Eastern water dragons. 

The glow worm cave was truly beautiful, like a million stars twinkling in the night sky, they didn't fail to please. The project had originally collected 300 glow worms from the forest and the colony is now nearly 10,000. If you are ever in the area I highly recommend a trip to the caves.

Two days, three states.

On Thursday we travelled to the Gold Coast in Queensland. Looking out of the window as we flew there was very little to see other than a patchwork of fields and trees that followed the path of water. So much space without towns or cities.

As we approached the Gold Coast Airport it became clear (or more precisely not clear) that the Sunshine State wasn't feeling very sunny, maybe it had heard about the coronavirus. 

 As we landed the heavens opened, we had been expecting sunshine, so none of us had thought to bring a coat and my showerproof jacket was in my case. As we walked across the tarmac we got a bit wet and it turned out so did my case. It must have been on top of the pile as the rain had managed to make the contents slightly damp!

We drove down to Surfer's Paradise to have lunch . I retrieved my jacket from my case and Lynne found out her fleece, but Dave braved it in shirt sleeves. We managed to get to the place we were eating without getting too wet as the showers came and went. After eating the story was a very different one, at that point the shower became torrential rain with a wind to match. Dave popped into a shop to buy and umbrella, which instant turned itself inside out. We tried walking back to the car, but the wind was so strong we had to take shelter in the protection of a hotel lobby. Eventually as the rain showed no signs of abating we decided to just go for it, by the time we got back to the car poor Dave looked as if he had showered with his clothes on. Luckily there was a dryer where we were staying. 

On Friday I set out early (5:45) to make my way on public transport to the kayaking and snorkelling trip I had booked. Although the rain had stopped there was still quite a breeze and the sea was slightly choppy so we were driven further up the coast where the waters were slightly calmer and we were closer to Wave Break Island. We kayaked over to the island, but it was a real struggle for me in my one person kayak, trying to keep up with the twenty-something couples in the other three. The currents were too strong and so the second island was cut from the trip, even the strongest pair couldn't make headway. It didn't really matter to me, it was the snorkelling that really interested me. 

In the afternoon Dave drove us down the coast to New South Wales to Cabarita Beach and on the way I stood next to The Centenary of Federation State Border marker that stands on Border Drive to prove I had been in two states at the same time. 

 As we drove back in the twilight I look out of the window to see bats, well actually flying foxes. I was amazed by their size, as I said to Lynne, in the UK we have flying mice, in Australia they have flying cats!

 

Safely arrived - check.

I'm a day late, but I am happy to report I arrived safely. The journey from Birmingham to Dubai was very pleasant and I watched both Last Christmas and Yesterday during the eight hour flight. I was lucky enough to have a row of three seats to myself and so I was able to lie down and snooze. I didn't fall into a deep sleep, but the power naps seemed to help the time pass quickly.

The journey from Dubai however wasn't quite so pleasant. It all started very badly when I realised too late that I had lost Tall's watch. I had had it made smaller so I could wear it so was wearing it when I came to security. I was told to take it off and put it in the tray, which I did and then in the rush created by the person on security I thought I had picked it up and put it in my back pack. It was only later that I realised I hadn't. As Tall would have said, there's no point crying over spilt milk, so I have taken it on the chin, but it is strange not having the weight around my wrist.

That was followed by a flight that was delayed by practically the last person on the plane who almost instantly informed the steward he had left his jacket in the airport. Ground staff were called, but no jacket was evident, he spoke to them himself and then after that he went back to his seat, grabbed his bag and left the plane. This caused the staff to have to do a security check, all the overhead lockers had to be checked in case he had left a bomb behind. It took so long that the man had time to get his jacket and return to the flight! Personally I would have been tempted to shut the doors and refuse him boarding. 

The long thirteen hours flight wasn't nice, not helped by the fact I had a seat on the last row before the galley. The constant chatter from two particular members of the crew could be heard over the sound from the film I was trying to watch, spoiling it. The space behind my seat was used for the second half of the journey as a place for people to stretch their legs, something I did myself so I do understand, but their chatter became annoying. The person in front had their seat reclined from the moment the take off was completed until we came to land, I had to eat at a very strange angle, his seat angled over the tray. The final straw was the fact that as the last seat I was constantly ignored by staff, their eyes on the prize of getting back to the galley I was left without drinks and with my food tray uncollected. In the end I had to go to the galley and ask for drinks and return my own rubbish. I just hope the flight back is less eventful!

Tomorrow I'm off to the Gold Coast, and I will fill you all in on my adventures when I get back. I'll leave you all with a photograph of Freddo's Australian cousin, though he is here too. 

Check-in, check.

Well I've completed the online check-in. Clueless as to which seats are the best, I just let the airline assign me a seat. I have an aisle seat for the first leg, but am stuck between two people on the second leg, there were no aisle seats left to Melbourne.Luckily I am short, I don't need the leg room that Tall did, so fingers crossed, all should be okay. 

The butterflies in my stomach / nervousness is starting to keep me awake at night, hopefully that means once I am on the plane, sleep will come easily.  

 

Ready.....

Apart from essential items like my phone charger and my laptop I am now packed. My stomach fills with butterflies whenever I think about Sunday. Only a few days to go.

Only a week to go.

A week tomorrow I set off on my adventure and the excitement has turned to anxiety. I knew it would happen, I thought I could handle it though, but today I feel paralysed and terrified.

This morning I have woken up anxious about almost every aspect of the trip. Worried and sad about leaving Toni for so long. I know she is going to suffer with terrible separation anxiety and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm worried about leaving my daughter here alone, it's a lot of responsibility when you aren't used to the routine Toni expects. 

Then there is the growing crisis with Covid-19, what if I catch it on the way to Australia? I'm not particularly worried about my own long term health, chances are that I would recover, more the responsibility of spreading it without realising. All I can do is follow recommended practice and keep washing my hands. 

I am worried about the homesickness which I know I will at some points feel. I haven't ever been on a holiday without feeling "I just want to be at home" at some point. This time I have no Tall to share it with. No anchor to hold me from drifting into a morose state. I just hope my wonderful hosts don't take it personally, it certainly won't be anything to do with them. 

I won't let it beat me. Despite the crippling paralysis that it brings, I am going to push through the anxiety, hope we don't have another storm (today is the fourth weekend in a row with a storm warning), and I will make sure that next Sunday I am on that plane. 

Southport here I come.

For all my readers in the UK that isn't Blackpool's posh sister, but Southport the Gold Coast. I now have a trip to Queensland planned as part of my Australian adventure. I have been looking at what the Gold Coast has to offer, and there's a lot. Obviously there are the beaches, the Gold Coast is famous for, but for travellers who want to see more and have a car there is the Hinterland, a region of mountains and rainforest, I wasn't expecting that. 

The Gold Coast has over 400 km (about 250 miles) of rivers and canals "ten times longer than Venice"and there are river cruises that go through rainforest and trips to see dolphins and then snorkel through ship wrecks, you might just get to see a turtle they say. 

A little closer to where I am staying there are kayak tours. I am really interested in the half day island kayaking and snorkelling tour.  They say there's a chance you might see dolphins as you paddle through the calm warm water, even if I don't there's the tropical fish to snorkel with. It brings back memories of Tall and me snorkelling in Turkey, a very happy memory, tinged with a bit of sadness that he won't be with me this time. 

There's clearly a lot to see and do and there's no way I can fit it all in to one trip!

Voyage of discovery

With only three weeks to go I decided yesterday to do some serious research into the place I am about to visit. I had looked briefly before, but I have never been one who revises early. The internet is a wonderful thing but I was struck, as someone whose country has history dating back two thousand years, how young Victoria is as a state. Obviously Australia has a history before it was colonised by Europeans, but that history isn't one of ancient castles or Roman settlements. There is no long line of kings and queens to learn. I know there was a gold rush and that the "Welcome Stranger" nugget was found in the state in 1869 and I know that Victoria was once part of New South Wales, separating in 1851. 

So instead I will look to the present. The places I might go, the things I might see and the adventures I might have. I found out there is a City Circle Tram that tourists can use for free all day, its hop on - hop off service allowing tourists to discover Melbourne. How exciting! I have found out that public transport uses a preloaded card called a myki. We have the same thing here in the West Midlands called a Swift card, but here the buses still take cash too. There's a special myki card called the myki Explorer for tourists, but I have to say the information on how it works exactly is a bit thin on the ground. You buy it and it gives you "one day’s unlimited travel on trains, trams and buses in metropolitan Melbourne", but it doesn't say if you can buy it the day before and then activate it. No doubt I'll find out soon enough. 

Then there is the food and drink. The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is on when I am over. Even if I don't get there I might get to one of the many wineries in Victoria's five distinct wine regions. Pinot and Shiraz to name but two. I have to say the Shiraz I drank in the UK recently was out of this world. 

I hope to see something of the nature, it would be a shame to go all that way and see nothing, even if it is only a few birds that are a novelty. Looking at the Visit Victoria there seems to be a lot of nature to see, some of it in places that don't appear to be so far from home. Rhyll, Tenby and Anglesea (they can't spell!)