May 17th… I moved on this time to Brisbane and parked my van for the next 6 days at Rochedale South, a Brisbane suburb. I had been to Brisbane a couple of times. but never really looked around the city. I also know quite a few people who live in Brisbane and this was a great chance to connect.
Next morning I spent a few hours with my gorgeous great niece Tori and her mother at Brisbane's Southbank and had my first experience of "Poke Bowl". I'd never heard of them, but it's quite a fad here in Brisbane and the best description I can give is it's traditional Hawaiian fare with Japanese influences. Loved it!! I think of Tori as if she is my own granddaughter as she is the eldest grand child of my identical twin sister who passed away when Tori was only 5. It was so good and quite emotional seeing them as we don't get a chance to be face to face very often.
Outside "Suki Bowl" at Southgate Brisbane
I then took off to a BBQ dinner party with Steve and Jen, ex border region friends now living in Brisbane. It was May 18th... the night of the Federal election and Steve and Jen were hosting a family election party with Steve’s two brothers and their partners. I very quickly realised I was having dinner with some pretty excited people who were batting for a Labour result. As results started coming through the mood of the group changed, but it didn’t stop some fantastic discussions on election issues and opened up an understanding of each others points of view. Steve’s brother Michael arrived dressed as the VFT that has been an election issue for many years and will continue to be for sure, before it becomes a reality (if ever).
Keep blowing that whistle and lubricating the engine and you'll get there one day Michael...🤨
That was my Saturday....exhausting!! but Sunday was shaping up just as big again.
Now I’m not really sure what it is about muso’s and QLD, but my past three piano players have all moved North.
Robert was my piano player and music duo partner in Melbourne back in the early 90’s. We’ve caught up over the years a few times, but most recently he was in Melbourne to attend a wedding which we were both performing at. He is now living just North of Brisbane CBD and we caught up for lunch and I had an opportunity to see where he and his partner are living . They have stunning views of the city, but you'd have to be fit to live there if you want to walk…OMG there are some very steep streets!!!Worth it for the views though🤩
Robert & Patrick in their beautiful garden
Great views over Brisbane city.
Then I had afternoon tea with another ex piano player. Dave and I were in a band together in the mid to late 90’s and it was good to see him, Frankie and the kids. It always lovely to connect face to face instead of Facebook and to catch up on all the news. I forgot to get a photo...doh!…I can’t believe I didn’t get a photo…😫😫 Sorry Dave.
Monday was an absolute blast…Sara, John and the girls were close by at the Gold Coast and had given the three girls a three day pass to the theme parks as a treat. It's something I’d never really had on my bucket list, but I took the opportunity to join them as I figured if I was ever going to attend a theme park, doing it with three little granddaughters would be a great experience. The kids had a ball, but they weren’t the only ones! We all had multiple rides on roller coasters, watched street theatre, drove dodgem cars, Merry-go-rounds, had photo opportunities with Warner Bros characters and lots more. The most thrilling ride I went on was the DC Hyper Rollercoaster. Its promo says it’s the tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster ride in the Southern Hemisphere. O…M…G…I was out of my comfort zone for only about 30 seconds into the ride and then found it absolutely exhilarating. I could have gone back for more, but we got the last ride of the day 😞 The family went back for more the following day and although the two younger girls didn’t get on it I believe Nellie shook off her fears of the day before and took the plunge and came up smiling😃
We all had a few rides on Goofy's Spooky Coaster (the grey building) except for little Kate, who was a bit scared
The three girls on the beautiful Merry Go Round
A wet day, but it didn't dampen the fun in the end
On the kids roller coaster ride. This was ridden multiple times during the day
The family portrait...it might look like it was planned, but we didn't intentionally colour co-ordinate!!
The Brisbane experience continued as I wanted to do a bit of sightseeing, so...the following morning I was up early, drove to one of the Ferry terminals down river from the city and hopped on the CityCat ferry. What a great way to see Brisbane and to get around the city. I spent the day walking along Southbank and went to GOMA, the QLD Art Gallery and the Southbank Lagoon. I then got on the CityCat to another terminal, got off and walked around the Queen Street mall, had a drink at a bar and chilled out for awhile before catching the CityCat ferry back to where I had left my car.
I think I could live in Brisbane. It’s an easy city to get around, it’s picturesque and it’s WARMER than Albury!
This was a beautiful bougainvillea arch that went for quite a long way along Southbank.
And these were some gardens also at Southbank
There is a full on sand beach and swimming pool complex free to use. It was a pity the sand beach was closed for maintenance when I was there.
The free lagoon pool at Southbank along the river and manned with council lifeguards!
For any artists you may recognise the Rosalie Gasgoyne on show at Brisbane Art Gallery.
23rd May I drove to Maroochydore and caught up with another ex piano player who used to live in Albury. Tony was my piano player when my band did the residency in Seoul, South Korea in 2002. I parked my van at the Maroochydore River Park and unbeknown to me Tony lives in the house that backs onto the park. When I rang to make arrangements to meet we couldn’t believe it. I had a fun day with Tony showing me around the area, having coffee at The Boat Shed and singing Karaoke at a local pub later in the evening. That was a bit of fun. Couldn't believe the standard of singers. Some were really serious karaokers!! with quite amazing voices. Some even supply their own backing tracks so Tony tells me.
Tony at Cotton Tree
25th May I parked my van at Point Vernon in Hervey Bay and booked a tour to Fraser Island. At this park I befriended a delightful German couple who were touring parts of the east coast of Australia in a mobile home and they had booked the same Fraser Island tour.
Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and for those who didn't know, and I didn't, Australia has the 4 largest sand islands in the world. Fraser Island then North Stradbroke, Moreton & Bribie. I figured I’d see a lot more in a one-day guided tour then I would if I tried to hire a car & drive myself around, AND it was the cheaper option!! It was a pretty full day with a very early morning start. We were picked up at 7am and it was around 9am by the time the ferry arrived at Fraser island. We drove through rainforests, along beaches, visited old timber logging sites and we were ferried around in a 4WD 45 seater bus. We travelled on some fairly rough 4WD tracks. The 75 mile east coast beach road (it’s a designated road with speed limit road signs & all the same rules as any highway), is the only beach in the world that legally operates scenic flights that take off & land on a beach.
We saw the “Mahino” shipwreck- the oldest Gallipoli artefact in Australia. Built in 1905, it was originally a NZ ocean liner and later commissioned by the ANZAC’s. After serving in the 1st world war it was bought by the Japanese in 1934 and became shipwrecked as it was being towed to Japan. It’s now 114 yrs old and has been on the east coast of Fraser Island in the same position for 84 years.
Arriving into Fraser Island jetty
On our way to the East coast
Checkout the Staghorn fern. There are lots of them around the Central Station area in the rainforest.
The sand highway
The sand highway can get a bit bumpy!!!
I had the good fortune to sit up the front seat on the bus so I was able to get some great photos and video's
Eli Creek. I walked up the creek as it only gets up to about 90cm deep
Nobody swims on the east coast of Fraser Island as the water is too dangerous and there are no lifeguards, but there's lots of fishing goes on.
Mahino wreck
Our transport
A pano of Lake McKenzie. This is a "perched" lake which means it has no groundwater, only rainwater. It was formed by the sand blowing off the top of the hill (it's 100metre above sea level) and the base, over millions of years, becoming impervious.
Late afternoon on our way back to the jetty to hop on the ferry
Fraser Island was stunning. Our tour guide, Des, was fantastic, telling stories and giving lots of history about the Island including the story of Eliza Fraser. which was made into a film back in the 70's.
Des, out tour guide, driver and story teller... not all of them were believable 🤪
A beautiful sunset to finish off a gorgeous, fun day as we headed back to Hervey Bay
27th May I headed for Agnes Water, but stopped off for a coffee at a beautiful old "Paragon theatre" in Childers. I passed through Mango orchards, macadamia farms, sugarcane, peanuts. It was so picturesque often I wanted to stop and take photos...but...it's not possible with a caravan in tow as it's not that easy to stop on the spur of the moment.
I parked my van at the Agnes Water Beachside Caravan Park. The park was great, the beach was stunning. I would have loved to stay here for a week... or a month maybe! but the park was booked out and I was lucky to get one night. I took a quick run into 1770 and caught a beautiful sunset and took a selfie at the Captain Cook memorial.
28th May. Have booked in here at Yeppoon for 7 nights to just stop and relax for a few days and I parked my van at the Beachside Caravan Park....can't get much closer to the beach than this...
The water on high tide is about 2 metres back from the fence
I've met another delightful camper here, this time a solo female traveller, Shannon. It was great to sit over a drink and exchange life stories. Shannon is a Water Ecology Scientist (if you're reading this Shannon, I hope I've got that correct). I hope to catch up again in the future.
I finally attended a Rotary meeting at Yeppoon Rotary Club. The meeting was at the Keppel Bay Sailing Club and they were a small but lovely group, giving me all the rundown on what to see in the region.
It's been hard trying to get to a Rotary meeting as they often fall on the night that I'm not in the town, but I hope to get to a few more along the road.
I'm in big trouble though...they won't want me back again...They asked me to draw the wine raffle and, lo and behold...OOPS!! I drew my own ticket. I got fined for it of course 😎
I spent a day in Rocky (Rockhampton) looking for a replacement bike, which I now have...yay! and I dropped into the Art Gallery while I was in town. The following afternoon, while it was pouring with rain, I travelled south a few kilometres to see Emu Park ANZAC Commemorative park, The Singing Ship, which is a Captain Cook memorial and the Art Gallery.
The ANZAC Pictorial Screen sculpture. The figures are made out of galvanised steel and represent an original war photo from Oct 5th 1917 of ANZAC's on the Western front near Belgium. I couldn't stop looking at this. It was beautifully made and for some reason I found it very moving.
A Pano of Emu Park. You can see in the singing ship in the top right corner.
The "Singing Ship" makes this eerie haunting foghorn sound. It would come and go with the wind.
A wet day, looking out to the bay were Captain Cook arrived in 1770. The ANZAC sculpture on the right
Outside the local Art Gallery relaxing with the Mosaics...an odd couple, they didn't want to talk...
...maybe they were engrossed in listening to the pianist.
There are some fantastic mosaic artworks throughout the towns.
I hope you're enjoying the journey with me. I'll be back again with more in a week or two...🥂
Distance travelled in May...3535kms