Brisbane – Kings Beach (Day 10)
Our final day in Kings Beach before a very early start tomorrow saw Mum and Dad getting organised packing and also doing some work. But they also found time for lots of water play: the pool, water fountains, rock pools, and then into the lagoon at the end of the beach for an amazing experience body boarding, noughts and crosses in the sand, swimming, and a beautiful sunset.
We started off with a morning in the pool, which we had enjoyed every day since we had been there. Normally there was only us in the pool which was great fun. The pool was deep enough to jump and dive in as well with playing with all toys that had been left by previous holidaymakers.
Dad also took the opportunity to BBQ one last time in Kings Beach, today leftover sausages, onions, and basa fish plus everything else in the fridge that needed eating.
Next was a quick walk into the centre to play in the fountains which we all enjoyed until we realised it was salt water and if you got any in your mouth it was disgusting and quite cold.
Then we walked for about 5 minutes and had a play in the rock pools which were very small given the size of the rocks. The tide was in, so not much to see unfortunately.
Then onto the beach where the sea took the water into the river and made a small island of sand with water around the island. Here Alexander and Dad played noughts and crosses, it was evenly scored but then Alexander just edged it.
Bethany had a go at body boarding with the body board we borrowed from the accomodation, she did really well given that the sea was quite cold. She had several goes and got better and better with each wave, and loved it!
Matthew and Adam were digging holes again and played in the water around the natural island that had formed. it was a really nice couple of hours.
Hi Dad here. As the sun disappeared I managed to capture the amazing sunset. Enjoy!
Brisbane – The Wild Horse Scenic Lookout & Brisbane City (Day 9)
The Wild Horse scenic lookout is a 700-meter walk up a steep incline! Adam led the way with the rest of us, children, in the middle, and then Mum and Dad at the rear. It was on our way to Brisbane and about 25 minutes to the top. It is a fire lookout point and there is a map in the centre of the structure. Around the edge of there are markings to indicate degrees of the compass. If a fire is spotted you drag a cable from the centre of the map to the edge which allows for an accurate compass reading to be given so that the fire location can be found quickly.
It was a great view and going downhill was a lot easier than going up!
We then drove for an hour and went to Brisbane, parked again in the Southbank car park as we had on the day we arrived. After a delicious Subway lunch and a quick play at the playpark, we went to find the free Kittycat boat that takes you across the river. It was only running a reduced service and stopping at only 3 stops: Southbank, Riverside, and Howard Smith Wharves. Today the sun was out and it was a lovely 20-minute journey up the river to Howard Smith Wharves which allowed for a 25-minute break to have ice cream. We also met a friendly lizard on the ground who was quite ok at staying still for the camera, before the boat appeared again and we returned. The boat ride was so good that Dad fell asleep!
It was mid-afternoon when we got back to Southpark. We had such a good time in Southbank Parkland on the day we arrived that we decided to do it all again today. We enjoyed another couple of hours in the pool, again the sun was still shining, it was so nice! We also found a lizard that was on the rocks next to the pool and it was quite happy basking in the sun and dipping in the pool too. When we were dressed we had a wander back on the riverbank and came across Brisbane’s very own rain forest by the river, not large but it gave us a good 15 minutes of exploring and was very relaxing.
Finally, we walked across the river and into Brisbane for a look around and some dinner. Once fed we explored and found a lot of art on display, usually interesting objects that just made our walk better and also a lot of the buildings both on the way into the City, the bridge, and the art installations in the centre were all highlighted with LED lights so again really made us look and admire them.
Brisbane – Edmundi Market & Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World (Day 8)
Today saw us visit two places that we had been to before; Edmundi market which runs on a Wednesday and Sunday and also a Botanic garden which had a bird world. We were unsure about both as none of us could remember going before. Mum did say this was the place (bird world) where Grandpa Jim had the silver buttons pecked off his hat, he saw the funny side.
Edmundi market operates on a Wednesday and a Sunday between 8 am and 2 pm and is spread over most of the small town. There was so much to see from stalls selling toys, garden furniture, clothing, signs, local produce, and much more. As we wandered around we found another of Bethany’s holiday wishes, hair braiding! Colours chosen (blue and pink), the lady had it braided in about 15 minutes. See the video below.
We then went in search of food and there was a huge selection, we think over 50 sellers mostly in one location offering many different types. We liked this because we could all choose different things. Matthew and Adam had pizza whilst Bethany and Alexander wanted to try these spiral potato things we’d seen others walking around with. (see photo) We enjoyed watching the lady prepare the potatoes with a drill as she spun them to slice them into a long spiral then fried them and added chicken salt. Dad went for a Turkish lamb kabab.
After purchasing some small items (as Mum and Dad, annoyingly, keep telling us we don’t have the space or weight allowance in our cases to buy everything we wanted to) we went back to the car and left to find Maleny Botanic Gardens & Bird World.
On finding the entrance we actually realised that it was only about 3-minute drive past where we stopped to look at McCarthy’s lookout before if we had known Mum said we would have gone there when we came last week.
As soon as we arrived the next tour in bird world was just about to start so we went directly to the aviary. A short video about the birds included a great introduction and said that 40% of the birds had been rescued and that they liked shiny things. None of us knew what to expect but the nice lady who was with us said that if we didn’t want to be landed on then we should take a feather duster and simply and gently brush them off if landed upon, she also said watch your feet as some of them like to walk about on the floor, so not really sure what to think we went in. Just to add Bethany took a duster, which is better than when we came when she was 18 months old as she didn’t want to even go in back then.
Within 2 minutes of stepping into the aviary, a large black red-tailed parrot landed on Matthew, followed swiftly by a white cockatoo landing on Adam. From then on in it was lots of different birds landing on everyone for the next 30 minutes across 2 further aviaries.
What an experience! Never before have any of us experienced such a wonderful sight, the colours and patterns on the different birds were amazing. Having them land on our heads and shoulders was very different, Alexander wasn’t sure but got the hang of it. Mum kept making her nervous sounds but interacted with them, and finally, Bethany who had the duster with a little persuasion got the confidence and had her photo with 2 of the lovely creatures. Dad was also amused that he had walked round with a bird pecking at his trainers and on closer inspection, the bird had pecked off all 4 black ends of his laces! A great 45 minutes.
When we had brought our tickets when we arrived we spotted that they had golf buggies for hire and although Mum and Dad said the gardens would be beautiful we all agreed it would be more beautiful if we saw if by a 6 seater golf buggy ($62 per hour). So off we went with Mum constantly asking for Dad to slow down and Dad enjoying the fact and going faster, and they call us kids!
It was actually a really good way of visiting all the grounds as it was very large and built into the side of a hill, so well worth it. As it was winter some of the gardens were quite bare including the rose garden but there was enough to see for the hour with the buggy, for it to be an hour well spent.
All in all, today was a very pleasant surprise.
Brisbane – Australia Zoo Including Wildlife Hospital (Day 7)
Up and out early for what we had all been waiting for, although we had a season pass from 7 years ago and could remember a little we think, the promise of meeting Kangeroo’s and Koalas up close really was exciting.
We arrived at just after 9 am as the Zoo was about 30 minutes from our accommodation on Steve Erwin Way, Mum and Dad filled us in on the Irwin Family as we entered the park. We have watched some of their programs on TV before so we were very excited to actually be here!
For the first part of our day, we explored the wonderful creatures. Alexander liked the reptiles and as ever Dad preferred to look at them from a distance. We all wanted to see the large tortoises that were over 50 years old and huge. We also had the opportunity to have our photo with them which we enjoyed as we had never felt a shell or touched creatures like that before. The money paid went directly into the preservation of these animals and made for a nice family photo too.
At lunchtime, we watched a show at the crocoseum which was a large area in the middle of the park where we all saw a very good bird show where about 20 birds were on display flying from each side of the arena and around the crowd for the reward of nuts for their skills. One had even been trained to recognise a $5 note so it could take it from someone’s hand and return it to the trainer. The birds were so colourful.
After the birds, there was a crocodile demonstration where they brought out one of the creatures and taught us about their skills in the water, how they track their prey, and also what to do and not to do if we are ever confronted by one. Very educational and we all agree the safest place to see them is behind glass!
After the show, we went to see the Koalas firstly they were in the trees in the Koala walk and then a lot closer at eye level in a small feeding area. One of them had a baby with them, it was so cute.
We were able to stroke their fur, they were so soft and we saw a couple of them move a short distance in the trees, but like we had learned they really don’t move that much due to them having limited energy.
We were then given a real treat and one of the things on Bethany’s wish list for this trip; to hold a koala! Obviously, we couldn’t let Bethany be the only one to hold the Koala we all wanted a go. In order to hold the koala, you have to be 140cm tall so unfortunately Alexander only got to stand next to one to have his photo taken. We were supervised and waited our turn and then for a few seconds we came face to face and held one of these beautiful creatures, they were so soft, but surprisingly very heavy! A wonderful experience and great photos for our wall back home!
After this, we purchased some roo food and headed off to find the Kangaroo enclosures. What we found was a lovely large open space with sections for kangaroos only if they wished to hop off and have a rest from humans and also a water and forest area that provided water and shade for them too.
When we got closer and offered the food, those that were hungry eagerly ate from our outstretched hands and were happy for us to be close and pat them. We made sure we didn’t touch their heads or get too close to the leg end just in case they used their legs to jump up and hop away.
We happily fed, patted, and stroked them for a good hour. Just being around them was a pleasure and a great experience.
Our last encounter today was in the Zoo’s far east enclosure where we saw elephants, tigers, zebras, rhinos, and giraffes. All enclosures seemed very spacious and had lots for the animals to do if they wished but we think due to the heat they were all happy eating and drinking. It was lovely to see all these different animal species over the day. Adam got some fantastic pictures.
On our way out our ticket also included a walk by the wildlife hospital. Not knowing what to expect we went in, what we found was a real insight into the work the Zoo does on injured and sick animals that are brought to them. All sections were there to be seen as each room had a glass window that you could look through.
From incubators where a nurse was bottle feeding a baby Joey who had a poorly leg (she brought it close so we could see). To the 2 operating theatres (1 was not being used) but the other had a kangaroo that was being put to sleep to it could be seen too and then finally a rehabilitation room where a koala was right at the front with a leg in a small pot feeding on a bush and a few more creatures in cages behind it being nursed back to health.
A real eye-opener and such a great insight, we were all impressed.
On our way back home Mum and Dad were keen to stop off at a play park weirdly positioned at a junction just up the road from the Zoo. We had been here before and Mum had a video of Bethany being pushed by Matthew and Adam in a roundabout-type swing when were we little. We were happy to oblige to try and recreate the memory. There was only us there so we stayed until it was almost dark. A great day.
Brisbane – Mudjimba, Coolum & Noosa Beach (Day 6)
Mum and Dad wanted us to have a beach day today, and we weren’t going to turn that down so we set off up the coastal strip that makes up the Sunshine Coast. We were due to call into the first place we stayed in Australia, then lunch, and then finally a rainforest experience. (every place had a beach)
So to start we visited the first area we stayed in as a family on the Sunshine Coast on our previous visit, a rather nice gated property right next to the beach with a couple of pools….like the place we are actually staying in but newer. Mum said it had a lovely community feel and our neighbours there were really lovely and they have kept in touch ever since.
We parked up and went to the beach, what a lovely area. There were only about 20 people including us on the beach as far as the eye could see. It meant we could play in the sea and sand and get out the football and frisbee again, we all had a lovely time.
We also visited the play area down the road and we did vaguely remember this as we did spend quite a lot of time here in the three months we were here in 2014.
Next to the coastal town of Coolum, which was about 20 minutes further up the coast. This was a very nice town which you can imagine in the summer is packed, even today the car park at the front was completely full so we parked in the rear car park behind the shops.
Mum and Dad told us that this was the location where Grandpa Jim hired a surfboard for an hour all those years ago, and had a valiant attempt at surfing as well as dragging us around the shallows with it.
Dad today wasn’t that brave and instead choose to cook for us with our help. We decided to up his game and got Mum to buy some turkey sausages, beef burgers, and onions! We all decided to give him a hand, in between playing in the play area and you guessed it with the football. The food was delicious.
After we were fed we went onto the beach, had a go in the sea, and burnt off some of our food playing on the sand.
Finally, we drove to Noosa Head which had a lovely beach that we drove straight past and went right up to the final car park in the hills which took about 5 minutes to drive to.
In that final car park, you had access to a lovely small rocky beach which we did have a good look around as it was the first beach we had been to that wasn’t just sand and because of this there were some nice little rock pools to investigate, nothing more than a few pretty shells but that was fine, we will keep on looking.
There were also 4 walks ranging from 2km to 10km after our fun in the sun which was now setting. We all agreed on the 2km rain forest walk to end the day and set off. Although short it was on very rough and uneven ground so it did challenge us as we walked around. Very strange tree trunks were seen which we don’t have in the UK and also vines that had wrapped themselves around trees and also formed some amazing shapes. There were lots of different sounds which we later found out were whipbirds, that were making the loudest sounds. It was a different experience and was just what we needed to end the day, we all had a nap in the car, as we were over an hour away from home.
Brisbane – The Glass Mountains, Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve & McCarthy’s Lookout (Day 5)
Today was about visiting some scenic views which didn’t sound that exciting, but Mum and Dad had promised us a good play area, a BBQ lunch, wild animals, and ice cream so we were all in!
The first stop of the day was the very busy Glass Mountains Lookout which was such a nice spot in the sun. No playground but BBQ’s and toilets (Bethany wouldn’t use them as they were holes rather than a flush system). Anyway, the outlook was amazing, you could really see for miles around. Only a quick stop but lovely.
Onto McCarthy’s lookout which was a quick stop off with 8 car parking spaces and built next to a couple of houses that again looked out over the sprawling land. There was a fence with padlocks attached to it that Mum and Dad said was people celebrating their relationship or remembering someone that had passed. What a great view to do both.
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve followed and this was more set up for families. When we arrived we made full use of the play area which had more to it than we pictured. Dad started the communal BBQ which was good as Mum and Dad had prepared for that, we did seem to have a slow cooker which had to have the button pressed 3 times to cook our sausages, whilst the BBQ behind us cooked another family’s food in what seemed to be half the time.
This did give us time to play with our football and also use the frisbee in the area in between the BBQ and playpark. When the food was finally served it was delicious, Dad is really getting the hang of cooking sausages! Straight after eating we all returned to playing whilst Mum and Dad packed up.
Also in the park were toilets and a cafe and after an hour of play, we went to get ice cream and a drink. Inside the cafe you could see directly across the road onto the mountains which was a great view whilst we had refreshments and, after we had finished we also found that the upstairs of the cafe also had a viewing platform for even better pictures.
Next to the cafe is a visitors center which talked about the history of the reserve and had items found in the area including huge snakeskin and also a display of the local frogs that live in the forest, this included the noise that they make which was very interesting. They also promoted the boardwalk trail that you could do which was on a donation basis. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to do this but it looked very rainforest like. There was also a webcam which had been set up where you could watch a baby wombat in its home, that was very interesting and the baby looked so cute.
Brisbane – The Ginger Factory (Day 4)
The weather today is totally the opposite of the UK, which we hear is suffering from extreme heat. Not here; it’s cloudy and raining on and off all day. Not to be put off though as we spent the morning in the heated pool and Dad then used the communal BBQ to cook us hot dogs in the rain.
We then got ready and set off to visit the Ginger Factory, we had all seen pictures of this place from when we were here 8 years ago, and there were lots of photos of us all but not Alexander as he wasn’t born yet.
When we entered again we all had flashes of being here before, but not in any great detail. As you entered the site you passed through the shop selling all things ginger. You could also buy tickets for the train ride, the ginger boat ride, the factory tour, and the live bee show. We decided as a family the rides were probably aimed at a slightly younger audience so we would spend our monies on ice cream and drinks!
We spent 3 hours there, which is free to go into and only chargeable if you want to do any of the rides. You can still get an annual ticket for $50 ASD per person which if your going to go more than one and a half times turns into a bargain and this is what we had last time we were in Australia.
We spent time looking in a couple of shops on the site, but the highlight was an old Kangeroo sit-on ride, Mum and Dad remembered that we saw this before and at the time Grandad Alan was with us and it still has a sign that confirmed it was made in the same year that he was born.
We then wandered around the Gruffalo hunt which was good fun. It was interactive via mobile phone and you had to interact with 5 characters by doing various entertaining tasks with each character from the books. Gave some great photo opportunities too!
We then stopped for ice cream with a ginger ale whilst Mum and Dad had a coffee and a scone with ginger and cream. There then followed a good-humored argument about the correct way to have the scone, cream and then the jam, or jam and then the cream? Both Mum and Dad did it differently, as children we are not sure yet, so couldn’t take sides! All food and drinks scored 10/10 and were delicious.
Then lastly we walked through an art installation which was made up of bright multi-coloured umbrellas. Again made for a nice spectacle and today even better it was a lot of use as it was indeed raining as we went around it.
Finally, we went to the shop we had passed through on the way in and picked up some gingerbread men, 4 alcoholic ginger beer drinks for Mum and Dad, and a fridge magnet. We are collecting one from each destination we stop in.
The ginger factory was only about 30 minutes from our accommodation so on our way back Dad pulled through a drive-through liquor store and collected this time an Australian classic – XXXX!
Brisbane – Kings Beach (Day 3)
Today was a quiet day as Mum and Dad had to have to finish off some work that had to be in for 9 pm Australian time, but we didn’t mind as they have been with us all the time so far.
In the morning we went to the pool, which had heated up to a nice temperature, and a good hour had the pool to ourselves. We love the pool, and the internet works better here for Mum’s laptop too.
After having a break, some lunch, and down time Mum took us for a walk in the afternoon for an hour to the shop for sweets/ice cream. We then went to the rockpools. Alexander found that it was a bit tricky to see rocks from puddles as he got his trainers wet. While we were here we checked out the free public pool. We think this must be seawater as it was a bit green so we decided to give it a miss. We ended our outing in two playparks and the beach. The sun wasn’t out but it was cloudy but still warmer than the UK winter. Not sure why Mum said the weather was nicer here in Queensland as we are yet to see it.
That was it for today, Mum and Dad got their work in by the deadline so tomorrow we should be going out and about again.
Brisbane – Kings Beach (Day 2)
Today we made the most of exploring the Kings Beach area. But first, we had to go and do a full food shop as we were in a new location and apart from a few essentials had nothing.
We found an Aldi and all went shopping! After lunch again we headed for the pool and Mum and Dad wanted to go for a walk to explore further up the resort by foot. Turning right out of our accommodation there is a small play park with communal BBQs and just past that is a lifeguard building which is in line with the flags they put out for swimming to take place within.
Past this, there is another smaller play area and then an outside gym area which was being used as we walked past. The beach at this point has decent size waves which explain why they use the flag system to keep the swimmers and surfers apart.
At the corner a cafe/restaurant which seems very popular is present and then there is a wooden walkway leading you around the corner and over the rocks that are below.
At this point, the waves subside in the bay but continue softly at sea with a bank of sand splitting and causing this to happen. It turned into a lagoon which is when we wished we’d brought our swim clothes out with us. We walked round this part on the sand whilst Mum and Dad walked on the wooden path. Once fully around the corner we went to meet them and found another large park with several groups using the communal BBQs which was great to see. We played here for some time and watched some people with metal detectors in the sand in the play area, detecting a few coins only but the way they did it was a real skill, with a method to the patterns they use to detect and then the tools they use to dig down.
From here it started to get dark so we turned around and proceeded to go home. There is such a lot to see in the resort where we are it will take us a few days to get around everything, we may need the car or to join Dad on his runs…….car seems alot easier. We can all imagine in the Australian summer the resort being busy most of the time like the European destinations we usually go to.
Brisbane – Southbank (Day 1)
Mum was very excited when we landed in Brisbane as she loves Queensland, mainly as the climate is a lot warmer and more like our usual sun holidays. Even though she had had very little sleep as we had to be at the airport at 4 am she was still cheerful but like all of us very tired.
Another smile from Mum as we got our transport the; Kia Carnival, she’s obsessed with this car! It wouldn’t surprise us if she tried to import one back to the UK, Dad’s not happy as he loves his Discovery and wants his Tesla too. We will stay out of it.
Anyway as it was only 9.00 am when we collected the car and our accommodation was over an hour away and the sun was out, Mum said we were going to Southbank. She seems to know this place like the back of her hand. We had all been here before (apart from Alexander) but we didn’t recognise it as we were only 2 and 3 when we were last here. We parked underground and came up into Southbank Lagoon area, we were really surprised, it looked amazing and the sun was still out. The first thing we saw was a lizard sunning itself on the rocks near one of the sections of the Southbank waterplay area, a lovely sight and something we have never seen before. We really wanted to play in the manmade stream area but we didn’t have the right clothes on so we went for breakfast instead as Bethany was starving and didn’t like the egg and ham warm sandwich we were given on the flight.
After breakfast, we popped into Woolworths Metro for a couple of things. We made Mum use the manned checkout so we could get some Fix-ems. Fix-ems are stickers you can collect and the more you spend the more you get. They are a bit like the lego cards Nana, and Auntie Debbie collects for us from Sainsbury’s back home. We were delighted that the lady gave us 5x the amount of fix-ems she should have. We have been using them to decorate our iPads.
Confused, we then headed back to the car. To our delight, Mum had our swimming things already prepared in a separate bag so we quickly got changed and headed back to the lagoon and into the water. Apart from a few younger children, Southbank was ours, along with about 6 lifeguards who were on the bank spread out to provide cover to:
- The rock pool; allowed dams to be built and water to be pumped and transported up or downstream.
- Another rock pool that was deep enough to wade through and was joined onto the water play area with water tip buckets, jets, and fountains appearing and disappearing after making us all very wet.
- A large lake that had a beach all the way around but this was unfortunately closed for essential maintenance.
- A large man-made area that was about knee deep but allowed for water games to be played including ball and frisbee type games.
- And finally although not guarded by the lifeguards a big play area.
We spend the next 4 hours splitting our time between them all. By about 12 it had got a lot busier, that much so we started to wonder what was going on. Mum asked someone and they told her it was a Public holiday. Ekka People’s Day – is a Royal National Agricultural day held only in Brisbane on the second Wednesday of August. Google has confirmed this. We really liked that it was busy as we got to play with other children our age and build dams with them as usually, they are at school when we are out and about.
Before we left Dad had a stroll onto the river bank and shot a couple of photos just to give you a sense of this lovely area which according to display boards was opened in 1988 after the Southbank was regenerated and was just getting back to normal with a few things left to repair after flooding caused damage.
Dad says it’s also worth pointing out that all this is free and there are picnic and free BBQ areas along with toilets and bars and restaurants if you fancy exploring.
The parking is quite expensive though, as it was a bank holiday it’s slightly reduced but to park under the park area is over $10 an hour but the maximum daily rate you can be charged is $36 dollars (£20) for staying 5 or more hours. We could’ve stayed here all day but around 2 pm Mum and Dad said we needed to make our way to the accommodation. We’ve asked if we can come here again. Adam said he’d like to live in one of the apartment buildings behind this area as it’s so good.
We then set off in the car to make our way to our accommodation at the Sunshine Coast. It took around an hour and a half to get there (which Mum said is why she wanted to take us to Southbank today so we only had to do the drive one way). When we arrived Mum was beaming again as she hadn’t realised Dad had booked the accommodation at Kings beach which she instantly recognised as the beach and area we celebrated the twin’s 2nd birthday in 2014, (Dad didn’t realise either when booking the place). Casablanca apartments accommodation is directly across from the beach and play area. The view of the sea is lovely. It also has a tennis court, BBQ/ terrace area, and a pool!
While Dad had a workout carrying our 5 large suitcases up the stairs as there is no lift, Mum took us to the play area/ beach. The play area is more for younger children but we still enjoyed it. We went onto the beach and dug a hole. Our favourite part was watching the paragliders on the beach that were flying over our heads. Adam asked Mum if he could do it, she thinks she’d soon lose him out to sea, so said No. There was also a stunt plane practicing over the sea. He was doing upside-down loops!
Once it was dark we went back to the apartment to have some dinner and then an early night as we are all very tired.