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Sept 10-14 Sept 15-17 Sept 24-Oct 2 Oct 4-11 Oct 16-21 Oct 24-28 November 3-11 Nov 27 - Dec 5 NEW ZEALAND Jan 2-7 Jan 8-12 Jan 13-19
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Sept 4-9 Brisbane It was a long haul, about 40 hours from airport-to-airport
but we made it and have been enjoying the hospitality of our friend Lynne
in Brisbane. We met several years ago through the Older Travellers Branch
of the Thorntree on the Lonely Planet site ...a relationship that has
endured despite Steve's suspicion that anyone you meet on the internet
is likely to sell you into white slavery! After the welcome we've received
here I reckon he won't b Steve picked up some food poisoning in the LA airport, so first day in Australia was spent trying to sort that out. We made an ill-fated attempt to travel up into the mountains, on a road that corkscrewed through the eucalyptus forest. Not a good plan for someone with a tummy in turmoil. Next day we headed north to the Emundi Markets. This is
a very cool market with extraordinarily original and high quality crafts
as well as fresh fruits, plants, baking, etc. We were introducted to "Lamingtons"
here, apparently a staple in the grammer school bake sale menu. They are
cubes of sponge cake which have dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut.
$4 bought six pieces an After lunch in the market we were off to Noosa Heads to
walk the beaches ...THIS is why we've come back to Australia ...endless
sugar-sand beaches, soft breezes, crashing surf. Love it. Was introduced
to New Zealand ice cream in Noosa ...a big mistake I am thinking since
it is superb. Ended the evening with fish and chips on the beach ...but
they don't come anywhere close to the quality of our own beloved Moby
Dick's in White Rock. No matter, we'll keep testing a Yesterday (Sept 8) we spent the day in the mountains at O'Reilly's on the Lamington Plateau in the Green Mountain Range. This is an interesting place. There is a lodge, restaurant, and gift shop ...but highlights would be the suspended canopy walkways that take you right up into the treetops. There is even a ladder that goes right up to the top of a VERY tall tree. There is cage that protects you from falling. We sent Steve up to take photos. There is also a botanical garden which seemed pretty good, but as someone who still refers to flowers as the "little blue things" or the "big yellow-orange ones," I am not much of a judge of botanical gardens. What is worth reporting is that the gardens and canopy walkways were free. That's pretty amazing. O'Reilly's is also well known for its "wild" parrots.
What they do is sell tourists bags of Tomorrow we begin the big adventure ...flying off to Darwin to collect the campervan and begin the route 'round the continent. Stay tuned. Carolyn Usher NEXT - Darwin to Litchfield National Park
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