Australia!

We had just over a month in South Africa, which we left in the midst of a thunderstorm so large, it simultaneously affected both Durban and Johannesburg (we know—our first connector flight was from Durban to Joburg, and we had to fly through the storm at both locations!) Our next stop is in Australia, where we were from mid October to early November. Like our stay in South Africa, we have a home-base there, at the home of my mum’s cousin in Brisbane. We had a great visit with her! We also had two excursions. The first was to Stradbroke Island, on the other side of Moreton Bay from the city of Brisbane—what a great place to relax and get over the jet lag! We had our first experience of staying at a hostel, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We stayed at Manta Lodge, which is on the outskirts of Point Lookout, one of three larger communities on Stradbroke. The main emphasis there is on scuba diving, but they helped us find companies that would take us sea kayaking and riding on a 4WD tour of the island. The day we went sea kayaking, the conditions were a little rough, and we weren’t the only beginners in the group, so the guide decided to take us along the bay at Amity Point, then into the mangroves at the entrance to the river there. Were we glad! It turns out that kayaking against a current is hard work! The sea sections definitely provided us with some challenges, and a workout, but we did get to see stingrays scooting along the sand below us, which was pretty cool! Once into the mangroves, we got out and snorkelled for a bit in the lovely, clear water provided by the incoming tide. That was another new experience for both of us, and really fun! I saw a few Sea Breen, and my son swam right through an entire school of minnows! We also both got the opportunity to learn not to try to breathe in with your nose—it messes up the seal on your mask!!!  Once we were paddling again, we also saw a turtle swimming past and a fish that may have been a Whiting. Slowly paddling along between the mangroves in the dappled sunshine was a wonderfully relaxing way to spend some time while the tide turned before we headed back out to the bay!

The day for our tour around the island was the day that a storm was building up over the island. A massive wind had been blowing all night, and it didn’t let up too much during the day. As a result, our viewings had more to do with extreme scenery brought about by the wind than about wildlife sightings. The extreme scenery sure was impressive, though! We saw Brown Lake in the interior of the island—it got its name (and rich brown colour) from the tee-tree oil released from the roots of trees along the shore. We saw the Pacific Ocean in its wind-whipped glory as we drove northwards up the main beach on the east side of the island. Apparently, on calmer days, one can see whales, dolphins, turtles, and manta rays, but nothing was visible between the crashing waves that day. Once we reached the much more sheltered Flinder’s Beach on the northeast shore, we paused for a lovely barbeque in the shade of some beachside trees in the company of a pair of kookaburras that sat close by, conveniently posing for photographs! As we sat there, eating our steaks with salads, pineapple, and pickled beets from a beautifully set table on the sand, I thought that this was a wonderfully civilised experience! After lunch we walked the beach for a while before driving through Amity Point where we had our one wildlife viewing—a wild koala climbing out on a limb over the road in search of juicier leaves on his gum tree!