Australia : Zoo, Tin Can Bay and Hervey Bay

Amy :

Australia Zoo (7th Jan)
Well what can I say about this? This day out was everything and more that we’d hope Aussie Zoo would be. We were so lucky to get two vouchers from Daz and Eloise for our Christmas to visit the zoo which we’ve wanted to do every since we started watching the Crocodile Hunter all those years ago….
Believe you me, you’ll never visit another zoo like this. It was the busiest car park every and we were sure we’d have an hour to queue to get in, but no we were in within minutes of arriving. They were super efficient. Our first impressions were ‘Man this is so big’. The enclosures even for the smallest animals were massive. These guys have more room to move in than me and Stu do in Charlie our wee campervan at the moment…I’m not lying…
The zoo is set in acres of natural wilderness so as well as seeing all the animals in the enclosures you see natural wildlife as well such as large goana type lizards things and just amazing bird life. I think to start with these fascinated us more as they loved having their photo’s taken.
It was so emotional going over to the Crocoseum where Steve Irwin used to do his daily shows. Before you go in there is a long fence about 100m long filled with tribute cards, word and paintings. We wandered around with our sunnies on so no one could see the tears. Actually most people did and I’m sure it was for the same reason as it wasn’t the sunniest of days. You could only read the first line or so of the tributes as they were so moving especially as they were from admirers all around the world. You could see by the way the zoo was looked after and how it had turned out how passionate about his animals Steve was. Rest in Peace Steve, Stu, Amy and McFly miss ya!!
Anyway enough of the real soppy stuff and onto the cute stuff. It was totally awesome being able to clap the Koalas and sit on the grass with the Roo’s and Wallabies for as long as you like and just tickle and scratch them. What a life it would be to be one of those guys. We were both surprised at how different the fur on Wallaby’s and Roo’s were. Roo’s are much coarser compared to the soft fur on the wee wallaby’s. Still they are both dead cute.
Thanks again guys for our pressie I think we both thoroughly enjoyed our time there and will definitely be visiting there again on our return to Oz in the future.

Tin Can Bay (8 Jan)
Well we arrived at this place called Tin Can Bay. Yip you’re probably thinking the same as we did. Tin Can Bay is going to be a dump. Well it wasnt the prettiest and had ’special’ people there but it was a highlight of our trip. We arrived late in the evening and the lovely lady on reception at the camp site asked if we were going to see the dolphins in the morning. In true Scottish stingy form we said no it’s too expensive. She then told us that each morning at 8am at the Marina a few dolphins come in to be fed by volunteers and have done for years and this was a free event. We were like cool we’ll go along…this was just amazing. We got there about 7.45am and there was a small queue. As well as being able to see these wild, injured dolphins you could hand feed them and paddle with them. This was the bomb as the Kiwi’s and Aussies say :O) We got our wee fish and paddled into the water to see Mystique and another dolphin. They both picked one of us and swam over and were literally lying on the sand bed waiting for us to put our fish in the water for them to eat then they just swam around us quite curiously for a few minutes. These guys have unfortunately been picked on by sharks and have some awful marks on their bodies and rely on the volunteers feeding them every day as they are unable to fed for themselves any more. People pay through the nose to swim with dolphins in Sea World and we were able to get into fresh water with wild dolphins and do it for free. Of course me being a big softy did give the volunteers a big donation as it takes some dedication to go down every morning for years to feed them.

Hervey Bay (9 & 10 Jan)
Back in the van it was and further up the coast we went to spend two glorious days in Hervey Bay. Very well known for it’s retirement scene but we had good fun there with the oldies and even more so sitting on the golden sandy beaches that were deserted. Unlike your Noosa and Bondi Beaches where you have to fight for a spot. The sea was so peaceful it was just a great place to chill out for a few days.
On the second day which was the cooler day we did go a walk along the coast to the Pier. This is the longest pier I have ever seen. Brighton and Blackpool piers are stepping stones compared to this one. It took us about 20minutes to walk to the end. We were spoilt with the views as we had Fraser Island to the right of us and around 15 Kite Surfers to the left. It was walk to do.

Australia : Noosa, Brisbane and The Glasshouse Mountains

Stu : (29th Dec – 6th Jan)

Once we had recovered from the ridiculous amount of food over Christmas we had a further few days to chill out in Surfer’s Paradise. Claire and Terry travelled down from their family to spend a day which was cracking. Not least because we had a whole bagful of Christmas pressies to open as they had kindly brought our families gifts over to Oz with them. Here’s hoping the excess baggage costs didn’t amount to too much.

From Surfers we headed up to Noosa which is beach resort 150kms North of Brisbane. So after Surfer’s Paradise in the Gold Coast it was up to the Sunshine Coast ! They certainly like their flamboyant coastal names over here in Oz. Noosa is quite an exclusive resort and I’m guessing anything less than $500k would not get you much more than a hut. Suffice it to say the yachts and buildings all about Noosa were amazing. With that in mind our budget just about covered the hobbit-sized bunk-bed that we were allotted in the backpackers. Still……the cockroaches kept quiet after 3am so musn’t grumble

After settling into our salubrious surroundings we ventured out for a stroll into town. Unfortunately the “schoolies” were out celebrating their end of year as loudly and as drunkenly as they could from Mummy and Daddys summer retreats. We were literally stepping over pissed up teenagers as we made our way into town. Ah……fer the Glasgae banter. Was funny the next morning as we recognised a few groups down at the beach nursing their hangovers. We made sure we pointed and laughed at them as obviously as possible to induce the post-alcohol blitz induced “fear”. Ne-he-he. Oh……also spotted another Koala having a bit of a munch on a tree in the beach car park which was nice.

After Noosa we headed back down the coast to Brisbane where we had arranged to spend a few days so we could see New Years Eve in with Claire and Terry. Unfortunately from the day we arrived (31st Dec) through to the day we left (6th Jan) it did not stop raining. So needless to say the NYE celebrations were a damp affair but the 4 of us put on our best of British act and stood in the pissing rain at midnight to watch the fireworks (which I have to be honest were pretty spectacular). After that the only sensible thing to do was to dry out in alcoholic surroundings until 6am the next morning…..which funnily enough was exactly what we decided to do. Predictably enough after a cracking start to 2008 the next day was a quiet affair ! Once the hangover subsided we had a couple of days to chill out and make the most of our apartment before picking up the campervan that we had booked from the 6th Jan.

We picked up the van and headed North to the Glasshouse Mountains. Now we had appreciated that after our luxurious campervan we rented with Jon and Lucy in NZ the cheap budget van we hired was not going to be up to scratch but hey ho. However, nothing quite prepared us for how hot a van with a 15yr old Air conditioning system would be when travelling through 35+ degrees in tropical Oz. Suffice it to say the driving cab is a “pants only” area. I just hope to buggery I don’t get caught speeding (which in itself is highly unlikely given the fact that the van starts to whine and rattle if I get above 90kmph). “Step out of the car please Sir”……..”I’d really rather not Thank You !”. Anyway – back to The Glasshouse Mountains…..This is a national park that has to be the most spectacular scenery that we have seen in Oz so far. The mountains are pretty crazy to be honest. They’re made up of crazy sharp volcanic “plugs” that just randomly shoot out and upwards. All hard to explain but perhaps the photos on our Flickr site might give you some idea.

So pants on and it’s back to the Batmobile…….(well, slightly crap, smelly, old, badly painted, campervan). Oh how we love it

Australia : Byron Bay & Surfers Paradise

Amy : Byron Bay (17th – 23rd Dec)
Now this is a place I could live and its so apparent why people get caught up in the whole hippy atmosphere of Byron. Our initial thoughts when we arrived weren’t the best as we arrived at the campsite to find that the keys for our cabin weren’t left where they said they would be and no one was on reception until 7.30am the next again morning and we arrived at 8.15pm!! We had images of us having to stay in the camp loo’s of kitchen until the morning. I mean how would I explain that one to Mum?!? Thankfully the strange but helpful security guard came on duty at 10pm and was able to get our keys for us and let us in the cabin which was cool :O)
Our first full day in Byron was just awesome, the camp was right on the beach and 500m from the centre which isn’t like any other centre it’s a stretch of street filled with spiritual cafes, auroa reading places and other wacky shops like that. It’s so hard to explain but the whole feeling whilst you were there was just of relaxation and you couldn’t help but take your day at a slower pace…and no this had nothing to do with the Hippy Herbal shop honest!!
Of course we spent quite a number of hours on the beach and Stu got his Body Board for a few days and came out each time with red wave marks on his chest but he had fun.
On one of what we thought was going to be a cooler day we did a walk to Australia’s most Easterly Point…the Lighthouse which was around an 8km round trip. The first 40mins were fine but the sun was getting up. We tended to stay close to the tree’s for the shelter and in doing this saw 3 possums (Mum and two babies) in the middle of the day just plodding around the tree’s and giving us an odd look every so often. The rest of the walk was just really tough going as the heat and sun increased and even though it was slightly overcast it reached to over 33 degree’s and there’s me and Stu in this stifling heat walking mainly up hill to see a Lighthouse! There were great views when we reached there and one a cooler day I would have enjoyed the views better but all I wanted to do when we got to the top was stop and have a cold drink and ice lolly. It was way too hot. Just before you hit the Lighthouse there were signs about whales being in the area so we stood for a whiley to look out for them with no luck but we did get to see some Sea Turtles. Seeing these wee guys battling against the ocean just reminded me of the scene in Finding Nemo with the cool Aussie Turtles swimming :O)
On our last day in Byron they held their Annual Beggars Banquet festival which is a Charity festival to help all of Byron’s homeless people. This was such a Hippy Fest. The locals brought free food and you just helped yourself to it throughout the day then all these musical hippies would get up and play a song or two. You could have sworn with all this going on that you were in the 1960’s!
Byron is one of the few places so far that we’ve said we’d definitely come back to when we take holidays in NZ. It was a total chill out time and the weather was pretty much on our side most of the time.

Surfers Paradise (23rd – 29th Dec)
Now Surfers was a place we wanted to visit but expected it to be like Bondi. What a pleasant surprise to find it was more holiday feel than Bondi, not as tacky and in a strange way more like Las Vegas with all the bright lights, eateries and casino’s.
Surfers was where we were to spend almost a week in including our Aussie Christmas.
We were so lucky and manged to get booked into The Shore Holiday apartments right on the beach. This wee apartment was a last minute booking and we were sure it would be crap but low and behold it was the best digs we’ve stayed in so far. We were on the 10th floor and had 180 degrees views of the ocean. Stu made sure that each night our bedroom window was open so we could hear the waves throughout the night.
We arrived on the 23rd and spent three great days in the apartment. Christmas Eve was great as we watched most of It’s a Wonderful Life (typical Aussie TV didn’t leave it enough time to air and cut the last 15mins off as MASH was due to begin!!) And we watched a pod of 3 small dolphins playing in the ocean!!
Christmas day was just amazing. The sun rises around 5.30 so we tried to have a wee snooze till around 7.30am on Christmas morning as we knew it would be a long day. We got all the relly phone calls out the way before brekkie. Then had our traditional bucks fizz breakfast before we spent a few hours on the beach before heading back to cook a traditional Christmas dinner. Stu got his Turkey Leg and I had a Veggie Nut Roast with all the trimmings. It was our first Christmas on our own and we both had a ball. After spending a few hours eating we walked into Cavill Ave (the main strip) to try and walk off most of the dinner and soak up some Christmas atmosphere which the town severely lacked as most people in town were backpackers or orientals who sat eating McDonalds on the beach…each to their own I suppose.

Australia : Port Macquarie & Coffs Harbour

Amy : Port Macquarie
After spending more than enough time in the City of Sydney we headed up the East Coast to a beautiful town called Port Macquarie. You cant help but fall in love with this little town. It is so laid back, filled with a lot more mature people and just so tranquil compared to the hustle and bustle of City life.
The train trip and coach trip were just the best as they gave us our first views of wild Kangaroo’s. I think Stu felt a tad guilty as he’d ordered a Kangaroo pizza the evening before. I couldn’t get over how many wild Roo’s were about. Dad you would have been furious as there was a pack of about 20 of them grazing on the local golf course tee hee!
You guessed by it’s name it’s by a port and surrounded by blue crystal waters filled with Pelicans roaming around. Man these things look so prehistoric and almost fake when they fly. I couldn’t get over how big they were!!
In Port Macquarie you got all your usual tourist trips but we chose to have a wander around the town and coast and visit the local Koala Hospital. Around the surrounding areas there is a high percentage of Koala accidents (mainly on the road) and this volunteer/charity founded hospital takes in all the sick and injured Koala’s. It was quite an emotional visit seeing all the poorly bears but we did spot two wild ones (see photo attached) that were in the surrounding bush! As it was only a week before Christmas when we visited the locals were getting into the Christmas spirit and put on Carols in the Park which was pretty cool. Didn’t feel overly Christmas with the 24 degrees of heat in the evening but never the less it gave us our Christmas fix that we were missing.
We also visited the renowned and very well recommended Scampi’s Seafood Restaurant where we shared some Mussels and Oysters and sampled Lobster for the first time. This is an acquired taste and I don’t think I’ll be ordering Lobster again….

Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour was our next port of call after spending two glorious days in Port Macquarie. Coming from such a lovely well kept town to Coffs Harbour was hard. Our in famous Australian Rough Guide made Coffs sound pretty similar to Port McQuarrie but as we were staying in the city centre we didn’t experience this until we actually ventured a few KM’s down the road to the Harbour and even that wasn’t the best and well over priced.
Whilst we were there we experienced some of the lovey Aussie Rain again and high winds but to be honest with all the walking we’d been doing it was welcomed to cool us down. Especially when we did a walk to Mutton Island. Mutton Island got it’s name because of all the Mutton birds that nest and live there. These are small little birds but they nest in the ground rather than in trees like most ordinary birds. Seeing there nests dotted about by the walking track was quite different and it was no surprise that we spotted around 6 Salamander Lizard patrolling for the young chicks!
The walk around the island was quite amazing as you got beautiful views of the surrounding beaches and area’s and of course the ocean where we caught a glimpse of a dolphin. I don’t think I’d visit Coffs again but I am glad we made an effort to stay a night there just for the amazing wildlife we managed to see on our walks.

Australia : Sydney & Bondi Beach

Stu :So after all the campervanning nonsense around the South Island in New Zealand it was over the Tasman for the start of the Australian leg of our adventure. Yeeeehaaaahhh!

Naturally our first stop in Oz was Sydney where we spend the first week which gave us plenty of time to adjust to the humidity and the ridiculous swarming insects that just seem to love flying up noses and into ears. Nice. And with my nostrils being larger than average I’ve certainly been doing more than my fair share of snotting through the streets of Sydney.

Lucy’s brother and sister-in-law Ben and Nina had kindly offered to put us up for a few nights so Team Tui was to be kept together for at least the first few days of our Aussie adventure. Ben and Nina live in a lovely suburb to the North of Sydney and their house backed onto some native bush which meant we were lucky enough to have all sorts of wildlife wandering around. That being said waking up to the calls of Kookaburras and Cockatoos might sound romantic but believe me I think it’s fair to say that they aren’t the most melodic of birds. Strangled cats comes to mind. Add to that the daily 4am bickering of the resident possums and it certainly made for some early morning wake up calls. Certainly didn’t help the thumping head after a few bevvies.

Anyhoo we had a cracking time there and after a few days at Ben and Nina’s headed off on our own. We spent a night in Bondi Beach (basically Ibiza in Australia !) and once bored of walking through crowds of pissed up Cockneys headed back to the safety of Sydney.
As well as seeing the harbour front complete with bridge and opera house (as expected) a highlight for us has been the wildlife. Even in the city centre the birds, lizards and bizarre looking insects are plentiful. Our favourite time of the day was 8pm when the local fruit bats would make their daily migration across town from the botanic gardens to the coast. The bats are massive and when you see them in the sky at night with their seagull size wingspan you can’t help thinking of old Batman and Dracula movies. All good fun if not a bit creepy. Never have been totally comfortable around bats to be honest. Certainly not ones that are bigger than seagulls anyway !

As well as the usual city sights we (or should I say I) have been enjoying the local food and drink. The beer is very run of the mill and a bit like New Zealand on the fizzy and a wee bit tasteless front. However I have to say the kangaroo pizza I tried was absolutely delicious. Not at all as tough as I had imagined. Bit like venison I guess. I did have a twinge of regret the day after though as we were on the train North passing roo after roo. They are pretty cute animals but by golly they taste good. I haven’t seen a croc yet so no regrets on the crocodile pizza front yet !

Anyway – we’re on our way North up the Central Coast from now on so with a G’day and a whistle to Land Down Under by Men At Work…..until our next installment…..