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Queensland Honeymoon
  • Shalee Gherbaz
  • Shalee Gherbaz

Queensland Honeymoon

Hubby and I are off exploring Queensland for 12 days! Read more
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  • Trip start
    March 1, 2021
    Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    And we're off! Melbourne Airport

    March 1, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We've checked in and gone through the very basic domestic customs. Michael got pulled up for the pat down but apart from that it was very seamless. Totally could have filled our water bottles up before coming haha!

    The pub at the airport was relatively average. Their online ordering system didn't correspond with service unfortunately, which meant waiting for 30 minutes for a ham, cheese and tomato toastie that was actually a self serve sandwich in the fridge, which they then toasted on request after realising the mix up. They might want to fix up their communication system. Also, air con was super cold. Worst of all, the Sanga came with mustard seeds on it! Michael was not to thrilled but serviettes saved the day.

    Boarding was also seamless and on time, and no bags were checked for weight so we had nothing to worry about. Better to be overly cautious with the guidelines than lax. Plane itself is very comfortable, lots of leg room, even Michael has decent leg room. Smooth take off. Air hostesses very friendly, and complimentary snacks and juice was nice. Now off to nap until we land!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    East Coast Car Rentals

    March 1, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Smoothest plane ride and landing, and completely out of airport only 3 minutes after we were due to land. Easy transport to our car rental at East Coast car rentals, and a very easy process to collect our car. Friendly and consice. Running over an hour ahead of schedule.Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Ramada Resort Golden Beach

    March 1, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Smoothest plane ride and landing, and completely out of airport only 3 minutes after we were due to land. Easy transport to our car rental at East Coast car rentals, and a very easy process to collect our car. Friendly and consice. Running over an hour ahead of schedule.

    The local grocer is called Spa Supermarket, and it's literally behind the resort, along with a pizza joint, a chemist, a Vietnamese restaurant, and some various others. We stocked up on some foods, managed to score some super cheap breakfast and pork rolls for Michael to have for his breakfasts over the next few days. Also grabbed a pizza for dinner, which was delicious and super light as the crust was extremely thin. I also was craving my vegetables so I had a veg plate with my few slices.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Morning Walk to Caloundra

    March 2, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Up and at it at 6am this morning to wander down the beachside to Caloundra. It's already super hot and clear blue skies. The walk up here is super pretty, you've got mangrove trees lining the pathways and the beach right beside you looking out at the tip of Bribie Island. There's lots of rest stops, and even some parks which will come in handy to practice my gymnastics (which I'll be missing, gotta keep the muscles moving).

    Up and at it at 6am this morning to wander down the beachside to Caloundra. It's already super hot and clear blue skies. The walk up here is super pretty, you've got mangrove trees lining the pathways and the beach right beside you looking out at the tip of Bribie Island. There's lots of rest stops, and even some parks which will come in handy to practice my gymnastics (which I'll be missing, gotta keep the muscles moving).    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Copper Kitchen, lunch in Noosa

    March 2, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Research pays off once again. Had read that Copper Kitchen had some of the best Indian in town with a knockout butter chicken, and the reviews were spot on! Best butter chicken I've ever had (although I only got a taste and a scrape of the bowel as that was Michael's meal and he was Keeeen 😜). I had lamb rogan josh and it was also delish and with a little kick! Lovely naan and fluffy rice. $37 all up! Bargain in Noosa! Also had a ginger beer and a mango Lassi, everything was great!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Double Island Point: Dolphin Kayaking

    March 2, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    What a ripper afternoon! We got picked up from the J Junction in Noosa and hopped on the bus, driving 80 minutes or so through jungle, mangroves, along the beach, you name it, we drove through it. The noosa national park you have to get to by ferry, and it has 6 different forestry ecosystem types in one area. The huge sand dune mountains along the beach are apparently the oldest in the world!

    We also went up and had a look at the rainbow beach dunes, apparently there are 72 different shades of sand there, they were very pretty! Then we got a kayaking lesson, and went kayaking into a lagoon that over time grew to join the ocean. We raced crabs on the shoreline as thousands rang around. Some other folks saw turtles. I saw some tiny stingrays. It took a bit for Michael and I to sync up, but we got the gist of it after a bit and we're flying faster than everyone.

    The highlight was the dolphin that our guide found. Well, Michael put the pedal to the medal and we flew over. We got over and managed to line up with the dolphins swim line, and it went right underneath us mere CM below our kayak, popping up the other side by the other kayak. I was so excited!!! Made it all worth it.

    We had an awesome guide as well, he was very funny and told us all about the areas we were driving through cracking some great jokes. A ripper time to a really unique place that not many people get to experience as its so difficult of a location to get to!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Eumundi Markets

    March 3, 2021 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    It is a big rainy one today! We took a punt and headed into Eumundi Markets anyway to see how we go. Luckily the rain was holding off as we arrived and we only got pockets of rain. We had one intention when coming here, and that was for market food!!! Market food is awesome. You get small portions of a huge range of cuisines, so you can buy a bunch of different things to share and not actually eat too much!

    On our menu today was dim sum, garlic and ginger beef jerky, fudge (Irish creme, chocolate, Russian caramel and cookies and cream), salt and pepper calamari, Kombucha (leafy greens flavour, Kokoda lime and mint flavour), dutch pancakes with maple syrup, homemade berry compote and ice cream, a potato stick, Japanese gyozas and a banana cinnamon smoothie! Everything is delicious!

    Need to shout out the calamari stand for its to die for lemon and garlic mayonnaise. Everyone knows that I DETEST mayo. But this was divine, unlike any mayo I've ever had. I asked the chef the secret, he was a Brit and he gave me some clues. First up, mix water with flax seed flour. No eggs. Whisked up, then add a bit of apple cider vinegar. The rest he said was a trade secret but that's enough to get me snooping on the internet. Also said Hellman's mayo at Coles is the Brit expats Aussie secret because Aussie mayo sucks Ha!

    Then we headed up to another tiny market accross the road for a breather and it BUCKETED. Luckily we had Cozy chairs to relax in and watch it pour. It's actually lovely, so long as you aren't stuck in it haha!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Bli Bli Aqua Park

    March 3, 2021 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    We had a switch up on our itinerary and ended up at the Bli Bli Watersports Centre. Basically, it has 3 areas: barramundi fishing, wake boarding, and a ninja style aqua park athletic course. We really wanted to have a go at the aqua park so booked in for the 1pm slot.

    The course is full of various obstacles and pathways, varying from trampolines, climbing walls, water slides, freefall water swings, and lots of points to fall off from! I did a lot of bum scooching as I trusted my thighs more than my feet 😂😂😂

    We had a 1hr session, and got round almost all of the course, doing all the main slides and the big swing (although it took me 5 minutes to jump off to get the swing going as I found it really scary, but alas I managed to cry my way through it and come out alright 😂😂😂)

    A really cool place to burn off our lunch and be both having fun whilst being challenged!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Dinner at Rick's

    March 3, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Catching up with my Dad's best mate Ricky Mackrell, his partner Kylie, and his kids Gabby and Tiarni (who I haven't seen in 15 years!). Gabby is with her partner Matt and her 1yo Dusty. Very very cute little fella. A lovely evening of catching up with old friends.Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Tome Cafe lives up to its cake rep.

    March 4, 2021 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    Weve had a complete change of our schedule for the rest of the Sunshine Coast part of our holiday due to weather. Our snorkelling trip to Mudjimba island was cancelled due to rough seas, so we've come up with a pretty good plan B that starts off a TOME coffee and cakes. We did our first GPS error of the trip (putting in drive instead of road) but it only put us out by 10mins or so and was a bit of a laugh.

    I found this place on the urban list website and the cake reviews were amazing, so I knew we had to go out of our way to come here. Not disappointed, these cakes are divine. They look stunning and taste as good. We ended up getting the gluten free raspberry brownie cake, the biggest cinnamon scroll in existence, a hot chocolate, and a pot of minted licorice tea. Best gluten free cake and best cinnamon scroll I've ever eaten. 5 stars for sure.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Sea Life Mooloolaba

    March 4, 2021 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    Spent a few hours out of the torrential rain exploring the many underwater creatures at Sea Life Aquarium! It was a lovely compact aquarium. Michael had a lot of fun using his gimble to track the sharks and rays and fish, and the footage came out smooth and crisp! Saw my bestie the blue spotted stingray again in a reunion 15+ years in the making. Penguins, sea lions, sea horses, and everything in between. The sea lion show was a simple but entertaining way to finish off the visit!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Ninth Street lives up to its burger rep.

    March 4, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Another internet find lives up to the reputation. Ninth St has a reputation for wicked burgers, shakes and hot dogs. They do some absolutely crazy shakes with all the crazy toppings, but Michael likes his shakes clean and classy. This one is a caramel thickshake, and boy oh boy is this a thicc shake. Our burgers are divine. Everything is cooked so well and super fresh. Not the cheapest of meals ($47 for the 2 of us) but absolutely worth it.Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Kondalilla Falls, Flaxton

    March 4, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After spending an extra hour at Mooloolaba to shop at this really Beautiful and unique dress shop called Treasure Hunt (it had one of a kind items, vintage items, and local QLD designers items and was just gorgeous), we wound our way up to Kondalilla Falls as the forecast said the rains would be done by 4pm. The drive up was full of twists and turns, and very eerie and mystical in spots due to the low cloud cover and mist.

    The full track is around 5kms or so, on very narrow paths with a lot of stairs down and back up. It was very lush, reminding me of Tarra Bulga national park back home. The rain made it extra cool, and made everything even greener. We wandered down to the Kondalilla fall lookout at the waterfall. As we have had 2 days of pumping rain, it was nice and full! The fall is 80m tall, and we walked down to the base and over a bunch of rocks to reach the pool at the bottom. It was stunning but hard work as we had slippage and rain to deal with, but definately worth the extra effort. If it wasn't so slippery and full, we would have gone for a swim!

    Then, as we were just finishing up our rock climb back to the path, it BUCKETED rain. We got drenched! Had to walk the 3km back up to the rock pools at lightnight pace, through mud, rock and stone. It was hectic. Luckily my backpack really did it's weight in gold and held all the water without leaking inside to the goodies. It was hectic and tough and we came out of it drenched in water and sweat.

    As we got back to the rock pools, it stopped raining, and we got to have a look at the Beautiful swimming hole up the top of the main waterfall, which was full of rain and the baby waterfall into it was flowing with gusto. We made the decision not to swim as it can get a bit hectic when there's lots of water and it's slippery, but we enjoyed it none the less. On the way back we even spotted a wild wallaby, which froze us and it in our respective tracks to suss each other out before bolting off.

    Overall, a wonderful way to end the day with a sense of achievement, and knowing we had worked off the burgers at lunch in the process 😂😂😂    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Horse riding through Mooloola Valley

    March 5, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Checked out of the Ramada resort this morning and headed up to Mooloola Valley to go horse riding through the bushland! We had a lovely ride with our guides and another family of 4. Michael was on Honolulu and I was on Captain. Our horses were overall very well behaved except Captain kept pushing me to eat the long grass and he kept on winning that battle haha! We even got to trot for a bit, which was pretty hectic since Michael and I haven't ridden in a good 15 years! Will have a sore bum that's for sure!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Main St, Montville

    March 5, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We've wondered up to Montville Main St for a wander before we head out of the Sunshine Coast back into Brisbane. Our first stop is for a delicious Devonshire Tea at Camphor Cottage. The scones were scrumptious, and my peach tea was so relaxing.

    We also had a table guest, Mr Montville Lizard. This guy gave no f's legit just came and hung out at our table for some sunbaking and company. I've never seen such a big lizard so chill and so up close before! Camphor Cottage also has Dr Seuss artwork and gift shop attached, and has some very interesting stock!

    We've wandered around to various stops, and the Poets Cafe has taken our fancy. Got a beautiful Mountain View overlooking the valley. Our lunch is a caramel thickshake and bangers and mash for Michael, and a Mexican Lime soda and poached chicken with vegetables. Utterly delicious!!!!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Arise One, Brisbane

    March 5, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    After a gruelling 1hr 50min trip due to a major car and truck accident, we've arrived in Brisbane City. The drive through the glasshouse mountains was beautiful but I couldn't look too much or we would go off the cliffs!!! But it was bumper to bumper for a solid 40 minutes of no fun!

    The Check in was seamless, and our room is small yet lovely. We have a great view of Brisbane City and the river, as well as a washing machine and dryer which we will utilise tomorrow. Comfy bed. Good sized bathroom and kitchen.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    EatStreet Foreshore: The Venue

    March 5, 2021 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    This is gonna need 2 posts worth to cover!
    EatStreet North shore is a food extravaganza!!! Seperated into sections based on cuisine and country, with varying musical soundscapes and vibes as you wonder through. Everything is made out of shipping containers, and there's hidden nooks all over the place. Such a vibe. We went around and sampled a range of cuisines, and people watched the myriad of food goers. A gorgeous place to eat!!! Swipe next to see the food goodiesRead more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Exploring Arise One

    March 6, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Our hotel has lots of interesting nooks and crannies when you know where to look. Spread out over the 3 towers, which are all connected by the level 7 pool and BBQ area, we've got hidden spa rooms, saunas, a gym (people in there working out so didn't take pics), garden terraces, meeting rooms, and a rooftop drop pool and lounge area. The view from here is AWESOME!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Brisbane's Man Made Beach

    March 6, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Have walked down from the hotel to Brisbane's Man made lagoon beach. Got myself the last lounge chair and am just having a relax and maybe a quick swim! Not too shabby for 8.15am in the morning!!!

    What's that? Free Aqua Aerobics with Medibank?!!! Yes please. Did a great 45 min work out with over 80 other participants!!! Was awesome fun!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Dinner Reunion with Maddi Gangi & Fam

    March 6, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Had a beautiful catch up with my high school friend Maddi (and her partner Max), who I haven't seen in about 7 years or so! At that point Rosie was a baby and Sterling wasn't in existance haha! We had a lovely tapas dinner at a restaurant called Next Door Kitchen and Bar, we decided to do all share plates and had the following goodies:
    Salt and pepper calamari
    Garlic bread
    Italian Meatballs
    Fried Halloumi
    Camembert
    Scallops with sweet potato mash and chorizo
    Kangaroo skewers
    Pork Belly in honey glaze sauce with apple puree

    Such an amazing light and delicious meal! So wonderful to see Maddi and her family all grown up! Friendships are often unaffected by time, and I'm so proud of the life she's built up here!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    WhiteWater World!

    March 7, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We're sliding it up at WhiteWater World today! Absolutely loving that there's hardly anyone here and we are barely having to wait to go on any slides. Temperature is awesome as well, not too hot! The slides are all fantastic here, having a blast. Heading into dreamworld for lunch, and gotta say, Dreamworld is looking very sad these days. Lots of construction, not much going on. Also getting really run down. Not many pics today as we are keeping the phones in lockers and enjoying the water fun!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazQueensland HoneymoonTraveler

    Wyndham Surfers Paradise

    March 7, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We've checked in to our final hotel, the Wyndham Surfers Paradise. We are here for 5 nights, the longest of any of our hotels, and we've sure saved the best for last. This place is phenomenal! They've placed us on the top floor in the corner of the hotel, so we have an enormous balcony and view. Everything in here is gorgeous, there's so many features from full laundry, dishwasher, oven, tvs, dining and lounge, king bed, and fully open balcony that opens in both the lounge and the bedroom. All at $120 a night. Absolute ripper, we are going to have a grand time here!!!Read more

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