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Journey to the Land Down UnderJourney to the Land Down Under
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A tribute, thank you, adventure trip of a lifetime Read more

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  • Australia
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Car, Family, Friendship, Sightseeing, Wildlife
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  • TravelerJourney to the Land Down Under
    Day 7

    Hervey Bay Down Day

    April 13 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    While our whirlwind trip is filled with lots of exciting adventures we’ve tried to build in a down day or two 😜
    We started the day slowly, watching the Noisy Miners in the trees by the front porch, but then decided to take a walk to see what was around the area.
    2+ hours and more than 5 kms later we had walked along some of the beach and the esplanades, out along the looong Urangan pier and back to the house.
    Unfortunately we didn’t read the Airbnb description very well and “coffee” doesn’t mean “coffee maker” 😞 Kev tried to choke down the instant coffee provided but thankfully we came across a number of cafes on our walk so hopefully we will be able to head to those for our morning fix.
    After our walk we decided to get breakfast at the recommended Spotted Goat and it did not disappoint 😋
    Then it was off to the Cole’s for groceries and a quiet afternoon of relaxing, reading and beach walking.
    Kev prepared a delicious dinner with Gillian’s salad on the side and I did the cleaning up.
    Then it was a quiet evening preparing for our busy Monday!    Read more

  • TravelerJourney to the Land Down Under
    Day 8

    Tara and the Turtles

    April 14 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    On my bucket list was the Great Barrier Reef.
    Lady Elliott Eco Resort offered the opportunity to access the very southern end of the GBR so that was the destination. The small island of Lady Elliott was a key location for manta rays and sea turtles.
    Kev and Gillian decided to pass on the flight to the island and the snorkelling for turtles so I was off on an adventure of my own.
    Early morning drop off at the Hervey Bay airport and then a 30 minute flight in a twin otter and landing on a grass runway and I was on a small tiny piece of coral in the middle of the ocean.
    3 snorkel excursions, turtle sightings on each one and even a shark sighting on the 3rd.
    It was one of the most amazing experiences - a true lifetime key event to remember.    Read more

  • TravelerJourney to the Land Down Under
    Day 8

    Rum’s the word

    April 14 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    While I was swimming with the turtles, Kevin and Gillian headed north to Bundaberg to learn all about rum and create their own personal blends.
    With a tour and then a bit of maths, unique bottles of rum were created and can even be recreated if requested.Read more

  • TravelerJourney to the Land Down Under
    Day 9

    It’s all about the Poppins (mostly 😉)

    April 15 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    And on Gillian’s bucket list was the city of Maryborough, birthplace of JL Travers, or Helen Goff as she was known when she was born.
    Just in case you’re not familiar, she was the author of Mary Poppins - Gillian’s obsession!
    We were lucky to have Auntie Jo, the Maryborough local, as our very own tour guide.
    After filling us with a delicious breakfast and made to perfection coffee, she took us around to some of the key tourist highlights, and some of those are truly quite the sight!
    Besides all things Mary Poppins, Maryborough is home to the “Cistern Chapel” - what a truly bizarre claim to fame 😜 The public toilets are beautifully decorated, so much so they are a tourist attraction and require Flusher Ushers to ensure the loo is empty before folks can enter to take a look.
    After checking out the loos, we did the obligatory tour of Story Bank, where JL Travers was born and then saw the historic flood height markers 😳
    I was totally awed by the huge Banyan tree in the park - so totally amazing to see all those aerial roots!
    It was a day filled with Poppins, with a few caches sprinkled in before heading back to Hervey Bay for the evening.    Read more

  • TravelerJourney to the Land Down Under
    Day 10

    K’gari

    April 16 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    When Dad visited Australia in 2024, he had the opportunity to visit Fraser Island with a neighbour of Jo and Greg’s. He was definitely taken by the island and recommended it as must see item for our trip.
    We didn’t have the opportunity to take a private tour so we booked a group bus tour instead.
    It started with a very convenient pickup right at the front door of the Airbnb. The bus dropped us off at the ferry dock at River Heads and we joined many others for the hour long ride across to Kingfisher Bay.
    It’s truly hard to describe Fraser Island. The largest “sand” island in the world but with an incredible amount of forestation and fresh water.
    The roads that have been “carved” through the forest and the sand are a bit heart-stopping as they are simply one lane tracks used for traffic of all directions. At first it was unclear why there appeared to be so many odd little side tracks and pull over spots but it became very clear as we met traffic and there was a lot of backing up and jockeying for space!
    After a small delay getting started due to an electrical/radio issue we were off on our island trek. We had a lovely visit and swim at Lake Mackenzie, a very deep fresh water lake but with a lovely white sand beach and then it was on to a quick tour of the rainforest before stopping for lunch at the K’gari Beach Resort.
    After lunch it was off to the beach to drive North along the island to the Maheno shipwreck and Eli Creek.
    Eli creek was a fascinating spot where fresh water flows out of the forest to the ocean but is shallow enough to walk. It’s become a bit of an”river ride” for visitors to the island as you can take your floatie up the boardwalk to the access point and then float down with the current until you reach the beach and then get out and start the adventure all over again.
    We headed back down the beach to the access point at the resort and then made our way back across the island to the ferry dock.
    The added bonus of a sunset cruise as the ferry took us back across to the mainland was a nice touch.
    Then a quick bus ride back to Hervey Bay and drop off at our front door.
    A fun adventure day!    Read more

  • TravelerJourney to the Land Down Under
    Day 11

    End of the Coast

    April 17 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Our time along the coast was coming to an end.
    We packed ourselves up but before leaving Hervey Bay Kev and I watched the sun rise then we had another lovely breakfast at the Spotted Goat, a wee walk along the beach and headed to Maryborough for our last visit with Jo and Greg.
    We were booked in to a hotel in Brisbane for the night before our flight to Sydney the next day.
    As luck would have it Kaye’s son Andrew was able to meet up with us for a drink at the end of his work day.
    We had a wonderful visit at an amazing rooftop bar with the Brisbane business district in the background.
    It was truly a wish come true for me to be able to finally meet one of my Australian cousins!
    We grabbed some dinner on the South Bank before heading back to the hotel for the night.    Read more

  • TravelerJourney to the Land Down Under
    Day 12

    Transit to Sydney

    April 18 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today was a travel day from Brisbane to Sydney.
    We headed off first thing to the airport and after a very quick flight we arrived.
    It was a bit of a schlep but we managed to navigate the airport and transit to arrive at our Airbnb by late afternoon.
    Auntie Kaye was incredibly sweet and had arranged for us to have pre-loaded Opal cards (transit payment) before we arrived which made our arrival just that much smoother 🙃 She was even there at our transit destination station to meet us!
    We enjoyed a lovely dinner with Kaye and Robert (another cousin meeting!) before heading “home” and early to bed.    Read more

  • TravelerJourney to the Land Down Under
    Day 13

    Rocks, Quay and a Chair

    April 19 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Today Kaye suggested that we head to The Rocks for the Saturday market.
    We grabbed transit back down to the CBD and met up with Kaye down there.
    The Rocks are a beautiful historic section that was up for possible demolition back in the 70s. Thankfully wiser heads prevailed and a compromise was made. There are many historic buildings and cobble stone lanes that date back to the early 1800s.
    We browsed the market stalls (and made a few purchases 😉) before heading to the Fortune of War restaurant for lunch.
    Then it was off to walk the harbour and get our first real look at the iconic Sydney Opera House.
    The views of the Opera House and Bridge did not disappoint. So amazing to know that we have seen such famous landmarks.
    While Gillian and Kaye enjoyed a respite and cold treat, Kev and I quick walked around Farm Cove to Mrs Macquarrie’s Chair so that we could fulfill Dad’s request that Asti (the wee stuffed bear) could take a seat.
    Then it was back on the transit to our ‘hood where we grabbed some groceries and drinks before a nice quiet evening.    Read more

  • TravelerJourney to the Land Down Under
    Day 14

    Kevin and Tara take a side trip

    April 20 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    On Kevin’s wish list was The Great Ocean Road.
    In order to accomplish that bucket list item required a flight to Melbourne and a car hire or tour. Gillian opted out of the side trip so Kev and Tara booked flights, hotel and a Hit The Road tour. It was decided that a tour where someone else did the driving was the better option so that Kev could truly sit back and enjoy the sites.
    A quick hours flight had us from Sydney to Melbourne and then the Skybus from the airport down into the city centre.
    After checking in and dropping our bags we decided to make sure we knew where we were going the next morning as we didn’t want to miss the bus at 6:45 am.
    We confirmed location and after grabbing a couple of caches we decided to do some walking around.
    Kev had been looking at authentic Australian hats and we just happened across a quirky little spot under the Flinders Street Station and the smooth talking salesman had him hooked.
    New hat on head we were off to discover some of the amazing street art among the many little alleys around Melbourne.
    We grabbed some takeaway burgers, picked up some drinks and a few groceries for breakfast and lunch and headed back to the hotel.
    Early night for our early morning wake up!    Read more

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