Our fifth & last day has arrived and we are keeping our fingers crossed for some fine weather.
It started out cloudy and a little drizzly so after breakfast we braved the conditions and did a reef walk with Jacinta.
She’s a marine biologist and has lived here for 3 years. She was able to fill us in on all we could spot on the calf high water of the lagoon.
We handled a sea cucumber – lovely and slimy and not as prickly as they look.
We headed over the runway to the light house and made our way along the beach to enter at the coral garden. The wind has changed and it’s a little windy at the lighthouse ended today.
I’m writing this sitting in a white moulded deck chair. I had the loveliest snorkel in the coral garden. Aptly named it’s a real garden of blue tipped coral with so many beautiful fish.
We haven’t spotted a manta ray except through the glass bottom boat. But not while snorkelling. The fish life more than made up for it.
The sky is blue and the sun is out. Perfect for our last day.
We stay at coral gardens until at least 2.30. We skip lunch each day having had a great breakfast but today I’m feeling hungry. We eat some cheese then still dresses in my wetsuit Steve & I head to the lagoon out the front of our cabin.
It’s been very windy there all week but Jacinta, our guide this morning, convinced us it would be worth snorkeling at high tide.
In we went. It was windy but underwater was another world. It’s just deep enough to kick along so you are very close to the reef.
We spotted and swam with three big turtles and a black tipped shark. Lots of colourful fish. An octopus…….
Such a great way to finish.
Dinner tonight: salmon, potato bake, salad and fresh vegetables!
The beauty of Queensland is there are so many great places to visit close to home.
It’s school holidays so eldest son Peter is home and invited us to have a day out on his boat. He keeps it at home and trailers it to boat ramps for a days outing.
Today we headed south towards Dreamland. Just behind there is a boat ramp and today, a Wednesday, it wasn’t busy.
In no time the boat was in the water and we were away.
We were heading towards South Stradbroke Island. I’ve written an earlier blog on North Stradbroke- go back and read it.
Today South Straddie. We headed into the wind so it was a little breezy !
Ollie didn’t like it much! He pulled his hat down and listened as I sang in his ear.
Happy but hiding from the breeze
We passed the lovely Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove. We’d stayed there a few times when the boys were young. It’s a lovely resort.
There’s a beach where you can pull up and jump out onto the sand. The minute you arrive it feels like a holiday.
There is a restaurant with indoor and outdoor tables. all very casual resort style.
We made ourselves comfortable in the shade, waiting for our lunch to be delivered and were entertained by a watching a large lizard roaming around.
Ollie watched from the safety of Didi’s arms.
Our lovely lunch came – nice salads, sandwiches and fish & chips. Ollie liked his kids serve contained in a pirate ship!
Good to look at!
After lunch along came a wallaby! So much entertainment.
Standing up for a better view!
Following the wallaby show we played in the sand and the shallows until time to go.
El and I walked along the path to find the camping ground. It’s really lovely. There’s a few tent structures for hire if you don’t want to bring your own. lots of bbqs , picnic table and access to the beach. We decided we’d like to come here to stay.
Back on board the breeze had dropped and we cruised back via Couran Cove. There are some great looking houses. Again we decided it would be good to rent a house when we want a family getaway.
We cruised around the canals of the Coomera area. Then back to the boat ramp.
Ollie was having a great time and loved running up and down the ramp! With me in hot pursuit.
He wore himself out and slept on the way home.
Why not consider a Queensland holiday? Right in our own backyard we have a wealth of great beaches, rivers parks. Plan a visit soon. You’ll love it.
This year has been so hard with covid. Restrictions, closed borders, no live shows, restaurants and businesses closed.
Living in Queensland has been better than most states. We’ve had very few local covid infections. We’ve been lucky.
Now we are able to move around between states and things are opening up.
These past 12 days in Adelaide have been a return to live music, concerts. A Festival – probably the first in the world to go ahead.
Today Tuesday was our last day. I had one last long walk. Beautiful homes and gardens.
A favourite is in Avenue St. The house is beautiful. Not overly big or grand but just lovely. Pale sandstone, bricks, little Juliette style verandah, a sunken pond, a gazebo and best of all – a fairy garden.
Then, a new coffee shop. There are lots of great little coffee shops nearby. But today we visited a beautiful one in Norwood. Along with a bookshop.
I had to visit what is probably the best – certainly the biggest bookshop in Adelaide. Dillons Bookshop in Norwood is amazing. Don’t miss it. Norwood is a great area for shopping. The Parade is the High St shopping area with lots of great shops and beautiful buildings.
In the afternoon we head up to the Adelaide Hills to visit niece Vashti, Jeremy and their four children. They have a small farm with chickens, alpacas, dogs and a dam. The children had gone blackberry gathering so we had them along with champagne and little sausage rolls Marg made. They are really nut, oat, feta rolls and so delicious.
We sat around the fire pit – but the weather was so nice. No fire needed.
Our last night we went to our last Fringe show. But before it we had dinner at a very popular Afghan restaurant called Pawana. You may have heard about it. Run by a couple who migrated here in 1987. Please click on the link and read about the family and the restaurant.
Read the story. They welcome you to the restaurant like into their home.
The owners of the restaurant receiving an award from the Afghani Ambassador.
We had a beautiful meal – delicious dumplings and an eggplant dish so delicious I could eat it every night.
The cook book from the restaurant
Following dinner we moved onto the Grace Emily Hotel. It has seen better days, is a little moth eaten but is a small hotel full of charm.
An eccentric little nativity scene! I think! Look closely.
We saw The Ukulele Death Squad. Mmmm some very strange named Fringe shows. We thought it would be more of a ukulele band but it was two ukuleles and three other singers. They sang Nick Cave songs. Quite well actually and we enjoyed it.
So my ten days in Adelaide is over. It’s been great.
I recommend a visit to the Adelaide Festival. Writers Week. The Fringe, Womad. Take it all in.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my week at the Writer’s Festival. The line up, the talks, the books and the magnificent setting.
So low key – set under the trees in Pioneer Women’s Memorial Gardens. How lucky I’ve been.
In these days if covid there have been so few activities to go to. I think we’re a bit over being inside, being on zoom, seeing things on line.
Now is the time to attend things. Get out and support the arts. In covid safe ways……. we can attend. And I’m making the most of it.
Vashti, Marg Steve and three year old Florence went to a session on our relationship with China.
Former Australian Ambassador to China Geoff Raby explores China’s newly assertive place in the world and the implications for Australia in his new book, China’s Grand Strategy and Australia’s Future in the New Global Order. He is joined by Chongyi Feng ( an academic in China studies) to discuss what – if anything – can be done to repair this critical geopolitical and economic relationship.
A very interesting discussion. They agreed on some points. They disagreed on others. Our relationship with China has deteriorated and we have to somehow restore it.
We made our way up to Rundle Mall making a stop at Haigh Chocolate shop. An institution in Adelaide Steve popped in for a purchase and we admired the Easter window.
Further along the Mall , past the buskers we went up to the Fringe installation- The Plastic Shop. Celebrating the last of the single use plastic bags
All kinds of buskers
The Plastic Shop is set up like a mini supermarket and everything is made out of plastic!
All covid safe we entered and three year old Florence was intrigued!
Read some of captions on the plastic magazines.
A walk down the hill past Adelaide University, a stop at a Vietnamese bakery and home in time for the other children to arrive from school.
Then it was out for an early dinner at a little Italian restaurant before a big band concert.
We drove through Norwood a lovely suburb with wide streets, lots of roundabouts, beautiful big houses and a great street sculpture.
By day and by night. A story lights up in the sculpture.
The Norwood Hotel is a beautiful old pub and has a room where lots of Fringe activities take place.
The K&N brass band originally formed in 1898. They have played at Australian band championships and won medals. So they are good!
They played the music from ‘Brassed Off ‘the movie. A narrator gave an outline of the story before each piece.
What a great night!
On the way home we stopped at the street sculpture to read the story – about an Italian woman who lived in the Norwood area during WW2 and about her family growing up there.
Notice the story in coloured writing.
Back home we decided to finish off the night by re watching the Brassed Off movie!
I walked a different way to the bus stop today. That’s what I love about visiting a new city. Discovering.
I walked the leafy streets of Highgate towards Unley. The houses are a style so different to the timber houses of Brisbane. They are stone, solid, traditional.
The gardens are lovely though dry. The grass out front only green when lovingly tended & watered. Front fences are a mixture of brush, picket and stone. Except for my sister in law who has created a very Australian style using corrugated iron.
I walked along Unley past Waldorf College where my niece Vashti teaches instrumental work.
This is the city of churches and in a few blocks I passed several.
Some beautiful Memorial gates.
I arrived at the Writers Festival marvelling at the glorious weather. I sat under the trees listening to Sigrid Nynez.
She wrote What are You Going Through ? A book about a woman who helps her friend prepare for death after a cancer diagnosis. Not an easy topic but obviously written with feeling.
Next up was Australian Steven Conte. Author of The Zookeepers Wife – which was also made into a movie but today he spoke about The Tolstoy Estate his book set in 1941 in Russia.
I caught the bus home and got ready for a 6pm start of the Opera Midsummers Nights Dream. Shakespeare set to music by Benjamin Britten.
Directed by Neil Armfield a wonderful Australian director we knew this would be different.
The costumes were wonderful as was the staging. I thought the first two acts were way too long ! The individual singers were great but the music by Britten was not tuneful enough for me.
The theatre was great. Big foyer and everyone had to wear masks from the moment you set foot inside.
This included during the performance. You could only remove it to sip a drink.
The pace of Writer’s Week starts to catch up ! A slightly slower morning before heading off to hear a few more writers.
What a line up. And the crowds continued to arrive. The weather is still beautiful. A little windy but sunny and no humidity. Such a treat for a Queenslander.
Statue honouring the Vietnamese boat people
We parking near the river and walked back to the park. We found seats in a dappled shade area and enjoyed listening to Irishman, Colum McCann streamed from NY. His novel Apeirogon is about ……An Israeli, against the Occupation. A Palestinian, studying the Holocaust.” United by the devastation of losing a daughter to political violence, Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan together tell their daughters’ stories over and over, to anyone that will listen, in an attempt to bring a peaceful resolution to the endless conflict.
I love listening to the Irish lilt. They know how to tell a story. So this one will be added to my ever growing list.
Then it was time for Christopher Pyne. A local, people love listening to him no matter what side of the political fence you sit.
He’s a very funny man with a deep knowledge of politics and a wit to tell the stories. I’m enjoying his book The Insider. The Scoops, the Scandals and the Serious Business within the Canberra Bubble,
Christopher looking dapper
Interviewed by Sally Warhuft, she seemed more interested in talking about the present dreadful happenings in Canberra. He commented but was keen to talk more about Canberra and its workings and the personalities.
I must say he’s a very entertaining speaker. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
We decided that was enough and walked a block up the hill to the Art Gallery. The Clarice Beckett exhibition is on at this lovely gallery and I was keen to visit.
It’s a large exhibition 130 paintings and beautifully curated. Her work has a mystical look and is divided into time periods of the day.
Daylight-the beach. Painted around the Sandringham, Beaumaris beach areas of Melbourne, they capture the misty early morning beautifully.
Her water reflections and wet sand is a feature.
The exhibition moved through Sunsets, Moonlight, Nocturne and Lights
She had some solo exhibitions in her lifetime but didn’t sell much. She didn’t travel overseas but studied with Max Meldrum in Melbourne who himself had his critics.
It was until many after her early death at 48 that her paintings were discovered. Read in……
A great reduce indeed.
A beautiful exhibition.
I left via the fun room for kids activities.
Home via the shops on Fullerton Rd. I’m cooking dinner tonight as we’re taking the night off.
I’m doing the vegetarian dish made popular on tic tok! Not that I’m on tic tok ! I found it on Instagram.
It’s lots of little tomatoes, a red onion, garlic, a block of feta, pepper, roasted for 40min in a hot oven. When roasted mix in pasta – bows or shells. Add lots of fresh basil and mix up. The cheese melts and softens through. Top with Parmesan and have with crunchy bread and a glass of wine. Delicious.
Today Marg came with me to the Writer’s festival. Over the years she has been many times and has given me all the tips for a good visit.
We walked down past Government House and the Memorial walk.
A beautiful Government House right in the city.
It’s surprising how busy it still is – for a Monday. But book lovers are passionate lot! I love observing the crowd at festivals and events like this. Definitely there are people of a certain age! Comfortable walking shoes, pants, hats, little backpacks. I cut a different figure. Each day I’ve worn a dress! With sandals. The weather has been beautiful so I’m taking advantage of no Queensland humidity.
We arrived in time for coffee and to find a shaded seat for our first session. Robert Dessaix’s new book is for those pondering how to age well, The Time of Our Lives: Growing Older Well. He claims that we need a rich inner life is key to both
Robert is of an age where he doesn’t care about what people think about him. So he says what he thinks!
Think about friendships
Loneliness is the worst thing about aging.
Be animated. Invigorated. 120% alive.
Develop an inner life.
Love English, Music, concerts, read
At the end of the day it’s not about what you achieved it’s ….were you happy.
All good advice for those of us lucky enough to be living a long life. Chaired by the very funny Chris Flynn, an Irish Australian.
After the session we met up with Margs friend from her early school days. She met Jane when she was 9 and had arrived in London. Then again at 14 in Canberra. They have been friends ever since.
After our long chat I listened to Debra Adelaide and Tegan Bennett Daylight. They talked about their love of reading. How they became readers. What they liked to read and ultimately how they became writers. But it all starts with books and reading.
When I worked as a teacher Librarian I often said to the children – you’ll never be lonely with a good book.
Next up
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. She wrote….The Mountains Sing is the epic, multigenerational tale of the Tran family, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Spanning the French colonial period to the present day, it follows the lives of matriarch Diệu Lan and her granddaughter Huang.
I haven’t read it yet. But it’s high on my list. She’s a beautiful funny intelligent Vietnamese woman. With a huge talent.
I moved across to the East stage for Craig Silvey. He has written the most moving book – Honeybee. He spoke so well about this book and it’s character Sam Watson, a young trans boy. It has such insight and sensitivity. A must read.
By now I’m ready for a change. So it was off to the Wheatsheaf hotel for some jazz.
The hotel is old, with many rooms where friends gather for a drink. A food truck – tonight a taco van was outside and people were tucking into the delicious smelling tacos and retried beans dishes.
One of the art works on the hotel wall.
Steve arrived from Brisbane, Marg brought Soraya, my niece’s 13 year old and we gathered in the courtyard at the back for the Alex Moss big band. A Fringe Festival act.
It just happens my niece, a freelance musician is also in this band. Her main instrument is bass sax but she also plays clarinet and flute. Lots of talent.
I only blog when I travel and as there hasn’t been much travel in the past year I haven’t written much.
So here we go readers.
Today I fly to Adelaide to stay once again with my sister in law Marg. She has a lovely house in Fullerton and makes us very welcome. So welcome in fact, that when we went there for Steve’s birthday in October we invited ourselves down for the Festivals!
There is so much on its hard to know where to start.
The Adelaide Festival has lots of music , theatre, dance. The usual line up of overseas artists will not be there. But there will be lots of wonderful Australian talent.
The Fringe Festival goes for a month and features a huge variety of talent. Have a little read below.
Then there’s the Writers Festival. Being a keen reader I’m looking forward to seeing and listening to this line up. Go to the link to see the day line up.
I recently read Honeybee by Craig Silvey. A terrific moving read.
Trent Dalton has been a favourite of mine as a feature writer for years. His All Our Shimmering Skies follows his very successful Boy Swallows Universe.
Kate Grenville’s A Room made of Leaves, I loved. And Meg Mason’s Sorrow & Bliss was very good. A mixture of sadness at the mental health of the main character and the wit that linked the characters.
I’ve only named a few here but I’m very excited to be going. We thought we’d be at the Edinburgh Festival last year but that was off. This is going to be just as much a treat.
We farewelled Bargara with a small hiccup and a run in with the Police.
But in the nicest possible way.
Another sunny day and I didn’t want to miss out on a swim. The little lagoon was chilly at 7.30! But in we went and loved it. So good on my still swollen knee.
After breakfast and pack up we headed to The Journey coffee shop. I was all a fluster. I couldn’t find my credit card. I keep it in a pocket on the back of my phone and it was missing. I searched in the car and my purse and from the coffee shop rang last nights restaurant & then Carmel asking her to search the unit. No luck.
So off went went deciding not to panic.
We drive in convoy to Tinaberries.
A lovely strawberry farm.
As we arrived Steve received a phone call from Rob at Bargara Police Station. My card had been found in the street just near The Journey coffee shop. I must have had it in my lap and dropped it. We would have to go back in Bargara to collect it. After our ice cream.
The strawberry farm encourages picking your own. We didn’t.
But we did buy their delicious ice cream and sat in the gorgeous garden. And had a brain wave. I rang Policeman Rob at the station and said could they cut up the card to save us returning and I’d just get a new one. He said he couldn’t do that as he’d done the paper work!
So he’d send a police car out to deliver it. He knew where we were ! I didn’t want to inconvenience them so said we would return but he insisted he send a car out.
15 mins later, Poiceman Rick arrived with the lost card. I signed and presented him with a box of strawberries as a thank you. He was delighted. I hope it’s not seen as a bribe.
What service.
Drama over. Lucky me.
We got to stay with the group and head off for Gin Gin & onto Goomeri for lunch.
The Bakery in Goomeri is famous. A local lady decided to go to Paris to learn all about baking. She learned how to do it so well when she returned to Australia she opened a bakery in her home town. It’s a huge success.
The pies , sausage rolls, pastries , cakes etc etc are world class. I had a delicious savoury pastry with tomato , basil and cheese.
Decision time in the Goomeri Bakery.
From Goomeri we made our way past the Everything shop in Wondai to Kingaroy. This shop is amazing. So much junk!
We’re staying at Room Motel. New, stylish , comfortable and all prefab. Great idea.
Now for champagne and a little mahjong game with the girls before dinner.
Our unit overlooks the water and it’s sparkling this morning. The early birds, Kath and Pam were up with the sun and captured a beautiful sunrise as they walked the headland making me a little jealous.
They also had a swim in the lagoon just around the headland near us. They thought it was a little cold but when they spoke to an 85 year old lady who swam there everyday of the year they didn’t complain!
Within any travel group there are a variety of ‘paces’. Some are up early walking and finding the best coffee places using an app called Bean! Others meandering later after a short walk and then there’s the injured who don’t get up and sieze the early start. Steve and I fall into this category at the moment. With my new knee I’m not walking too far , Steve has an ankle injury, so we both get up and do our exercises!
Tomorrow I’m swimming!
After breakfast on the verandah we all met at the best coffee place. The Journey. These places are always down lanes – not the big corner spot with chairs and views.
They are run by friendly but somewhat trendy young tattooed people who sometimes curl their lips disapprovingly if you ask for coffee extra hot! Something about burning the beans.
Fortunately these young people didn’t curl lips except to smile.
Great coffee.
Every t spoon carried a message. Mine: Conquer from within.
Following coffee our group of 14 split. Some to Mon Repos turtle centre, some to wander the main streets of Bundaberg and most of the men went to explore the Hinkler Museum.
I went to the turtle centre with Jill. It’s housed in a beautiful timber building behind the beach at Mon Repos. It’s well set up and has a good selection of interactive activities to discover things about turtles.
Great for children. There is a theatre for the short film and then a ranger gives more information about turtles, their nesting & hatching and answers questions.
Photos courtesy of Jill Wilson
You can walk out onto the beach, where during the nesting and hatching seasons you can visit at night to watch closely in the dark as these ancient looking animals start laying eggs.
Only thing missing was being able to see turtles! I realise they don’t keep them in captivity but it made the experience a bit underwhelming.
Next stop was the Patchwork House. No, I haven’t taken up quilting but several of the girls are very keen. It was a big house with so many beautiful fabrics. It was was almost enough to make me take up this craft. But I resisted!
After so many patchwork decisions it was time to eat lunch. ‘Indulge’, a little cafe / restaurant in Bundaberg had come recommended, so the girls headed there and got tables under the trees in the middle section of the road. It was cool and due to covid seating restrictions not crowded.
The boys collect for lunch
The lunch was delicious and served by the most gorgeous Belgium girl who came to Australia on a working holiday and married the owner of the restaurant.
Next stop, with lots of excitement was the Bundaberg Rum Distillery. What a slick operation it is. We’ll set out with an informative museum , film and tour of the distillery.
About 50% of rum drunk in Australia is consumed in Qld. We love our dark & stormy ( rum with ginger beer )
Mark, Helen, Pam & Susie
Our tour with Adam included two tastings. They loosened us up. And prepared us for the next stop.
The KALKI Moon Gin Distillery where it turns out the owner of the distillery worked at the rum distillery for many years – so as well as making gin he makes rum – but it takes much longer so meanwhile the gin business is growing.
◦ We learned the secrets of gin making and then got into tastings. Very delicious gins. I like mine with soda and lime. I bought Steve their signature Old Navy Gin at 57% alcohol. That will knock his Fathers Day socks off!
Assorted gins in the Kalkimoon range.
The couple who run the gin distillery were so helpful. They had been closed for tours due to covid but were able accomodate our group of 14 after hours.
We were nicely warmed up for dinner at Kelly’s restaurant back in Bargara. A lovely meal, a glass of wine & great company finished off a fun day on tour.
frans travel tales 