Home Our Trip Queensland 44-Brisbane and Gold Coast
44-Brisbane and Gold Coast

8th January 2009.

Finally arrived in Brisbane and it's by far the largest city on our travels so far. Unfortunately, we've arrived in the peak Xmas school holidays period and everything is packed, booked to capacity and expensive. Caravan sites at $48.00 per night, wow, most expensive so far on our travels

Brisbane:

Like most capital cities, Brisbane has much to offer every traveler and tourist and can accommodate most tastes. The highlights for us were the views from the top of Mount Coot-Tha, the park at South Bank, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Mount Tamborine. South Bank is definitely worth a visit and they have done an excellent job of creating this fun precinct alongside the Brisbane River. The swimming pools even have sandy beaches.

 

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary:

It was the first and is now the largest koala sanctuary in the world with over 130 koalas. It also houses over 80 other species and was an enjoyable day out. 

Mount Tamborine:

Situated some 80kms south of Brisbane, Mount Tamborine is the oldest National Park in Queensland and the third oldest in the world. Driving up, you enter a completely different world with it's precious rainforest, eucalypt forest and the waterfalls. It's just such a totally different environment to the surrounding countryside and there are loads of nice relaxing bush walks to do. It's also renowned for hang gliding but unfortunately there weren't any there on the day we visited. The views from the top, both inland and to The Gold Coast are awesome

The Gold Coast:

15/01/09
The Gold Coast is Australia's leading tourist destination with all it's beaches and theme parks etc and would have to be every holiday makers dream come true. There is just so much to see and do that you could spend months there and not see everything. You would also need deep pockets though, as it's not cheap. There are miles and miles of beautiful beaches and high rise hotels and apartments. In fact QDeck is the World's Tallest Residential tower with uninterrupted 360 degree views for as far as the eye can see. At 322.5 metres, it's taller than the Eiffel Tower. We had already planned what we wanted to see and do and just got on with it.
Saw this awesome 57 Chevy with a matching caravan in our park, so had to take some pics and have a chat with the owner. He custom built the caravan to the period and to match the Chevy and as you can see, it's a job well done.

 

Theme Parks:

Every sort of ride and attraction you can imagine awaits the thrill seekers in the various theme parks and we had already selected the few things we wanted to see, the Stunt Drivers at Movie World and a few of the attractions at Sea World and we weren't disappointed. The Stunt Drivers put on an awesome show and their driving skills in such confined spaces were amazing. The dolphin show at Sea World was awesome along with the nostalgic ski performance. I also the a helicopter flight from here to film the Gold Coast from the air.

 

Byron Bay:

We then ventured about an hour south down into New South Wales to Byron Bay, Australia's most easterly town. The lighthouse perched on top of the rugged cliffs provides amazing 360 degree views, especially the awesome bay to the south.

 

Natural Bridge:

This was a real surprise. We didn't see it any brochures or maps, a fellow traveler told us about it, so we headed inland to Springbrook National Park and the drive was awesome. Pretty flat until you reach the mountain range then it's a steep climb up the winding road into some amazing and picturesque hills and valleys. The trip was as good as the destination. Natural Bridge has a small waterfall that flows down through a hole in the rock and at first sight wasn't that exciting. We then continued down the boardwalk to the river below and then saw the bridge over the river naturally formed by erosion from the water flow. You then walk under the bridge into a huge cave and there it is, the water fall from above flowing down through the cavern above. Really different to any other falls we've seen so far and worth the trip inland.

Matt James:

17/01/09
Heard some awesome outback Aussie music about a year ago and decided there and then, "that's the background music I want for our DVDs", so I contacted Matt James and Jan, his manager and a deal was done. Nearly a year later, we're heading off to Carrara Markets to finally meet Matt for the first time and see him playing live. Absolutely awesome, what more can I say. How anyone can play 4 didgeridoos, guitar, drums, kick drum, keyboard and flute seamlessly on each and every track is beyond me and he certainly drew the crowds in. You think Windows can multi-task, you gotta see Matt in action. Audiences from all around the world get inspired and enthralled by his rich tribal grooves which will definitely move your body and your soul. Visit his web site for more info on his music and CDs.

Life On The Road:

Leaving Queensland and heading south into NSW and we're really looking forward to escaping the holiday crowds and sea side resorts and getting back to a quieter more relaxed way of life. Don't get me wrong, we have really enjoyed Queensland, but we arrived in southern QLD at the wrong time of year, the long Xmas school holidays when everything was packed and all the prices were at a premium.

I must agree with other travelers we've met on our travels, QLD roads are the worst we've come across so far as they're not in a very good condition, they're too narrow, with overtaking lanes very few and far between and consequently, way too busy. Sections of The Barkly, Bruce and Kennedy Highways should be classed as secondary roads, not main Highways. 

A big bonus was, it's the cheapest diesel we've come across so far on our travels due to the 6 cents per litre government subsidy :)
We've been fortunate with the weather over the past month as it's been overcast and cloudy with the occasional bit of rain and it has kept the temperatures comfortable.

Marlene's really been hanging out to visit all the bakeries and grab some cream cakes, but has been doing very well in resisting the temptations to help keep the cholesterol levels down and the healthy life up.
 
Back to the top