Brisbane, Australia

Fiona "kicking it with some friends" in Australia.
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We decided to take the train up to Brisbane (where we are staying with my school friends at their ranch of 256 acres of bush). It is a 13 hour journey through the countryside, and along the coast. We paid for upgrades and booked first class seats during the day (there was an overnight option). We got up from our hostel in Sydney city centre and dragged our six suitcases and three backpacks and two laptop bags across to the train station to board at the crack of double dawn. Yahoo! We were off.

Lynne feeding one of the many kangeroos in this park - it was so soft.
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After about an hour and a half we stop. There is a chemical spill on the track further up the line, and now we are going to be bussed up to Brisbane. We wait an hour for a coach to arrive and then spend what seems like days on a coach which is completely packed and travels only on the highway, (not much scenery) up to a place called Casino (which doesn't have a casino by the way). Whereupon there was a slight mix up and the busses to take us up to Brisbane had been sent to another town to meet us and we were looking at a three hour wait (it’s now been 12 hours) before we could be picked up. We talk to Maggie, pumping coins into the phone because it doesn't take credit cards and our cell doesn't work in Australia, and arrange for the coach to drop us off in a place called Beenleigh where they will pick us up. (Can you tell how tired I’m getting?)

Never take the Sydney-Brisbane Train - it doesn't exist!

John tickling this kangeroo.
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Unfortunately, we have Sydney drivers on these coaches, so they don't know all the little towns they now have to travel through and drop off at between Casino and Brisbane, so a 40 minute journey took three hours! That's okay though because when we got to Mike and Maggie's in Rathdowney we sat up all night through several bottles of wine catching up until the sun came up the next morning!

Saturday was Mike's 55th birthday and we had a family barbecue and met the locals, more wine........

This doesn't do it justice - but check out the colors in this sand dune/rock.
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On Sunday, slightly hung over, we attended my Goddaughter's daughter's christening which was wonderful. The baby's name is Tahleah Charlotte Heather White. My Goddaughter's name is Charlotte and is Maggie's daughter. So this was her granddaughter's christening and a big family affair. It was also an opportunity for Fiona to mix with children her own age, which she loved.

Tuesday came (we took Monday off) and as Mike was a member of the parliament here for four years and he took us into Brisbane and showed us all the parliamentary buildings and we sorted our flights out. Needless to say, John and Fiona and I have talked a lot of politics since we have been here. It is interesting to get an Australian's perspective on America's political system, especially after several glasses of wine.

Our hosts: Maggie and Mike Flynn and Maggie's mum Ann Wallis.
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While we have been here, we have also decided not to go to Cairns (Great Barrier Reef) mainly because there would not be enough time there for John to dive and us to fly (there has to be 24 hour gap between the bottom of the ocean and the sky). So Maggie and Mike are taking us up to Fraser Island which is an island of sand sustaining a rainforest, and apparently tremendously beautiful. It does take a couple of days to get up and back because it’s a fair way from here, but should be fun.

Kookabura on Fraser Island.
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We were at a rainforest yesterday and Fiona was covered in parrots (see pictures). We also went on a bush walk around Maggie's property the other day, which was Fiona's biology lesson for the day. I had no idea there were so many different versions of gum tree. We have seen wallabies and kangaroos running free on the property, it’s pretty cool. Weather is okay, not as hot as we hoped, but we are still in shorts and t-shirts or pants and t-shirts, no coats or jackets.

We managed to convince Maggie and Mike to stay in a Youth Hostel in Noosa Heads so we can stay over at Fraser Island. They were hesitant until we got there – it was a heritage building, built at the turn of the century. Their room even had a double bed! The hostel itself also had a bar and restaurant, very upscale.

Parking in Australia
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Fraser Island itself was great. The drive up was quite long and having done 90 mile beach in New Zealand, driving on the beach at Fraser was not as exciting for us.

Having said that, Fraser island is a place of exceptional beauty, with its long uninterrupted white beaches flanked by strikingly colored sand cliffs, and over 100 freshwater lakes, some tea-colored and others clear and blue all ringed by white sandy beaches. Ancient tall rainforests are found growing on sand dunes at elevations of over 200 meters. I have added some pictures of the rainforest and also the colored cliffs, but you really should see them. Apparently, the sand blows and cliffs of colored sands are part of the longest and most complete age sequence of coastal dune systems in the world and they are still evolving

A Paddy Mellon which looks something like a kangeroo but is much smaller.
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We swam in Lake Mc Kenzie, which, because it is so pure, supports almost no wildlife. Because the ph balance is off, you feel like you have been swimming in skin conditioner, and your skin feels so soft. It also cleans jewelry so that it sparkles like new. This lake is perched high in a sand dune it is 100 meters above sea level. All too short a time at this lake, we would love to come back and perhaps stay on Fraser next time.

We will be leaving on Wednesday next week to go to Darwin via Cairns and get back on schedule. We are learning that we crammed too much in for Australia - it’s a big country and needs much more time. I have to add photos now, so I'll sign off.

Tahleah's christening. This is the first child of my God daughter, Charlotte, and her husband Jamie. It was a privilege to be at her christening. Fiona was even allowed to put water on the baby's head.
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………………Lynne

P.S. For all of you wondering, yes, Fiona is writing her five sentences every day, but she's doing a PowerPoint. When we can work out how to add that, we will.