March 25: Hervey Bay is not really a town as much as a cojoining of 3 burroughs. The main drag is a street that runs 10 km along the ocean. The ocean side of the street is all parkland while the other side is filled with hotels, backpacker units, restaurants and shops. It seems to be safe to swim without stinger suits here because we didn't see one in two days and there were many people in the water. We learned our lessons well however and spent time in the camp pool instead of the ocean.
Hervey Bay is also known as the gateway to Fraser Island where you find white sand, dense forests and humpback whale watching (May - Nov). A nine year old boy was killed by dingo's on the island a couple of years ago. Wildlife experts feel it was either because people are feeding them or threatening their habitat. Although we had heard from various sources that this was a "must see", we decided that our experience sailing to truly secluded bays and islands in The Whitsundays would suffice.
I have told you about some of the wildlife we have encountered while travelling in Australia however in Hervey Bay we had another new experience. Following a downpour, we saw wee frogs the size of houseflies, hopping all over the pavement. Everyone was attempting to avoid them because they were so cute. We also saw the night sky filled with fruit bats! Now, we know about bats because we see them all the time; some in Toronto and many at the marina....HOWEVER....nothing like these bats. I swear they had 10 foot wing spans.....yes, I'm back to normal. Thought you'd missed my exaggerations so hellooooooo, I'm getting ready to return home........ Seriously though, these were huge beasts and they hung around, quite visible in the daylight hours.
A newspaper article today mentioned that Matthew McConaghey and Kate Hudson have been filming on Fraser Island however in-water shooting is being moved to another island due to the Kurandji (deadly jellyfish) being spotted in the water. This is the first time they have been spotted this far south.
March 27: Noosa Heads
Now here is a town where we'd all love to have purchased real estate 20 years ago! It is where surfers mix with the insanely wealthy and they actually seem to get along. The homes are spectacular and the surfing fulfills the dreams of the truly rabid surfers.
Photo's: Surfers on Noosa Main Beach (too bad about the sewage pipes!.....KIDDING!!!); Noosa Heads from the lookout; Treats brought directly to you on the beach
We had lunch at a lovely tiny Asian restaurant called 'Black Bamboo'. The owner, Chris is originally from Melbourne. She, her husband and three children moved to Noosa 11 years ago with the intention of retiring. Her husband is building homes around the area and she is running the restaurant. They built their home on Sunshine Beach and next to the National Park that you can see above the beach in the first photo.
The restaurant was quiet that day and we were delighted to have her regale us with stories of life in Noosa (lonely due to the transient nature of the town) and the wildlife she has encountered here. She said that no one warned her about the creatures she would see and in all her years in the Melbourne area, had never even seen a snake. Their home has many water features and one day she arrived home to find a 7 metre python in the swimming pool. They currently have a Taipan (deadly!) in one of their fountains. Their son has many parrots in a huge cage in his wing of the house and one night, came home with his girlfriend to find (in the dark), his parrots screeching. He put his hand into the cage to calm them down but they pecked at him. His girlfriend turned on the light and found a python 1/3 into the cage, attempting to make a meal out of the birds. He got a pillowcase, picked up the python and released it into the park. The vet said that if they had been any later, any parrots that didn't get eaten would definitely have died of shock. I was dying just hearing the story! Chris told us that she loves the place and leaves doors and windows open all night.... however, she DOES check under the sheets before getting into bed each night.
March 29: We drove along the coast beside beautiful surf and gorgeous homes until around 50 km north of Brisbane, we took a detour and visited the Steve Irwin, Australia Zoo. We didn't know what to expect and must say that it is a perfect example of what a wildlife centre should be. It was emotional and spooky to see some of Steve and Terri's clips and out-takes on the huge screen in the educational area. The handlers they hire are very involved in their work, always hands-on and you know that they are high calibre people with a deep love of nature and preservation of the planet and the creatures that live here. There is a message in every demonstration with an emphasis on what we can do to help protect the planet; much of it directed at the children....a great place to start.
Following are some examples of the beautiful wildlife and the habitat we saw there. The grounds are immaculate and the pens
We are now in Brisbane! What a fabulous city!!!
Our camp is outside the city and we took public transit into the downtown core. A city of 1.5 million people, it is sophisticated enough however has a small town friendliness.
The transit system is superb and has a completely separate mini-highway running beside the main highway, devoted strictly for buses. They will never get caught in traffic as ours do! Our ticket cost $6.30 and we can travel all day on ferries, trains, by bus and even on the city catamaran. What a deal!!!
That's it for now folks! Catch you later!!
Love,
Sharon
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