looking at Queensland from above

The photos below were taken on the second last night in Australia. We went to the top of Q1 - the world's tallest residential building, in Surfer's Paradise. One is of Chevron Island where I lived for most of the year. The other is looking north towards the Spit and Sunshine Coast...




So, I can't believe I haven't finished the last post for my time in Australia. Guess I've been preoccupied with other things. I must say that the last few weeks in the Gold Coast were emotionally exhaustive at times, but all together absolutely lovely. Everyone was so great, which made it hard to leave.

I had such an amazing time down under, especially the last half of the year. I'll never forget it. It's definitely changed me in many ways...

Last Straddie Trip

We surfed the weekend away the last time I went to Straddie. It was so much fun but I kept thinking about how sharkie it is out there. We weren't alone in the surf but still, you don't want a tiger shark taking a bite out of your leg. But David grew up surfing here and I had to trust him. Getting attacked by a shark is like crashing in a plane. It happens so rarely so its useless to worry.



Dave's parents live in Amity Point. No shit. I had to take a photo with the sign to prove it.



Just a few photos from the beach at Point Lookout. The tide was out and we were standing on little rock pools.



I love this photo of Dave even though he hates it. Its very Straddie and he looks all bushy and happy.

Miami Beach, Gold Coast

So, I lived with David for the last couple of months in Australia and it was just lovely. We had the best time sharing the pad. He lives in a little beach house with his sister Kate and her gf Lisa, that's just three houses from the beach. We woke up in the mornings for a swim before work and after work. At night as I was falling asleep I was lulled by the sound of the waves and sometimes woken up by the crashing tide. One morning I took a few pics of the neighbourhood so I could remember how much I loved living here, and so you could see a reason that I loved living here.



This is the hill at North Burleigh. As a workout, some mornings I would climb up the stairs and run down the hill on the other side and then sprint back up the hill and run down the stairs. Nice views for a workout...



This is the view from the hill south towards Burleigh Heads - a popular surf spot and where I got my tattoo.



Another view from the hill. That's the Shark Bar (the local pub) where the umbrellas are at the bottom of the hill. In the distance, you can see the mountain range that is basically Springbrook National Park. The big ridge to the right is where the 'Best of All Lookouts' sits. And the peak in the middle is Mt. Warning which we climbed before Christmas. I've posted photos in this blog. Its just stunning. You almost forget when you're surrounded by it everyday. In this respect, Gold Coasters are lucky... that and the surf...



This is Miami Beach. I swam here nearly everyday. Sometimes twice a day. Sometimes three times a day. David taught me to surf here. I'll never forget it, as well as a few night swims...

Big Day Out 2007

Dave and I waiting for Kasabian.

Earlier that morning, Dave and I were invited to Sean's house for breakfast. He lives just down the street from the grounds so we walked over around noon. There weren't that many bands we wanted to see early in the day so we lined up for beer tickets and wandered around checking things out. We found everyone and caught a few songs of a few shows... Little Birdy (who was surprisingly great), Sleepy Jackson (who were not), The Herd (who were fun but the sound was terrible) and a few local bands. I went off and caught Peaches and Herm with Lisa and then we all headed to Kasabian.



Anna, Heidi and Ben waiting for Kasabian.

Big Day Out 2007 - afternoon

This is where we regrouped and relaxed. It was so hot out... January 21st...



A view from the hillside at the Gold Coast Big Day Out. The Killers are on the orange stage.



The Killers



Kasabian kicked ass. We got up pretty close and they sounded really good. The crowd was screaming their heads off to the songs.

Big Day Out 2007 - end of the night

Muse was amazing. We weren't super close up but we could see, it sounded amazing and we danced and danced and danced. Thought this was a cool photo.



At the final climax of Muse, this giant hand sculpture shot off 20ft flames. We were so close to it and it was really hot. But it surprised everyone and there was a huge roar from the crowd.



After losing the group and watching a bit of Tool, we headed for Violent Femmes which I had been waiting to see since I was about 15. I had heard mixed reviews about their live show but I was not disappointed. The crowd was completely ecstactic singing and dancing along together. I read a review later that said the frame of mind of the entire crowd seemed to be a collective consciousness - we were all having the best time and just so happy to be seeing and singing along with The Femmes.

It was a fantastic day that went by way to fast.

springbrook trip

So, Dave and I decided to get away from the coast and headed up to Springbrook National Park. It was the best idea. This is the view from 'The Best of All Lookouts' and it seriously was. You can see Mt. Warning at the right side of the photo. Geologically, this area was a the largest volcano on this side of the world millions of years ago. It has eroded over time to leave a beautiful mountainous rainforest very close to the ocean. Mt. Warning was the centre of the volcano and Springbrook was the outer rim. The hikes we took were at the top and bottom of the rim which left these gorgeous views and waterfalls.



Dave at the lookout. You can see the coast on the horizon.



Me on the hike back from the lookout. It was quite cool in the rainforest. We saw so many blue tongued lizards.

springbrook trip 2

We were completely procrastinating when getting ready to leave on this trip so we just decided instead of bringing food we'd just get some fish and chips for dinner and in the morning have a small breakfast. Big mistake. After looking around for a bit we were getting quite hungry only to find out the pub and the corner store/diner had closed at 5pm and we were out of luck. We asked some locals where to get a feed and this woman invited us back to her house for lasagne. We decided that was out and to look for this winery we'd seen a sign for. Perhaps there would be a restaurant there. Instead, we came across an English Manor with an open kitchen. Turning up the drive was like entering another country. We could've been in the Engligh countryside with its perfectly manicured lawns, ducks swimming in the little pond, croquet set up, tennis courts, archery field and the big beautiful house at the end. Dave and I ended up the only patrons in the most beautiful little sitting room/restaurant/pub. The owner sat with us while we drank our pints and told us the history of the place. We had the best meal and then headed back to a picnic area to camp out in the truck for the night.



I look a bit tired in this photo but it was probably about 8:30pm. It was pitch black and we had come completely unprepared without matches or a lighter. The best we had was a little headlamp that was getting weak. Dave finally found three lone matches in his glove box after many attempts to light our candles with the cigarette lighter in the truck. Its pretty cozy sleeping in the truck, despite how cold it was outside.

springbrook trip 3

This is my favourite picture of David and myself. We had so much fun together on this trip. This was taken at the beginning of the hike on the Twin Falls Trail. We had been up that morning at 4am to try and catch the sunrise from the 'Best of All Lookouts' and it was completely cloudy and cold. Still very beautiful even without direct view of the sun. In the end, we headed back to the start of our hike and had a nap until about 8am.

I believe this is the same waterfall on our hike just shot from above at the start. Simply beautiful up there. We saw lots of blue tongue lizards up there along the upper rim.

Me between a rock and a rock.

These are the falls that we showered in that morning. That's Dave climbing the rocks. It was beautiful and we were the only two people we saw except near the end... It was a really great hike and we treated ourselves to a pancake breakfast at the end.

As with many experiences in Australia, I will never forget this trip. Especially because of the company.

David's 27th Birthday

THE BIRTHDAY COWBOY AND DAN - BROKEBACK BROTHERS (sounds like a spoof film)

For David's birthday we got a crew together and headed for the Queensland Rodeo Finals at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. It was really something. First of all, Dave and Dan dressed up and looked pretty Brokeback. I was the only other one brave enough to wear a cowboy hat. But once we arrived there were lots of cowboys and cowgirls in attendence. We only spent $20 each on our seats and they were brilliant. We were in the top tier but we could see everything. Obviously, the most exciting event was the bull riding. I think Dave had a pretty good birthday... we kept him liquored up...

LIAM AND HEIDI

DANIEL AND I AT THE END OF THE NIGHT...

Relaxing on Straddie - January 8 -10th

Dave and I at sunset. Too bad the photo is a bit dark here. We actually saw a dugong right there, very close to shore. Got lots of photos of it but he doesn't look like much. Dugongs are a lot like manatees, marine mammals with a walrus-like face and small side flippers and a big flat hind tail. We watched him for quite a while. There were the usual family of dolphins swimming about as well. Straddie is always just beautiful...

Naked Hippies on Mt. Warning...

At the top with a beautiful wet view!

Forgot to post the photos from the hike up Mount Warning... the tallest peak in southeast Queensland. It's actually the first place in Australia that sees the sun each morning... We hiked it in 2 hours and raced down in 45min... it was so much fun... and really beautiful with mist that kept us cool. When we reached the top we were greeted by three traveling hippies who eventually got naked to do an aboriginal ritual saluting the four points off the peak. They wanted us to joing but there was no way. We were wet and cold and just needed a rest. Bummer there was no view because of cloud cover but its Aboriginal name means 'Cloud Catcher' so that was pretty much it. All around great day...

Giant Ferns

This is David looking handsomely-like Indiana Jones...

NYE Miami Beach, Gold Coast, Australia 2007

Liz and Dan, David and I on the beach
around the countdown

New Year's Eve was an abs olute blast! It was the first time in a long time that it was actually really great and lived up to its hype. We just had a chill barbeque on the front lawn, pumped the music, danced on the porch, drank sangria and jager shots, walked up and down the beach to take in the crowds of people celebrating, watched the fireworks from Broadbeach, and just had the best time.
Liz (a friend), me (of course), Kate (Dave's sis), Lisa (her Gfriend)
& Heidi (Dave's sis in law)

Kate and I in the kitchen trying to blow up balloons...

Straddie Xmas Holiday

Fishing excursion - that's Heidi, Liam and I in the tinnie
heading out for Jolene to catch spotty mackerel

So, David's family invited me to spend some time with them at their home on North Stradbroke Island "Straddie". It was so nice to be with a family so much like mine at Christmas time. They were so lovely and we had a spectacular time even though the weather wasn't the greatest...

All the men in their flannels... That's Liam (Dave's bro), his dad John, neighbours Dave and Malcolm and then at the end David...

David did not catch anything that day, for the record

xmas day in OZ

So, I woke up Christmas morning alone at David's house, put my pumpkin pie in the oven and headed straight for the beach. It was a beautiful hot day and the water was beautiful. People were already congregating and setting up in the parks and on the beach for their xmas day parties. Then I went back, got myself ready and headed for the Clogan's for orphans Christmas. There were the Clogan's immediate family, me, katia and todd (american's from washington and friends of Greta's), Jonathan from Calgoolie (western australia), Brad (G's friend from school), and a bunch of Mark's friends (Greta's twin brother)... We spent the day eating, getting in and out of the pool to grab drinks and ended the day with an evening of playstation karaoke... good good fun and the most different xmas I've ever had...

This is what i looked like arriving at the Clogan's for Christmas Day. Totally bogged down with stuff... Sharon and I busting out for karaoke.
Jonathan and G...

g-clef karoake christmas

Where better for cd shop staff to celebrate xmas than a japanese style karoake joint!