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.