Calypso's Journal: A great day out

Back in the San Blas Islands of Panama in 2008, we met an Australian chap, Colin Palmer on his boat Reality, prior to him transiting the canal on his way back to Australia. It just so happened that he was wandering along the river walkways in January and noticed Calypso at anchor. He contacted us just before I went off to Canada and we agreed to get together upon my return.

So, apart from our brief trip down to Warwick, having spent the majority of our time on the Brisbane River doing not much else other than taking the occasional jaunt into the city for provisions and a modicum of sightseeing, we were invited out for the day to see some of the country further afield.

Colin, and his wife Ellie, picked us up early to drive us, firstly, down to the famous Gold Coast. We'd heard so much about this region but couldn't see how we were going to get in a visit short of hiring a car; a rather expensive option, or going down by train and staying overnight; an even more expensive option. And so, happily, we were given this great opportunity to explore.

Surfer's Paradise in the background

Our first stop was Southport with its big marinas and anchorages. We walked along the breakwater to the lighthouse which gave us a great view of the narrow entrance between the mainland and South Stradbroke Island, the southernmost end of Moreton Bay. Looking southwards we could see the tall skyscrapers of Surfer's Paradise in the distance. The weather was a bit boisterous with overcast skies and the odd spot of rain but not bad enough to spoil the excursion. Back into the car to those tall buildings.

Surfer's Paradise is a tourist magnet: beautiful long white beaches with all the amenities, shops, restaurants, hotels and playgrounds. While driving around, we saw no less than five theme parks, some would definitely rival the likes of those in the States, even a Warner Brothers movie theme park. Certainly no shortage of entertainment for the holiday makers.

Cuckoo clocks galore

After a stroll along the beach and an all-you-can-eat brunch on the beach front, we headed off into the mountains to visit an artsy-craftsy village on Tambourine Mountain. The main road was lined with intriguing little shops sporting an eclectic mix of crafts; jewellery, toys, trinkets, paintings, fudge, etc. alongside wineries, a brewery, a cheese factory and the inevitable coffee houses, restaurants and guest lodges. Absolutely charming.

Our drive in the mountains included a host of wonderful view sites with everything so lush and green after the torrential rainfalls that Queensland has been subjected to of late.

On the return trip, Colin drove us to a large supermarket to let us buy some of the provisions that are normally too heavy for us to cart back to the boat by shank's pony. This enabled us to grab our supply of flour, sugar, juices, heavy bottled goods, etc. Only another cruiser would understand the value of that kind offer.

We then stopped for a quick, light supper in the Chinese section of town. It was sunset by this time and while waiting for our meal, there was such an almighty raucous coming from the nearby trees. Colin told us that these were parrots so I got up to investigate and watched as literally hundreds and hundreds of rainbow lorikeets flew around vying for the branches to settle for the night. These are the same birds as Possum, the pet that I had visited at a hardware shop so often in Kerikeri, NZ. I had no idea that they were so prolific here.