A Day on a Sand Island

Place holder for our Fraser Island trip.

Lazy Days on Lady Elliott Island

This is a space saver for my Lady Elliott blog. It is almost done!

Hospitality in Hervey Bay

January 9, 2011.

We found our way back to the Brisbane airport. Laurel and I dropped Lynne, Thea and Dan off with the luggage while we followed the signs to the car rental return. Once we had parked the car we walked back to the terminal to find the three of them waiting for us. Wrong terminal! We had dropped them off at International and it was quite far away from the Domestic terminal. By taxi or train it was going to be an expensive ride for five people hauling luggage. What to do! By now the rain had caught up with us and it was pouring!

What is to stop us just taking the car back - we had just left it in the lot?. We had not actually turned it in yet. Laurel and I went back to get the car, just drove out of the lot and picked up the group again. We found our way to the Domestic terminal and another rental car return! We dropped off Lynne, Thea, Dan and the luggage. This time Laurel and I turned in the car. Good thing we had lots of time before our flight!

We flew over the flooding rivers and into sunshine on the Fraser Coast. We landed in the Hervey Bay airport in the late afternoon. It was still very warm outside of the small terminal. We decided against a car as we would not be in town long. We were not sure if the roads would be open later to travel further afield.

We got a taxi van large enough for the five of us and our luggage and gratefully allowed our friendly driver to take us to the Boat Harbour Resort. I was a bit apprehensive as we travelled. It was a long way from the airport and seemed to be away out of town. Fine when we thought we would be driving, not so good on foot. The view from the entrance to the property was not striking. There was no one on duty at the office. Though we had been warned the office closed early on a Sunday, it was a bit of a letdown after a day of turmoil. I did find a large bulky envelope by the office mail box addressed to me. We followed the directions and used a key to enter the 2 bedroom villa. It was very nice with a comfortable living room, dining area and kitchen. There was a large lanai and in suite laundry facilities. It would be very comfortable for the three women.


Dan and I took our key and found our suite across from the office. Our lanai looked out over the empty property next door. It was very quiet and secluded. We had a studio suite with a kitchenette, small eating area and the bed all in the same room. It was large, clean and nicely decorated. Things were looking up!

As we picked up our package at the office, a couple sitting on their lanai next door introduced themselves. They wanted to be sure we settled in all right. If we had any questions, we had only to ring the office phone to reach the manager. We chatted for a while and they gave us suggestions for dinner that evening. Their first recommendation was the Hervey Bay Boat Club in Urangan Habour. It was a great suggestion! We had a pleasant walk past the overgrown property next door, along the foreshore park and through the boat harbour to the club. The day had cooled into evening so it was comfortable to be outdoors.


It was dark by the time we reached the club. Laurel and I had tried a short cut through a questionable caravan park and found no exit. Somehow, we had become separated and she was now lost. Dan went looking for her as Lynne, Thea and I waited anxiously in the Boat Club lobby. Laurel arrived as bubbly as she always is after one of her adventures. Dan returned and we all signed in.

“The Sinbad Bistro” had a wide variety of regular menu items and a few good chefs suggestions that change daily. Good hearty pub food at reasonable prices. Wine and beer were even more reasonable! For after dinner, there was an extensive bar, live music and dancing. We arrived tired and hungry and left well fed and cheerful! It was a lovely walk home in the moonlight.

NOTE: The Harbour View Caravan Park looked fine seen later in the daylight!

Monday was a day to get things done. I talked to the manager about transportation and he mentioned while the roads were still cut and the airlines were full, the train was still running. Dan and I decided to do some research online. Our host directed us to the nearest internet café – past the empty property next door and up Boat Harbour Drive to the Colonial Village YHA. We bought a YHA Internet card at the front desk and went on line to clean up our email and research transportation in the area.

We had never stayed in a Backpackers facility. I was quite curious about it. It seemed to be a really nice place to stay. The computers were well set up for internet and Skype connections. There were large central areas for socializing, beautiful gardens, barbeque area, pool and a variety of accommodation styles. There certainly seemed to be travellers of all ages staying on the property.

There was a train to Brisbane and we could get off at Cooroy to connect to Noosa Heads by bus as well. I took down the information and we walked home to call the ticketing agent to make the arrangements. It is a lovely walk. This time we walked through the empty property. It had been someone’s home at one time. There were the remnants of a paved driveway. The trees and flowers had once been planted and tended. Now they were growing in a wild profusion of colours. The Golden Rain trees were in full bloom. The ground was covered in red and yellow flowers something like a Turk’s Head lily. The air was full of bird song and you could catch sight of their brilliant plumage among the trees. As usual, I was watching the ground for snakes – stomp, stomp, stomp! All I saw was fire ants, easily avoided.


Dan and I walked back to the Boat Club for breakfast as we had bought any groceries yet. The others opted to stay by the pool. The club was surprisingly busy. We got a light lunch at the sandwich bar and ate indoors looking out over the bay. It was cooler than out on the deck in the sunshine! We walked back through the marina and along the shore. There were a profusion of wildflowers on the dunes as well - the bright yellow of “Beach Primrose” and hot pink “Pigface”. There was a fenced path leading from the beach right to our resort.


We met up with the rest of the group and decided to take a taxi into Pialba Place Shopping Center in Hervey Bay to get groceries and explore. I found an Optus store and got a SIM card for our cell phone. Now Laurel and I could communicate if the groups were separated. I could also make my share of the travel calls so they did not all fall on her account. Lynne found a really nice cotton skirt in the mall. It was very useful travelling in this heat and went beautifully with her Uluru T-shirt. We stopped for coffee and made plans for the afternoon. We decided to take the groceries home by cab while the girls walked back to Boat Harbour along the waterfront. The walk along the Esplanade was 8 Km. In this heat, Lynne and I preferred the pool! The girls did not return until evening. Looking at their pictures, we should have done the walk! Long beaches with almost no one there. It was beautiful.


I phoned the Queensland Translink number and made reservations for the five of us to take the train to Brisbane Saturday morning. At this time the flooding had reached Brisbane. Much of the CBD was affected and local transit was not running. We wondered if the train would still be going into the city on Saturday. If it did, would the girls be able to find transportation to the airport? Thea was flying home to Canada and Laurel back to work in Melbourne. Dan, Lynne and I were getting off in Cooroy so we would not know what was happening to them. I know Lynne spent the week worrying. We had seats booked so step one was accomplished. Later in the week we found even the train was full.

Dan and I decided to walk up to the Botanic Garden in Urangan. We walked up Boat Harbour Road again to the “Great Sandy Region Botanic Gardens and Orchid Conservatory”. We were too late, the Orchid House was closed and tea was over. But we had a good walk through more of the neighbourhood. I particularly enjoyed the gingerbread style Queensland houses on their stilts and all the tropical gardens.


I joined Lynne at the pool for the remainder of the afternoon. Once the group was altogether again, we walked over to the Boat Club for another good dinner. We shared the stories of our day’s pursuits. What a life!


Tuesday morning we were to fly to Lady Elliott Island. The tariff includes the flight to the island and the accommodation. It is a small plane and you are limited to 10 Kg of luggage per person. I had arranged with the Boat Harbour Resort that we would leave some of our luggage in storage with them and pick it up on our return. Many peoples travel plans had been disrupted so there were no other guests expected at Boat Harbour this week. The manager kindly told us to just leave everything in our rooms, take the key with us and walk back in when we returned. With that in mind, it was an easy packing job after dinner and we were ready for the next adventure.

Flooding in Queensland

January 8, 2011.

Our time in Alice Springs came to an end. We were packed up and ready to go early in the morning, except for Laurel. The lucky girl had made her plans separately so she would be flying from Alice Springs to Brisbane later in the day. We would spend the day flying to Melbourne`s Avalon airport, crowding into a taxi for an hour long drive to Tullamarine airport on the other side of the city, before catching our plane to Brisbane. Laurel would spend the day by the pool¸ catch a direct flight to Brisbane and arrive before us! We got well priced seats on Tiger Airlines. She caught a last minute seat sale on Quantas, a winner anyway you look at it!

By late afternoon we were altogether again in Brisbane. We loaded up our rental car and headed north to Deception Bay. Laurel drove and I was navigator with the help of “Dora the Explorer” – the GPS on Laurels iPhone. As night fell the weather grew stormy. I was glad to have the bright purple ball bouncing from screen to screen as we made our way up the highway. We found the right exit and then the sky really opened up. We could barely see the road. It was impossible to see street numbers. The bouncing purple ball let us know we had passed our destination. We turned around and found the driveway at last.

Claire-Lind Bed and Breakfast was a lovely Queensland house built on stilts. A very useful design when you are unloading luggage in a rainstorm! Lynne, Thea and Laurel were shown to the Australiana room. Dan and I got the Anniversary suite! We quickly unloaded the car and then went back out into the night looking for dinner. The only place open at this time was the Golden Arches. Not classy but certainly familiar. Saturday nights are wild around here! Returning to our rooms, we found crystal service at our bedside with chocolates and port. A lovely way to end a long day.


We took our time in the morning. We planned to explore the Claire-Lind property to see their rainbow lorikeets and their koala bears before making the drive to Hervey Bay. We met on the deck for a lovely breakfast. While we ate, we got a call from the manager of the resort in Hervey Bay. The road had been washed out at Maroochydore. We could not get through.

The flooding in Queensland was international news by now. We had been watching and knew it was working its way south from Bundaberg. Hervey Bay was still untouched but rivers between Hervey Bay and our present location had now flooded washing out the main highway. We talked it over during breakfast. The highlight of our trip was a visit to the Great Barrier Reef. If we did not get to Hervey Bay, we would not get to the reef. What to do?

Alternate plan B – return to Brisbane with the rental car and fly to Hervey Bay. Could we get tickets? No problem – not many tourists were trying to go toward the flood! So much for our quiet day. We loaded up the car and headed off. We decided to drive to Redcliff on the ocean for lunch. It was on the way back to Brisbane and we may as well take the scenic route in the daylight.

The rain had stopped. The wind was strong and the sky was clearing quickly. The beautiful beaches were a mess. The water’s edge was covered in dirty brown foam that stained your clothes if you got too close. Debris washed ashore everywhere you looked. We walked the waterfront looking for a lunch spot. I laughed as I caught sight of a series of signs – “Bistro”, “Pokies”, “Hooker”. Were we in the red light district? No, translating I found the “Bistro” to be a nice beachfront restaurant for lunch, “Pokies” were slot machines in the bistro and “Hooker” was a realtor next door – L.J. Hooker Real Estate..

After lunch we had a pleasant drive back to the airport and turned in the car. Next stop, Hervey Bay.

The Red Center

January 6, 2011.

On good advice, we booked a tour for our trip to Uluru, previously known as Ayer’s Rock. The bus would pick us up at 6:00 AM for the drive out to Uluru – Kata Tjuta. We would not be back until after midnight. Long hours of driving in the outback at night would not make for a fun trip so we will have someone else do it!

We were all up, packed and ready when the bus arrived to pick us up. There were two driver–tour guides, Kevin and Tic. Both were very knowledgeable about the area and were able to talk about the plants, animals, geology and history of the area. It seemed that if Kevin was particularly interested in one area, Tic would have in depth knowledge about another. Both kept us entertained.

Kevin started driving and Tic passed out our breakfast boxes then retired to the driver’s bunk to sleep for a while. We drove through empty country with the beautifully coloured landscape stretching into the distance around us. We were actually crossing a number of cattle stations but any animals were elsewhere today. Our first stop was the Erlunda Café and Desert Oaks Tavern. There was a gas station, public washroom facility, general store, motel, café and pub. It was undoubtedly, the social center for the area. The gas station certainly had no competition for many miles! Tic advised us the best coffee was at the pub. I took his advice – it seemed like coffee time!

The Highway sign told us we were on the Lassiter Highway and it was four miles to Uluru. There is nothing else out there to mention. At least we were on the right road!

As we drove along, everyone was watching to see our first glimpse of Uluru. There it is! WRONG! What we saw first was Artilla (Mount Conner) or, as our guides pointed out, “Fooluru”. It is also a spectacular flat topped tor alone in the desert. We stopped for a Kodak moment, climbing a hill overlooking a large salt lake. Lake Amadeus was a salt edged earthen pan with no water to be seen. The colour of the red earth was spectacular! Laurel was wearing a brightly coloured skirt and as she climbed, the earth dusted her legs like colourful makeup. We stretched our legs, took some pictures and got back on the bus. Next stop was Ayers Rock Resort; a chance for a restroom and to pick up a few more people.


Now we were in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. First stop, Walpa Gorge at Kata Tjuta. Kata Tjuta means” many heads”. That describes the round domes of conglomerate rock that makes up this part of the park. The English name is “The Olgas” after Mount Olga, the largest of the domes. It is a very sacred site to the men of the Anangu people. Here they passed down the creation stories from generation to generation. The women could camp well back from the gorge but were not allowed into the men’s area. Similarly the men were not allowed in the women’s sacred sites on Uluru. Because the stories of the people could not be shared outside of the specific group for which it was intended, the only stories we would hear today would be classified as the children’s stories.



We left the bus and walked up the gorge between two domes. Dan and I were so busy looking around us and photographing all we saw that we never did reach the end of the trail. Lynne found a convenient bench and let the girls go on at a faster pace so they would reach the viewpoint. The shapes and colours were spectacular and each new angle seemed better than the one before. All too soon, it was time to return to the bus for the short drive over to Uluru.

As we drove around the base of the monolith our guides told the stories of the area and at the same time served our lunch boxes. A great idea so no time was wasted once we were free to wander. We stopped at the start of the Ayers Rock climb. It is a steep face with the trail straight up! My father climbed it on an unusually hot summer day in his 80’s. Looking at it, I could not imagine climbing it even on this more temperate day when I am 20 years younger! Fortunately it is no longer allowed, so I do not have to prove myself!



We walked to an area that was near the women’s area. Our guides told us the story of a time when the women and children were left here while the men went hunting. Another group heard of the gathering¸ came upon the women and children and carried them off. When the men returned they found their wives and children missing. They saw footprints that they recognised as other men on the trail and they followed them. There was a great battle and they got their families back. The raiders were turned into the many heads of Kata Tjuta.

We continued on our tour to an area where the hunters gathered. There was a natural blind and cave where the hunters would wait all day, whiling away the time telling stories and playing games. At dusk the animals would gather to drink at a nearby water hole. When they were drinking the hunters could see them through a small spy hole in the rock. They were able to kill what they needed and take meat back to the village with relatively little effort. In the dry season they would have to travel much further following their prey.


It was very beautiful by the Kantju waterhole, the blue sky, the red of the rock and the colours of the plants. It was heightened by the dark clouds building in the distance.

From here we drove on to the new Talinguru Nyakunytjaku sunrise viewing area and the Park Cultural Center. Apparently the powers that be made a small mistake here. They spent 21 million dollars on roads and facilities to a spot that does not give a good view of Uluru at sunrise at all! The old spot is actually on the other side of Uluru!

Our last stop was the sunset viewing area. It is in the right place! We all wandered the area looking for the perfect angle to photograph Uluru while Kevin and Tic prepared our barbeque dinner. We returned to the bus in time to get seats at the table and serve ourselves from a buffet of salads and sausages on the barbie. I chose a glass of wine and was just settling down to enjoy my dinner when the heavens opened up! I put a plastic bag over my wine glass and another over my dinner. The wine was saved but the torrential downpour filled my plate! Many people ran for the shelter of the bus luggage compartment. Dan and I decided it was too late and waited it out. Dan would pour the water off his plate, eat – pour water, eat! Here we were dining in the desert and soaked to the skin!


In no time the rain stopped and the fleeing clouds gave us a spectacular sunset. Who else has pictures of waterfalls on Uluru?


The ride home in wet clothes was cold. Lynne saved me from hypothermia by supplying a beautifully warm sweater she had tucked in her bag just in case. We settled down to watch a classic Australian movie called “The Dish” as we drove through the night back to Alice Springs. The storm had all the animals lying low so again there was nothing to see along the way. We arrived home at 1:00 AM. It would probably be closer to 2:00 AM when the drivers had the bus ready to put away. Then they would be picking up a new group of people by 6:00 AM. Long work days!

Dan, Laurel and Thea were up and at it the next morning. They had booked a camel ride out to the MacDonnells. Interesting but they still did not see the wildlife they were hoping for.


Lynne and I had planned to go touring but the cloudy skies would not give us the light we needed to photograph the cliffs in Standley Chasm. We opted for a morning at home instead – doing laundry and relaxing by the pool. When the cameleers returned we all went for a nice lunch in Alice Springs. It was time to pack up and get ready to leave the Red Center. There is so much more we would like to see, we will have to come back another time.

This town is Alice!

January 4, 2011.

I have wanted to see the Outback of Australia ever since the first I read Nevil Shute’s “A Town Like Alice”. I have read it many times. We flew over the red landscape and landed. I am really here!

We rented a nice little SUV so we could fit all five people and our luggage with some comfort. Laurel volunteered to drive as she is a Melbourne girl and most familiar with the rules of the road. I became the navigator. We found our way very easily to the Desert Palms Resort. It really is an oasis in the desert landscape – startling green of the grass and palm trees set off by the tropical colours of the flowers and birds. The women looked forward to the pool at the end of each day’s adventure. Dan enjoyed the quiet of solitude! We had two villas, one for myself and Dan and one for Lynne, Laurel and Thea. It worked out very well. It was wonderful for Lynne to have both her girls together again!

For our first day, we decided to tour the town and do some chores. We needed to cash traveller’s cheques, get a few groceries and get the feel of the area. It is a very short drive from the resort across the Todd River to the CBD (Central Business District).

The Todd River is normally a dry river bed. Every year it is the site of the Henley-on-Todd Regatta. The boats are a little different. They have no bottoms or tops! Contestants stand inside their vessels holding them waist high and, at the sound of the starter’s gun, race along the course - hopefully without tripping over each other or collapsing from laughter or exhaustion. While we were there, there actually was a little water in the bottom of the riverbed. A good thing it was not race time!

Alice Springs is a small town of 28,000 people living over a large surrounding area. The CBD is about 5 blocks square. We wandered up and down looking into shops as our interests dictated. We picked a nice place for lunch, the Red Ochre Grill. It is known for its presentation of “Bush Foods” or meals made with local ingredients. We decided to have a typical pie and a pint. Well, Dan had the pie and pint, I just had the lamb shank and vegetable pie. It was very good! So good, we made a repeat visit later in the week.

All that city life made us glad to return to the serenity of our Oasis and the pool! We met up for happy hour on the lanai and each group made a simple dinner in their own kitchen. A very relaxing day!


It was not as warm as it can be in Alice but we had a low of 22 C (72 F) and a high of 38 C (100 F) daily while we were there. Very pleasant! The clear, bright skies turned me browner than I ever get, even with 30 SPF sunscreen!

We started out early on Day 2 to take advantage of the coolness of morning. We had a full agenda. We started at the Alice Springs Reptile Center. We were greeted by Frank who has the run of the property. Watch out for Frank when you open a door – he may try to make a break for it!


We timed our arrival so we could take part in the Reptile Talks. My part was filming but the others learned how to hold the small dragon, a blue-tongued skink and a python!

From the Reptile center we crossed the street to the Communication center of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. This was more my speed! I really appreciated the map with all the pins representing private runways in the vast outback territory. Yellow pins for strips with landing lights, blue for those that would be daylight only, pins for the planes on duty and for their current location. There were displays of medical equipment from years gone by and some that would still be current. Some were familiar to me from my days as a Lab Tech. Some would be illegal now such as Dr. Poppy’s Wonder Elixer with Canabis Extract. It supposedly relieves any number of symptoms and leaves you with a pleasant feeling all day. I’ll bet!

We liked the look of the menu in the Flying Doctor’s restaurant so we stayed for lunch. They were out of the items we particularly wanted to try, but they did have Sticky Date pudding with Butterscotch Sauce. Yum!

That fortified us for the afternoon’s trek through the Alice Springs Desert Park. We strolled through an amazing display of flora and fauna in the park’s 75 sun baked acres. There are three desert habitats represented, Desert Rivers, Sand Country and Woodlands. We saw birds of all kinds from a Black Cockatoo to the little Kookaburra. Who would have expected such a big call to come from such a small bird?

Lynne and I strolled along leaving the others to keep to their own, much slower, pace. I particularly enjoyed the colours; the red of the soil, the greens and browns of the vegetation, the bright colours of the flowers and birds. The distant reds and blues of the MacDonnell range formed a backdrop to it all.

We all met up at the Nocturnal House and then divided again. Dan and I followed a path taking us back to the entry and settled down with cold drinks. I was feeling very tired and losing interest. Lesson one: carry water! I was suffering from dehydration. I could not seem to get enough liquid, I was so thirsty! After a few minutes, I was ready to go again. Unfortunately we were running out of time. My close encounters with emu and kangaroos would come another day.

It was time to check out the pool and take time for Happy Hour once more. We have a really early start tomorrow!

Traveling to Australia

January 3, 2011.

Christmas is over. We spent New Year's Eve preparing to leave and at last the day came. We had a pleasant New Years Day dinner with the kids on the way to the airport and we were on our way!

We had an Air Canada flight to Sydney with a connecting flight to Melbourne. This time the flight did not seem unbearable. We had the two seats by the aisle rather than by the window. Did the ability to get up at will make it seem easier rather than being trapped by the window unwilling to disturb that sleeping stranger on the aisle? We ate, watched movies and slept the time away.

We arrived in Sydney a half hour late. We went through customs quickly but it took a long time to get our luggage. No one from Quantas seemed interested in getting us to our connecting flight on time. Apparently they just get you on the next flight - no worries mate. But we had Lynne and Thea meeting us in Melbourne and no way to let them know we were about to miss our connection.

We were now booked on the 3:00 PM flight and they were expecting us at 1:35 PM. To complicate matters they were also flying late. They arrived and could not find us. They wondered if we had gone off looking for them.Eventually we all got together and took a taxi across Melbourne to the suburb of Geelong.

We had arrived! The motel was small but comfortable. The receptionist very helpful. She arranged a taxi for 5:30 AM the following morning and sent us off with suggestions for dinner. We strolled the waterfront but it was very cool with a strong wind. We grabbed a quick Calamari and chips from a beachfont stand, investigated the Yacht Club and watched Lynne and Thea ride the Ferris Wheel.



With a 24 hour day behind us and a 4:30 AM wake up call ahead, we turned in early.We got up at 4:30 AM as planned. The taxi arrived on time and we were at the Avalon airport by 7:00. Laurel met us there. We were ready for our flight into the Red Center and the town of Alice Springs! This time all went according to plan. We landed, picked up our car and found our way to the Desert Palms Resort.