In search of the sun.

We are still in the grip of winter in Melbourne so we decided that we would join the many Southerners who head north during winter. Now therein lies a question. Have we completed the transformation to Victorians as we migrate to Queensland to escape the cold. Maybe not just yet, I don't think a week qualifies as a migration.

Bill had spent the week in Brisbane working and I joined him on Friday night. Wasn't too sure about flying on Friday the 13th but arrived safe & sound so all was well. I had expected to be able to shed my sleeves on arrival but was surprised to find that I had to add another layer once outside. It was very chilly and the next morning was much the same. After breakfast we decided to explore a little and after a walk through the city we headed up to Mt Coot-tha to see the views. The sun was shining now and by the time we left the sleeves were gone and I was feeling warmer. From the lookout we could see across the city to Mt Gravatt so we made that our next stop where we found a really nice park and a great little cafe where we had a much needed coffee. We then headed down to visit Brenda, Shanae & Brad. It was so good to see them all again. We had a great night together and dinner at Runcorn was yummy.

The next morning we headed South to the Gold Coast where we were going Whale Watching. With a couple of hours to spare we had a look around Surfers Paradise. Very busy and a lot of building going on along the beachfront. With the sun shining the beach was full though I'm not sure I would have called it swimming weather. It was still reasonably chilly though I imagine as most of the people in bathers were tourists they were happy to be there. Not sure how much slip, slop, slapping was taking place. It was fairly early and we saw lots of 'red' skin in evidence. After lunch we found our boat and before long were motoring through the canals on our way out to sea. The trip through the canals takes about 45 mins and some of the homes we passed were just spectacular. A lot owned by famous people and the others just by rich folk, I guess.

Once out in the Pacific Ocean it wasn't long before we found what we were looking for and the next hour or so was spent in a couple of locations in the company of about 6 whales. They truly are magnificent creatures and are a joy to watch. It was a very choppy day so we did not get as close as we may have done on a calm day but it was still a special experience. We could see many more frolicking in the distance. The views of the Gold Coast from the boat were great as was the trip back in with the sun setting as we made our way back through the canals. We finished off the day with dinner at a nice little Italian Restaurant before we drove home to Brisbane where our bed waited for us. We had to be up early in the morning for part two of our adventures in Qld.

What was next? You'll see next time...........