This week member Jenn Millard shares her travel adventures in Australia…
Made up of almost 3 million square miles, Australia is the sixth largest country in the world with only 26 million inhabitants.
I had this urgent desire to reconnect with my Australian family – we were the “scatterlings of Africa” and my beloved brother had chosen Australia, the other side of the world from our tiny English island.
The visit was planned, the departure day arrived! Flying from Heathrow to Brisbane is taxing, with a stop over and eventually, some 36 hours later, one eventually lands on this vast continent. Joyful reunions followed and my brother and his wife proudly gave us a tour around their home city, Brisbane. What an impressive city! The river flows through the centre with high rise buildings flanking it and many impressive bridges span the water.
We saw the flood marks made during the huge Queensland floods in 2011, we visited a riverside Bavarian bar and had dinner at a nearby restaurant. We met other friends in the city, all immigrants from South Africa, making a new life in the sunshine.
It is easy to see why the “Saffa’s” love Australia. The climate, the flora, the people, the bustle and even some buildings are familiar.
We discovered a “beach” on the river bank, man made for the summer visitors, busy in the hot sunshine. Cheeky birds waited for sandwich crusts and the occasional discarded chip. Restaurants, pubs, shops and office blocks all jostle for attention.
Back at the house, we walked regularly in the early morning around the local lakes. I loved the vibrant colours of the trees and flowers and the wide open spaces. A friendly kookaburra bird would perch on my brother’s fence and eye me from his lofty position. Such a pretty bird! Then there were the Bush Turkey’s, rather large birds who lived in the undergrowth and built ground nests like small mountains.
A trip into the Tamborine mountains showcased the diversity of this country. Leaving the coast and driving inland, we were met by thick foliage, tiny roads and villages. Artisan coffee shops are plentiful and we even spotted a Swiss cuckoo-clock shop – fascinating!
There were trips up the Gold Coast to the beautiful coastal towns of Noosa and the vibrant Surfers Paradise. We visited a Koala sanctuary. I loved these gentle creatures, nestling in their trees and moving slowly to the next batch of gum leaves.
My wonderful sister-in-law had planned a trip up north to Airlie Beach as the pinnacle to our holiday. We flew on a light aircraft from Brisbane to Prosperpine, where their friend collected us from the airport and drove us to our waterfront hotel. Our rooms overlooked a small road and the beach and as evening closed in, we shared one balcony and a good bottle of Australian Chardonnay to toast the magnificent sunset.
The following morning, bright and early (and already the heat was building) we walked from the hotel to the pier to board our boat. Seats procured on the upstairs deck in a shady spot, the boat cast off for our visit to – yes, finally! – the Great Barrier Reef.
Stretching infinitely into the horizon, the deep blue sea was only broken by small islands and the occasional large rocky outcrop. On the approach to the reef, our instructor began to prepare us for our time in the water. Donning on a wet suit was entertaining, to say the least! What they don’t tell you is that any fat rolls migrate upwards until you have a rather inelegant “collar”…so funny and we laughed at ourselves, snapping photographs at every minute. Anchored a way off the reef, long steel gantry’s were lowered from the side of the boat until the footplate hovered in ankle deep water, the seat areas to be used for donning on flippers, masks and snorkel.
As my brother and I sat on the gantry, the most enormous turtle lazily slipped by just under our feet and into the blue. I gasped with excitement, unfortunately the mobile phone and camera were safely stored on board, no photo opportunity here! We slid off the gantry and into the water, staying close to the instructor until near the Reef, where we grasped enormous guide ropes, “anchoring” us. The current near the reef was unexpectedly strong.
The Great Barrier Reef is home to millions of fish, big and small and we kept a beady eye out for Bruce the shark, fortunately we were protected by the diving team below us. They are ever vigilant – not good advertising to have a tourist munched before lunch! Moving slowly along and trying to take in everything around me, our friendly turtle paddled by once again as I marvelled at this enormous structure of coral. The depths are unbelievable and looking down past my feet, I could only see infinite blue. The water was warm and clear. After about 45 minutes of holding onto the guide rope and using my flippers constantly, I was tired enough to call it a day and head back to the boat.
On board, we chatted about the reef, our swim and moved around for a constant stream of photo’s from the side of the boat. I understand what draws the thousands of annual visitors to this wonder of the world, it is a once-in-a-lifetime privilege to visit here.
From the reef we headed for the Whitsundays and the very famous stretch of beach that is captured on so many tourist brochures, Whitehaven beach.
We disembarked and walked along the powder white sand to find a spot for our two hour stay here. Swimming in the warm, crystal clear water is about as good as it gets. I couldn’t stop looking at the natural swathes of white sand swirling among a blue ocean. Simply stunning.
The following day was another boat trip to two islands. The first of these was Love Island (named for the heart shape), a tiny island which has an exquisite part natural, part man made open air aquarium in the centre. We made our way along the walkways, shaded by tropical foliage, marvelling at the brightly coloured tiny fish darting in and out of their rocky homes. Further along were the Sting Ray’s and we were entertained by the island staff feeding these fish by hand. There were even young reef sharks darting in and out of the shadows and aquatic plants. The highlight was feeding dozens of greedy small fish by hand, whilst thigh-deep in warm, clear water. I was surrounded by fish, happily all took the food and not nibbles out of me!
Moving onto Hamilton Island for lunch, we were greeted by “olde worlde” wooden clad buildings that house shops and businesses on the quay.
“One needs to be quite rich to live on Hamilton Island” I was told, as I asked about the gorgeous houses on the hills above the harbour.
Lunch was highly entertaining, served on an old southern American styled verandah, with huge fans cooling the sticky air and dozens upon dozens of white parakeets swooping around among the surrounding trees. As one of our party left the table, a cheeky parakeet dashed down, swept up the tiny butter dish in his beak and flew back into the trees. Much squawking ensued, he would not share!
Hamilton Island has an old world charm and we were sad to leave.
Back at the hotel, my brother’s friend had contacted him to invite us to their farm the following day as our flight was not until late afternoon. Bright and early we boarded Sue’s car for the drive. Her husband works away “up North” and she is alone on the vast spread of land that met us. She is happy, she has her dogs, horses and even a tame peacock! They built their home by hand, slowly expanding the solid wood cabin with a lovely outdoor barbecue area and even a tiny swimming pool. Gum trees offer shade and sway gently in the breeze. The aroma and the crackling air surrounded us. Sue told us that the breeze can often become a hurricane and opening a barn door, she showed us her shipping container that is their shelter in stormy weather. Even the dog and the peacock join her! It is a tough life for a woman, living alone sometimes for months, tending to the house and the land, and yet Sue was very content.
“I have everything I need right here” she said, gesturing around her.
Back on board the tiny aircraft, I felt strangely at peace in this beautiful land. I am infinitely grateful for the opportunity to see my beloved family and to have experienced the diversity of a tiny part of Australia.