Gold Coast Day 8 : Boojerahla Gwongorella at the Hinterlands

Time...keeps flowing like a river...

To the sea...till its gone forever...gone for evermore

                                                      - The Alan Parsons Project

Boojerahla - charming, Gwongorella - Dancing waters, in Aboriginal language. A number of tour operators take you on half day trips to the serene forest side of Queensland, away from the busy Gold Coast. The friendly driver cum guide was right on time to pick us up from Meriton Broadbeach. We settled comfortably in the heated Chartered Bus as he drove us smoothly out of Gold Coast into Springbrook Mountain. The first stop was at the Natural Bridge. It gets its name since the water fall cuts through a basalt cave with its sheer force, and when you see it you realize why its called a natural bridge...Sunlight peeped through the otherwise dark cave, and it looked like a picture out of a calendar. We missed the glow worms though. Said to be protected, you can get a glimpse of glow worms here at night.

Water still continues to cut through the cave

                We had a forest walk at the Gondwana Rainforests, where we saw very attractive looking poisonous leaves and berries, which the guide warned us not to touch. The lofty trees, like the Antarctic Beech trees and Eucalyptus were swaying in the howling winter winds, birds chirped as we went exploring on the wooden walk ways, clutching our jackets and scarves close. The toilets were Eco-friendly too. Some of the trees were more than a thousand years old. And as if these views were not good enough, we stopped at a great view point called The best of all Lookouts! Indeed, it was a great view of the ancient plateau, now a preserved site, to salvage whatever is left of Australia's forestation. 

Looking out from the Best of all Lookouts

Australia's own Grand Canyon?

        All through the commentary, our humorous guide reminded us of the scones and tea we would be having at one of the cafes in Springbrook. We finally did. A batch of hot scones with fresh cream, and the aroma of fresh hot coffee was most refreshing in the cold late afternoon, and we made our way back. With a sigh we got out of the comfortable coach, as the guide told us "This is your captain speaking, you have landed at your hotel, hope to fly again with you..."

Gold Coast Day 6, 7 : Chills and thrills

When you have 7-Day Passes for Movie World, Sea World and Wet n Wild Water parks, you try to revisit them to get your money's worth. We did it too. The water at Wet n Wild is heated I understand, but what happens when you get out of the ride, dripping wet on a winter day? I ventured not, the sporty types of the family did, and came back bravely in an hour's time, but with teeth chattering...so we had a lunch of the usual veggie burgers, fries and drink, and headed back to Movie World, for a repeat of our favourite rides and for some final shopping, a Batman towel, a Batman water-bottle, a Tweety towel and a huge black Movie World umbrella.

A Wet n Wild ride

I tried this one

This wet ride looks safer

After the experience with the whales in a tiny vessel, I was rid of all fear of riding the waves in tiny boats, and enjoyed every bit of the Extreme Jet boating. The wind ripped through our hair as we zipped through the water close to 80 kmph,  suddenly applying the brakes to add to the thrill...It was over in a half hour though, so we headed to Surfer's Paradise beach, salt in our hair and water on our shoes. 

        En route, the sets of Pirates of the Carribean...!!!

Can't see me but I am on this Extreme Jet boat, honest...

It was still daylight, we had Idlis at an Indian restaurant there, and strolled along the now familiar shopping street with Cotton-On, Lovisa and other popular shops. There is an array of kiosks selling rare and even strange merchandise closer to the beach. Trinkets, bags, crystal ware apart, there were shops selling sludge, crocodile leather bags (genuine?), head wrap, reptile shows, nameplates, and then some more... The kids got a pack or two of erasable sketch pens, some sludge and other such knick-knacks.

There was an Elvis whose singing I narrowly missed. There was this man painted in silver, seemingly sitting on nothing all day, not moving an inch. The moment my coin clinked in his bowl he shook hands and posed for a photo. That was his livelihood. 

Do you know his trick of sitting on nothing? Think I do...

Gold Coast Day 5: Crocs and Cassowaries

Doting attendants fed Eucalyptus leaves to koalas when we entered the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Started by Alex Griffiths in 1947 to keep the lorikeets fed, this Park has become a most loved Wildlife Sanctuary of Queensland.

We boarded a small train that took us around the park. Just in time for the Croc Show. Huge reptiles they were, jumping high up to sink their teeth into the chunks of meat shown to them by the trainers. Then we queued for a photo session with a baby croc!

 There was a board that said : (Some) Crocodiles do not eat for six months straight in a year, but the question is, "which six months?"

    Jog your memory about these remarkable reptilians. Their symbiotic habit - letting birds get right inside their mouth so the bird gets bits of food and the crocs get their teeth cleaned. And that their teeth regrow throughout their life. And the lore about crocodiles weeping for their victims! Hope all people give up their greed for crocodile meat and crocodile hide and conserve these reptilian wonders...

Fun in the winter sun...

There was a Bird show where magnificent flying creatures like lorikeets, kookaburras, kites, macaws, wedge-tailed eagles and pelicans were among the main cast, anchored by youngsters with a great sense of humour. It was commendable, their efforts to save many of these endangered species. 

Birds of many feathers flock here together

Time to watch the world's most dangerous bird, the Cassowary, from a safe platform. She was having her favorite food, fruits, rather fruit salad. Cassowaries are said to be very helpful in dispersal of seeds that they ejest. But resist the temptation to show your admiration of their shiny feathers, they can claw you, although only one case of human fatality is known so far. So it was a bit of a relief to know that this particular one was quite friendly with her caretaker and recognized her!

Hey I can kill....not just with my looks!!

 The one activity which kids would enjoy the most would be feeding the kangaroos. The emus too were strutting around. The kangaroo feed was a special food that looked like thick bits of noodles, sorry I don't know what they were made of...It was a delight to watch them leap on their hind legs, some of the mothers with babies in their pouches, stuff we had only read of before...

That must be the Alpha male feeding off Tweety;s hands

 It wasn't until the closure of the park that we reluctantly left the kangaroos to feed by themselves. It was Thursday, so the Malls and eating places were open till 9 pm! We made the most of it, making a beeline for K Mart, Target, and for some Pide, some chicken rice at the Food courts!

Gold Coast Day3 : Whale of a time

One of the best things of holidaying in Gold Coast in the Winters is the cool weather. The other thing is Whale watching. 

The Humpback whales make their annual journey from the colder waters this side of the world to the warmer Antarctica, for breeding purposes. These majestic creatures are known to be playful and their breaching and water-slapping are a treat to watch. 

                We boarded the Mahi Mahi along with a small group of people and cruised past houses of the rich and famous, along the river Nerang. It seemed all fine and smooth, and I wondered why the crew had warned us of choppy waters that day. Only when we hit the sea water did I realize what they meant. I am the only non-swimmer in the family. The rest of them ran to the viewing platform to watch the huge waves lapping against our boat. While I sat and prayed on the deck down, wondering why they never gave us the life-jacket beforehand, and what the point was, of having them on board, in case we never had time to wear them....and I asked a fellow whale-watcher, "Is it normal? The boat tossing thus?"

A wet-blanket watches as the last speck of land disappears from her sight

And nothing but the sea and sea marvels surround her

"I don't know...I wouldn't be here if it were not". I froze when he said "I dunno" but the second part gave me a bit of a relief. Still I watched in alarm from the lower deck as the boat rocked and rolled from one side to another, watched as the last speck of land disappeared and the ocean turned a darker shade of blue every passing minute.

         As all the other sporty sorts shrieked in delight at the first spotting of dolphins almost smiling at us, I felt an inkling of pleasure too. And then emerged the magical creatures, spraying mists of ocean water, now breaching, now clapping...

Here they come, with their tails towering high above the ocean waters

I'll huff and puff to bring your boat down? (Gulp!)

Then emerged one more, then a pair dancing in reckless abandon, ooh one more at direction 1 o' clock, look at this one at 3 o clock, and the Oohing and Aahing of the group, combined with "Hmm can we go back now?" by my fearful mind, what an experience of fear mingled with excitement! 

    The knowledgeable crew explained how the whale population had dwindled until Whaling was declared illegal in Australian waters in the 1960s. The poor whales were hunted for their blubber and meat without a care till then...

We had a bite of biscuits with hot tea in the cold evening, with wind blowing through our hair, a wondrous two hour trip lasted in our minds forever...What a relief when we finally sighted land...

Unforgettable Humpbacks! May your tribe increase!

Gold Coast Day2 - Target Sea World

Come share with me the oceans
Oceans of fantasy
Where you can lose your soul forever
Like in a melody
                          - BoneyM

The next day we were wiser, we managed to take the Public bus to Sea World. My kinda place. These are some of the sea creatures I learnt about:
About the Nautilus: Its shell is said to be a perfect spiral.

Sea World has many such impressive models

The Blue Whale : An endangered species, it is found in the North Pacific and North Atlantic. They are rarely stranded on beaches and only 21 skeletons have been recovered.

A rare skeleton of the Blue Whale

The Gulper Eel : A small but menacing creature, it has a huge mouth hanging open, to gulp any prey that swims by.
The Turtle: One of the most ancient creatures alive, fossil records show that they date back to 220 million years ago.
The Sunfish: It swims near the surface of the sea, hence is mistaken for a shark when its huge dorsal fin peeps out of the water.
The Whale Shark : Is the biggest fish known. These gentle giants feed on plankton food.

You can take a tour of what the place has to offer. You can see the Polar bears roaming lazily, penguins swimming languidly.

Happy feet are here again...

In the huge lagoon system you will find a variety of Fish, Rays and sharks swimming past you. The Dolphin show was awe inspiring.

High high up in the sky

The kids enjoyed the trail of the creatures of the Deep, marking up what they learnt, in the booklet provided on site. Then we hit the rides.

A useful tip : Always take your raincoats to Amusement Parks, you are bound to get wet in one ride or another.
Everyone but me enjoyed the Storm Coaster, a bit too steep for my liking. I enjoyed the water fight on the pirate boat themed Castaway Bay. The Jet Rescue ride was the speediest ride of our lives to date.

                                                                  The Storm Coaster

The evening became more picturesque at sunset, as we made our way back to the city, and headed to the Megastore Target. Bought shoes, clothes and clicked some that I felt were out of the ordinary!

This pair of boots can keep an Eskimo warm

Moo Moo Shoe

Gargantuan store

Gold Coast Day 1 - with the Movie World Stars

I'm not an actor I'm not a star

I don't even have my own car..

But I'm hoping so much you'll stay

That you will love me anyway...

                                             - Michael Learns To Rock

The city buses plying to Warner Brothers' Movie World, which is quite at the end of town, make their last trip before midday. This was a surprise to us, Gold Coast being a tourist city. We were about to make a return to The Meriton, disappointed, but to save the day, I insisted we pay A$ 50 to the cab and we finally made it. The cabby bantered along about how he dreamed of coming to Australia, and he now even owns a farm house though a bit far from the main city. He seemed so happy living his dream it looked like, while we gave him chunks of info about life in our Singapore. 

                   Okay, we finally were greeted by gigantic rides at the entrance, Arkham Asylum, Superman Ride which turns you upside down, so we enjoyed them from far, amused ourselves with riders' screaming thrilled. What we enjoyed was the Scooby Do ride, but not the long queue due to School holidays. The wait was not too bad though, because you can click photos around some scary characters, like fiery eyed ghouls, watch a Scooby Do movie and just look around the various statues meant to scare, like knights in metallic body-suits who open their mouths suddenly. Then there was the roller coaster for kids, but Tweety was disappointed because she could not ride the bigger rides. You can have fun at the 3D ride Justice League, watch fast cars at Hollywood Stunt Driver show. The 4D movie Rio was colourful but the only 4D effects I remember are the bursts of wind in your nape and the chairs shaking.

     Eating options too are not plenty, especially when you are vegetarian. We had the regular fare of burgers and fries. They made us vegetarian patty for the burger, really appreciate that. Then we had the parade of the movie characters. Tweety enjoyed meeting her namesake, the teen was enthralled by Batman. That was about it, because they start to shut down by 5 pm. Even the sun refused to work after 5....

 

Gold Coast Day 0

Circle in the sand round and round
Never ending love is what we found...
And you complete the heart of me
Our love is all we need...
                               -Belinda Carlisle

SG 50 shines in the Changi International Airport

New Zealand with its picturesque terrain was where we wanted to go first. For a while now, Tweety wanted to go to Australia, why? To buy a Boomerang. So we finally settled for the Fun Capital of the world, Gold Coast.
After looking at all the flights, we settled for Scoot, since it took us directly to the Coolangatta Airport. It was only later that we realized that we had the 'lacy frilly' flights operating direct to Brisbane, just 100 km from Gold Coast. Oh well, the only difficulty was the long queues at the Immigration counter. The officers' friendliness was touching.

We opted for a Ten-day Pass that allowed us to use the Shuttle to the Theme Parks and Public transport except the Tram. Alas, since we were to book the Shuttle a day in advance, we never got to use it, since we were never sure of what time we were actually gonna make it out of the House!

So the Shuttle dropped us to our pre-booked Apartments at Meriton, Broad Beach. At the pleasantly appointed Reception, we were welcomed and asked for our advanced payment. Happily, we offered the Credit card, and to our chagrin, payment was declined. A few more tries, and a cold sweat started forming, since we had just a few hundred dollars in hard cash. A left to get more cash at a near by ATM, and the kids patiently sat in the cold morning, asking what happened, not getting  a proper reply. About half an hour later, "hard luck", the card was blocked. In a new country, dealing with total strangers, my mind raced as to whom we would call for help. I wonder why the term 'Bank Transfer' never occurred to me. Then we fished out another card, broken right in the middle. Wonder of Wonders, the card worked. We went to our apartment. As if to make up for this morning mishap, we were upgraded to a 3 Bedroom apartment instead of the 2 BHK we booked, no extra cost.

Broad Beach - View from our spacious Balcony

The view from the Balcony was splendid. The rooms clean, the toilets shone. I wondered then, as to what the difference is, between a Hotel and an apartment, except for the lack of a restaurant, which were in plenty, just a few steps away from the apartment. When you stay for 11 days like we did, it pays to have a Kitchenette, a Dish washer, a Washing Machine and the like, and it felt so much more private than a Hotel! The kids were too happy not having to share their room with each other.

      We freshened up and left for breakfast at the nearby Mall. The restaurant was called Marigold. We had parathas, tea, sandwiches and omelettes, after which we shopped for some food stuff. The Public buses to Movie World had left for the day, which was a bit surprising, it being just midday.

    So we made our way to the Surfers Paradise, lively and bustling with surfers, tourists and shoppers. We bought a pair of shoes at Cotton On, watched the Sea Gulls on the beach (yeah gulls not girls).

Sea gull you fly...across the horizon..into the misty morning sun....(BAD COMPANY)

 It got dark as early as 5.30 pm, we passed by interesting places like Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not. But, believe it or not, the kids were not keen to go explore, so we called it a day after some more shopping at Lovisa.

Please wait, more family fun awaits on Day 1!