On Monday October 22nd we jumped on the bus to travel a few hours to Surfers Paradise. Don’t let the name fool you, although there was a beach it definitely wasn’t a “surfer’s paradise”. The beach was nice but the surf wasn’t so nice, it was small and the rip was so strong that we heard a Japanese tourist got sucked out to sea the week before we got there. The weather was a bit temperamental it would be sunny one minute and the next pouring rain with thunder and lightning. Casey didn’t get into the water once in the short time we were there. The great thing about Surfers is that it is really close to some really popular theme parks. So on Thursday (Oct 25th) Christa and I caught a bus out to Dream World which is kind of like Disneyland except 1/5th the size. Casey couldn’t ride waves so he rode rollercoaster’s. The first ride we jumped on was a medium rated roller coaster that was great for all ages. As we were waiting in line Casey couldn’t understand why people were screaming. I explained kids would scream especially if they were like me....... at that age of course. Well we jumped on and within the first few seconds I heard a sound come out of Casey’s mouth that made me almost pee my pants he screamed like a girl!!! No joke, I never knew he had it in him. Now he says he did it on purpose but I don’t know. After the ride while I was trying to stop myself from laughing hysterically we headed to the tiger show that was about to start. They had 3 large Bengal tigers, one which was pretty old and completely white except for his black strips. The show was to educate you on these endangered animals and they showed how high they could jump, sit on their back legs and climb a tree with no great effort. It was pretty amazing seeing these gigantic cats. After the show it was off to enjoy the rides. The ride we went to next was called the “tower of terror” we waited in line for about 40 minutes got up to the gate to jump on when all of a sudden we heard the sound of massive amounts of rain pouring down. We were informed that the ride was temporarily closed due to the rain. When we walked outside we walked into a torrential down pour and quickly found shelter at the IMAX theatre, we were just in time for the beginning of the space show. When the rain stopped it was back to the rides. Casey’s favourite ride was called Drop Zone, you sit in a seat with your legs dangling and it takes you about 200 meters up a tower and then drops at a speed of 160 km’s per hour. Casey loved this adrenaline rush and went on the ride twice, he would have gone more except the park was closing, and as for me my stomach had enough for the day.

Christmas Production

goodmans_manor

The City

Brisbane was a defiantly different then Maroochydore especially because there was no beach. We arrived in the city Friday October 19 and had plans to have pizza at Sabrina’s house that night. As soon as we got into Brisbane we could feel the hustle and bustle of city life. We settled into our hostel before catching the train to the suburb that Sabrina lived in. Sabrina is from one of the church’s that we are connected with through Backpacking is it. We really enjoyed hanging out with her, Matt & Tony and once again we were really encouraged by their hearts. On Saturday Christa and I wandered through the massive open aired shopping center and then caught and late afternoon movie. We went and saw Hairspray; I can honestly say that this is the worst movie that I have ever watched......I don’t know what we were thinking. For those of you who have seen it I am sure you know what I am talking about and for those of you who haven’t seen it........don’t waste your time or money. Anyway on Sunday we went to the church that Sabrina, Matt and Tony went to and really enjoyed it. After church, a couple from the church, Sharon & David Bland invited us for a nice home cooked lunch. We gladly accepted, a backpacker never misses and opportunity for a good home cooked meal and fellowship. In good old Australian tradition lunch was BBQ steak and sausage with a delicious salad & warm melt in your mouth buns. Let me just say that this was the best steak that I have has since being in Oz. Most of all we really enjoyed the company and where truly blessed by the hospitality of Sharon & David. Later that day we headed back to the hostel to pack up our stuff and get ready for the trip to Surfers Paradise.

Maroochydore

On Monday October 15 we caught the bus to Maroochydore (another weird Australian name) which was only 1 hour away from Noosa. We were going to hang out with Andy Sands, a good friend from back home who is living there. Andy is working with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) and a couple of guys that have a skate shop that helps them to build friendships with the youth who skate and wake board. It was so great to see how God is using Andy in these young guy’s lives. We were so blessed to be able to stay with Andy and Sean; they have an apartment 1 block from the beach. The first day we got there all the guys were going wake boarding, something that I love to do but I was definitely a little rusty. We went to a wake boarding park that used a machine to tow the riders around an oval manmade lake. It was a little different to being towed behind a boat, I got up the first time which I was quite proud of, but then when it took me around the first corner I totally bailed. The rope pulls you around the corners so fast and hard that I thought my arms were going to get ripped out of the sockets. Anyway I got the hang of taking the corners and had a blast. It was a little too cold for Christa so she cheered me on from the dock. The next couple of days we just hung out with Andy when he wasn’t working and had some great laughs. On Thursday, the day before we had to leave I finally got to hit the surf. I borrowed Andy’s board and we went to the beach with Sean & Emily, an awesome couple that we met through Andy. Christa and Emily did what they do best, they went shopping and for coffee while we went surfing. Well Sean went surfing; the waves were so big that I couldn’t even get past the break. After about five attempts I was totally nackered, so Sean came back in and we decided to go body surfing. I just loved being out there in the surf, board or not. After catching some pretty awesome waves we could see the sun was going down so we called it a day. Andy joined us for some excellent Thai food at Sean’s house and then we just hung out and talked. We really enjoyed our time with Andy, Sean and Emily and look forward to hanging out again.

Australia Zoo

I was a huge fan of Steve Irwin but I think that Christa was more excited to go to the zoo then I was. The double Decker shuttle bus picked us up and on the way to the zoo showed a DVD telling of the Irwin’s family’s start in crocodiles. We got to see the stories of some of the crocodiles that were at the zoo and how they were captured which was really sweet. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see Bindi (Steve’s daughter) at the zoo; she was probably doing the Oprah show or something. The zoo was massive and we didn’t know where to start. We first checked out the alligators, and then we watched a feeding of the giant tortoises before Christa got to feed the Elephants. It was so cool to watch Christa stand there and have a huge massive elephant, named Sabu, take an apple out of her hand with its trunk and put it into its mouth. I think that Christa really loved the elephants because she really wanted to go back to the elephant enclosure. But before we did that we had to catch the big nature show that the zoo put on. The show educated about birds, snakes and off course crocodiles. After seeing the crocodiles in the wild I honestly wasn’t too impressed, but that’s just me I love the wild, Christa really enjoyed the show. After the show we had lunch and then wandered around the Steve Irwin museum. There were so many cool stories and pictures of the Irwin family; there was also a memorial to Steve which had things that people sent from all over the world. I loved the passion that Steve had for life and what he did; it really showed in his zoo. Then we went up to see the tigers and the baby tiger cubs. This was my favourite part of the whole park. To see these baby tigers play around was so amazing and I could have stayed there all day but there was still a lot left to see. The Elephants were across from the tigers and that is where Christa really enjoyed spending time. After we walked through the koala and kangaroo enclosure where we had a chance to feed the kangaroos and pet the koalas. Then it was off to take a quick look at the wombats, what a funny animal, they look kind of like large grey beavers without tales. Another really cool part was the snakes. Here the zoo displayed the world’s ten most deadly snakes, all found in Australia. Last but not least we checked out the salt water crocodiles better known as Salties. These were the crocodiles that were on the DVD we watched. They all had very aggressive histories and one of them named “Agro” almost killed Steve’s best friend at the zoo one stormy and rainy night. He was in Argo’s enclosure clearing something out because of the storm when Agro all of a sudden caught him off guard and attacked. Steve was there just in time to pull his friend away as Agro for some reason opened his mouth. “Crickey” that was close. They had pictures of the bit marks on Steve’s best mate’s leg and Wow!! Before we left the Zoo we had to check out the souvenir shop off course. I bought myself the coolest Crocodile Hunter coffee mug and then it was back on the bus.
We spent one more day in Noosa and had a awesome time hanging out with Pastor Peter. We went to church in the morning and then Pastor Peter took us out for lunch. We had such a good time hanging out and talking, we were so encouraged by him. God has truly blessed us with so many amazing people that we have met along the way.

Rainbow Beach & Noosa

RAINBOW BEACH


NOOSA






Our next stop was Rainbow beach (Tuesday October 9th) where we spend a couple of days catching up on emails and internet stuff. At night there was the most amazing lightning storms and as we watched the forks of lightning shoot across the dark sky there were a few times that were to close for comfort. While we were there I called my Mom’s house on Thanksgiving and it was great to be able to talk to my Grandma & Grandpa Poole and the rest of the family. There wasn’t much to do at Rainbow beach so it was off to Noosa. We arrived in Noosa on Thursday (October 11th) late in the afternoon and almost didn’t get a hostel. We made the mistake of not booking ahead and the hostel that we had planned to stay at was fully booked. Fortunately we did find another hostel but we won’t make that mistake again as the summer here has started. On Friday Christa and I went for a spectacular hike along the ocean in the Noosa National Park. The coastal trek was 2.7 kms of unbelievable beauty. There were 4 beautifully secluded beaches along the way and awesome elevated views of the ocean were we spotted whales, turtles and sting rays. We stopped at Alexandria Bay for some fun in the surf before the hike back. The next day (October 13th) we had a trip to Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo.

Fraser Island - Day 3

LAKE BOOMANJIN


LAKE BIRRABEEN

LAKE MAKENZIE







Once again we had a lot to see and a ferry to catch at 3 pm, so it was another early start. We packed up quickly after breaky and were just about to cruise off, when we noticed a whale giving a spectacular show just off shore. So we watched her for about 10 mins and all I have to say is....WOW!!! Our first stop was Lake Boomanjin which had gleaming white sands and honey coloured water, it also claims the title of “world’s largest perched lake”. After a short stop there we headed north to Lake Birabeen which was breath taking and again had white sand with crystal clear blue water. The sand was so white that even though it was cloudy we had to put on sunglasses. We went for a swim and took some photos, like the one that Christa has on her face book, and then were off to our final destination. Lake Mackenzie is the most popular on the island with stunning water that was two shades of gorgeous blue and a magnificent white sand beach and just as we arrived the sun came out. Lake Mackenzie was mind blowing and it was easy to see why it was a favourite of all who visited Fraser Island. The first 10 meter from shore the water color was azure blue and then the depth of the lake dropped very quickly which turned the water a shade of dark navy blue. As we were playing in the amazing water one of the guys found a snake right on the shore about 20 meters away and as quick as a bullet I was over there. I am not sure what kind of snake this one was or if it was poisonous. Lake Mackenzie seemed to be a favourite of the locals as well. Christa had to restrain me from getting to close to the snake as I was trying to get some up close pictures. After hanging at this glorious spot it was time to high tale it back to the ferry terminal. I had a lot of fun as I was the main driver and got to drive about 70% of the time. I would say that the best part about the trip was the people that we were with. The crew was amazing and it was sad to say good bye but the great thing is that we will hopefully see them around here in Australia. I also have to say how proud of Christa I am as there were no showers or toilets, what amazing love she has for me.

Fraser Island – Day 2

INDIAN HEAD


ELI CREEK


LAKE WABBY




Sunday October 7, Day 2 Christa and I woke up at 6 am just after sunrise to find that some of the crew were already up and had taken some beautiful sunrise pictures of the wreck. We had a full day planned so we didn’t waste any time in packing up and eating some breaky. We hit the beach” highway” and were on our way to Indian Head by 7:30 am. As we drove along the beach Michael and I were itching to get into the surf, the waves were perfect and the ocean looked so inviting. The only thing was the water around Fraser Island is a breeding ground for tiger sharks so we had to hold back. We noticed that at a few places there were kids playing in waste deep water which we thought was a bit crazy but their parents were there not seeming to worry which only increased the temptation. As we continued on we noticed large clear blobs lying on the beach, we found that they were giant jelly fish that had got stuck when the tide went out. A little further ahead we saw a dog running along the beach and lay down in the wash up of the ocean, when we got a little closer we realized that it was a dingo. Dingo’s are wild dogs that inhabit the island that are known for stealing food from campsites and have attacked children in the past. We stopped to snap a couple of pics and then drove on. We arrived at Indian Head where it was a short climb up to the top of this big rock. From there you can spot dolphins, sharks, rays, turtles and whales. I was so excited at the thought of what I might see that I ran ahead only to find that the water was super murky so the visibility in the water sucked. We hung around for about 10 minutes before someone spotted dolphins just off the coast. We could also see whales splashing around a little further out. October is prime time for whale watching in Hervey Bay is where the humpback whales migrate to give birth. As we sat on the rocks we also encountered an Eastern Brown snake that was about a meter long and YES this snake is on the list of deadly snakes in Australia. The snake didn’t seem too bothered by us but we stayed out of its way as it slithered along the rocks away from us. We were just leaving when I noticed this bird’s nest on the top of a palm tree, I thought it would make a nice picture so I pulled out the camera and just then 2 beautiful eagles flew into the nest just below me. Oh how I love the wild. After a group photo we left Indian Head and headed back down the beach to Eli Creek. As we were cruising along the beach I was looking out at the ocean when all of a sudden this humpback whale launched out of the water and created a huge splash. I yelled for Gawain to stop so we could watch, just then the whale jumped out of the water again and created an even bigger splash. This is called breeching and this mother whale was teaching the calf to breech. It was so cool to see this in the wild unfortunately it was a little too far out for my camera to focus. We arrived at Eli creek which is a beautiful crystal clear fresh water creek that runs into the ocean. We all went exploring up the creek about 200 meters and then let the current carry us back as we swam in the waste deep water. Just before we jumped into the truck to out next destination, Sam, Mike, and myself couldn’t take it any longer and ran into the ocean for quick body surf. I know that this may sound crazy but the waves were so perfect and hey.....I am still alive. After playing in the surf I jumped in the driver’s seat and we were off to Lake Wabby for lunch and then a 2.5 km hike through a beautiful forest. Lake Wabby was well worth the hike. The emerald green lake was surrounded by a massive sand dune and filled with cat fish & turtles. We hung out there for a couple of hours and really didn’t want to leave but we had to beat the tide. As I was driving down the beach there was another truck in front of me and all of a sudden I saw him veer up one of the creeks that washed out to the ocean. Well this definitely got my attention and I asked the crew if we should follow this guy up the creek. There was a little hesitation and before they could say no, the windows were being rolled up. It’s a good thing that our Land Cruiser had a snorkel because the water was about 4 feet deep. Everyone loved it and we just had to turn around and go back down the creek to get to the beach rather than take the road back and just as we pulled out of the creek there was a police officer right there, I didn’t know if what we were doing was wrong or not so I just gave him a friendly wave and although he stopped and glared at us, there was no worries. We cruised down the beach and found an awesome spot just up from the beach to set up camp. After our tents were set up, Christa being the amazing host that she is, made some awesome pasta for dinner and then we all hung around chatting and star gazing.

Fraser Island – Part 1

Friday October 5th. Ahh finally the tour that I have been waiting for, Fraser Island. This island is the largest sand island in the world with more sand then the Sahara Desert and is a four wheelers dream. There are no paved roads anywhere on the island and the main highway is literally the beach, ohh yeah baby!!!!! The 3 day tour departed from Koalas Backpackers in Hervey Bay which is where I spent 4 months working when I came to Australia 10 years ago, wow time flies. The crazy thing was that one of the guys that I worked with was still there, I recognized him right away and as soon as we started talking he recognized me too. We chatted for a few minutes and he updated me on the status of all my old work mates, it felt really strange. Any way on Friday there was a briefing where we met the other 8 people who were in our group for the trip. There was Gawain, Lillie & Nancy who were all German, Sam from England, Michael from South Africa, Hindrik from the Nether lands, Lo from the USA and a fellow Canadian named Dave. We had the best group and everyone really got along which was very important as we were spending 3 days together cramped in the back of Toyota Land Cruiser. That night Christa & I stayed in a 6 person dorm as it was free and this time Christa and I both got the top bunk........yipeeeee!! Unfortunately her bunk was on the other side of the room. Saturday October 6th, day one of our adventure, it was a 5 am start to get ready and have our last shower for 3 days. We packed up the truck and were off to the ferry for Fraser Island. We arrived on the island and Gawain (aka G- Man, also known as G-money or crazy German driver) was our first driver. He was loving the 4 wheeling and did an awesome job manoeuvring through soft sand that was about 2 feet deep. Our plan was to get to the other side of the island and head north along the beach before the tide came in to far. Ever thing was going great until we came around a corner and found about 10 other vehicles bogged (stuck in the sand). The sand was really soft and it was an uphill climb for the oncoming traffic. There was only enough room for one vehicle to go through at a time so that meant we weren’t going anywhere until they all got through. So our group also known as the A-team got out and helped push a few of them out. We were stuck there for about two hours with a stream of buses and traffic trying to make it to the ferry constantly getting stuck, so we decided to turn around and attempt another way. The good thing was that it worked and we made it to the beach, the bad thing was the tide was coming in. After taking a vote and a local guy telling us we still had time, we decided to continue up the beach. We drove for another couple of hours and found a good spot just up from the beach to set up camp. We were right by one of the main attractions called the Maheno Wreck. The sun was going down fast so we set up our tents and cooked up diner. After diner we had just enough sunlight to get some beautiful pictures of the Maheno Ship Wreck at sunset, which is the remains of a massive cruise liner that washed ashore during a winter cyclone in 1935. After sunset we all hung out and gazed at the countless beautiful stars that filled the sky. We could see the ocean from our site and the waves crashing looked like they glowed blue. Christa and I had just settled into our sleeping bags when Michael came running up from the beach yelling for us to come quick. We jumped out of bed and ran down to the beach to find that the sand was glowing. Michael had discovered that there was phosphorous in the sand which caused it glow when you touched it. I have never seen anything like it. The sand & water sparkled like the stars in the sky when you ran your foot over the sand or splashed your hands in the water. When you walked every step lit up then faded as you walked along. It was totally amazing and we played in the sand for about an hour. In awe of God‘s breathtaking creation I am again reminded of His unbelievable love for us.

Pride of Airlie

Hello everybody, Christa wasn’t the only one that was sad that our wonderful romantic excursion to Hamilton Island was over. I could have spent the rest of our trip there maybe even the rest of my life there, it was that beautiful. But we had a sailing boat to catch and Christa wasn’t kidding when she said that the Pride of Airlie wasn’t exactly what we were told it was. It turns out the Pride of Arlie was the BIGGEST PARTY boat in the Whitsunday Islands; it was “the” booze cruise. God has a funny way of putting us in places that are out of our comfort zones. The first day, Monday (Oct. 1) we boarded our boat and went straight to, South Mole Island were we would be staying at. After a few complications with our room we settled in and headed to the bar where we were served our dinner. When we went up to the bar to order two pops the bartender joked around with us and told us we better be ordering beer next time. Shortly after dinner the crew got everyone together and started a series of drinking games Christa & I and another couple, Adam & Helen, started talking and enjoyed great conversation in the midst of the chaos. The next morning at 6:30 am we headed to the bar for our breakfast. With the tables still sticky from the night before and a few people a little green & extremely tired we finished up breakfast and headed to board the boat. With Christa being so sea sick before on our boat ride in Cairns she was prepared this time and good thing. At the beginning of the trip there was one girl quickly at the back of the boat not feeling so well. As we started to pass Hamilton Island the waves kept getting bigger & bigger and more people were leaning over the back of the boat. I on the other hand was at the front of the boat with a bunch of people as we enjoyed the ride on the waves and got soaking wet. We arrived at Whitehaven beach around 10 am. This beach is named one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. We spent a couple of hour’s snorkelling and lying on the beach. I had a great time in the water exploring and loved swimming with the sea turtles. The beach was definitely beautiful; the water was turquoise blue the sand was super fine and as white as snow. After lunch at Whitehaven beach we sailed back to the resort and arrived there at about 3pm, which gave me enough time to hit the golf course on the island while Christa relaxed. That night after dinner when the drinking games began there was a group of about 10 that weren’t joining in this time, so I suggested that we head over to another bar at the resort where there was a game of bingo going on. There was a little resistance at first but once one joined in they all joined in and we were off to play bingo. The place was packed with some serious bingo players, enthusiast from all ages. They were so serious that you could almost hear a pin drop. We soon caught on to the bingo lingo and our group managed to win the last 3 games. After bingo was over we all played ping pong and then head for bed. Wednesday (Oct. 3) morning was another 6:30 am start for breakfast and on the boat by 7:15 am. We sailed to a nice spot to snorkel again where Christa joined in this time then had lunch and then sailed back to Airlie Beach. We got back on land at about 3 pm, said our goodbye’s to everyone and prepared for our 12 hour bus ride that night to Hervey Bay.
PS. Casey was my hero again. The last night in our room at 4 am we both woke up for a potty break. When we turned the lights on Casey looked over and told me to go to the bathroom and shut the door as there was a very big spider in the room. Well I ran to the bathroom and put a towel under the crack of the door, in case the spider decided to run my way. All I could hear Casey say was “Oh my goodness.....ohhhh my goodness.” Well once again he killed the large huntsman which was the size of his hand and we were both able to sleep peacefully. Casey also made a friend on the boat who was 6 years old named Shannon, the skipper had his 2 daughters on the boat and Shannon had most fun hanging out with Casey & I playing “guess if my eyes are open or shut”.