Hervey Bay

Sorry to brag, but how good is this weather.  We are in paradise.  The beach here is just beautiful.  Endless kilometers of flat, clam water.  So we took the kids for a walk along the beach this morning in the opposite direction to yesterday.  Again more beach soccer and drawing in the sand.  You can really notice the sun burning your skin so we must remember to layer on the sunscreen.  The ball kept going into the water so of course the kids had to go in after it and before too long their legs were pretty wet.  We stopped to talk to a lovely English couple with a dog and Zachie fell in chasing the poor puppy.  It took his breath away but he just got up laughing and the next thing, Scarlett had stripped down and was running naked through the water.  Of course Mr Max had to follow suit and Zachie was drenched so he got nude too.  Very cute although I’m not sure what the passerbyers thought.  We frolicked for a few hours on the beach and then headed back for lunch.  In the afternoon we had a hot chocolate and walk around the marina.  We got some divine seafood from a fishmonger near by and then headed off to Bunnings for some quick supplies.  An hour later, Rick appeared with Maxie.  One can only imagine how happy I was sitting in the car with a child complaining non stop about needing to do a poo with poor Zachie snoring next to her.  Despite paging him twice, my deaf darling Rick failed to appear, so poor Scarlett had to wait.  Anyway, the day was finished with an early dinner and some beautiful pan fried flathead.  Just delicious.  I also got the washing machine cranking and did about 6 loads throughout the day.  Just love it and love the new clothes line which also had its debut today.  The washing was wash dry within a couple of hours.  I feel like a domestic goddess on wheels.

Hervey Bay

Sadly our lovely stay with Sarah and Kevy is over.  We packed up this morning and made our way to Hervey Bay via Maryborough.  What a quaint old town with lost of lovely architecture.  Beautiful weatherboard Queenslanders which remind us of home and provide much inspiration for paint colours.  No welcome from big bossomed Mimmie McPherson, but we knew we had arrived in Hervey Bay when we saw a whales tail sticking up out of the ground at this fabulous waterpark, called Wet Side.  After a quick survey of the caravan parks we’ve settled on the most stunning spot at the back of Torquay Caravan Park.  The view is spectacular but we’re in trouble if there’s a tsunami.  We are right on the beach and away from other vans thankfully as the kids made so much noise tonight, it was ridiculous.  Hervey Bay has an esplanade that runs about 15km along the beach front, so we made good use of the afternoon and went scootering down towards Scarness Beach.  We took a quick detour on to the beachfront near a lovely little café filled with backpackers and more grey nomads thawing out in the sun.  Speaking of, can this weather get any better.  Glorious sunshine, shorts and t-shirt weather.  The water was sparkling blue and we attempted a little beach soccer, a bit hard when the kids kept picking up the ball. We finished the day with a BBQ and made friends with a possum that obviously thought the leftovers smelt good.  The kids and I christened the shower tonight.  Sadly there are no ensuite sites at this park, and I am glad, as I’ll be showering in the van from now on.  So easy to whiz the kids through.  All in all a great day and I am keen to get exploring tomorrow.

Noosa & Eumundi

Another day in paradise.  Eumundi markets in the morning where the kids got to pat a Lama and sample some local produce. We also found the stand selling the witches that light up when you clap your hands.  Nanna Sandra had one in her garden so the kids were excited to find them.  We headed into Noosa back to Bristro C for a lazy lunch with Kevie and Sarah on her lunch break.  The calamari was as splendid as always, as was the view, service and booze.  The boys had a lovely time drinking the afternoon away as the kids played in the sand and scootered just in front of the restaurant. Beautiful food and a perfect way to spend the afternoon.  The kids harassed anyone that would talk to them and Zachie spent most of the afternoon chasing a bush turkey along the beach.  Just gorgeous as his chunky little trunks wobbled past the window.  His talking is improving with new words everyday and his appetite is out of control. My hot chocolate disappeared before my eyes without even so much as a mouthful. I did manage a quick shop on my own for an hour as Rick and Kevie kindly took the kids for a quick walk around the headlands.  They said it was stunning, but happy hour beckoned and they were back at Bistro C for the next round. We finally headed off just before 5PM thoroughly impressed with the kids effort. On the way back to the car we ran into more Griffith people, being Lucia Nardo and her partner.  Talk about a small world.  Lovely to see some familiar faces and it made me a little home sick for the grandparents….where are you?  More eating and drinking when we got home (because we so needed it), followed by much talk or rather dribble about buying Kedrons (a fancy off road caravan) and tinnies when we retire to go travelling through the top end. Blah blah Rick. Thank god for bed.

Noosa & Eumundi

Another slow start to the day organising washing and cleaning up our mess.  Poor Sarah and Kev, they work so hard and I just marvel at how well they seem to do.  Up and out the door by 7.30PM dropping Alfie off to school and little Lily at 3 is on the bus off to daycare at 7.15AM, four mornings a week.  My kids are lucky to be surfacing at that time normally, so bless you Miss Sarah for being so organised.  Hence, the very least I could do was make sure her house was tidy.  So into Noosa for walk and lunch which turned out to be pies on the boardwalk. All the quick snacks are pretty pricey here, sushi was $8 a roll at the only Sushi joint along the strip. Even the mini mall at the back of hastings street was pretty univiting, so pies it was. We took the beach toys with us and settled in as we had been promising the kids a good play in the sand for a few days.  And what a magic day it was.  Sun beaming, sand glistening and the waves gently breaking on the shore.  Rick took off to get some much needed supplies at Bunnings and the like, so it gave us a good chance to chill out in the sun. Ah, this is what holidaying is all about.  The kids made some friends, although the beach was pretty quiet.  Actually, its a brilliant time of the year to holiday here for that reason.  The cafes aren't packed, the beach is dotted with people and the weather has been magic so far.  T-shirts and shorts by lunch time.  Scarlett even braved her bikini today.  After 3 hours of waiting for Rick, the kids got a little restless so we packed up to go for a walk and in search of afternoon tea. Coincidentally, Bistro C one of my all time favourite restaurants just happened to have a happy hour sign out the front.  And amazingly there was a free table outside just beckoning us in, so down went the scooters and in we went.  Some colouring in pencils, mocktails, Mojito, and tapas later, we were in heaven.  Kite surfers in the distance entertained the kids as did the barman that took a particular liking to Max.  Rick finally surfaced three cocktails later and I was rocking.  Home for more indulgence of course.  Another beautiful fire, Charmaine Solomon's butter chicken and I was snoring on the lounge by 8.30PM.

Noosa & Eumundi

A slow start to the day as we had to take the car in to be looked at.  We’ve had a strange noise coming from the front passenger wheel since Byron Bay.  It turned out to be a loose wheel thankfully so nothing expensive to fix.  We also had the car serviced so by the time we got moving it was just after lunch.  In to Noosa today finally.  Oh how I love this place.  The kids scootered along the main street.  Sadly it was a little too hard to shop given the company, so maybe tomorrow.  Its gotten more fancy than the last time we were here with much renovation happening down the bottom end of the main drag.  The boardwalk was as stunning as I remember.  How lucky these people are to live and work here.  The kids scoffed an ice-cream and had a quick play on the sand. Before we knew it it was time to get the groceries and head back to Eumundi for dinner.  We stopped in at the Woolies just behind Noosaville were we lived for 5 months when I was pregnant with Maxie. A bit nostalgic and it reminded me of lovely memories of our chubby Miss Scarlett in those pink and green watermelon bikinis.  What a sight! The kids were stoked to see Lily and Alfie and had much to talk about in the bath together. Kevie got the open fire going while I cooked the kids some chicken nuggets and veg.  Sarah had a much deserved rest.  More wine and food and we were happy, especially when the kids finally went to sleep. So nice to be with old friends enjoying each others company.

Noosa & Eumundi

A few sore heads this morning, or maybe it was just mine.  But no rest with 7 kids under 7 in the house.  A hearty feed of bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes

Noosa & Eumundi

Up early and off to the Eumundi markets at 8AM to avoid the crowds.  Sarah and I took little Zachie with us and had enough time to wander through the markets in peace before he got restless.  I bought a dress and some goodies including dukkah, banana bread, strawberries and apples.  We headed back home to pick up the kids and took them for morning tea and a ride around a nice little park and creek where they could feed the ducks.  Poor ducks, they had no chance with Zachie in hot pursuit.  He is still obsessed with them.  Back home to meet Mick and Arianne and their boys for lunch.  And what a splendid lunch.  Kevie whipped up a stunning salmon pasta that we ate outside beside the pool.  They have such a lovely yard and it was glorious today.  The kids got on famously.  In fact Alfie became quite in amour of Miss Scarlett and by days end was professing his love for her and kissing her non stop.  She liked it to begin with but it wore thin before too long and she was palming him off her.  Maxie seemed to gel really well with Hamish and Toby and followed them everywhere.  Very nice little boys and they left my monsters for dead in terms of their manners.  Argh what am I doing wrong.  Another late afternoon fire and a splendid dessert compliments of Mick and we were pretty content. And there we stayed for the remainder of the night, fuelled by more ribs, cheese, my splendid Karen Martini's Figs and Haloumi and too much vino.  We kicked on until we could frolic no more.