Crikey!
As I head into the 2nd part of our journey, I must say how much I have enjoyed being in an English speaking country. It was great to speak to people in English and have them understand us, and so great to hear and understand what others are saying… and to be able to read the road signs, and package labels, and directions, maps, TV, … Don’t get me wrong. The Japanese people are very friendly, and they all try to help you. It’s just hard when you do not speak the language. Being in an English speaking country added even more fun to our vacation. (Interestingly, we saw a Customs agent trying to explain directions to a Japanese couple. Jacob said, “That is us in Japan!” So true.)
We left Sydney on Monday afternoon and arrived at the Maroochydore airport in the Sunshine Coast just over an hour later. We headed to the Sebel Resort on Hastings Street in Noosa Heads. We had a 2 bedroom apartment, which would prove to be great for eating meals “in” instead of everything “out” at restaurants. We actually went to a Cole’s grocery store right away to stock up. Did I mention how nice it was to read the labels? :)
On Tuesday, we walked across the street to Noosa Main beach. It was lovely with some waves, so we had a great time. The boys played football along the beach and in the ocean. Imagine that!
On Wednesday, we loaded up and headed to Beerwah to the Australia Zoo, home of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. This was a huge highlight of our adventure. It rained all day, but this did not slow us down! We started with a Warrior show that included some scary crocodiles and the whole crowd yelling “Crikey!” We saw koalas actually awake, moving around on branches, and eating leaves. We saw elephants, tigers, komodo dragon, skinks,…. But, …well, …is it possible to fall in love with a kangaroo? I think I did. There were 2 areas where the kangaroos roamed freely, and we were able to pet and feed them. There was “Roo Heaven” and “Red Kangaroo Heaven”. Wow. They were so cute and gentle. I think we may have taken 50 pictures just of kangaroos! One kangaroo even climbed up Jacob shirt. In the second area, we saw 3 mommy kangaroos and their little joeys. One joey hopped out of the pouch, turned around, and did a somersault back into the pouch. Simply mesmerizing. Steve Irwin really did a lot to protect the wildlife. It was evident in every inch of that zoo – it felt a bit more like an amusement park than a zoo. The animals have so much space to live a bit more like they should. We found ourselves sad that Steve Irwin died at such a young age, but his legacy lives on in his family, in the zoo, and in the wildlife all over Australia – all over the world.
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| The Australia Zoo - Home of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter |
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| Roo Heaven |
On the way home, we stopped at Target. Yes, TARGET!! It was so fun to find American type clothes (some simpler designs and bigger than a size 2 like they have in Japan!) We stayed a long time and found a few more Christmas items!
We saw some clear skies on Thursday, so we decided to hit the beach again. The girls (Grandma, Mom, and Jessica) also found our way to shop along Hastings Street. The street is filled with shops and restaurants. Just brilliant. (I picked up that word this week. I love it. You just have to use it sparingly for when something truly is brilliant.) On Friday, December 24, we packed up and headed to Brisbane to then fly out to Cairns for the 3rd and final part of our journey.
Peace and Love from Down Under,
Tina
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