The next part of our adventure was an exciting thought whilst we worked our last two weeks in Cleveland. My parents were coming to visit from the UK and we had lots planned! A road trip from Brisbane to Cairns, a few days in Melbourne and then after saying bon voyage to Mum and Dad, we were heading to Singapore and Vietnam for the last two weeks of our current retirement. We said goodbye to the Gellatly’s who had been amazing over the last eight weeks, letting us stay with them and welcoming us in to their family. So long Horace II – see you in a month!

Ryan’s workmate kindly took us to the airport early on Wednesday morning (September 7th – oops this blog is a bit late!) where we met Mum and Dad! They were here! Wahoo! It felt strangely like we had been away for no time at all and it was so nice to see them. Dad had been over in March, but I had not seen Mum since we had left in November.

All a bit dazed, we had a happy hello and couldn’t quite believe they were here after looking forward to their trip for so long. We had a coffee and heard all about their two night stop over in Singapore, before picking up our hire car and heading over to Milton for a yummy brekkie at The Fromagerie! CHEESE!

Mum and I had a girls only appointment booked at the bridal shop, for me to show her the dress I had really liked when I went a few weeks earlier with Abbie and Jan – she was very excited. The boys took the water taxi over to Southbank whilst I played dress up and we caught up with them about an hour or so later (soz dress details are a secret!)

We all wandered around the South Bank (rather slowly) and saw the city beaches before venturing through the botanical gardens. Jet lag was in the air and Ryan and I were a bit sleepy from our early morning (poor dears), so shortly after we got in the car and headed to our first stop on the Brisbane to Cairns road trip – Noosa, with a quick stop in Mooloolaba to stretch our legs, buy some hats and take some photos of the sea.

Noosa

Noosa was gorgeous and we arrived at our little house in the early afternoon – Dad had booked Airbnb’s for our trip and it was so nice to turn up to our homely abode. Ryan and I shopped for supplies whilst Mum and Dad had a nap before we cracked open the beers and Mum and I had a vodka. Feeling refreshed after a nap, shower and a drink it was time to go exploring.

We met Dad’s old friend Donald at the Surf Club – whom he hadn’t seen in years, so they had a really nice catch up and not before long we were feeling rather hungry. Donald recommended a couple of restaurants to us and we wandered down the boardwalk by the beach and came across ‘Bistro C’. We liked the look of it and got a cosy table in the corner. It was a gorgeous restaurant with a great vibe and the lighting was perfect. We were celebrating our engagement tonight (though I was driving) so Ryan celebrated with wine and we had an amazing dinner. We chatted the night away, had very clean plates and even polished off an insane dessert!!

We all slept very well that night and were ready for another fun filled day. Brekkie consisted of poached eggs, toast and avocados (Mum agreed they taste so much better in Oz) and we introduced them to Dukkah (my new fave thing) and they loved that too!

It was time to say goodbye to our first house and their little dog too and head in to town to do some morning exploring. The beach was packed already and we walked along before cutting in to the main street and searching for coffee. Mum and I were distracted by clothes shops (especially the local shops and Seed) though the boys weren’t really interested and just wanted coffee. We weren’t low on choice there!

Mum and Dad’s Australian coffee addiction was about to begin and we sat and people watched. It was a shame we had to leave so soon as it was a gorgeous day – perfect weather for their trip! Noosa was definitely one of our faves and Ryan and I will definitely be back in the Summer.

Hervey Bay

Next stop Hervey Bay! We pulled up to a viewpoint en route and walked up to the top. It wasn’t far but far enough for us all to be out of breath! The skies were quite overcast by now but we still had a 360 degree view and could see Noosa in the distance! Lovely view!

Mum was new to camping toilets so that was an experience, but don’t worry everyone, she had her hand gel that kills EVERYTHING! I did worry slightly about putting it on my hands, just in case, it did actually kill everything!

We ticked off wildlife that we saw along the way – from wallabies to kangaroos and even a dingo. No Koalas yet (alive ones anyway). The roads are long and tedious and it’s understandable why they advise you not to drive for a long time or at night – so boring!

Tonight we celebrated our engagement again because Dad had decided that the night before we were actually celebrating our anniversary (it wasn’t our anniversary – maybe he drank too much beer) but hay ho, any excuse, we popped open a bottle a champers and cheerzed!

Joined shortly after by a dog and a cat, who were best friends, we made ourselves at home in Hervey Bay. Dinner was cooked by chef Ryan and we had some yummy fish before booking our whale watching trip for the following day.

After a few avos on toast, we drove to the Bay for 8am, boarded the boat and took our seats on the aft deck. The whales were heading south with their calves after giving birth and as it was the peak of the season, we were guaranteed to see lots of them! So excited!

This was Mum’s very adventurous trip #1 (no, maybe that was the one that got her here in the first place) anyway, it took her a while to get her sea legs but she loved it and loved seeing the whales. We saw SO many! Their babies were massive and i’m not surprised as they can drink up to 90 kilos of their mums milk a day, so they grow very very quickly. One mummy brought her calf very close to the boat and we just bobbed around watching them be intrigued by us all (they are interested in the people, rather than the boat apparently), we all watched in awe.

When the boat got within a certain distance of the whales, the captain had to put it out of gear, which made it rock quite a bit. There was a lot of movement but you didn’t really think about it because you were staring at the whales. It was so nice to see them being so playful and curious. We saw one mum feeding it’s baby with it’s tail in the air, which is a common way to feed and amazing to see the whales tail just perched out of the water. The captain got some photos to send to the researchers because the markings underneath the tail are unique to them, just like our fingerprints are unique to us. The researches can then keep track of each whale and know who is who. Pretty incredible!

Two whales swam beside us for a while and we saw whales breaching and playing around in the distance – it was amazing!!

The best sight of the day was that of the Mum and calf coming right up to the boat! They hung around for at least ten minutes, just floating, coming up for air and diving. It was an incredible experience being so close and definitely once in a life time. We learnt so much about the whales and it was amazing to hear all about their trip north and back down south. We saw even more on our way home and couldn’t believe how many we had seen!

The weather had been great too, so clear and sunny, we were all really pleased with the experience but the sea air had got to us and we were in need of a coffee when on shore, in preparation for our next journey to Agnes Water. Hervey Bay, you were great, we will be back to see Fraser Island one day soon!

Agnes Water/1770

Venturing up to more tropical climes, we wound up the hills  and arrived in the rain at our next house. On top of the hill, the house had incredible 360 degree views of the area (which would have been even more incredible on a clear, sunny day – fingers crossed for tomorrow) We met the homeowners and their dalmatian Spot, who could certainly tell there was a storm brewing.

The hopes of having a bbq were quickly banished and we decided it was more like chilli weather, so that is what we had, with all the trimmings! Yum! Some more vodka, a celebration of Mum’s birthday this time and a game of scrabble, which I somehow won!

The storm hit at night and the air had cleared by morning which was great! Very convenient, thank you weather! We ate our brekkie and ventured down to 1770 beach, had a lovely walk in the sunshine and the water temperature was perfect for a little paddle.

The crabs were making pretty patterns in the sand and we watched them for ages – fast little workers they were! The trees were also amazing, with their long roots exposed as the tide was out. It was a great beach, very peaceful and more like a painting than reality.

We drove back through Agnes water for a coffee stop at a little organic shop and relaxed before driving to our next stop.

Yeppoon

We arrived in time for a sunset drink or two by the harbour, it was the perfect setting and lovely and warm. It was Saturday, the morning of Ben and Amy’s wedding back home, so Ryan called Ben and had a little chat, unfortunately confirming the fact that we wouldn’t be surprising them by being in England. We were definitely in Oz! It seemed like everyone was getting married today and the harbour at sunset was a popular place to get your photos taken. We watched the world go by for a while as it was a gorgeous evening.

It was finally a good night for a BBQ and our little house had one – yay! Lamb chops for Mum and steaks for the rest of us, washed down with some Bird in Hand (perfect combo) – were we celebrating Ryan’s birthday tonight? Who knows!

Airlie Beach/Whitsundays

The following day would be the longest drive (5 hours) but it wasn’t bad as Mum and I were on koala watch! We were en route to Airlie Beach and had two nights booked, which would be a nice. We arrived again just before sunset and wandered along the beach, round the harbour and looked out for turtles in the bay. After a few drinks by the water, we found a yummy tapas bar and had a delicious dinner! The restaurant was right by the water and it didn’t disappoint – gorgeous paella, scallops etc. Four happy people and many empty dishes!

The following day we were off on a catamaran to see the Whitsunday Islands – definitely the way to go, the motorboats just wouldn’t cut it! We set up camp up the front and were soon sailing towards the islands. It was a gorgeous day and we were all so relaxed.

The whales came to see us at one point, which was amazing and we definitely weren’t whaled out! The bar opened at 11am so we got on the Carlton mids and ate cheese and crackers – it was perfect! We stopped at the first island to snorkel and donned our wetsuits (stinger suits) mainly to avoid the jellyfish but also because Ryan and I are now used to the Australian climate and the sea was blooming cold! The fishies were amazing and we spent a good hour watching them, looking at the coral (lots of soft coral) and just being amazed, whilst also dodging jellyfish, that were apparently not dangerous but they looked scary! You really don’t even need to scuba dive in Oz, as the snorkelling itself is amazing.

Back onboard we dried off and made our way to Whitehaven beach. From a distance you just saw the turquoise water and bright white sand – it was gorgeous and we arrived at the beach for an hour or two of relaxing, wandering and swimming. The water was warmer here but still not ‘Australian summer’ warm, so I paddled whilst Ryan had a swim! It was so blue and clear and the sand was so amazingly white – I could have stayed there for a month!

After wandering, paddling, reading and sunbathing, it was time for lunch (such a hard life). We got back on to our big purple catamaran, waved goodbye to the gorgeous Whitehaven beach and had a yummy lunch whilst sailing through the crystal clear waters. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day, we were sailing along in the sunshine, food in our bellies, great company, no care in the world!

The sun was setting whilst we made our way back to Airlie beach and that just topped it off. It was still lovely and warm and we had a great view of the sunset which was gorgeous. One of the many we have already seen on our trip so far.

The sea air had wiped us out good and proper, so we had a quick dinner and then headed to bed.

For Dad’s birthday (big 60) Stevie and I had arranged for him to go on a scenic flight over the Whitsundays – and it wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t go too. So, the following morning, we woke up and told him the surprise! He was v excited and Mum had her valium at the ready just in case. We hopped on the minibus and headed to the airport where we met our pilot, the other three passengers and our little plane.

It was absolutely incredible and we couldn’t believe the views. The colours were amazing and it was such a great way to see the Whitsundays! The pilot gave us the low down on the area and we mainly just pointed at everything and said ‘wooooowwwww’

Dad loved it, even Mum loved it and we were so pleased that we were all able to go! I would definitely recommend anyone to do the scenic flight. Even though we sailed around the islands the day before, it was amazing to see them from a different angle and the sand/sea/coral formations were just incredible. We even saw some more whales (a mother and a calf) which made it even better!

Strangely enough the girl sitting in front of me, next to the captain, went to the same art college as I did and we just so happened to be in the same class! We both thought we recognised each other but only realised when we got off the plane. Such a small world – especially being on a seven seater scenic flight!!

The pictures speak for themselves really….

We were all feeling rather peckish and ventured to ‘The Fat Frog’ for brekkie. Sat by the sea, we chatted about the flight (Dad was very happy) and had a DELICIOUS breakfast before moving on to our next stop.

Toolakea/Townsville

It was getting hotter the further north we travelled and the ‘WARNING – CROCODILE’ signs were coming out! Oh no! We had a quick coffee/supply stop in Townsville and a wander before arriving at our Airbnb in Toolakea (just north of Townsville and across the way from Magnetic Island)

We had a walk on the beach with the resident dog Scruff, dodged puddles/mini swamps in case of crocs and enjoyed listening to the sea before the sun went down (another beautiful sunset)

The house was lovely and we would be sharing it with the host David. He was a great laugh, had some amazing stories and had certainly lived a good life. We chatted for ages, had dinner and chatted some more.

David had a Harley Davidson which he LOVED. We all had a sit on it and Mum loved it. Dad – maybe you could get her one for her 60th???????

It was time to wave bye to David! We hope to back one day to see him again!

Barrine

 

Our last stop of our East Coast road trip was Barrine (inland – near Cairns) and we stopped off en route in Ingham, found a hidden little deli, had a coffee and bought some scrummy bits and bobs for our dinner that night. There wasn’t too much around the town but before we got back in the car, we found a walkway over swamp marshes with pretty lilipads and the odd turtle coming up for air. Dad had found a few waterfalls nearby, so we drove through the winding hills and wandered down to each one.

 

The contrast between Barrine and Airlie Beach was incredible – it was so tropical up and everything was SO green and lush. The waterfalls were very inviting but the water was still very cold, so I didn’t venture in!

Lots of other brave people did though and it looked very chilly! It has been so nice seeing different parts of the upper east coast. Being on boats, being in planes, paddling by waterfalls, relaxing on the white sand, worrying about crocodiles, rain, sunshine, humidity! So much changes between Brisbane and Cairns, it is mad and there is too much to see!

Our Airbnb was gorgeous and we had a big decking area surrounded by trees and cockatoos. We kept trying to take photographs of the birds but they left just at the last minute and then came back as soon as we had put the camera down.

We ate our pasta out on the deck and listened to the birds – it was our last night before Mum and Dad left for Sydney and Adelaide, so we enjoyed the peaceful evening before they hit the busy cities!

We all packed up our bags and headed for Cairns the following morning – finding a great coffee shop on our way. You could choose from many different beans and some were even roasted on site. We told the owner to contact us when he wants to open a shop in London! Happy and full of coffee we headed to the airport and dropped Mum and Dad off for their next adventure!

It had been a crazy fun eight days! We had done so much and crammed A LOT in – enjoying every minute. So nice to see them and go on this road trip together.

We now had plans to see Port Douglas and Palm Cove for four days whilst Mum and Dad ventured on to Sydney and Adelaide, before meeting us in Melbourne for three nights before they left to go home. Part two of the parents adventure to come……