Queensland (part 1)

Tuesday 22nd April – Surfers Paradise is much more developed than anywhere else we've been on the coast with a number of high rise apartment complexes crowded close to the sea with a larger collection of lower blocks filling the gaps, all fronting an excellent beach. The shiny new highrises are impressive in the dawn sun when Tim actually makes it up in time to see the sun rise (OK, it was not quite dawn, the sun had to crest a line of cloud on the horizon): excellent weather has finally arrived (and will stick around for several more weeks... a great relief). The day is spent in checking out the tourist shops and the beach with a big dose of relaxation. In the evening we decide a seafood buffet is an appropriate way to celebrate an early birthday for Tracy.

Wednesday 23rd April – Time for Trena and Treavor to find a last few souvenirs so we check out the extensive mall in the town, rather nicely developed both in and outdoor for varying weather. Then it is time for another round of the beachside attractions before hitting the town for a few drinks and a very good Indian meal. Tracy joins Trena and Treavor for a last night on the town while Tim saves his energy for the drive tomorrow.

Thursday 24th April – A long day... Tim stirs the partyers (Tracy stayed in town at their hotel) in the early am and we hit the road for the 120km to Brisbane airport. It is a smooth enough journey with some traffic near the city and we get them there early enough for a flight with plenty of time to connect through Sydney. We then drive back down in time to pick up the camper by the witching hour of 10am (chucking out time at most campsites) and hitch up to return to Brisbane and the Newmarket park site that appears to have all we need (later we find that Don used the place regularly too). They have space for us and we sign in for a week... time to slow down after all the visitors. We can also hook up to the internet here for a reasonable rate and it's on the bus route to the city so all our needs are met.

In the evening Tracy is tired after being out last night so Tim takes himself off for a Hash run with food after at a good Thai restaurant. He also meets a hasher from Nelson, NZ who knows many of our NZ friends.

Friday 25th April – Today is ANZAC day, commemorating Austalian verterans and more specifically the disastrous 1915 Battle of Gallipoli where large numbers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps were killed and injured: a seminal event for both the then young countries. This is often observed by dawn services, allowing the rest of the day for barbecues and relaxation.

We make the most of the light holiday traffic to take a ride down through the city on our bikes, a ride enlivened by not having a map. We have attempted to remember the route but make a few mistakes... however we do make it down to the river and get a good look at some of the city centre. It is nice to get out and ride, the bikes have been gathering dust for a while now on the back of the truck. We also know that the city has a good network of bike trails for us to investigate in the days to come.

In the evening we join one of the Hash groups in town, Brisbane Northside, for their Annual General Piss Up (AGPU), an excuse to run, party and welcome in a new committee. The venue is a home wonderfully set up with a compete covered bar with excellent home brewed beer. No reason to go home... and they find a bed for us along with quite a few other party casualties.

Saturday 26th April – After the late night last night and all the recent travel today is a day for relaxing. So we do very little.

Sunday 27th April – Today we have two invites, this is the one city we actually know people. We go to lunch with Paul and Sue out west of the city. Paul is a friend Tracy met 20 years ago when he was a tour guide for the group she was taking a canoe trip with (he is also an old friend of Don, it was his inviting Don to help guide the group of Americans that led to Tracy meeting him). He met Sue a few years back and finally settled into married life. They have a great deck for entertaining and we enjoy an excellent afternoons food and drink.

Next stop is Redlands Bay south-east of the city, where friends from Wanganui, David and Di, have just moved. They are having a barbecue with more old Kiwi friends who have been in Brisbane years and we all enjoy the ability to sit out and enjoy the Queensland late autumn weather.

Monday 28th April – Another lazy day with plenty of laundry to be done and hot sun to be enjoyed. We both rejoin the Brisbane Northsiders in the evening who are conveniently running up the road, with the trail running right by the campground.

Tuesday 29th April – Time to really check out the city, and to obtain bike trail maps, this time using the excellent bus and ferry system. We bus into the city centre and immediately take a ride out east on the ferry. Returning on the ferry with good views of the riverfront we get off near the middle of the city, finding our way to the tourist information, then city hall to get the bike maps. A pleasant afternoon's walking takes us past some historic buildings, through the botanical gardens and we finally meander our way back to the South Bank to pick up a bus home. In the evening we return to the city to catch up with the Bayside hashers who are running from a park at a ferry terminal, making transport simple for us.

Wednesday 30th April – Happy 40th birthday Tracy. She decides to spend the day cooking (Tim does offer!) as we are being joined by Paul (Sue can't escape work) and Don and Ada for the late afternoon and early evening. Plenty of good food and good company ease Tracy's aging.

Thursday 1st May – Another lazy day in the fine weather. Again Tim runs in the evening with the Brisbane Thirsty Hash, again at a venue pretty close to the campsite.

Friday 2nd May – Time to make use of those bike maps and blow out some cobwebs with a good bike ride. We begin by picking our way through the northern suburbs heading northeast (the bike trail network is extensive but not all are connected so a bit of roadwork is needed in between), ending up following a canal separating us from the airport. This brings us to Nudgee Beach where we enjoy good views before continuing through the Nundah wetlands to the seaside again at Shorncliffe where a fisherman's co-operative provides lunch. Next stop is Sandgate pier before we cross the old Houghton Highway bridge which has been left for riding, walking and fishing after being superseded by a new bridge that runs parallel. At the west end we turn around for the 2km ride back over the bridge and make our way home via another selection of bike paths and linking roads. All told we ride over 80km which makes for a healthy and enjoyable day.

Saturday 3rd May – Another lazy morning before we drive out to Paul and Sue's again to meet up with Don and Ada for the afternoon. We relax on the deck with a friendly family of butcherbirds in the afternoon and go out for a great Indian meal in the evening... good combination.

Sunday 4th May – Another day another slow start. This afternoon we drive back down to Redlands Bay to meet David and Di again, this time in their real house (last week they were in hospital owned house). Before an evening barbecue we take a look at the area and take a sunset walk around Victoria Point.

Monday 5th May – Another holiday Monday and finally time to leave Brisbane! First we head a little north of the city (Tracy by bike, Tim with the truck and camper) to meet Don and Ada with their friends Ingrid and Rob. We enjoy a good late lunch barbecue with them and could have stayed longer, but we want to get down to Lismore, 3 hours away back in New South Wales. There we'll meet the local hashers who we are going to spend next weekend with.

Our journey south is smooth as all the holiday traffic is pouring back towards Brisbane, and we are pretty much on time as we take the last road that will bring us to the venue according to Google Maps. The surface does become dirt which makes us a little nervous but we can see the lights of the village ahead, unfortunately our road quickly peters out before we reach them. The problem now is in getting out, can we reverse the camper all the way back to the first turn or should we try and turn in the space available? We go for reversing but the motorbike carrier on the back of the camper grounds on an upslope while we can't move the truck forward as we are right on the edge of a deep ditch. We are stuck.

Now we have to depend on the hashers for help, but of course they are all out running. We call all the contact numbers we have and Tim decides to ride his bike up to the house we were aiming to meet them at... but doesn't get far before we get a call from Gary who drives out to check our predicament. We decide if we have some planks to lift the rear end we'll get out and Gary gets the required wood... and in minutes we are free. We pull the camper into Lismore and park up outside Gary's, camping on his floor (the only place we've slept other than the camper in over a month). Thanks Gary!