Christmas and New Year's Down Under and Homeward Bound

Coolum Beach is a quaint beach town on the Sunshine Coast, south of the much busier and touristy Noosa.  It was perfectly our pace and with the beach a short walk from our condo, it was heaven!  Christmas was a little different for us.  Don't get us wrong, we loved it, but Christmas in a hot place is very unusual for us.  We are used to the snow, skating, sledding, smell of a hot turkey and holopchi baking, and sitting by the fire with family.  We loved the beach and loved our seafood dinner, but part of us was missing home on Christmas Day.

While at Coolum, we were able to make it to the Eumundi markets which are famous in this area, for a bit of shopping, and of course, to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo.  For the kids' Christmas gifts, I had booked an animal encounter with an animal of their choosing.  Jaden chose the echidna, Kalan, the wombat, and Asha, the koala.  We spent the whole day wandering around this amazing zoo and watching the kids experience an Aussie animal up close and personal.  The best part for me, was seeing them enter the kangaroo enclosure and walk over to a kangaroo, hesitating, unsure if they could touch it, and then when they gave them a pat on the head, the big smile that came across their face.  Leaving the enclosure, Kalan said "I'm good, I could go home now, I touched a kangaroo."  :)  On the way back to Coolum we even stopped for a beverage at the crazy Ettamogah Pub.  The Sunshine Coast was a definite hit, but we had to move on, even further North, to Hervey Bay and Fraser Island.

Hervey Bay is famous for the whales that migrate through there.  It has clearly grown up from a small beach town/fishing village into a popular tourist destination and a jumping off point for Fraser Island.  We stayed at a resort out of the main town and wow, this place was incredible!!  When I was booking these places, using www.booking.com I had no idea what I was getting.  The pictures look nice and you hope for the best, but you don't want to let everyone down and you're never quite sure until you get there.  Well, this place was definitely our favorite place on the whole trip - a large open concept condo with a balcony overlooking the resort pools and the ocean - spectacular!

The real reason we came to Hervey Bay was to head to Fraser Island.  This would be my 3rd visit here and it is a place that never ceases to amaze me!  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the largest sand island in the world, at 75 miles long!  We booked with Fraser Free and hired a driver and SUV for the day - we got more than we could have ever expected with Troy (our driver and guide) and Goomblar (our Aboriginal guide).  These guys drove us around almost the entire island for the day, teaching us about the history, and sharing many, many laughs along the way.  If you are ever up that way, look them up at www.uniquefraser.com.  Our day really was perfect - we swam in Mackenzie Lake, saw dingoes while having our morning tea, got to listen to Goomblar's musical and storytelling talents, saw incredible beauty, swam in Eli Creek (I even got football tackled in Eli Creek, but you'll need to ask Jaden about that one!!), had lunch on the beach, and swam in the Champagne Pools.  I could keep going on and on, but there's still another coast....  A huge thank you to everyone at Unique Tours!

From Hervey Bay, it was time to start heading South... to the Gold Coast!  Everyone thought I was crazy to book a place on the Gold Coast at New Year's, and I was pretty worried too.  But, I tried to choose somewhere a bit quieter than Surfer's Paradise and hoped things wouldn't be too crazy at Burleigh Heads.   The Gold Coast is known for being party central, tourists everywhere, and shopping, shopping, shopping.  This wasn't why I wanted to go there, it was because of the beaches and the surf for the kids!

Byron Bay was our first stop, on New Year's Eve, and while festivities and craziness were starting to get into a bit of a swing, we enjoyed a quieter time further down the beach, watching the kids learn to surf.  They were naturals and took to it quiet easily.  The day was spent in the sun, sand and water of Byron Bay and this was by far, our favorite ocean spot for the water.  The water was warm and the waves weren't too crazy so you could actually swim and surf.  A spectacular day, which lead to a quieter evening back in Burleigh, welcoming in 2013 just a little bit earlier than midnight  :)

New Year's Day we were picked up by our tour guide at 6:30am.  OUCH!  That was an early get up for sure, especially on New Year's Day, but we were all so excited that it was worth it.  We were taken to the Gold Coast airport where we were flown up to the Southern part of the Great Barrier Reef to Lady Elliott Island.  This was our chance to snorkel on the reef and see some of the incredible creatures that live there.  We were in the water with our snorkel gear almost immediately, and the kids were swimming with sea turtles!  They told me where to go and to touch the turtle's back.  This was actually my first time snorkelling and so the whole concept of not diving further down than your snorkel hadn't quite sunk in.  In an effort to dive down and touch the turtle's back, I ended up gagging on salt water and kicking back up to the top immediately.  Oops!  The day continued with a glass bottom boat tour, learning about the reef, and then snorkelling in the current seeing more turtles, fish galore, beautiful coral, starfish and even a reef shark!  This was another one of those days you won't soon forget... snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef - wow!

Too soon it seemed, it was time for our great Aussie Adventure to come to an end.  We returned to Brisbane for one last visit with Uncle Dennis and Auntie Susan before we made our way back home to Canada.  Their hospitality was once again amazing and I'm so thankful for the time I shared with them.  They welcomed me into their home and family throughout the year, and I hope sometime I can repay the same kindness.  Your cooking lessons, family time, pool time, incredible food and wine, and wonderful warm welcome will always be a fond memory for me of my time in Australia.  Thank you so much for everything!

Getting on that plane to head back home was a bit surreal...  there it is, my word for the year.  Everything seemed to have this whole surreal feeling about it, all year!  This Christmas and New Year's vacation was no exception. The fact that I was able to share this incredible experience and country with the Weavers meant so much to me.  You don't often get to make those kind of memories with family, so I know I am blessed.  The places we saw, the things we did, and just being together to enjoy it... wow!  As I'm coming to the end of my blogging, I feel like I've said 'grateful', 'blessed', and 'thankful' so much that people reading these are probably getting sick of them... but here it is....  I am truly, from the bottom of my heart, grateful for this amazing Christmas and New Year's that is on my list for one of the best moments in my life!  :)  Thank you!  Thank you!

The Weavers + Auntie in Coolum Beach



Our "Christmas Tree" on Christmas morning.

Coolum Beach

First kangaroos up close!

 

Jaden with his echidna

Asha and her koala

Kalan and his wombat

Ettamogah Pub

Dingo

Goomblar and the kids

The Maheno Shipwreck

How's that for a lunch spot?

The view from our apartment

The Gold Coast - at Burleigh Beach with Surfer's Paradise in the background

Learning to surf at Byron Bay

Our reef boat

Lady Elliott Island

The Weavers Arrive Down Under

Let me first clarify and say that most of the Weavers arrived on December 14 into Sydney.  Todd joined us later in Brisbane..

So, there I was bawling and running through people as soon as I saw Heather and the kids.  I'm not going to lie or even pretend that it's not true... I was embarrassing I'm sure  :)  But, I didn't care!  I was just so excited to see them after almost an entire year and I couldn't contain it!

I was so eager to share everything with them and a weekend in Sydney was a perfect way to start.  Throughout my year, I spent a bit of time in Sydney and I couldn't get enough of the Opera House, the Harbour, the beaches, the food and so much more.  That first weekend was a very full weekend encompassing all of the things I love about Sydney - my cousin Mikey and his girlfriend, Dawn, Sydney beaches and scenery, cruising around on the ferry, delicious gelato, and the eclectic sights, sounds and people that make Sydney as entertaining as it is!  The Weavers were exhausted between jet lag and the full days, but we had to fit as much as we could in a short time.

We made our way over the Blue Mountains, stopping to enjoy the incredible scenery that this area is famous for, making a few stops on the way home to Dubbo to take photos of trees and windmills, and enjoy some incredible gelato in Molong and the crazy emus that are painted by Peter Browne and his wife.  Eventually, we arrived in Dubbo where we got out of the car and the country heat hit us like a ton of bricks!  I was pretty used to it but the kids couldn't get over the heat and asked me how I had managed it? 

The next few days were truly a whirlwind of sharing my friends with my family, my students with my family and my lovely country city of Dubbo.  We had dinners at friends' houses, had people over, and even got to enjoy the school's year end pool party!  We drove out of Dubbo, pointing our rental van North to Lightning Ridge!

Each of the kids had to say the one thing they wanted to do the most while they were in Australia... Jaden wanted to see the outback, Kalan to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef and Asha, to hold a koala. The outback one was posing the most difficulty but we worked in and headed for an area known for opal mining and an eclectic mix of people... Lightning Ridge, Population?? No joke!!  The heat there was unbelievable, hitting 43C when we arrived and we headed for the pool!  The scenery was amazing and we got to see lots of kangaroos, and on the drive from there to Brisbane we saw emus, lizards, and goannas!

Arriving in Brisbane, it was wonderful to see Auntie Susan, Uncle Dennis, Mikey and Dawn again!  We settled into the routine of pool and eat and drink, repeat, very easily and enjoyed much time visiting and relaxing.  Todd arrived there on December 23 and we were North bound again, this time to the Sunshine Coast where we would spend Christmas.

 

The kids and I with the Harbour Bridge

  

First Aussie Meat Pie from Pie Face

 

Mikey, Dawn and the family at Bondi Beach

 

The dead trees I just couldn't take enough photos of

 

The windmills I just couldn't take enough photos of

 

The first kangaroo the kids saw - driving back from one of my students' houses

 

39C and got an "air conditioned" cart for our tour around the Western Plains Taronga Zoo

An outback sunset over some opal mines

Lightning Ridge is famous for its black opals.  Here we are looking for a big one!!

Goodbye Dubbo and Thank You!

We pulled out of Dubbo on December 19, bound for our great Aussie adventure...  but with that came a farewell that was heavy on my heart.

It was so hard leaving, but when we did it was time to go.  With the support of my wonderful family and best wishes from my wonderful new friends, I said goodbye to my country city, said a quiet prayer of thanks for the many blessings I received this year and shared my sincere gratitude for the people that came into my life this year.  I love you guys and I can't wait to see you in Alberta so I can tour you around, cook for you, and pour you a glass of wine.  This experience was the best thing that could have happened to me, especially at was a very difficult time in my life.  I needed space and time to heal, I needed support and love, and I needed to find my happy again.  All of those things happened in Australia and I will forever be grateful and Australia will always hold a very special place in my heart.  It's not goodbye, it's see you soon...

 

My Aussie home for the year

A World Away

Right now I'm sitting in the Columbia Valley on the western side of the Rockies, staring out at snow covered mountains and huge evergreen trees.  It seems like it's been much longer than 3 months since I left Oz and returned home, to real life  :)  Right now, Australia feels like a whole world away and it's surreal to think that 4 months ago I was spending time with the Parishes, the Manns, and Anne and Jeremy, winding down my year in Oz.  I sit here, humble, grateful, a little sad, but happy at the same time!

First... back to Dubbo...

Mom and Dad left Sydney on November 3 and honestly, from that point to when Heather and the kids arrived, the time was spent laughing with my students, enjoying time with my friends, and doing "last things". 

With the weather warming, I decided to play hostess a bit more and had Manns, Parishes and Anne and Jeremy over for dinners. With Mom and Dad gone, it was hard to be in the house by myself as it just seemed a little too lonely. So, having friends over and spending time at their homes, really helped the time to pass.  I also felt so incredibly grateful for these wonderful, amazing people who came into my life and I was so happy to be spending some time with them before I had to leave.

Bridget and I spent a weekend in Newcastle with my Aussie brothers and sisters.  Bek had just finished uni and so we had to celebrate!  We had a lovely weekend hanging out by the water, enjoying coffees and walks on the beach, and some time together.  My Aussie family, as they have become, were so welcoming to me and they all embraced me with open arms.  They are already talking about a trip to see their Canadian sister and I really hope that they will.  I would love the chance to show them the same hospitality they did me.  The Manns are truly an incredible family and I feel blessed to be an honorary member  :)

School was so busy at this time with year end events, reports, preparing to move classrooms and so much more!  Chaos reined quite a bit, but then that's something that is a similarity to home - year ends are always crazy busy!!  We had field trips to the zoo and to the city council chambers, year end dance extravaganza, BBQs, and so much more!  Year end with the kids was a lot of fun as we took time to enjoy some Canadian Christmas traditions.... ok, not Canadian traditions, but traditions in my room... and to try some new ones.  We had a Polar Express Day when Santa even made a visit to our classroom! Instead of serving hot chocolate though, as the temps were in the 40s, we had chocolate milkshakes and watched the movie in our shorts and t-shirts.  A bit different from home for sure, but still fun! 

I made my last trip to Orange to say goodbye to Lynda and George, Bridget's sister and brother-in-law.  Lynda and George welcomed me into their home as if I was one of their own.  Again, this family never ceases to amaze me  :)  George was my personal bartender and cocktail mixer whenever I arrived.  Both Lynda and George taught me how to cook a new dish every time I visited and their door was always open and "my room" was always ready for me.  I hope that they too will make the trip to Canada soon :) 

This goodbye actually started a chain reaction of goodbyes and tears from that point on...

The last month was so busy and so full, that I started to feel like I should have filled other months more and spent more time with people.  Honestly though, I looked back in a notebook I had kept and out of 52 weekends, all but 5 had been busy doing something, travelling somewhere.  I kept wishing for a bit more time with my Aussie friends, but at the same time I was so excited for Heather and the kids to come and wanted to time to pass more quickly. 

Anne and Jeremy

Bridget and Geoff

Bek, Vic, Joe, Bridget, Dave, and Kate

Newcastle