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G'day again,
We're now in Brisbane! It's five days since our last blog during which we've managed to fit in a fair few things. We spent two days in Noosa, on Monday and Tuesday, which we used as a chance to relax. We visited both Sunshine Beach and Noosa Main Beach which were both pretty picturesque in their own right. We laid out our towels and sunbathed, and went for the odd dip in the ocean. Joe and I played table tennis and pool at the hostel, and we got some jobs done. On Tuesday morning we had a surfing lesson. After a demonstration on the sand beforehand, we got into the water and all managed to catch a wave and stand up on our first attempt! We spent two hours in the water, getting up frequently, nose-diving and sucking up water occasionally, and really enjoying ourselves. Don't tell anyone, but it was the perfect conditions with nice easy waves, long boards, and a lack of crowds to give us stage fright!
On Wednesday we got the bus to Brisbane and met up with Sophie, my friend from home who is living in Brisbane with her boyfriend Ben. It was really good to see her, and we had lots to catch up on since Christmas in Leicester. We are staying at her and Ben's apartment, which is sparkling, modern and has some evocative views over the city. We were all really jealous of her lifestyle. Brisbane is definitely the most urban place we've been to so far down under, with tall and gleaming skyscrapers, plenty of shops, restaurants, and a beautiful waterfront area known as the South Bank Parklands, set right on the banks of the Brisbane River and sporting cafes, picnic spots, gardens and a man-made beach and swimming area. We also waltzed through the City Botanic Gardens, by the river and offering shrouded views of yachts and the massive steel frame of the Story Bridge.
Yesterday we caught the train back up to the Sunshine Coast and visited the Australia Zoo, Steve Irwin's place. We had a fantastic day, trawling between the different pens and animals, stopping by at feeding times and getting to stroke and feed some of the natives. Jo was definitely bewitched by the koalas. She loved them so much we had to drag her away, and there are hundreds of photos on our camera! Coming a close second were the kangeroos and wallabies. It felt like a pretty archetypal Aussie experience to stroke them and hand-feed them, getting them to stand up on their hind legs etc. We also got some funny photos of a very sleepy kangeroo, with us imitating him! My favourite was the echidnas, with funny, long snouts, quite rotund and covered in spikes. They were deceptively quick and reminded us of funny-looking hedgehogs. We also saw cassowarys (huge birds with multicoloured heads and big toes), wombats (which Jo got right in describing them as a cross between a beaver, a bear and a a guinea pig), crocodiles, tigers, elephants and otters. At the crocoseum we went to a show, where boa constrictors swam in the pool, we had parrots and cockatoos flying over our heads, and a stork flying in from over the roof of the stadium. The finale was the much lauded croc feeding.
Today we had another day trip to North Stradbroke Island. After a long journey and various modes of transport we arrived at about 11. It was definitely worth it though. We got the bus to Point Lookout and did a stupendous boardwalk around the headland, with great views out over Frenchman's Beach, out to sea and over Main Beach. There were loads of cliffs with huge waves crashing against them. We also saw some turtles bobbing away in the distance. After fish and chips for lunch (Jo had a chicken burger), we went down to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Despite getting sand blown all over us, we had a great time. Joe and I played in the sea whilst Jo read her book. This evening we took Sophie out for a meal in Fortitude Valley to thank her for letting us stay. We had loads of fun in Brisbane and the surrounding area. Next stop, Byron Bay!
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