Saturday, July 23, 2016
July 11: Part 1 of 2
Today we woke up to fog and drizzle. Maddy wasn't feeling great so opted to stay at our place. The rest of us headed out to hike and site see in the Glass Mountains.
Unfortunately most of the stunning views were obstructed by fog! We still saw some cool things though, including wild wallabies. Rebeka saw them first and none of us were sure if we should believe her or not but a few minutes later we all saw some. We ended up seeing a bunch.
We found lunch in a little tiny mountain town and we were all quite thrilled with the grilled sandwiches and decadent desserts.
When we made it back to our condo in Golden Beach we had take out Vietnamese for dinner- yum! Garrett, Carter, and Rebeka went for a night swim in the blue pool.
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Unfortunately most of the stunning views were obstructed by fog! We still saw some cool things though, including wild wallabies. Rebeka saw them first and none of us were sure if we should believe her or not but a few minutes later we all saw some. We ended up seeing a bunch.
We found lunch in a little tiny mountain town and we were all quite thrilled with the grilled sandwiches and decadent desserts.
When we made it back to our condo in Golden Beach we had take out Vietnamese for dinner- yum! Garrett, Carter, and Rebeka went for a night swim in the blue pool.
Sent from my iPhone
Sunday, July 17, 2016
July 10: part 1 of 2
Today we hit another market. This one is called the Caloundra Street Fair. We all found treats- from dairy free green smoothies to sno cones to Cambodian spring rolls to a delicious latte- we were all happy!
After that we drove just a short way to an aqua fun park. Maddy and I sat on the beach and watched the rest of our crew climb, jump, slide, swim, fall, and splash for an hour or so. Such a fun place!
For dinner we found a Mexican place that had decent reviews. We miss good Mexican food!
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After that we drove just a short way to an aqua fun park. Maddy and I sat on the beach and watched the rest of our crew climb, jump, slide, swim, fall, and splash for an hour or so. Such a fun place!
For dinner we found a Mexican place that had decent reviews. We miss good Mexican food!
Sent from my iPhone
July 9
On our way we stopped at Emundi Markets and spent a little time and money. It was fun to see some local craftsmanship, eat some street food, and pick up some fresh/local fruits!
Golden Beach is lovely and has a pool that the kids are excited about!
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
July 8: Surfers Paradise and Beach Day 3 of 3
Joel and I started today with a run on the pathway that runs along the coast. It was sunny and warm and beautiful.
We went back, got cleaned up, packed lunches, and set out for Surfers Paradise. As you can see from the first 3 pics in Part 1 of this day, it's a gorgeous and busy beach. We walked along it for a while, and C really wanted to stay and play there but we opted to head back to Kirra Beach as it's less crowded and would be a lot easier to be right by our condo vs 45 minutes away.
When we got back to Kirra, Maddy and I set out to find coffee and lunch (since we were out of gluten free lunch options when Joel packed food in the AM), and Joel headed directly to the sand with the other 3.
After we found a good choice, we walked down the sand to find the rest. After about 15 minutes we came across them, 3 kids playing in the surf and Joel basking in the sun. They were so happy! We watched them, laughing and splashing together, R getting dumped by a big wave and G pulling her up, both of them laughing like crazy. They went out, deeper and deeper, and soon R couldn't join them anymore, so Maddy went out to get her feet wet and hang out with Rebeka.
Pretty soon Maddy was drenched and laughing too. I soaked in the sun, watching all my brave happy babies play in the warm ocean, riding the waves, getting tumbled and dunked, and coming up smiling. Eventually Joel joined then too, and I went in a little bit, although it wasn't quite warm enough for me and my favorite thing was watching my kids be all happy together. The best.
Sent from my iPhone
We went back, got cleaned up, packed lunches, and set out for Surfers Paradise. As you can see from the first 3 pics in Part 1 of this day, it's a gorgeous and busy beach. We walked along it for a while, and C really wanted to stay and play there but we opted to head back to Kirra Beach as it's less crowded and would be a lot easier to be right by our condo vs 45 minutes away.
When we got back to Kirra, Maddy and I set out to find coffee and lunch (since we were out of gluten free lunch options when Joel packed food in the AM), and Joel headed directly to the sand with the other 3.
After we found a good choice, we walked down the sand to find the rest. After about 15 minutes we came across them, 3 kids playing in the surf and Joel basking in the sun. They were so happy! We watched them, laughing and splashing together, R getting dumped by a big wave and G pulling her up, both of them laughing like crazy. They went out, deeper and deeper, and soon R couldn't join them anymore, so Maddy went out to get her feet wet and hang out with Rebeka.
Pretty soon Maddy was drenched and laughing too. I soaked in the sun, watching all my brave happy babies play in the warm ocean, riding the waves, getting tumbled and dunked, and coming up smiling. Eventually Joel joined then too, and I went in a little bit, although it wasn't quite warm enough for me and my favorite thing was watching my kids be all happy together. The best.
Sent from my iPhone
Friday, July 8, 2016
July 7, Hinterlands, 1 of 2
This morning we did, reluctantly, tear ourselves away from this lovely condo and beach town and headed towards Springbrook National Park. If you know us Gibsons, you know that we love a good national park. We usually try to visit at least one each summer- this year it happens to be in Australia instead of the US!
It was a little over an hour (more Goblet of Fire time!) of a gorgeous drive from our beachfront town up into the mountains. We did a 6km hike and enjoyed lunch at a waterfall base, and then stopped at few lookouts. Gorgeous! Glad we made the trip out there.
When we got back to Kirra Beach some of the kids swam again and then we went out for burgers.
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July 6: Kirra Beach, 1 of 2
We'd planned to get up early and go hiking in the Hinterlands today but we didn't sleep great (no reason) and the lure of the sun, pool, beach, and this sweet area were just too strong to resist.
We swam, visited a secluded local beach, ate lunch at The Strand, swam some more and finished our day with burritos (Weds special! 2 4 1!) from the same little Mexican place. Only this time Joel and I went to pick up the food, for take out, and also snuck in a mini date (and a pitcher of sangria!).
At the beach we visited (Fingal Head) Carter and Rebeka played and Carter got drenched. We realized our kids have never played in a warm ocean, ever! They've never been able to play in an ocean where I'd let them in past their knees! As we left Carter said, "Best beach day ever!"
It was a GOOD day. We love the Gold Coast and the Australian sunshine!
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
We swam, visited a secluded local beach, ate lunch at The Strand, swam some more and finished our day with burritos (Weds special! 2 4 1!) from the same little Mexican place. Only this time Joel and I went to pick up the food, for take out, and also snuck in a mini date (and a pitcher of sangria!).
At the beach we visited (Fingal Head) Carter and Rebeka played and Carter got drenched. We realized our kids have never played in a warm ocean, ever! They've never been able to play in an ocean where I'd let them in past their knees! As we left Carter said, "Best beach day ever!"
It was a GOOD day. We love the Gold Coast and the Australian sunshine!
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
July 5th Coffs to Kirra Beach
On the 5th we left Coffs Harbour (after getting coffee and a smoothie of course!) and headed north to Kirra Beach. It was a dreary, rainy day.
The past few years, on road trips, we've listened to books from the Harry Potter series. This year is no different and as we traveled towards the Gold Coast in the rain we continued The Goblet of Fire. Of course it's a little too scary for R, so she's using headphones and has already finished James and the Giant Peach and now has started on the Ramona series. Thank you Audible!
While I'm sure most of my family wouldn't rave about the car time, I really like it. Once everyone gets settled in, listening to HP, watching Australia pass by. It's a beautiful country and I've loved getting so much of it that we'd have missed if we flew.
We arrived at our Kirra Beach condo around 3:30. It. Is. GORGEOUS. 11th floor, ocean view from both bedrooms and living area, large outdoor balcony connecting them all. So beautiful.
We walked down the strip a bit and found a Taco Tuesday special so ate out. Later Joel and I went to find groceries while the kids relaxed for a bit.
Monday, July 4, 2016
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