Coolum, Moreton Island and now Kawana.....

Hey everyone.  I hope you are all doing fantastic and again I apologize for being slack on posting, but it's difficult when I haven't even unpacked my bags just yet.  I am hoping next week I will be settled and starting work so keep your fingers crossed.

I have had an amazing last two weeks and have been able to see some really beautiful parts of Australia.  I stayed with my friend Patrick in Coolum which is about 2 hours north of Brisbane and just a really cool surf town.  It's close to Noosa, where I stayed a few days and many other beaches up here on the Sunny coast.  Patrick is lucky enough to have a boat and offered to take us out to Moreton Island for a few days.  If you are my friends on FB then you have seen the pictures that I took, but it was hands down the most beautiful water I have ever seen.  We put the boat out in a town called Cooloundra and had her loaded with food, drinks and supplies for a few days. 

We were fortunate to have the most spectacular weather on the way across the Pumice Stone Passage which takes you from Bribie Island across the bay to Moreton Island.  The scenery was stunning with the Glass House Mountains, where Katie and Ben and I hiked a few weeks ago, in the background, crystal blue waters and dolphins playing in the waves.

We arrived at Moreton Island around noon dropped anchor, poured drinks and made some lunch.  After a long day of doing absolutely nothing (FAB) we called it a night.  I have found it hard to stay awake past 10pm since I have arrived and being on the boat made it even more difficult.  During the night we awoken by the boat smacking back and forth on the water.  Oh don't you worry, there was no storm or high sees; the tide had just gone out and left us on our hull.  It seems our Captain didn't really find bringing a tidal chart and important part of our boating adventure.  So we waited until the tide came in to continue exploring the Island. 

At the tip of the Island is a surf break that Patrick wanted to check out.  I was of course game to relax on the boat while he got a surf in, why wouldn't I be right?  Well we headed towards the point and we suddenly spotted a whale splashing in the waters!  It was so awesome to see, but he moved out to deeper water too quickly for me to grab a shot.  Apparently seeing whales is very common especially at Moreton Island.  So we continued out to the point and the swell continued to get bigger and bigger.  Now granted I am from the beach and love deep sea fishing and have never been sea sick, but the swells we were in seriously scared the life out of me.  I eventually had to go into the cabin as I couldn't stand to watch the boat jump into the massive waves any longer.  And I have no pictures of this since I couldn't bring myself to move from the cabin.

Finally after many prayers and the certainty that I was going to die, we turned around and made it back to calm waters.  We docked up for the night next to the man-made shipwrecks close to the stunning Tangalooma Resort.  The dolphins head into the resort nightly to "put on a show" aka get fed for the guests and we watched them play on their way.  We cooked up a delicious dinner and called it a night. 

The next day we headed back towards where we put the boat out as Patrick's cell wasn't working and we couldn't call for our ride to come scoop us and the boat.   We pulled the boat in on the beach and went in search of an elusive car charger.  When he came back the boat needed a bit more water to push out so he told me I could go for a walk around Bribie Island "while the tide came in".  Well wouldn't you know when I returned from my much needed walk around town, the boat was completely shipwrecked on the beach.   Interesting hey?

 

After the 8 hour wait for enough tide to float the boat, it was around 6pm and dark, we moved to a much deeper spot in the Passage a few hundred yards away.  This was by far the calmest and most beautiful night on the boat and after a few glasses of wine I was out.  The next morning Patrick navigated back through the Passage and back to the water boarding Cooloundra.  He found an awesome surf spot while I watched the boat and made sure we didn't ship wreck again.  We spent the day just checking out the different beaches and coves and headed in around 4pm to meet his friend Jason to pick us up. 

It really was an amazing trip despite occasional shipwreck and I got to see some of the beauty Australia's waters have to offer!  After arriving home at Patrick's we unloaded the boat and settled in for a weekend filled with movies and drinking as the rain came down pretty hard until Monday.  Monday morning our friend Amanda who is an American and met her Australian husband Fraser years ago at the Down Under Restaurant where we all worked.  They live in a town called Kawana which is still on the Sunshine Coast and north of Brisbane.  They have two little boys and we have been hanging out and enjoying the sun that has decided to come out.  I am going to stay for a few more days and head back to Brisbane to find/start working hopefully as soon as next week and FINALLY unpack my suitcase! 

So if you've learned anything from today's entry take this away my friends.........

Although life is best enjoyed without the pressure of a definitive plan, it is a good idea to pay attention to the  changing tides so you don't end up stranded on your hull!