Happy New Year!
We're back in Oz! We spent our first 2 weeks in Australia in a place we loved last time, the Gold Coast. It felt so weirdly familiar to be back and driving on the left side of the road. I will admit I was a little nervous at first and may have hit the windshield wipers several times that first drive :) We chose Palm Beach this time for our airbnb and loved how close we were to shops and cafes... and really you can't beat being one block from the beach! And what a beach!
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| My favorite color palette |
We've kind of taken to a semi-routine here where we workout, then work, have lunch, and take the afternoon to see something new or go to a beach we love. Most days we ended up at one end or other of Palm Beach... it's such a beautiful area. We had the choice of the beach right in front of us, or walking down a bit and hanging out at the beach next to Currumbin Creek. There were a lot of windy days so typically the creek area would be a bit better.
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| Our airbnb living room |
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| Balcony |
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| Palm Beach ready for Christmas! |
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| Frozen dog treats! I mean if I had a dog they would be getting one hahaha. |
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| Side by side work set up... this one was not ideal lol |
Throughout our stay we made sure to walk or jog over to our favorite
cafe, The Salt Mill, several times. We discovered this tiny cafe when we
were here in 2016 and it's still a favorite. They have the best acai
bowls with lots of toppings and really good coffee! It's also a pretty walk across the bridge to Currumbin.
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| View from the bridge over Currumbin Creek |
It seems a popular activity is jumping from the bridge into the water... we watched these guys all jump in while one of the group members just couldn't do it (and I don't blame her!).
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| Waiting down below |
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| Hesitating.. |
One afternoon we explored the south end of the Gold Coast, called Coolangatta (or "Coolie"). It seems no matter where you go on the Gold Coast it's stunning!
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| Looking South from Point Danger |
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| Snapper Rocks |
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| Views all the way up the Gold Coast to Surfer's Paradise |
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| Random green frog rock :) |
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| Rainbow Bay |
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| Bush turkeyyyy |
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| Swim between the flags! |
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| Rainbow Bay Lookout |
We were able to meet up with a fellow Unity Dev who lives further inland, so we chose Tamborine Mountain as a good halfway point. We went to Tamborine with Chris last trip but enjoyed hiking more of the trails including the rainforest skywalk this time.
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| We think it's a Wallaby down below! |
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| Up in the trees at Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk |
After the skywalk Justin and I went off on our own and did the Sandy Creek track to Cameron Falls.
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| View above Cameron Falls |
Towards the end of the hike we spotted a Potoroo hiding in the bush!
And more bush turkeys of course, and a black lizard, see if you can spot him!
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| View from Rotary Lookout |
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| View of the Gold Coast from Tamborine Mtn! |
One of our last days we decided to visit the Currumbin Sanctuary, we skipped this last trip since we had just been to the huge Australia Zoo north of Brisbane. I was missing koalas so it was really fun to see them again :) Now you know you are in Oz!
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| These guys are everywhere, just strolling along the sidewalks |
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| I guess I like pictures with fake koalas haha |
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| Lorikeets |
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| Black-winged Stilt |
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| Bush Turkey blocking the entrance |
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| ROOS |
Chilling... and then all of a sudden startled haha these two pics make me laugh.
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| Red Kangaroo... these are larger than the grey kangaroos and live more in the desert |
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| And the other half of the Australian Coat of Arms... the Emu |
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| Tree Kangaroo... this one was pretty wild looking! |
We had not heard of this one either, the Capybara:
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| Dingo! |
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| Tasmanian Devil posing for us |
It's safe to say the Gold Coast is still one of our favorite places in Oz! As long as it's south of Surfer's Paradise of course. With a beach that stretches for miles, National Parks within and bordering it, delicious local cafes, and of course the wildlife... there are tons of reasons to keep coming back and we will for sure. But for now... on to Sydney!
Thanks for following along everyone! Hope your 2019 is off to a great start!
Sarah
"Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights;
It is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."
~ Mary Ritter Beard
