Story Index:

Eclipse!!
08/29/2017

Summer Weekend in the Colorado Rockies
07/19/2016

Kim's Day In The Sun
02/28/2015

Tracing Roots
01/15/2015

Whitney Completes Her Master's Degree
01/10/2015

Day Trip to Moorea
11/01/2012

Stopover in Tahiti
10/30/2012

Exploring New Zealand's Northland
10/27/2012

Waiheke Island
10/24/2012

2012 Triathlon World Championships
10/23/2012

Travails with Tom-Tom
10/21/2012

Off to New Zealand!
10/18/2012

Cycling on the Oregon Coast
07/24/2012

Partial Solar Eclipse, May 20
05/23/2012

"Tour of California" Bike Race comes through town!
05/15/2012

Wildflower Triathlon a family affair
05/07/2012

Truth in Packaging?
04/01/2012

Nik Graduates from Cal Poly
12/10/2011

Cal Poly's Open House Weekend
04/17/2011

The 2010 US Census is here
03/16/2010

Cultural Musings...
09/18/2009

2009 Triathlon World Championships
09/12/2009

Sightseeing around the Gold Coast
09/09/2009

South Bank: Brisbane's Fine Arts center
09/05/2009

Brisbane, Australia
09/04/2009

Catching up . . .
08/31/2009

Summa Cum Laude, Baby!
06/15/2008

Kim completes her first Half-Ironman
06/10/2008

Kim Visits Home for Wildflower Triathlon
05/16/2008

The Last Supper
02/16/2008

Farewell, Dad
01/15/2008

Whitney Plays Final Soccer Game
12/10/2007

Watch the Women's World Cup!
09/12/2007

Kim Blazes Chicago Triathlon
08/27/2007

Nik Bicycles Pacific Coast
08/15/2007

Whitney Begins Final Season
08/13/2007

More Triathlons for Kim
06/15/2006

Corvallis gets snow!
03/09/2006

Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week
01/15/2006

Whitney's new cat
09/26/2005

Kim in Chicago Triathlon
08/31/2005

Rare family get-together
08/23/2005

Empty Nest
08/11/2005

Whitney Signs National Letter-of-Intent
02/08/2004

ODP cancels European tour
04/11/2003

Whitney renamed to Regional Team
08/07/2002

Kim graduates from Willamette
06/17/2002

Whitney Stars in High School Soccer
03/07/2002

Nik graduates from UTI
01/07/2002

2001 - A Year for Remembrance
12/30/2001

Whitney selected to the 2001 State ODP pool for U-15 Girls
03/22/2001

Kim returns from Europe
02/02/2001

2000: A Year for Traveling
12/15/2000

Kim Travels Europe
11/24/2000

Whitney selected to the US Far Western Regional ODP Pool!
07/14/2000

Congratulations to Nik, Ygnacio Valley High Graduating Class of 2000!
06/30/2000
Sightseeing around the Gold Coast

Moved from Brisbane to the Gold Coast a few days ago -- miles and miles of one long, straight, sandy beach along Australia's eastern coastline. The map says there are about a dozen resort towns along this long stretch of sandy beachfront, but they seem to be merged into one long maze of high-rise hotels about 4 blocks wide and 15 miles long. And we're talking high-rise -- our hotel is a mere 22 stories, but the tallest one here is 78 stories!




There's also the usual hordes of open-air restaurants and souvenir shops that have sprouted up at street level like mushrooms around the base of trees in a forest. It has a typical resort feel about it. There's nothing uniquely Australian that sets it apart from, say, Waikiki or Miami Beach. Except the trinkets say "Australia" on them instead of "Hawaii", and the local color in the souvenir mall is an aborigine playing a digeridoo.


Dan getting close to the wildlife. (Gray Kangaroos)

 

Lucy getting close to the wildlife. (Golden Possum)

These guys, some up to 2 feet long, were everywhere -- and sometimes getting underfoot!
(Eastern Water Dragon)
Get out of the urban areas, though, and there's more to see. We've visited a couple wildlife sanctuaries, where we got to see crocodiles, pythons, wombats, dingos, and tasmanian devils. And countless colorful and exotic birds. We got to hang out with koalas and kangaroos ... not like seeing them in the wild, but it was neat to be able to touch them.

Also visited a couple national parks for some nice drives, nice views, and a touch of rainforest. And then, there, by the side of the road! Several wallabies, waiting for us to drive by. We stopped instead. They studied us for awhile, then I guess decided we weren't going to go away and hopped across the road in front of the car.

Next: pick up Kim from the airport and turn our attention to the triathlon.




Neither of us getting close to the wildlife. (Crocodile)



These guys spend most of their time sleeping. How do they balance themselves like that??

Antarctic Beeches?! I guess at one time Antarctica used to have trees.

 
. . . not to be confused with this kind of beach.
(Cabarita Beach)




Posted by Dan 09/09/2009, revised 09/23/2009 by Dan
FreeStyle Journal 19.03.21
©2003-2011 by Dan Goodell

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