We arrived back in Brisbane to the Queensland summer. If we thought we had been hot in various places around the world we had no idea. Queensland summertime and the 40 degree temperatures were a shock to the system. Queenslanders go from air conditioned homes to airconditioned buses and trains to airconditioned shops and offices. We still walked most places and were often the only people to be seen on the street.
The main purpose of spending time in Brisbane was to look after our granddaughter Lila Florence, 3 days per week so she only went to daycare 1 day. During this time she reached many milestones including teeth, crawling, walking, 1st birthday and we were priveleged to be part of them all. We had heard about children catching every cold & virus when first going to daycare – what we didn’t bargain for was getting those various bugs ourselves. This meant we had a constant run of coughs, colds and viruses. We felt bad, we could only imagine how our wee girl felt. Luckily we were able to look after her on some of those sick days. We took it upon ourselves to ensure her cafe experience was progressed which required daily training at numerous cafes around Brisbane. She developed a taste for hot chips, muffins, scones and cake which she happily shared with Nana & Grandad. Our time spent with Lila was precious to us and something that many Grandparents don’t get the honour of doing. We will always be grateful to Morgan & Sam for making it possible.
Friends – We were very lucky to be able to see many friends while in the Brisbane area. It’s surprising the number of people we know already living in Queensland or those visiting from NZ.
Yvette, one of the wonderful nannies who helped bring up our children when Morgan & Ainslie were very young
Bronwyn & John, so nice to see such good friends and share special times. So thankful to see them during one of our difficult times.
Sharon & Rob, we manage to meet these two all over the world so why not Brisbane? They were en route to a cruise on the Great Barrier Reef
Lauren & Graeme, who live in Hope Island on the Gold Coast. We were lucky enough to see them in Brisbane and again up on the Sunshine Coast.
Jo-Anne & Gary, from Wellington – good to be able to count a work colleague as a friend who would make time to visit while on holiday
Darla & Darryl, from Wellington also living in the Brisbane region helping to look after their grandchild.
Jan & Peter, from Wellington – friends for years
Claire & Paul from Wellington – used to chase horseshows with our children
Barbara & Roger from Wellington – neighbours from the 80’s who turned out to be related
Lyn & Don – cousin living on the Queensland, New South Wales border.
Mary & Chris – Lenny, the Dalmations owners who we housesat for in Noosa in December 2016
Neville – cousin now living in Brisbane.
Cathryn – friends for over 40 years
Housesitting – To ensure we didn’t wear out our welcome in Morgans’ downstairs apartment and so we could get a feel for the various suburbs of Brisbane we still took some housesits. Due to the summer heat the only requirement was a swmming pool before even considering any other requirement or benefit.
Morningside – a lovely renovated Queenslander south of the river with Kiki, the cat who ruled the house. Mum & Dad were from Melbourne and were holidaying in the UK
Clayfield – 5 mins from Morgans with 2 dogs – Luna & Terra. Luna was our second Staffy to care for who was a beautiful baby girl but people crossed the street when out walking with her just by the look.
Ascot – a gorgeous Spoodle called Harvey and Evie the cat. Mum & Dad were also from Melbourne and holidaying in Seventeen Seventy – an area of the Queensland coast we need to visit.
Raby Bay – two beautiful Cavalier girls – Tulip and Miss T who just loved attention and walks. Mum & Dad enjoyed 2 short breaks while we looked after these little cuties.
Twin Waters – the incredibly handsome Count Leopold (Leo) who shared his lovely apartment with us while Mum & Dad toured the UK. What a privilege to spend 2 months in this beautiful place in the world. We were sick while in Twin Waters and stretched both the Australian medical system and our private health insurance, both of which made sure all costs were covered. We couldn’t have been in a better place to receive urgent and expert medical care and recuperate in beautiful and luxurious surroundings. If we’re lucky we may just come back here.
Highlights for us that made Brisbane a lovely place to pass a large part of 2018:
- Ainslie visited. It was so good to see her and her love for little Lila.
- Commonwealth Games. An evening in the Athletics arena watching Valarie Adams (shot put) and Eliza McCartney (Pole Vault)
- Maleny & Montville. Two hinterland towns in the Blackall Range on the Sunshine coast. Both well worth visiting to enjoy the views, food, coffee and local activities
- Noosa. Can’t really compete with this stunning beach place.
- Melbourne. Back to the Australian Open to see Roger win again.
- Brisbane International Tennis. Warm up for some of the players before Melbourne. Saw Nick Kyrgios play – how good is he going to be if he can take control of his game and harness the mental strength needed to be a success?
- We visited Wellington just for short visits to see our children and friends.
- Southbank. An icon in Brisbane and a must visit. As Australia’s only inner-city, man-made beach, it boasts a sparkling lagoon surrounded by white, sandy beaches and sub-tropical plants. A place to spend the day enjoying the surrounding cafes, swimming and shopping.
- Bribie Island. An island less than an hours drive north of Brisbane located in the northern part of Moreton Bay that is accessible by bridge. If you’re looking for a short roadtrip that has sand, sun and surf, this is the place. We had a lovely morning here with Morgan & Lila.
- North Stradbroke Island. Locally known as Straddie or North Straddie and also in Moreton Bay. We hopped the ferry from Cleveland, then used the island buses to get around. There’s beautiful beaches and coastline walks to fill your day. Our time was limited as we had left the dogs at home but we still managed to enjoy lunch and do a coastal walk. An overnight stay would be great to enjoy the amazing beaches.
- Coochiemudlo Island. A small island in the south of Moreton Bay accessible by ferry for a mere $5.00 return. We walked most of the island and rested on the sandy beaches
- Big Bash Cricket. We became fans of the Brisbane Heat Big Bash team and managed to get tickets to a game with friends. After meeting for drinks across the road from the Gabba, it was straight into the game. The Gabba are fighting to keep their big cricket matches but we still thought it was a great venue. However, clearing the ground after the game and the bus system around it could definitely be improved. We had a great night out with Lauren, Graeme &Â Kerenza.
So Brisbane was rather busy for us along with forward planning for the next 6 months travelling. Back on the roller coaster of travel.
Next stop – United Kingdom!
virgoswilltravel 