After our adventure in Papua New Guinea, we came back to Australia; this time to the Gold Coast and Brisbane on the Northeastern coast.
Our first stop was in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, where the waves are big and there’s plenty of sun and fun. The few days we spent there were geared towards Paxton having some much needed fun activities. From boogie boarding in the big waves to movies at the theater (in English!) to climbing on a floating obstacle course, we all had a great time.
Walking around downtown Surfers Paradise.
These Ibis birds are everywhere.
In a protected bay there is an inflatable obstacle course that looked like fun.
Paxton is climbing up to go down the slide.
One of the cool things about going to playgrounds in different parts of the world is seeing the different types of play equipment. At this park is a train type ride that you move by using bicycle type pedals.
A cool trampoline at the park.
Our next stop was the city of Brisbane. We stayed in an Airbnb on the other side of downtown (as pictured below), and walked to the South Bank cultural area and parklands multiple days while we were there. Along the river are walkways, museums, a library, theaters, and a large park area that features (free) public pools, a cool playground, picnic areas, performance areas, and much more. It is family friendly, full of people each day, and a ton of fun for kids and adults alike.
The pools are open and free to anyone. It is especially wonderful on a hot summer day. (We were there in January, which is towards the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere.)
Restaurants and beer gardens overlook the swimming area.
A big playground sits next to the pool area.
Paxton joined in for an impromptu cricket game on the field next to the playground. The girl on the left is in mid-pitch.
We stumbled upon a robot wars competition.
One of several walking/cycling bridges over the river.
We went in a thrift store to get some books to read and ran into the uncle of Patty Mills (a professional basketball player on the San Antonio Spurs!).
We attended the Spirits of the Red Sand performance, which provides a glimpse into Aboriginal culture and how it was affected after the arrival of British colonists in the 1800s.
They started with a brief introduction to various aspects of Aboriginal culture.
You then go outside and follow along with a story of one Aboriginal family and what happens to them as they struggle to live under the laws and control of new British colonists.
We went on a hike into some eucalyptus groves in search of Koalas. We didn’t see any on that day, but had a nice time nonetheless.
On our last day in Brisbane we visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary that has over one hundred koalas, as well as other indiginous Australian animals.
Koalas really are as adorable as they look in photos. They seem like real life teddy bears. Since they sleep 20 hours a day we mostly saw them sleeping. We learned that unlike other animals whose muscles relax when they sleep, the koala’s muscles tighten when they sleep to ensure that they don’t fall out of their perches during their many naps.
This koala is reminiscent of Maria’s dad who can drop his head down in any sitting position and take a nap in seemingly any setting or situation. So I’m calling this one “Gary.”
This one is doing the old “wedge your arm and head in between two branches” position.
While most of the koalas were sleeping, there are so many at this sanctuary we got to see some awake and even moving around.
As Paxton pointed out, koalas have two opposable thumbs to help them better grasp the branches they live on.
The sanctuary lets you see other Australian animals like this kookaburra bird.
An attempt at capturing a photo of a platypus in mid swim.
This spider in the center of the picture wove the coolest upside-down basket web.
Paxton found a new friend.
Check out the tail on this sheep! Never seen anything like it in the US.
Not sure what this little fellow is, but he was sleeping in one of the koala areas.
Indulging in a few final photos of some of the cutest animals on earth.
We saw these kangaroo balls merchandise at the airport on our way out. Personally, I think it seems kinda creepy.
