Arriving in Brisbane came with a huge relief that we were now out of the path of the cyclone and wouldn't have to be checking government websites every two hours. The first day in BrisVegas we travelled out to Australia Zoo, home of the Crocodile Hunter. This was a great experience, it really was a far better Zoo than I expected and it is still growing with some very exciting plans for a cheetah run and other animal enclosures. We went and saw a croc show in the Crocoseum which was fantastic. The experience did come with a tinge of sadness though with the loss of Steve Irwin and his images everywhere, however it also made you proud of what he had accomplished for the preservation of wildlife and awareness of improving the environment.
After Australia Zoo we ventured down the highway to the Ettamogah Pub and then to the Big Pineapple :) Yes, it was big. Nae much else to see there though. Two more days spent in Brisbane just looking around the city and then we trained it the Gold Coast.
I don't think the Gold Coast has changed all that much in the last decade, actually, maybe the last 20yrs :) It is very touristy with the tacky little souvenir shops everywhere and people standing in front of their shop asking if you want a free scratchy. You see, when you take a free scratchy the odds of you winning is oh about 100%. But the fine line says that in order to claim your prize you need to go to some sort of customer service gathering but after a few hours you will get your prize and "no other strings attached". We were wise to this and declined every scratchy offer which was almost every 10 minutes. That aside, the beach is beautiful there and never ending. It also has the theme parks which are fun. We went to Movie World and Sea World. Al enjoyed capturing a photograph with Marilyn Monroe and we both enjoyed some of the rides. Sea World also had their new Polar Bear display which was really worth the visit.
Whilst at the Gold Coast we decided to take a trip to Tamborine Mountain, which is approximately an hour away. So we booked it ahead of time which came with bus transfer where we were to be picked up at around 8am. It wasnt exactly a wise decision of Al and I to have quite a few drinks the night before and be feeling a little under the weather the next morning whilst being taken in a small bus up the winding roads of a mountain. When we arrived we were moved on to an extremely old tram looking bus which rattled and shook. We thought we were going to have a "get on, get off" service but due to the small numbers they made us all travel together to each site. As beautiful as the mountain was, there is nothing worse than being on a sky walk in warm weather when you are feeling quite hung over.
Even though the honeymoon came with a cyclone, not the best weather and a change in location, we look back on it fondly as it was these things which provide the stories which we will be telling in our future. Over time I might spice it up a tad more, perhaps adding a hurricane in, boat travel over 5 metre waves, and a shark attack. In any case we were also really happy to arrive home in Melbourne and get back to some normality. It was a crazy and very busy few months with the wedding preparations, the wedding and the honeymoon but it was all worth it!
we are still planning a 2nd honeymoon though. Perhaps somewhere where cyclones are not prevalent :)
x the Kelvs
