A 9th Birthday

 After another farewell to Mark, Amanda and the kids, with promises of catching up again soon, we left Maleny and headed back to the Sunshine coast to Noosa.

When we pulled up in the Noosa Caravan Park, we were greeted by my dad who was taking a dip in the swimming pool. We hadn’t even checked-in when Will and Zac were out of the car, stripped off and in the pool!

Dan spent the next couple of days working long hours so he could get some time off to spend with his family when they arrived.  He did manage to enjoy a dip in the pool between working.

Since Easter Will has been asking if he could have a go at surfing. We tried at Palm Beach but the conditions were all wrong and we hadn’t had the opportunity since. So one morning Mum and Dad took the boys to the beach and Zac and I met them there later in the morning. When I got there I was so excited and proud to see Will standing up on the board surfing! Sam had given it a go but he got dumped badly and landed face first in the sand so was taking a break on the beach.

Will made it look so easy to get up on the surfboard. He even stood up, crossed his arms and cruised into the shore looking exceptionally ‘cool’.

We were woken up by a very excited Sammy on his ninth birthday. We had a lovely time all watching him open presents although little Zaccy couldn’t understand why he couldn’t have a turn. 

 

We headed off back down the Bruce Hwy to the Ettamogah Pub where we had a lovely reunion with Dan’s family. His mum (Shelley) Dad (Barry) sister (Peta) and our nephew (Jack) had flown up from Melbourne to see us and help celebrate Sam’s birthday. We had a nice lunch and a glass of wine (or two) a told them all about our adventures so far.

Sam wasn’t the only one to get presents that day. Shelley and Peta came with piles of gifts for everyone.

One of the local residents at the caravan park is a great fisherman and is more than happy to sell his catch of the day to the other guests. We bought a couple of kilos of Cobia (black kingfisher) and cooked it up for dinner that night. It was one of the most delicious fish dishes I have ever had.

After another nice morning on the beach, we took a drive out to the Ginger Factory in Buderim. We did the Super Bee Tour and were amazed at how complex the life of a bee is! We all learnt so much and I think we all didn’t realise how interesting a bee can be. We also didn’t realise how vital bees are to sustain the environment. Without bees, pollination couldn’t happen and flowers wouldn’t spread their seeds... no more trees!!!

We went on a boat ride called the Overboard where we had to ‘spot’ the Gingerbread man – Where’s Wally style - as we passed through each country. We also went for a train ride around the perimeter of the Ginger factory in a beautiful old steam engine. We got to see the original Ginger Factory and some of the equipment that was used many years ago.

Dan’s Uncle and Auntie from Hervey Bay came down to see us and we had a nice night out at the Tewantin RSL. I took the kids home on the Courtesy bus and left Dan there with his family. A few hours later and a lot of drinks under their belts, they all came stumbling home. Needless to say there were a few headaches in the morning but everyone had a great night.

We parted ways with my Mum and Dad in Noosa. My older brother and his wife are expecting their fourth baby any day now, so Mum and Dad are heading home to meet Grandson #7!

Peta and her husband Ben, are planning on relocating from Melbourne to the Sunshine coast next year. We decided to hang around for an extra day so we could go down to Caloundra to check out the town they are planning on moving to.

Caloundra is about an hour south of Noosa and is on the coast. We went there on Market Day and had fun wandering around the street market. Then we went to the beach to meet up with friends of Peta’s from Melbourne and we all had a picnic at the park, followed by a walk over the rocks.

We said another sad goodbye to Dan’s family (there were tears from Auntie Peta when she had to say goodbye to the boys) and we headed back to the caravan to pack up.

During the week we met another family, also with three boys, who are also travelling around Australia and also call the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne home. Once all of our family had gone, we got the chance to catch up with Claudia and Chris and compare notes. We had a BBQ for dinner together at the camp kitchen and the boys had a good time becoming friends. Chris, Claudia and the boys have travelled in the opposite direction to us. They are also moving a lot quicker than us so have already seen so much more of Australia. It was great to hear of their experiences in WA and Claudia wrote down lots of good places to stay. We will get in touch with them when we return to Melbourne and find out how the rest of their trip went.

We had a difficult decision to make about Fraser Island. We have heard lots of different opinions about the Island and after looking into the cost to get over there and camp, we have decided not to go. Instead we will head off to Inskip Point (which is where the barges leave for Fraser Island) and will stay there next week. We are hoping to catch up with Mark and Amanda again while we are at Inskip.