Our Australian adventure is drawing to a close. We spent two great nights on the Gold Coast, in a nice resort called the RACV Royal Pines, with great facilities for the kids, as well as proximity to the wonderful beaches. Afterwards, we drove down to Sydney, where we had rented a small flat in the suburbs. On the journey, we made some interesting discoveries.
Big things are sort of an art form that we only find in Australia. There are apparently over 150 giant objects throughout the land. One of the most famous is the big pineapple on the Sunshine Coast (complete with pineapple interpretation center inside!)
Then there is the principal attraction of Coffs Harbour: the big banana, complete with tacky gift shop, motel and theme park adjoining the object…
But my favourite one has to be the giant shrimp, that we came across by pure chance in the parking lot of a DIY center in rural Queensland. We also saw a big avocado, a big apple pie, a giant macadamia nut and a huge fruit bowl…
The Blue Mountains are situation about 1h30 drive from Sydney. We went on a nice drive on the less-visited back roads, and were able to avoid all the tour buses full of Chinese tourists, and it was well worth it for the view below – we had the place to ourselves!
Finally, we explored the city. We visited the popular sites such as the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee beach, as well as the quiet (ish) streets of our suburb of Kogarah. We went for a picnic to Botany Bay, where Capt. Cook first landed, and made use of the free BBQs available in many park throughout the country.
We really enjoyed our stay in Australia. It is a magnificent country, and totally welcoming. We will definitely be back at some point to continue exploring this vast place. But now it’s time to go and meet up with our friends in New Zealand!!!
A Light Year Family 