Bribie Island

Our arrival at the airport was, um, unorthodox.  Apparently guests without a ticket can go to the gate to pick-up passengers, like the good old days in the States.  Well, Jacq's dad was waiting at the gate (all 6'4" of him) wearing a Bob Marley wig, mirrored sunglasses and holding a sign that said "Welcome Sarah and Ryan"  (misspelled on purpose). Under a very colorful vest was a t-shirt on which he had written "I hate cops."  All in all it was very funny and a great introduction.  Eddie is quite a practical joker and we all had a good laugh, especially when three real police officers strolled by us.

Off to the car park and then on to Bribie Island.  It is about an hour drive or so from the Brisbane airport to the island, and a chance to see some of the country on the way.  It is a very tropical area, lots of lush green plants and mountains in the background.  Bribie Island is dominated by a national park with a very small portion set aside for development.  The house is situated on a system of canals that connect to the passage between the island and the mainland.  I was allowed to ride in the front and received instruction on the driving system here in Australia.  It felt very strange to sit on the left side of the truck and not have a steering wheel, and, to see all of the cars on the wrong side of the road.  Lots of "round abouts" (traffic circles) and not a single traffic light to be found.  The key to remember is "stripes on your right."

The short drive from the airport to the island led to the Edstein estate.  We took the luggage inside and then sat and chatted for a bit.  Then, we loaded onto the yacht "Love It" captained by Eddie Edstein for a sunset cruise.  We motored around the inlet for a bit, watching the sun set and looking at the Glass House mountains in the background.  Here is our erstwhile captain:

The Glass House mountains got their name from Captain Cook who, when he first saw them, said that they looked like the chimneys from the glass making houses in England.  They are just barely visible on the horizon in this picture.  Its a bit warm and humid making for a bit of haze so its difficult to get a good picture of them.

And here is our captain and well qualified first mate:

The next day dawned bright and clear, with a fairly stiff breeze continuing from the day before.  We decided to load into the car and head to the beach. 

The beach is situated on the passage between Bribie and Tangalooma and is more of the golden sand for which Australia is famous.  In typical fashion, there are many lifeguards on the beach and designated swimming areas.  There are also blackboards where known hazards are posted.  Today is was bluebottle jellyfish.  Very colorful and somewhat painful, depending on how big they become.  The rule of thumb here is, the more colorful the fish, the more painful the sting.  Anyway, we headed to the beach and stretched out in the sun.  The Aussies take the sun much more seriously than Yankees do.  Everywhere we went, the motto is "Slap, Slop, Slather" for "Slap on a hat, slop on a shirt and slather on sunscreen."  Which we all did.  Jacq's sister is dating Jason who, along with his son Tim, is a volunteer lifeguard for the beach.  So, he offered to "rescue" Michayla and Sarah.  Here is Michayla being brought to shore...

And here is Sarah being "rescued" and then brought to shore....

Both of the girls were thrilled that they had been saved from what was a certain demise by such well trained Australian lifeguards.

Its was back to the house and into the pool to clean up a bit before dinner at the golf club.  During that time, we were treated to an Australian thunderstorm, very similar to the ones we have in South Carolina.  Hot and humid in the morning, then all of the water falls in the afternoon just to do it all again the next day.  Dinner was lamb shanks (I decided to skip the breaded brains) and then sticky date pudding for dessert.  Wonderful dessert that is similar to bread pudding but made with dates and a cinnamon, nutmeg flavor and then drizzled with a syrup topping and covered with heavy cream.  Decidedly low fat and cholesterol free.

I'm uploading photos to the other posts so go back and check them out.  All for now, will be back soon.