Our first stop in Queensland was to the excellent Springbrook National Park where the natural bridge circuit brought us to a waterfall gushing into a glow worm cave. From here we linked up with our friend Marie at her beautiful home on the top of Mount Tamborine. This was an excellent base to explore the Gold Coast area. Highlights here included spending a fun day full of rides and excitement at Dreamland (Australia’s biggest theme park), checking out Burleigh Head National Park and nearby Tallebudgera Creek, enjoying good food at Surfers Point, and hopping on a ferry for a day trip to Moreton Island’s incredible Tangalooma Wrecks where the snorkeling is second to none. Alas, our time with Marie and Ashton came to an end too quickly as we moved on to check out the bustling city of Brisbane. From Brisbane, we headed north and crossed a couple more of Australia’s oversized attractions off our list (The Big Strawberry, The Big Pineapple and Matilda the Kangaroo) before we made our way to Hervey Bay. A full day trip to the world’s largest sand island of K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) was next on our itinerary and we thoroughly enjoyed our action packed day which included checking out the Maheno shipwreck, admiring the multi-colored sand dunes at The Pinnacles, floating down pretty Eli Creek, hiking along Wanggoolba Creek near Central Station, and swimming in the stunning Lake McKenzie. After departing Hervey Bay, we spent a memorable Christmas sunrise with kangaroos and wallabies at Cape Hillsborough and an unforgettable afternoon searching for platypuses at Eungella National Park. Australia continues to wow us and we still have a few more days of our epic road trip as we continue to push north up to Cairns.
Strangler fig tree at Springbrook National Park
Natural bridge at Springbrook National Park
Staircase leading to the glow worm cave at Springbrook National Park
Waterfall in the glow worm cave at Springbrook National Park
Waterfall at Springbrook National Park
View of a flooded rainforest in the Nerang River from the nearby Hinze Dam
Marie's beautiful mountain retreat at the top of Mount Tamborine
Reunion with Marie! Can't believe it's been 13 years since we last saw each other in Africa
Wallabies fighting on Marie's front lawn at Mount Tamborine
Dreamworld is Australia's largest theme park
Serpent Slayer ride at Dreamworld
Christmas koalas at Dreamworld
Mirror lady at Dreamworld
Enjoying a chat by the camp fire on Mount Tamborine with Rebeca, Marie and Ashton
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Foil surfing Tallebudgera Creek
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Looking at Burleigh Head National Park from Tallebudgera Creek
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A boy backflips from Tallebudgera Creek Bridge
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View from the top of Burleigh Head National Park
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Selfie with Rebeca, Marie and Ashton at Surfers Paradise
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A pavilion on the Surfers Paradise esplanade
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Ashton helping Marie squeeze into her wetsuit for tomorrow's excursion to Moreton Island
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Taking the Micat Ferry from Brisbane to Moreton Island
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A line of cars waiting to board the ferry from Moreton Island to Brisbane
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Day trippers surround the rusting remains of the Tangalooma Wrecks just offshore Moreton Island
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Robby, Marie, Ashton and Rebeca ready for a fantastic day of snorkeling around the Tangalooma Wrecks
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Rebeca in an inflatable kayak to explore the Tangalooma Wrecks
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A large school of silver moony fish (monofish)
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A wobbegong shark swims by the Tangalooma Wrecks
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Our happy group after a fantastic daytrip to Moreton Island and its lovely Tangalooma Wrecks
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Goodbye view of the Tangalooma Wrecks, a snorkelers delight!
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Laughing at poor Marie's sunburn after a day at Moreton Island!
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Thanking our wonderful hosts Marie and Ashton after a couple fun filled days with them on the Gold Coast of Australia
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Eternal Flame at the Shrine of Remembrance in Brisbane
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Statue in Brisbane's ANZAC Square
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The Banker Sculpture in Brisbane
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Zara's butterfly designed building in the heart of Brisbane
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Brisbane City Hall Clock Tower
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Petrie Tableau sculpture commemorating the early settlers of Brisbane and the pioneering spirit of the city
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Albert Street Uniting Church
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Brisbane Central Business District
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Bean bags and loungers by the Brisbane River
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Brisbane's South Bank offers Australia's only inner city, man made beach! This turquoise lagoon surrounded by white, sandy beaches is completely free to visit
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Brisbane Lagoon is in the middle of a city!
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Swooping birds include magpies, butcherbirds, lapwings, and swallows. They swoop to defend their young or their territory during breeding season, usually from August to October
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Banyan tree at Brisbane's Botanical Garden
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"Building Blocks of Life" by Dutch Australian sculptor Antone Bruinsma
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"Pride" sculpture by Grant Lehmann
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Becky taking a bite out of The Big Strawberry
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Robby by The Big Pineapple
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Becky on Matilda the Kangaroo, a 13 meter tall kangaroo
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Long-billed corella (white cockatoos) on a lawn in Hervey Bay
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Passengers disembarking the ferry to K'gari (Fraser Island). K'gari is the largest and most unique sand island in the world
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Traffic jam on Fraser Island's tiny interior road
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Robby next to our 4WD bus for our day trip to K'gari. High clearance 4WD is necessary because most of the roads are sandy and unpaved
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Poster of the S.S. Maheno, a New Zealand ocean liner that was washed ashore on Fraser Island by a cyclone in 1935 and still stands today
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K'gari Beach Resort, one of two main resorts on Fraser Island
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The disintegrating Maheno shipwreck is a popular tourist attraction on K'gari
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Close up view of the SS Maheno shipwreck
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Selfie at the Maheno shipwreck
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One of approximately 200 dingoes that live on K'gari. They may look cute but are wild animals and huge fines are given to anyone who feeds them
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Tourists getting dangerously close to a wild dingo
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Air Fraser offers scenic flights over K'gari
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Fraser Island is one of only two places in the world where you can take off and land a plane on a beach! 75 Mile Beach offers a smooth runway to take off from
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Floating down beautiful Eli Creek
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Becky and Rebeca at Eli Creek
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Ancient tree at Wanggoolba Creek boardwalk near the Central Station
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The crystal clear water of Wanggoolba Creek
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A bridge over Wanggoolba Creek
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A tree next to the stunning Lake McKenzie
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Lake McKenzie is a perched lake on K'gari. This means it contains only rainwater (no groundwater), and is not fed by streams and does not flow to the ocean
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Relaxing at beautiful Lake McKenzie is a perfect ending to our full day tour of Fraser Island
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Selfie with Rebeca at Lake McKenzie
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Weary day trippers board the ferry from K'gari back to Hervey Bay
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An unfortunately Christmas morning accident where the driver flipped his vehicle while speeding around a curve
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Selfie in front of The Big Brahman Bull in Rockhampton
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A wild koala climbing a tree by a busy highway!
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Robby in front of The Big Cane Toad in Sarina
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Mural on a butcher shop in Sarina
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Robby at our free campsite in the garden of The Leap Hotel
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The Leap Hotel offers free camping in exchange for a beer at their pub
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Rebeca making creamy bacon carbonara for dinner
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A pair of agile wallabies on the beach at sunrise at Cape Hillsborough
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Face off between an agile wallaby and an eastern gray kangaroo
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An agile wallaby family on the beach at Cape Hillsborough in search of seaweed and mangrove seed pods for breakfast
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A baby wallaby peeks out from its mother's pouch
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As soon as sunrise is over, the kangaroos and wallabies leave the beach and rush off to safety in the surrounding foliage
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Sunrise over Cape Hillsborough
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The trail leading up to Andrews Point Lookout at Cape Hillsborough
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Becky next to a platypus mural
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The mountainous road leading to Eungella National Park
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Aboriginal carving at Goodes Lookout in Eungella
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Eungella National Park is one of the best places in the world to spot a wild platypus! We saw 6 of them over a 4 hour period
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Turtles resting on a log at Eungella National Park
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The elusive platypus is one of Australia's most unique creatures. It is a mammal that lays eggs, has a duck like bill, beaver like tail and venomous spurs on its feet. These petite creatures are only 2 feet long and weigh up to 6 pounds. We felt so lucky to see them in the wild!
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Becky and Rebeca at The Big Platypus
