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
Foil surfing Tallebudgera Creek
Looking at Burleigh Head National Park from Tallebudgera Creek
A boy backflips from Tallebudgera Creek Bridge
View from the top of Burleigh Head National Park
Selfie with Rebeca, Marie and Ashton at Surfers Paradise
A pavilion on the Surfers Paradise esplanade
Ashton helping Marie squeeze into her wetsuit for tomorrow's excursion to Moreton Island
Taking the Micat Ferry from Brisbane to Moreton Island
A line of cars waiting to board the ferry from Moreton Island to Brisbane
Day trippers surround the rusting remains of the Tangalooma Wrecks just offshore Moreton Island
Robby, Marie, Ashton and Rebeca ready for a fantastic day of snorkeling around the Tangalooma Wrecks
Rebeca in an inflatable kayak to explore the Tangalooma Wrecks
A large school of silver moony fish (monofish)
A wobbegong shark swims by the Tangalooma Wrecks
Our happy group after a fantastic daytrip to Moreton Island and its lovely Tangalooma Wrecks
Goodbye view of the Tangalooma Wrecks, a snorkelers delight!
Laughing at poor Marie's sunburn after a day at Moreton Island!
Thanking our wonderful hosts Marie and Ashton after a couple fun filled days with them on the Gold Coast of Australia
Eternal Flame at the Shrine of Remembrance in Brisbane
Statue in Brisbane's ANZAC Square
The Banker Sculpture in Brisbane
Zara's butterfly designed building in the heart of Brisbane
Brisbane City Hall Clock Tower
Petrie Tableau sculpture commemorating the early settlers of Brisbane and the pioneering spirit of the city
Albert Street Uniting Church
Brisbane Central Business District
Bean bags and loungers by the Brisbane River
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
Brisbane Lagoon is in the middle of a city!
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
Banyan tree at Brisbane's Botanical Garden
"Building Blocks of Life" by Dutch Australian sculptor Antone Bruinsma
"Pride" sculpture by Grant Lehmann
Becky taking a bite out of The Big Strawberry
Robby by The Big Pineapple
Becky on Matilda the Kangaroo, a 13 meter tall kangaroo
Long-billed corella (white cockatoos) on a lawn in Hervey Bay
Passengers disembarking the ferry to K'gari (Fraser Island). K'gari is the largest and most unique sand island in the world
Traffic jam on Fraser Island's tiny interior road
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
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
K'gari Beach Resort, one of two main resorts on Fraser Island
The disintegrating Maheno shipwreck is a popular tourist attraction on K'gari
Close up view of the SS Maheno shipwreck
Selfie at the Maheno shipwreck
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
Tourists getting dangerously close to a wild dingo
Air Fraser offers scenic flights over K'gari
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
Floating down beautiful Eli Creek
Becky and Rebeca at Eli Creek
Ancient tree at Wanggoolba Creek boardwalk near the Central Station
The crystal clear water of Wanggoolba Creek
A bridge over Wanggoolba Creek
A tree next to the stunning Lake McKenzie
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
Relaxing at beautiful Lake McKenzie is a perfect ending to our full day tour of Fraser Island
Selfie with Rebeca at Lake McKenzie
Weary day trippers board the ferry from K'gari back to Hervey Bay
An unfortunately Christmas morning accident where the driver flipped his vehicle while speeding around a curve
Selfie in front of The Big Brahman Bull in Rockhampton
A wild koala climbing a tree by a busy highway!
Robby in front of The Big Cane Toad in Sarina
Mural on a butcher shop in Sarina
Robby at our free campsite in the garden of The Leap Hotel
The Leap Hotel offers free camping in exchange for a beer at their pub
Rebeca making creamy bacon carbonara for dinner
A pair of agile wallabies on the beach at sunrise at Cape Hillsborough
Face off between an agile wallaby and an eastern gray kangaroo
An agile wallaby family on the beach at Cape Hillsborough in search of seaweed and mangrove seed pods for breakfast
A baby wallaby peeks out from its mother's pouch
As soon as sunrise is over, the kangaroos and wallabies leave the beach and rush off to safety in the surrounding foliage
Sunrise over Cape Hillsborough
The trail leading up to Andrews Point Lookout at Cape Hillsborough
Becky next to a platypus mural
The mountainous road leading to Eungella National Park
Aboriginal carving at Goodes Lookout in Eungella
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
Turtles resting on a log at Eungella National Park
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!
Becky and Rebeca at The Big Platypus