Wanderings

  March 16, 2024 Day 25: The Costal Walk and the Eumundi Markets It was an early morning , and I rolled out of the bed around 5:30 AM. As we forgot to get coffee yesterday at the supermarket, I took a chance that there might be a coffee shop in town open, even at this early hour. It is only a short five minute walk down a hill to get to the centre of Noosa. And I lucked out, there was a small coffee kiosk open, where I got a long black with a dash of milk. It turns out I was not the only early bird. There were more than a few people out and about and some in the water.  I enjoyed my coffee by the water and took a short trek up the coastal walk. The walk leads to Noosa National Park and offers spectacular view of the Noosa coastline. I joined the other walkers and enjoyed the early morning sun. The coast is rugged and I got to the spot they call the "Boiling Pot." This rocky part of the shore kicks up the surf and the spray is very impressive. It is also incredible to see some...

 March 15, 2024 Day 24: On to the Sunshine Coast   In my mind, Qantas Airline has always seemed to hold a certain mystique. From the iconic kangaroo that graces its tail piece, to the moraable scene in Rain Man with Dustin Hoffman ("Qantas never crashed"). Well today I got to take my first Qantas flight, Melbourne to Moorochydore, or the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. This is the last leg of our vacation, and we will spend five days in Noosa. Noosa lies 150 km north of Brisbane. And true to form, my Qantas flight was fine, left on time and arrived at the Sunshine Coast airportt around 11 AM. As we stepped off the plane, and walked down the steps, the heat and humidity hit you immediately. And as an added bonus, my bag was first onto the carousel! Noosa is a resort, beach area, known for its surf, sand, and sub tropical; climate. We are fortunate to stay in a lovely place just above the beach area, courtesy of family. After going to Coles (an Australian Loblaws) to gather food ...

March 14, 2024 Day 23 : Footy  Thursday was our last day in Ballarat and Melbourne. We spent the morning and early afternoon getting ready to depart from Ballarat. We needed to do some laundry and do a  bit of clean up before we made our way to Melbourne for the big "footy" game in Melbourne. It was wonderful to get to spend some time in Ballarat. It is a very interesting city. For a city of approximately 120,000, it boasts some wonderful sights to see. A few of my favourites have been Lake Wendouree, The Ballarat Art Gallery, the Botanical Gardens and Sovereign Hill. The city still maintains some of its Victorian charm. And while we visited Ballarat to see family, the city itself proved to be a real revelation and I am glad we got a chance to explore it. We made our way to Melbourne in the afternoon to who watch Carlton versus Richmond in Australian Rules Football , or "footy as it is affectionately known. I won't endeavour to explain all the rules to footy, however...

 March 13, 2024 Day 22: Ballarat Botanical Gardens and Sovereign Hill Today we visited two very special spots in Ballarat, the Botanical Gardens and Sovereign Hill. Both of these were on our list as "must sees" this trip. We started our day by taking the short walk to the Botanical Gardens. The gardens lie on the western shore of Lake Wendouree. The gardens cover over 58 hectares and are filled with statues, beautifully manicured lawns and of course a wide range of flowers and vegetation. The gardens date back to the late 1850s, making it one of Victoria's oldest public gardens.  Last weekend the gardens had a Begonia Festival. The begonias were housed in the conservatory that lies at one end of the gardens. The exhibit had over 100 varieties of begonias. The display was simply stunning. It is difficult to describe so once again pictures tell a much better story. As you walk along the paths, you encounter flower displays of all types. There are hollyhocks, dahlias, ferns,...