We arrived in Mooloolaba, a small city on the Sunshine Coast Saturday around 6 pm in a torential rainstorm.  The rain seems to be following us everywhere we travel.  I hope the word doesn't get out or we will be banished from the country!  So far, I am sure we have had rain through 80% of our entire trip.  In spite of that, we have still managed to enjoy a few days of sunshine and when it is shining, this place is spectacular.  Australia has experienced some horrendous weather this year with massive flooding in many regions.  We were planning to head north this weekend toward Cairns but they have experienced record amounts fo rrain and in some places, the roads have been closed.  We are staying in one bedroom water front condo for a week.  Because of the weather issues travelling north, we decided to stay put for another week in hopes that things will improve. 

Just when we were getting brave enough to try the boogie board Glenda & George left us, there was a shark attack on one of the beaches along the Gold Coast, one that we visited quite frequently.  I knew I shouldn't have watched Shark Week on Discovery Channel before we left.  Leslie keeps telling me I am really becoming a woos!

March 22, 2012

Another rainy, blustery day on the Sunshine Coast.  Supposed to continue and possibly break on the weekend.  I am taking up my favourite spot in the Kawana Library, with kids running and screaming everywhere.  What ever happened to "PLEASE KEEP QUIET IN THE LIBRARY"?  I guess I am turning into a grumpy old fart!  Some would argue that hpapened a long time ago!!

On a very sad note, we just received this email from our good friends John & Carol in Winnipeg!  This probably started out as a story much like ours, a retired couple taking the trip of their dreams to New Zealand except their story ends in tragedy.  Carol emailed this...

"On a sadder note, Michelle Smith was a friend of ours who was killed in a tragic car accident while traveling in NZ. I tried to attach one of the articles from NZ for you, but for some reason it is a broken link now. You may want to Google it. The accident occurred at the gates of a popular tourist cave sight. Sorry, I done recall the name. Michelle’s husband, Doug was driving and ended up being charged with careless driving. Can you believe it? According to the locals, it was the road and the signage that was to blame. Regardless, a terribly tragedy overall. And to top it off, some creep broke into their hotel room while Doug was in court and stole their wallets, phones etc. So enjoy your travels but PLEASE BE SAFE. Hold each other tight and come and show us your smiling faces real soon!"

Can you believe this?  As if Doug has not been paid the ultimate price for this nightmare incident, the country has the nerve to charge him with reckless driving.  We covered the same roads and visited the same tourist trap.  The parking lot is a literal DEATH TRAP, exiting on to a busy, narrow one lane highway with trucks and cars speeding by.  He wouldn't have had a chance.  I must admit, we have had some very close calls ourselves and only by the grace of God are we here today.

Doug has lost the love us his life and I am sure he will replay this horror story for the rest of his life.  These countries depend on tourism and they better wake up to the fact that the majority of their tourists are from Western Countries and drive on the opposite side of the road.  What they have done to Doug is cruel and unconscionable!  Our hearts go out to you and your family.

Check out these websites for more information.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/tourist-banned-driving-after-wife-s-death-4743702

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/new-zealanders-blame-intersection-in-death-140683313.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/02/26/mb-new-zealand-truck-accident.html

I love this place!  We are really enjoying our stay at the Radisson.  Nice, quiet resort with all the emmenities, about a ten minute drive to some of the best beaches in the world.  Surfers reminds me of Costa Del Sol in Spain.  The coastal area one gigantic concrete jungle of mamoth, ugly high rises that seem to go on forever.  It really spoils the landscape and beautiful beaches.  How the Australian Government let this happen is beyond me!  I guess like every other country, big money talks and I'm sure most of these condos are priced in the $millions.

We spent yesterday walking the beach at Surfers.  You could walk for miles on the white silt sand, watching surfers and families enjoying this bit of paradise.  This place would be an absolute zoo in peak season of the summer months.  Ozzie's are very family oriented and this has been evident everywhere we have travelled.  I think I could easlily get used to this lifestyle.

Well our plans have changed a bit as a result of the weather we have been getting.  Not a whole lot of beach or pool time these days so when we see the sun, we try to make the most of it.  The only parts of the Radisson Gold Coast Resort we have been utilizing is the room and the gym so far.  Today was the first day we were able to use the beautiful pool.  As a result, we made a corporate decision to book another week here beginning March 10 to 17.  Major flooding going on both north and south of us so we thought it may be best to just stay put.  As stated previously, the resort is nice and the price is right!  We have got to know the general manager, Gerard, and he has been most helpful.  We took a drive yesterday to look at some ocean front condos and after 7 hours of searching, we decided that the best option was to stay at the Radisson.  The beaches are beautiful but very rough these days and there are warnings to be extra cautious about swimming.  Hopefully we will continue to see a bit of sun and enjoy the upcoming week.

Landed in Surfers Paradise Friday afternoon after a very scenic drive.  After checking into our motel for the night, it began to pour buckets.  Major flooding in most parts of Australia as you have probably seen on the news.  We are managing to avoid that, thank goodness.  Weather has been crappy for the past two days and we are supposed to experience most of the same for the next couple.  Checked into the Radisson Gold Coast Resort on Saturday and it it quite nice.  We hope to start using the pool and some of the ammenities before we check out.  We are here until Saturday and then heading north on our trek to Cairns, over 2000 kms.

Our week at the Korora Bay Village Resort flew by.  We met some amazing people here, including a couple from Summerland, which we thought was pretty cool!  Haven't met too many North Americans thus far.  We kept ourselves pretty busy, our daily two hour ocean view hike, touring around the area and just some well deserved R & R around the pool.  The resort was nice except for a few unwanted pets in the room, everything was pretty good.  The internet was pretty weak but that seems to be pretty common in these parts.  We shared a quite a few laughs with our new Ozzie Friends and we are going to miss them!  Great meeting you guys!!  If you get a chance, I suggest you visit the Murray River and especially Mildura!!  This area, sadly, has the highest kangaroo suicide rate in the country! It appears they would sooner jump in front of a speeding vehicle that be sentenced to life in the Murray River Valley.  We must have seen at least 30 dead kangaroos along the roadside in this area.  We haven't seen any Roo Kill since!

Tomorrow we head toward Cararra for our second one week stint at the Radisson Resort.  We are hoping to do these one week stays a little more frequently for the rest of our 2 month stay.