An Accidental Monday Drive

Tallebudgera Creek Road

Missed the turn off to get back onto Old Coach Road heading the back way to my new housesit... and jeez...they weren't kidding when they said it was a short drive to the hinterland. Not even 10min. out! I found myself in some very beautiful countryside, driving through narrow winding roads, lush green hills, just as the sun was softening towards evening.

Quite a peaceful & relaxing drive, a very pleasant surprise :D

Gold Coast, QLD

Moved into the housesit at Reedy Creek this weekend, will be taking care of a couple of dogs, Chevi & Rudi, and a cat, Kimba, for the next 3 weeks, giving me a chance to explore the Gold Coast area a bit better.


The Gold Coast is "Famous for its sun, surf and sand, Gold Coast City stretches along 57 kilometres of coastline. Beyond the beautiful beaches, is vast rainforest hinterland with breathtaking scenery - all a short drive from our regional centres" and located about an hour south of Brisbane.


[ Mom & Dad, this is the area we explored when we came up to Queensland from Sydney, we stayed at Kirra Beach ]

Last Week in Brissy

Can you beleive I found free 'camping' in the heart of the city?!

There's actually two options in West End, Orleigh Park & Riverside Drive, where travellers seem to be allowed to park overnight...although I am sure you'd get shuffled along fairly quickly if you decided to set up permanent camp here. Lots of morning runners, cyclists & rowers in these beautiful riverfront park areas.

Week 3 - Sunshine Coast, QLD

Monday, December 13, 2010

YAY! Woke up to blue skies & a refreshing breeze this morning!

Coopers Lookout, QLD

I stumbled across a great place to stop last night, Coopers Lookout, just outside of Mooloolabah, south of Cartwright Point. I was pleased to find out it had everything, beach access, BBQs, picnic tables, a shower block AND it was free (always a bonus!).

Spent a leisurely morning walking, doing yoga, swimming & meditating on the beach. And now for a full breakfast of eggs, tomatoes, roasted red peppers & potatoes, done on the BBQ. Yummy!

All very reminiscent of my time in Tasmania (well except for the beach part).

Oh! I can’t forget to mention that I met a lovely older PEI couple! How odd is that?! Supposedly they sailed from South Carolina to Noosa a couple of years ago, fell in love with Mooloolabah, sold their sail boat and now come back every year for 3-6 months. Amazing.

Week 3 - Sunshine Coast, QLD

Sunday, December 12, 2010

I debated with myself all week whether it would be a good idea to continue with my plans to move out of my warm, dry & cozy bedroom at the Bardon House to camp this week.

It was looking good the last couple of days, the sun came back; gorgeous clear blue skies, hot & humid.

And of course now that I’ve bit the bullet…. all packed into Leah’s cozy little van, some clothes, some food, some art, some rain….and some more rain….

I actually dreamt that the raindrops hitting the roof were balloons popping.

Week 3 - Sunshine Coast, QLD

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Sait Family Christmas Bash

Located inland from Noosa on the Sunshine Coast (about 1.5hours north of Brisbane) at their stunning family home. This Christmas party has been going strong for the last 8-12 years, doubling as Tania’s father’s company Christmas function, all his kids invite their friends up for a weekend of live bands, Christmas sing-a-longs, delicious food & good, silly, fun times.

Really wish I'd gotten a photo of this house, it is perfectly set up for an insane pool party a la Hollywood style! The house’s balconies overlook the pool & its decks, across the pool from the house is a covered patio where Tania’s brother, Adam, sets his band up. Later in the evening, after the band has played their set, anyone feeling musically talented can get up, play and/or sing. A truely creative & talented bunch of people!

I feel privileged for having been invited to this fun event. Thanks Tania!

Week 2 - Brisbane Coast, QLD

Back to Cleveland & Raby Bay    
       

Another trip back to the coast, have really been missing the ocean recently…the pounding surf, the cooling breezes, the invigorating smell, the sand between the toes, yes all those things and more.

Raby Bay, QLD

The ocean is truly a balm for the soul.

Week 2 - Brisbane Coast, QLD

A Day of Rainbows!

Despite the weather, light showers off & on all afternoon. I hit the road one day straight after work and made my way down the Brisbane Coast to Victoria Point and worked my way up to Cleveland. Somehow, it was all timed out perfectly, every time I stopped, the rain cleared off, and just as I would be ready to leave the forerunner raindrops would start to spit down.

I saw an amazing number and variety of rainbows; from full double arcs, to single arcs, to one blazing up from the ocean’s surface, to ones jumping from cloud to cloud.

Not only was I blessed with rainbows (5-6 of them honestly!), but also spectacular sunbursts, dramatic heavy skies, vivid greens that you only get after a rain and a beautiful amber sunset.

Halloran Point was stunning, although under construction at the moment, it has a great bike trail right along the waterfront, lots of picnic tables and a free shower block.

Halloran Point, QLD

Week 1

Rain. Rain…and yes…more rain.

Was planning to get out & camp; tour the beaches closest to Brisbane…

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day!

Bluey

Lucky me!

I don’t know how I did it, but I somehow managed to talk Leah into lending me her campervan ‘Bluey’ for the 3 weeks she’s in Malaysia. AND she’s given me free reign to add some artwork to the interior :D

Campervan

Haha! Can you believe I almost had another one and it's fallen through now as well!

So, I reckon it's time to just let the search go for a while, sit back, save some more, keep reminding the Universe of the type of van I want and maybe, just maybe...the absolutely perfect one will drop out of the sky and just drive itself into my life at the perfect moment...

Ok, ok...I'm truely not quite that wishy washy! Everyone knows I want a van, Robb & his mechanic Noisy are now on the case in Sydney, so I've been doing some very real networking and I've widened the search to include two of the top four cities in Australia that travellers need to pass through before leaving the country :D

Art Cards

....and a few more variatoins.....

An Abstraction Series

A few more variations on the same theme...

An Abstraction Series - Set of 3

Oil on Canvas, Mounted on Timber

4" sq (10cm sq) 

The Search Continues...

Well, I ALMOST got the first PopTop I saw for half the price...almost... but alas! Someone with more money came along and scooped it out from under me. 

Have viewed quite a few more campervans & vans, and have yet to find the right one for the right price. There are a good handful that are BEAUTIFUL mechanically, but well out of my price range and there are quite a few within my budget that are just a little bit scary to drive, ie. one wouldn't shift into 4th, another you had to slam into 3rd! another's e-break didn't hold... I'm thinking I may just have to save for a little bit longer.

The current favorite;  Toyota Hi-Ace Super Custom 4wd 

Still enjoying the searching; am really getting to know the Brisbane public transport inside/out (no major wrong turns this week!), and of course am still enjoying the opportunity to practice my French and meeting a wide variety of Australians & other travellers :D

Cough, CHOKE, BuRBle.....................cough

Oh my! The owners of the 'cough-cough-sputter-groan' van called me yesterday almost begging me to buy it! They dropped the price from $5800 to $3500. I turned them down, kind of sad really, I felt bad for them... just not bad enough to shoot myself in the foot! 

The hunt for the ideal (and affordable) campervan is on!

I have to say, I've surprised myself a bit, I'm actually having quite a bit of fun with this AND I know a fair bit more about the character of vehicles than I thought! Thanks for the refresher course in 'Automotives' Dad!

So far in my search I have trolled the Internet; Carsales.com, Travelers Auto Barn, Gumtree, Queensland Government Auctions and numerous other car auction sites. Yesterday, I tramped around the Backpacker Hostels, checking out all their notice boards, making phone calls, arranging 'car dates' and am meeting a wide variety of interesting people, even getting the opportunity to practice my French!

Did you know that 3/4 of campervan owners in Australia are French?

Have had a look at four very different and unique campervans... how is it that they develop such individual personalities?! AND the choices! How does one choose?!

The first one was definitely the pick of the bunch.

A Toyota Pop-Top, owned by a clean & tidy Canadian male who has lived in it for the last year, new Pop-top with no tears or leaks, full working kitchen, great quiet drive. Unfortunately well out of my price range, so am keeping his details, saving my pennies and will call him next month to see if our prices match better then.

The second, a Toyota Tarrago was basically a straight bed with camp gear, the right price but WAY too small.

The third, an Econovan that a local carpenter built a bed in the back, clean but dark and creepy. Also it had been sitting in his yard for an indeterminate period of time, with a few back-yard mechanic fix-ups. No thank-you!

And the last, which looked to be perfect... a Nissan Urvan Pop-Top; full kitchen, long wheel base, double bed that transforms to a table & bench, lots of room, lots of gear, lots of storage for my art… Perfect that is until they started it up!

Cough, cough, CHOKE CHOKE , BuRBle.....................cough

Pushing that tell tale sign of blue smoke, loud rough engine, needed the choke on for the first 15min, 40km on the little local hills. EEEK!

And if all that isn't adventure enough, lets add a few more things to the list...my current lack of a vehicle, the public transport system, a complete lack of direction (North, East, South, West), bad luck with the train system (Brisbane Trains and I do not get on, I am always getting the wrong one or going the wrong direction!), my foggy knowledge of Brisbane suburbs… Cooparoo?! Where’s THAT? Indooroopilly?! How do you even SPELL that?! Let alone how do you get there?!

This could become quite addictive, too bad there’s time constraints marring this little adventure :D

Jen

The Abstract Art Offer Continues....

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has responded & contributed to this venture.

Am looking forward to a week of trolling the internet, the Brisbane papers & auctions for the much dreamed of campervan.

Have sold all pre-made abstract pieces, but there are still some scraps left to create more if anyone is still inclined…please feel free to pass on to any friends & family who you think may be interested in purchasing affordable artwork.

Special Abstract Art Offer, continued...

What an amazing response, 30 pieces sold already!

Special Abstract Art Offer

Help me hit the dusty red roads of Australia!

Donate $10 and receive an original abstract painting done by me. All funds raised will go towards the purchase of a reliable campervan to see me on my way around Australia.

As some of you may or may not know, I dream of working my way around the country this year and so far I have only made it to Brisbane!

Although I am loving being in Brisbane, I had hoped to have saved up enough money by now to afford a campervan, so that I could move onto the next town without the worry of finding or renting accommodation. Unfortunately this is not the case and I need your help!

Especially as I have now found a property south of Brisbane that I shall be taking care of for the next 3-4 months (starting Sept.1, EEK!) which requires that I provide my own home on wheels, so the push is on, I need that van pronto!

So if you are interested in art and in helping me out, please contact me directly (via phone or email) and I shall organize to have your painting mailed to wherever you please! I will ship anywhere; Australia, Canada, France…to you, to a friend...

About the Paintings
All paintings are similar in colour, texture & content, but each is unique, with no two being the same.

They have been created with Acrylic & Oil Paints on Torn Cotton Canvas. These heavily textured pieces are floated on matt board so that the frayed edges are visible, with the occasional random thread looking ready to unravel the entire thing.



The majority of paintings average in size from 3”x 4” to 4.5”x 9” (the size of a legal envelope). Each of them is double matted and ready to hang with Command Picture Hanging Strips.

It will be a bit of a ‘lucky dip’ as to which you get, but you can nominate which primary matt colour you would prefer (white, black, red or blue), and the same again for the secondary matt colour.


Jen


P.S. If anyone knows of anyone looking to sell a van in Brisbane or Sydeny, preferably a 4x4 Toyota Hi-Ace or Daihatsu, let me know!







[ Please note paintings may be different than those photographed ]

Artist's Favorites

Ok, let's ge this started with one of my favorite paintings...



'The Devil Knows Your Dreams'
Mixed Media on Board, Framed
64 x 74cm

Fondly refered to as the "Devil" by my closest friends, this lady is by far my favorite peice these last couple of years.

She is a blend of her structured outline and chaotic background, reflecting an inner turmoil that is being barely held under control. Her expression can be difficult to interpret, often changing depending on the mood of the viewer.

The Devil is a painting that simly breathes with life, I feel she epitomises a favorite quote of mine,

"Joyful Abandon - The ability to lose oneself in the moment, while still holding true to yourself."