The Big Road North!

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

 

Mr.Rainbow has been packed, un-packed, reconfigured & re-packed a number of times and in a number of different ways in the past couple of weeks. We’ve journeyed a few thousand kilometers since the last posting… 1550km from Silverton to Lismore and another 2000km from there to Cairns. We’ve even had a few “houseguests” along the way, the human kind as well as the critter kind…
 I have been really pleased with my human travel partners, Fletcher & Benny Mac are both such chilled, fun, easy going, companionable & considerate men. It really made the trip!
 Am also really pleased with my newly adopted kitten, Atherton, he's another really chilled out dude and has adapted himself to van living very well.

 I found Cairns much too hectic, so I promptly headed for the hills! Started out in Kuranda (amazing creative markets there), watched the Solar Eclipse at Wonga Beach and just spent the last week exploring the World Heritage Listed Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation.
 

Total Solar Eclipse 

 I watched the Solar Eclipse from Wonga Beach with a small gathering of people, what started out as just your average sunrise turned into something quite special when the sky started to darken and the clouds cleared just enough to catch a glimpse of a silver rimmed moon shadow.

It was pretty cool to be able to view such an amazing natural phenomenon. 
P.S. looked nothing like the photoshopped photo above.

Mr. Rainbow is back!

Mr. Rainbow is back on the road... feeling refreshed & re-energized with a new battery, tire, head gaskets & a repaired head. Am stoked, looking forward to some more adventuring!

Cabarita Beach, Northern NSW Coast

Have already sussed out a couple of beaches today, Kingscliff & Cabarita, will definitely be making my way back to both of them with Mr.R :D

Kingscliff, Northern NSW Coast

Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast QLD

Burleigh Heads is directly in-between Coolangatta and Surfers Paradise offering a wonderful National Park where you can get to see some fabulous scenery and a range of wildlife, as well as more great Gold Coast beaches. 

The beach at Burleigh Heads

The beaches in Burleigh are lined with beautiful parkland, with picnic and BBQ areas, and every Sunday night there is a gathering called “Burleigh Beat”, where you can find hundreds of people fire twirling, juggling, drumming, slacklining and dancing.

I can usually be found in the middle dancing!

 It's a great way to spend a Sunday evening!

Cabriata Beach, Northern NSW

A visit from Pamela, Roger & Enzo from Sydney, brings on some more exploration to yet another beautiful Australian beach & surf spot.

Pamela & Roger 

Cabriata Beach

Surfers Paradise to Burleigh Heads

About a two hour hike along the Gold Coast beaches... first real day of sun in over a week!

Surfers in the distance (the skyrises)

Burleigh Heads

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 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