Good morning
all from another beautiful start to the day Down Under. It’s 6am and as I sit here on my balcony,
watching the sun rise in the sky and feel it’s warmth wash over me, I listen to
the roar of the mighty ocean crash against the shore just feet away from me, whilst
it competes with the construction project of a bloody race car track being
built. I kid you not, this section of
Surfers has been transformed with miles and miles of barriers and every
conceivable thing that needs to make a race track happen. And I picked the best spot if you want to
watch the action on race day on 26th October. But unfortunately not for the week leading up
to it!! But that aside this really is a
stunning spot and I am sure without the construction going on beneath us it is
even more so.
Right, onto
business. Today is the day I head of
south to Adelaide to meet up with all the wonderful ladies I was so lucky to
meet through Theresa when she lived here.
I have hugs a plenty for them all from her, but before I have to leave
this place and lug my luggage 800 metres (what is that in feet and inches
someone?) down the road to pick up the ‘door to
not-so-door-due-to-the-race-track-being-right-outside-the-window’ airport
shuttle, let me fill you in on yesterday…..
Dora and I were
off for a cycle adventure. My plan was
to cycle down the coast to Burleigh Heights, which on the map looked like a doable
prospect. So after putting a wash on, we
headed out. At Lifeguard tower 34 I
stopped for a little pancake breakfast to fuel the journey and off I went.
Now on the map
it looks as if there is an esplanade that runs all the way along the beach, but
in reality that is not always the case.
At times the road goes one inland and you have to cycle on the roads. Now these are not main roads by any means,
and they pass past some stunning homes, but it meant one thing. I had to wear my cycle helmet. So on it went and off I cycled, looking like
someone in need of a carer….
And bugger
me if the wind wasn’t blowing a hooley and I was cycling right into it. I just
hoped that it wouldn’t change direction for the ride home….Next stop was tower
29 at Broadbeach, where I found a quiet spot on the beach to sit and take in
the surroundings when, would you know it, a hoard of Chinese appeared, dressed in
varying degrees of outfits ranging from ski wear to ‘a day at the races’. So, it was time to move on.
A bit more
the cycling on the prom then back onto the residential streets which I must say,
are really geared to the cyclist. The
street I one way for cars and the other for bikes, and very very flat making it
a dream for someone like me!
The next bit
of prom was at Nobbys beach. A real
change of feel to the place here, low rise, older style, but still with
magnificent beach and again, relatively deserted. Then it started to rain a
little but being a true English trooper, Dora and I carried on (in fairness it
was about 75 degrees so the rain was quite warm).
We carried
on down the stunning coast stopping occasionally to marvel at the view at
places such as Mermaid and Miami Beach, cycling through parks with bbq’s and
outdoor free gym’s and thai chi, then I reached my destination at tower 18,
Burleigh Heights. Beautiful. Looking back on the coastline I could see how
far I’d come, the high rise of Surfers in the distance shrouded by sea mist, and
how the skyline changed as you moved away.
So with the deserted windy beach, roaring surf salty air, burning thighs
and a slight sweat tache filling me with joy, it was one final small push up
the hill to the lookout. And it was
worth it.
As I sat
drinking in the view, I got chatting to a lovely old guy named Alan. He was waiting for his wife who was in the
hairdressers getting her wig set. We sat
and chatted about my travels, the Gold Coast, the war in Syria, the state of
the nation, his 6 stents, colonoscopy and carpal tunnel surgery. Lovely chap.
He headed
off to pick up his wife and the wig and I unpacked my little picnic and ate it
watching the incredible surfers as the wind picked up and the waves
rolled. There was a group of 5 all
searching for the perfect wave and the amount of strength they must have is
amazing. All those muscles clad in a wet
suit…..sorry I went off for a minute there.
After a good
couple of hours it was time to head back so Dora and I began the return
journey, thankfully with the wind in our favour. An amazing 20km later (again what is that in
miles?) we arrived back in Surfers and with heavy heart I returned Dora to the
lovely young man at the bike shop. We
had had fun together (Dora and I not the lovely young man, shame).
After that I
decided to have a wander along the beach, take in a little more shopping for
stuff I won’t ever wear at home, and then decided the spot for sunset would be
the river. Dominos was on the way so I
plumped for a chef’s special chilli and lime pulled pork and enjoyed a beer
whilst I watched the progress of my order on a huge screen. (Square) pizza in hand I meandered down to
the waterside where I sat and watched the gorgeous sun set. And yes, there are pictures, I know you have
missed them.
It was now
time to take me, the coldsore and my poor aching feet (now clad in a pair of
shoes from Roxy, a shop I have never had the courage to cross the threshold of
in England due to the shock of the prices, but somehow I was all in the surfer
mood…just don’t look at the receipt) back to the apartment. The walk back down the buzzing esplanade with
the lights and the waves and the people was a great way to end my time here on
the Gold Coast.
And now here
I sit my alarm on my phone (Wham’s Club Tropicana) announcing it’s 7am and time
to get up and start getting ready for the next leg, even though I've been up since 6am with the construction workers....
So the next
post will be from Adelaide where good times are always had and good friends
reside. Until then faithful followers…..
TTFN xx
Pulled pork pizza!!!
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