Family Weekend at Gold Coast

February 23, 2015 by annbritton

Two weekends ago my family gathered together in Townsville to spend a few days together, including the weekend down the Gold Coast.
But first Rick, Claire and I had to get to Townsville, where we would meet up with Thomas and Madeline.
We each had to take a vehicle (that is another story)
Back in the day, I could drive Boulia to Charter Towers no worries, when the kids were at Boarding School, leave home early and arrive at school by end of school day, 826km. Townsville is a further 138km.
This trip I needed to be in Townsville before 5pm Friday, organised to catch a plane, so I decided to leave home Thursday afternoon to head to Winton, 360km to the east.

When I left home the clouds were building and I thought how awesome it would be if I had to drive through mud to get home.
Rick had left a little earlier than myself to do a bore run at Lucknow on the way to Winton where we would meet up.

It sprinkled a little as I was on the very edge of a shower just east of Middleton.

I overtook one truck and saw no on coming traffic (other than Rick on his motorbike as I was going through Lucknow) all the way to Winton. There is no internet coverage either.

We had dinner that night at our usual “waterhole” The Tatts, great food, great service and cold beverages.

The next morning, bright and early we were heading to Hughenden. Claire would have left Braeside by now heading to Townsville too.

Lush green grass and mountains, we must have reached Townsville. We are all together now heading for the airport.

Bags checked, boarding passes in hand we climb the stairs heading to gate 1, Brisbane bound.
….clowns to the left of me….

…a joker to the right….

This was our view from our apartment window the next morning down the Gold Coast, where we arrived after collecting our hire car and making our way to Labrador, on arrival in Brisbane Friday evening.

Breakfast by the sea

Pancakes, because I can.

It was raining when we arrived for breakfast but that cleared quickly out to sea.

While the others went shopping and went to see Ripley’s Believe It or Not, which I had seen before. I went down to the beach.

….. and observed the landscape, clouds and lots of humans that aren’t normally in my day to day viewing, well neither is the beach and ocean for that matter.

….it seems the people cleared the beach when it was raining….cause they might get wet do you think?

…I am afraid of heights but I love being in high level apartments on those rare occasions when I do go to the beach. I feel it is like being in a world of your own.

I was happily taking photos, people watching, cloud watching and basically chilling out.

Looking north

I love the sea, the smell, the sound, the feel. I really don’t need to go swimming in it, but like being up high in a building being in the sea is like another world again, to me.

I just had to get my feet wet and had a little laugh to myself. Lot of childhood memories were made on beach visits.
I now have a Twitter friend, who I have met in real life, whenever the other is at the beach, usually Townsville, we put our toes in the water for each other. So this photo was taken for them, proof. Both of us have a great love for the bush but also enjoy “timeout” at the beach.

I found this, washed up on the beach, a jelly fish.

Trying to be artistic

I would like to have a gold coin for every time this sign has been photographed.

I saw this magic mini tractor…

…and wondered what is was carting sand for…

…the mini tractor was filling these different sized, shaped wooden boxes while these fellows used jack hammers to obviously compact the dirt. I was thinking sand castles or the like.
Take note of the count down clock to the Gold Coast hosting of the 2018 Commonwealth  in background.

Then I walked inside the shopping centre and seen this magnificent, clever piece of art. How precise is that? Right down to Tinker Bell’s shoes.

So this is what the little tractor, wooden box frames and jack hammers were preparing for.

It is on now.

I had it bit of pampering, 2nd time ever.

Our main reason for going down the Gold Coast. My family, with our rental car.

This is series that we saw at Outback Spectacular.

I would recommend to anyone going, to pay the extra, to do the backstage tour, it was worth it.
A sign we found amusing above the bar at Outback Spectacular

The Bar

We are pretty sure this photo was taken at a Boulia Rodeo many moons ago, it was one of many photos hanging in the Outback Spectacular bar/shop area.
We thoroughly enjoyed our night, the show, the food and hospitality of the Outback Spectacular.

We flew back to Townsville on Sunday. I really enjoy flying but my body doesn’t. I’m not use to enjoying the views looking out of the window seat, it usually makes me sick, so I was so pleased to not only enjoy the views but capture them as well.

In between the clouds.

Not a bad view for breakfast Monday morning on Townsville Strand

Breakfast

Monday night Rick and I decided to stay the night at Townsville Casino. Claire had left Townsville to spend the night in Charters Towers and catch up with her good friend & baby. Rick, Claire and I had a day of the three of us driving around Townsville in two cars swapping drivers and vehicles to make sure that all that needed to be done and appointments made were done and accomplished. Thomas and Maddie had gone to work.

Magnetic Island in the pre dawn light, Tuesday morning.

A city whose people enjoy being on the water.

Pastels looking west.

The sunrise as we said Goodbye to Townsville and headed home. No the road wasn’t muddy getting back into Goodwood Tuesday evening.