G'day mate! π
Welcome to my first full week in Queensland, Australia. I'm delighted you decided to join me for this week! How was your week? What one activity did you engage in that moved you out of your comfort zone? You know, challenging your comfort zone is a great way to embrace continuous learning! Just saying!!
Greetings from Mooloolaba in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia! What an outstanding surprise visiting this part of the world has been! Wide, long sandy beaches, a loud surf, big beautiful skies, sunny skies, and warm weather (mid-20Cs/mid-70Fs) - my idea of a wonderful place to be. I was reminded the weather is getting cooler as 'winter' is approaching. I was also blessed to arrive just as a two week stretch of rainy weather had transitioned to drier conditions.
The Australian weather felt substantially cooler than in Sumatra where the average temperature was low 30Cs with the humidity pushing the 'real' temperature to the upper 30Cs. A welcome change!
The other big (and welcome) transition is the 'western' lifestyle and privileges. We have much to be thankful for. The downside of the western lifestyle is the accommodation/meal cost which can range from 2X - 3X what I was paying in Nepal and Sumatra. Another change I'm experiencing is the loss of attention I had in the previous four countries I visited. I was somewhat a novelty so people were curious and interested to interact. I suddenly transitioned to being 'anonymous' when I arrived in Australia.
I've also sensed there is more 'tension' in Australian people. They seem to smile less and definitely less likely to stop and chat if you are walking on a city street. The people I met while walking the Coastal Walk in Noosa National Park were more friendly and willing to engage. A broad truism in my experience is many people you meet while hiking are friendly and will take time to visit.
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Advice outside Gallery of Modern Art
Brisbane |
I was blessed with exceptional service at least twice during the week. On Sunday, the Malaysian Airlines agent at the Medan Airport assisting customers in the check-in queue, redirected me to the business class check-in counter for immediate attention. Awesome experience! On Tuesday, the apartment hotel receptionist Ina was welcoming and engaging when I arrived around 8:30 am to check-in. My unit was immediately available so I could freshen up and have a brief nap after the 8 hour overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur. I'm grateful to the universe for these memorable gifts that I receive.
I've been choosing to fly economy class for longer distances recently as the ticket prices and the fee to upgrade are very expensive these days. The minimum in the bidding range for a business class upgrade has been higher than what I want to pay. The Malaysian Airlines upgrade minimum bid was $1200 Cdn. My general rule for a reasonably priced upgrade is $100 Cdn/hour of flight time. I was fortunate that the woman sitting next to me stayed in her seat for the entire flight.
May the universe bring endless blessings and moments of magic π¦ to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. π
Travel Administration
I travel with a multipurpose Swiss Army knife in my luggage for the odd occasion when I might need a knife, scissors, corkscrew, toothpick, bottle opener, nail file or flathead screwdriver. It's been useful recently for slicing apples as I'm unable to bite into apples due to a front tooth issue. I bought my knife when I was traveling in Europe in 1983 so it's been a long-term friend!
Travel Update
Simone mentioned he was traveling to Palau, an archipelago of over 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean. What a beautiful destination! I'm now investigating the feasibility of a return trip from Taipei during the last week of May. The flight to this island paradise is less than four hours!
Travel Maps
I was on a flight from Medan, Sumatra to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday afternoon. I boarded my connecting overnight flight to Brisbane, Australia on Sunday evening. I took the Airtrain from Brisbane International Airport to the Southbank Train Station. I walked to my accommodation in about ten minutes. Thank you to the universe for the wonderful reception team who gave me access to my one bedroom apartment around 9 am. What a godsend after the overnight flight!
Indonesia (Sumatra): April 6 to May 3, 2026
Intercountry Travel: Medan Indonesia To Brisbane, Australia (via KL) May 3/4
Australia: May 4 to May 13, 2026
Brisbane
Yes, I was looking forward to resuming my privileged western lifestyle when I arrived in Brisbane! Privilege does come at a steep price as the cost of accommodation is about 3X the cost I was paying in any of the four countries I had just visited. The meal cost is similarly more expensive. Sticker shock!
International Airport
Great news! There was a train service from the airport to the Southbank train station which was under a ten minute walk after the hour train ride. The universe continued in its benevolence when I arrived at my accommodation around 8:30 am. I was given early access to my one bedroom apartment! I could shower, have a brief nap after the eight hour overnight flight and start exploring around my new home.
Confession: A destination highlight was being able to use a washing machine to wash my clothes. As good as my handwashing abilities are, a good machine wash was overdue. My apartment had a washing machine (with laundry detergent provided) and dryer so the first evening was spent washing everything I had in my luggage.
Southbank Parkland
The area of Brisbane I picked for my two night stay was ideal for my needs. It was close to the Central Business District, about a 20 minute walk. Southbank is an upper end residential/business mix usage with plenty of restaurants of all types, grocery stores, cafes and at least two popular ice cream stores.
There was a parkland adjacent to the river including a large ferris wheel, a swimmable artificial lake with a beach, performing arts/cultural centres, the main art gallery and gallery of modern art. A substantial oasis near the city center!
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| There's the ferris wheel |
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| Welcome to Brisbane - CBD in background |
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| Ferris wheel up close |
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| Pedestrian bridge between Parkland and CBD |
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| Pedestrian bridge up close |
'Introducing Australia’s newest sky-high playground featuring free access. Soaring 100 metres above the bustling CBD, Sky Deck is an expansive viewing deck serving up unforgettable moments in the sky.'
The Sky Deck has cafes and restaurants so you can sit and soak in the view while enjoying whatever you desire.
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| Parkland view from Sky Deck |
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| Closer view of Parkland |
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| Sky Deck section |
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| Sky Deck section |
Around the Neighbourhood
My new neighborhood was rich in cultural, entertainment and dining experiences. Messini, a popular ice cream shop, was just around the corner from my place. Sadly, I decided to rein in my love for ice cream. I did treat myself to hot cross buns (plain, fruit or chocolate chip) which are available year round in Australia. Yeah!
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Honoring veterans - found on a wall
just off a laneway I was walking along |
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People lining up to enjoy discounted prices at
Messini's ice cream (every Monday in May)
Messini is an Australian favorite ice
cream destination |
Treating Myself
In addition to hot cross buns, I enjoyed an amazing Australian pepper steak pie. I had to quickly get reacquainted to the idea that when an Australian mentions having a pie they are usually referring to a meat pie (not a sweet pie). Meat pies were a regular part of my diet when I was traveling in New Zealand and Western Australia in 2024/2025.
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| Pepper Steak Pie |
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| Microwave popcorn |
The GOMA was less than 15 minutes walk from my apartment. The universe blessed me with a 50% discount on the admission price. The woman who sold me the ticket was unaware why the ticket price was discounted on the day I visited.
Highly recommend visiting the gallery if you are visiting Brisbane. It's located in a great area and their displays are both interesting and world class.
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| GOMA entrance |
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| Entrance up close |
'This Brisbane-exclusive exhibition draws from the three‑decade career of one of the world’s most influential living artists. Spanning GOMA’s ground floor galleries, it includes important early works and expansive site-specific installations, many developed especially for ‘Presence’.
From the early work Beauty 1993, which suspends a rainbow in a veil of mist, to Pluriverse assembly 2021, a spatial installation that unfurls ever-changing reflections of light, Eliasson's creations come to life as they meet the viewer's senses and body.'
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| How filters impact what you see |
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| How filters impact what you see |
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| How filters impact what you see |
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| How filters impact what you see |
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| How filters impact what you see |
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| How filters impact what you see |
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| How filters impact what you see |
Riverbed 2014
An immense and immersive installation, complete with running water, to profile global warming and its impact on glaciers.
The cubic structural evolution project 2004
This very long table hosts over 400,000 all-white LEGO blocks that visitors are perpetually building and rebuilding whenever they are visiting this exhibition which has been in place since 2004. I was amazed by what visitors had created with the blocks!
'First Nations Peoples of Australia are among the oldest continuous living cultures on earth; Archie Moore’s kith and kin affirms this by tracing the artist’s Kamilaroi and Bigambul relations over 65,000+ years. The artist’s extensive drawing captures the common ancestors of all humans alongside animals, plants, waterways and landforms in order to emphasise our kinship responsibilities to each other and our surroundings.'
This award winning installation is both somber and thought provoking. The large room has the aboriginal family tree detailed in chalk. In the room's central space is a large white surface with stacks of inquests conducted of aboriginal deaths. Many countries, Canada included, appears to have a long history of abusing its aboriginal people - just saying...
'Queensland Art Gallery was established in 1895 and moved to its current residence at South Brisbane in 1982. QAG is home to our permanent Australian, Asian and International Art collections, bringing together art from different times and across cultures.'
The Art Gallery is located about 150 meters (a very short walk) from GOMA. My primary interest was aboriginal art which I took a few photos of. There is a much broader collection that includes artists like Pablo Picasso.
'Located in the heart of Brisbane, the City Botanic Gardens is Queensland’s oldest heritage garden.
Steeped in Brisbane history, the riverside park spans 18 hectares and 1.2 kilometres of river frontage. It’s home to heritage, exotic and native plants and trees.'
The Gardens were a short walk (about 30 minutes through edge of CBD) away from my apartment.
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| Botanic Garden map |
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| Art installation |
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| Sub tropical greenery |
Sunshine Coast
I had the most unexpectedly wonderful surprise in visiting Sunshine Coast. I LOVED the endless sandy beaches, wide expansive vistas and laid back beach vibe. Yes, I want to return next year for a three month stay - assuming I can make the financial part work. Australia is much more expensive to live than Sumatra or Nepal. I would have endless beaches to walk every day coupled with the sound of the surf. I felt I was at home during my entire visit.
My host Simone
The universe's benevolence shone brightly on me blessing me with Simone as my local host. I met Simone last year during my visit to the Maldives. He was on an excursion that Emily had organized. He was thoughtful during our excursion - he offered to provide me with video footage of me during our visit on a sandbar on our excursion. We connected through WhatsApp and stayed in contact over the past year. I fortuitously added visiting Simone as I avoiding spending an extended time in Taiwan.
Simone grew up in Italy and moved to Australia several years ago. He became an Australian citizen. He most recently returned to Italy after spending seven years in Australia. He's now returned to the Sunshine Coast and is working his magic as a pastry chef in the same bakery he worked at prior to returning to Italy.
Simone picked me up at the train station and drove me to my new home in Mooloolaba. He also picked up me after my coastal walk making a couple stops to show local highlights prior to dropping me off at the apartment. He also volunteered to spend Saturday with me, getting up early to drive to Byron Bay (a three hour drive) and playing guide throughout the day. How blessed I am!
Thank you Simone for your kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness!
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| My most kind, generous and gracious host |
Mooloolaba Beach
This beach was a ten minute walk from my apartment. Expansive beach with a magnificent sky overhead. The water is chilly at 24C (75F). I'm now used to the 28C (and warmer water temps) in Sumatra, Maldives and Barbados (in the summertime). The water is cooling off as the Australian 'winter' is approaching.
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| So much beach with so few people |
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| Who needs waves to surf anyways?! |
'Noosa National Park features the spectacular coastal scenery of Noosa Headland, and nearby areas around Lake Weyba, Peregian and Coolum. Surrounded by development, this park is a wildlife sanctuary, protecting beautiful stands of eucalypt forest, woodland, melaleuca wetland, colourful wallum heathland and pockets of dense vine-strewn rainforest.'
Sincere thanks to Simone and Emily (Maldives) who strongly recommended visiting this park. The park was an easy 1.5 hour bus ride from my apartment. What an amazing walk! Endless vistas to be awed by! I was in heaven for the 5.5 hours it took for me to complete this walk! A lasting memory!
Park Map
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| Let's begin the walk together! |
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| Lots of signage to keep you on the right track! |
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| Info Centre large scale map |
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| Info Centre large scale map |
Information Centre Experience
The universe rewarded me with another memorable experience in an Australian Tourist Information Centre. I was blessed to meet Tonya who was warm and welcoming as she explained how to get the best out of my coastal walk. She highlighted where I might see dolphins and koalas (watch for other hikers who have stopped and are looking into the trees) along the way. It's still a little early for the migrating whales to make their appearance (June is typically when they arrive), albeit a few whales have already been spotted.
Tonya also recommended 7-11 for a cup of coffee at a reasonable price!
I shared a glowing summary of Tonya's assistance in the evaluation form she asked me to complete prior to setting off on my walk.
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| Info Centre entrance |
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| Info Centre |
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| This recognition is a great source of local pride |
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| Info Centre |
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| Info centre |
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| Tonya and my cup of 7-11 coffee! |
'Walk along the headlands and discover sweeping ocean vistas, rocky bays, enclosed beaches and marine life cruising by.'
I took about 5.5 hours to complete the 5.4 km (3.3 mi) walk. Yup, I had lots of stops to enjoy the sweeping ocean vistas and chit chat with several people along the way. The walk was a total break from the outside world. Endless horizon where I felt like I was one with the universe!
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| Little Cove Beach |
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| Little Cove Beach |
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| Little Cove Beach |
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| Alexandria Beach |
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| Hell's Gate |
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| Hell's Gate |
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| Alexandria Beach |
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| Alexandria Beach where I enjoyed eating my lunch |
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| Sunshine Beach |
Friends
I'm pleased to introduce Elizabeth and Thomas who I met on my coastal walk after stopping to have my lunch. My newest friends, who hail from Austria, were traveling for about three months before returning to Austria to a new home and new jobs. Their ultimate destination was Cairns, gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, a mere 1400 km (870 mi) from our location on the Sunshine Coast. The plan was to fly to Sydney from Cairns, then fly back to Vienna. BTW - Elizabeth completed an amazing sketch of the tree (and bird in tree) in the photo below while we were chatting. I also delayed eating my lunch until later i my walk.
They discovered the person we enlisted to take our photo was from Germany which led to another interesting conversation in their journey.
I also had several conversations with fellow hikers throughout the day.
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| Thomas & Elizabeth |
Coolum Beach
Simone graciously agreed to meet up with me after he finished work. Simone suggested a couple stops on the way to drop me off at my apartment. I've lumped the following photos under Coolum Beach as I forget the name of one of our stops. Enjoy the evening sky that seems to stretch out forever! The one experience missing from these photos is the section of trees where the lorakeets congregate at sunset filling the surroundings with a cacophony of their beautiful calls!
Saturday's Roadtrip
Saturday's adventure was courtesy of several blessings from the universe coinciding. Stefanie had suggested Byron Bay would be a beautiful destination to visit oh boy, she was right!). Simone, who was free on the weekend, volunteered to drive the three hours south from Sunshine Coast to reach Byron Bay. The last blessing was the fabulous weather we had. There had been about two weeks of continual rain that ended a couple days before my arrival!
Byron Bay
Our first stop was Byron Bay which we reached around 9 am - we left Mooloolaba at 6:30 am.! What a gorgeous coastal city. It's known for its counter cultural roots (was a hippie haven) before developing into a location known for its wellness culture and luxurious accommodations.
I added to my growing list of unique geographical extremities - Byron Bay lays claim to being Australia's most easterly point. I also added another lighthouse to my lighthouse photo collection!
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We've arrived along with sound advice for our
visit! |
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| Beach in main section of Byron Bay |
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| More beach south of Byron Bay |
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| Iconic lighthouse |
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| Looking north from lighthouse |
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| That's one well-kept lighthouse! |
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| Walk to the ocean below lighthouse |
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| Here's the most easterly location |
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| More stunning coastline |
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| Dolphins' guest appearance |
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| View from top of lighthouse |
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| Looking north from lighthouse |
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| Yours truly |
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| My host and I |
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| Thumbs up on a great day! |
Currumbin/Palm Beach
Our next stop, as we made our way back towards Sunshine Coast. was in the Palm Beach area for lunch. Our dining destination was the Currumbin Beach Vikings Surf Life Saving Club which was uniquely situated right on the ocean. I've learned a good dining and drinks destination along the coast may have 'Surf Life Saving Club' in its name. These clubs, which are open to non-members, are located along the beach so they offer a great view/ambiance in an outdoor setting.
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| Gold Coast in the distance |
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| Palm Beach with Gold Coast in background |
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| Elephant Rock adjacent to Surf Club |
Gold Coast
Our last stop was Gold Coast (aka Australia's Miami Beach). The beautiful beaches are complemented by the beautiful people who are walking, running, or cycling along the paved walkway that follows the coastline in this area. There are endless number of street vendors in the area near the iconic Surfers Paradise sign in the photos below. A fun and energetic area to visit with that upscale beach vibe.
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Instagram moment - too bad I shun
all social media! |
Next Week
Exciting week ahead! I'm joining Simone and his friends on Sunday for my first round of golf in Australia. I head back to Brisbane on Tuesday for one night before I fly to Taipei with Philippine Airlines that includes a connection in Manila. On Friday, my newest Taiwanese friend Sophia, has invited me for lunch, followed by attending a Friday evening musical concert. On Saturday, I travel, by bus, to Sun Moon Lake to start my four night return visit at Mei Jen Homestay.
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