Adelaide Region, South Australia (March 2005)

Northern Terrority, Australia (March 2005)

Laguna Maldives (June 2005)

my snorkelling gear n must-have life jacket drying outside the bungalow..

maldives flag in male town

the satisfied look at the end of the stay at laguna resort

the fish market…

The Great Sunshine Way, June 2007

who’s that looking out of the window?

one of the 3 tigers in Australia Zoo..

one of the arty shots at kybong crayfish farm..

one of the budding plants on the beach of Fraser Island..

the mega big tress on Fraser Island..

another tree… look at the difference in the tree bark.. this one use SKone? ;p

the sunset scenery at marina mirage..

the sun setting on the Noosa beach…

the place where we were suppose to see dolphins but the clouds n cold weather kept them away :O(

the scenery from our Kingfisher Bay resort on Fraser Island..

the sun setting at Fraser Island, Kingfisher Bay beach..

hmmm i think it’s the next morning at the same beach :O)

the nice skies at Kybong Crayfish farm..

the jetty at Kingfisher Bay resort..

another sunset photo at Noosa beach..

midday.. at Noosa Beach..

sunset again!! at sunshine coast, maloolaba..

another maloolaba sunset shot..

another one at maloolaba..

the morning at surfers’ paradise, gold coast

the view from the cruise at golad coast…

a pic of the infamous n posh marina mirage…

gold coast…

sunset on the champagne sailing cruise..

Brisbane – 23 June 2007 (Cool Winter Weather, 19°C)

Last day of the vacation. Went back to Brisbane city for the morning from Montville cos we had to depart from Brisbane Airport.

Some photos from the city…

This is the famous STORY BRIDGE.

Believe it… this is an ambulance~!

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That’s about all in Queensland. Sorry for the wait and will upload more pictures in the photo gallery…

Give me some time cos gotta finish up my MEGA PROJECT! :O)

Sunshine Coast – 22 June 2007 (Cold Winter Weather, 15°C)

Gotta leave Kingfisher Bay Resort… Fraser Island this morning.. Before that, we managed to take some nice pictures.

Sea Eagle that loves to be taken!

Nice?

Famous Blue Crab on Fraser.

You can only find pure breed Dingo on Fraser Island. Only 150 left on the island. Saw 1 3 years ago!

After Fraser Island, we headed for Kybong Crayfish Farm. Amazing! This couple actually started this crayfish farm themselves with bare hands… imagine nearly 50 hectares of land, about 42 crayfish pools all by themselves!

Kybong Crayfish Farm : 137 Tandur Road, Kybong (07-5483-5071; www.noosahinterlandtours.com.au)

Contact Noosa Hinterland Tours if you want to visit the farm.

Stayed at The Falls Rainforest Cottages for the night at Montville. We stayed in the homestead with John and Denise Atkin cos all the 6 cottages were fully booked for the night! But we had the opportunity to walk around. You will definitely enjoy and relax when you are there cos it is like staying in the rainforest. Very friendly and loving old couple. This house that we stayed is the so-called REAL QUEENSLAND HOMESTEAD, a 100 year old. John actually brought the house from Brisbane which mean the house travelled 130km to be where it is now! Mega movement… This is what i call 搬家！Denise cooked wonderful breakfast! :O)

The Falls Rainforest Cottages : 20 Kondalilia Falls Road, Montville (07-5445-7000; www.thefallscottages.com.au)

We met a very cool chef when we had our dinner at Lyles of Montville. He is cute… good looking but always serious at work. He cooked delicious food! Must go and eat!

Lyles of Montville : Along the street at Montville (only 1 road so you will not miss it) (07-5442-9407; www.lyles.com.au)

Last day tomorrow! :O(

Sunshine Coast – 21 June 2007 (Extremely Cold Winter Weather, 12°C)

Apparently yesterday was the coldest day in Queensland’s history… it went down to 2°C in the morning…. It was only 4°C this morning when we woke up at 6:00am. Gotta get up early cos we planned to feed the Dolphins at Tin Can Bay which is about 1hr 30 mins away… gotta be there by 8am to see the dolphins. Look out for Barnacles Dolphin Centre, which is a cafe too!

Unfortunately, NO SHOW for the dolphins… TOO COLD for them. They did not appear the day before too! :O( But at least we had our breakfast and nice hot chocolate at Barnacles while waiting.

No show :O(

But got the showy pelican!

And this!

Barnacles Dolphin Centre : Norman Point, Tin Can Bay (07-5486-4899; www.barnaclesdolphincentre.com.au)

Well, gotta leave Tin Can Bay so that we will not miss our ferry to Fraser Island from Hervey Bay… Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island and features lush rainforest, crystal clear lakes and sand dunes. This island is fully formed by SAND. YES SAND!!!!! Were at Fraser Island 3 years back, but we were at the east coast which features the shipwreck, sand dunes and pinnacles. This time round, we were at the rainforest. It was a totally different feel. We had a ranger who introduced the different trees on the island… I can tell you that it is very interesting listening to why the trees were planted in 1970s and how they grew. Do go for a ranger tour when you stay at Kingfisher Bay Resort.

Our ranger

My lunch is provided!

Strangling Tree.
The tree outside will eventually strangle the tree inside till death.

A type of eucalyptus tree that sheds its bark every year! that’s y it’s nice, white n smooth :O)

Crystal clear water @ Lake Mckenzie. So clear that you can see fresh water turtles swimming.

Had a wonderful dinner again!! :O) I had the so-called BUGS! It is actually lobster + Prawns la… like our 虾婆！

My BUGS!

Tassie Salmon

Lobster!

Yummy …. Yummy ….

That was the shortest day in Queensland for the past decades!

Sunshine Coast – 20 June 2007 (Very Very Cold Winter Weather, 12°C)

Extremely cold. How are we going to learn to surf???? ( It was 8°C when we got into the car…. Anyway, off to the Eumundi Markets which is about 30 mins away. This is apparently the biggest and best market in Australia with over 500 stalls selling everything from organic veggie to homemade jams and many many more. In actual fact, besides the main market, there are also some smaller markets around that make up the whole Eumundi Markets.

Do visit the Creative Cafe for breakfast… Yummy….

I had my portrait drawn! Nice?

Eumundi Markets : Memorial Drive, Eumundi (http://www.eumundimarkets.com.au/)

So so cold… it was 12°C though it was already 12noon. Whatever… the camels were waiting for us @ Rainbow Beach! Went for my 1st camel ride. Exciting! Dave, our ranger has been there for 21 years in a month time!

Wanted to learn to surf after the camel ride… but how to! It was 11°C @ 4:30pm. Even the instructor has his beannie on… well had a chat with him instead. You only need 2 hours to learn how to surf as a beginner. Will try next time!

 The instructor

 The day before!

If you want to learn while you are in Noosa, you can contact Wavesense Surf School (07-5474-9076; http://www.wavesense.com.au/). An accredited school and won the Best Surf School for the past years. Do book in advance. Everything is provided, such as wet suit, surf board, etc)

Looked forward to the dinner since this morning. We were at Blue Angel for dinner which is located at Noosaville. Everything is healthy here as it features the region’s finest organic produce and super fresh seafood. Must eat the oysters and prawn! This is what I call…. Yummy Yummy Yummy… How I wish I can go back for dinner again the next day!

Blue Angel : 235 Gympie Terrace, Nooseville (07-5473-0800; http://www.blueangelrestaurant.com.au/)

Freezing cold! it’s 11.5°C when we were in the basement of our apartment! It is usually warmer indoor,imagine outside!

Sunshine Coast – 19 June 2007 (Cold Winter Weather, 16°C)

The weather is getting colder by the day! Thought it would be a sunny day when we were at the Strawberry Field on our way to Noosa our next destination.

Big big strawberries at the Strawberry Field. They are sweet too! Try their strawberry ice cream! Yummy! This is family owned field which is looked after by the 5 brothers. According to the owner, there were a group of Singaporeans who went directly to the field upon arrival at Brisbane, and bought 10-15kg of the strawberries. They didn’t even bother to check into their accommodation. Good idea… they will have strawberries throughout their stay then.

Strawberry Field : 133 axton Road, Palmview (07-5494-5149; www.strawberryfields.com.au)

We were at the Ginger Factory as well… They have “Ginger Breadman Over Board” now, good for the children… cos they can “help find Ginger Breadman”. We were there 3 years back but they didn’t have that then. Plenty of ginger products which apparently are good for health. Do go for the tour if you have time when you visit, educational. Their ginger somehow taste different. Tasty Ginger! Oh they have other smaller shops as well.

Ginger Factory : 50 Pioneer Road, Yandina (07-5446-7100; www.buderimginger.com)

You can pop by the nut factory which is opposite the Ginger Factory. Visit SuperBee (nearby) too if you love honey!

Had lunch at Berardo’s Bistro on the Beach. This is an award-winning beachside bistro with breathtaking views of Noosa Beach! Its executive chef Bruno Loubet is Noosa’s first Michelin starred chef! Not expensive but good food!

Berardo’s Bistro on the Beach : Shop 8, 49 Hastings St (actually it is located within the hotel called “On The Beach” la), Noosa Heads (07-5448-0888; www.berardos.com.au)

Noosa is apparently the center of Sunshine Coast’s coast line. It is stunning due to its beautiful beaches. People do their sun-bathing at the main beach and surfers will surf near Noosa Woods where the waves are stronger. Hastings Street is the main shopping street in Noosa that you can never miss. Step into the Noosa Nature Reserve at Noosa Heads, you can usually spot Koalas up in the trees. :O)

 Noosa Beach

 Beautiful sunset at Noosa!

Do book your accommodation at Noosa prior to your arrival so that you can stay near the beach cos it is usually crowded! We stayed at Noosa Blue Resort for the night… Ha ha ha… you can find the bath tub in the bedroom, only a partition wall will separate it from the living area! wow wow wow :OP

Noosa Blue Resort : 16 Noosa Drive, Noosa Heads (07-5447-5699; www.noosablue.com.au)

There is washing machine and dryer in the apartment too!

Sunshine Coast- 18 June 2007 (Cool Winter Weather, 18°C)

An exciting day cos we went to the famous Australia Zoo. This is a zoo that is owned by the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin & family. If you watch Animal Planet, you should have seen programs of Steve and his effort in saving wild animals from cruelty. You must visit the Australia Zoo when you are in Queensland cos you will be amazed by how happy the animals are in the zoo.

I had a chance to get close to a baby croco… ha ha ha… so soft! What about a white croco too!

Walking a dog… that’s normal. What about walking the lambs! What about a wombat or a koala!

 Cute! So black & white!

Support the “Wildlife Warrior”, help the animals!

Australia Zoo : Steve Irwin Way, Beerwah (07-5436-2000, www.australiazoo.com.au)

Passed by this small village called Montville on our way to the Sunshine Castle. Interesting village located in the picturesque Blackall Range. It encompassed cultures from England, Italy, Germany, France… and other European countries… Good place to stop by for tea. Plenty of crafts shops. Oh, must visit the cuckoo clock shop!

After tea, we went straight to our next destination, Sunshine Castle, the only castle of its kind in Australia and Southern Hemisphere. It features a dungeon, quirky doll museum of 2,000+ dolls by the 1st owner of the castle, armoury display and stunning views. Children will love this place cos it has an area for fairy tales showcase where you can tell them the respective fairy tales.

 Dolls Museum.

 The owners!

 The view from tower.

Sunshine Castle : 292-296 David Low Way, Bli Bli (07-5448-4477; www.sunshinecastle.com)

Wow… 1 tiring day on Day 4. So we headed to the nearest town, Mooloolaba! Luckily, the sky was still bright when we arrived at Mooloolaba so we decided to take some pictures before we checked into our apartment.

Hee hee… met a local DJ from Sea FM who was giving away milk. See, they have car decal giveaways too! Took a picture with him! Yeah… got 2 packs of Mocha Milk and a pack of banana milk from him! Just nice for breakfast!

 View from our apartment.

Mantra Mooloolaba : Corner of The Esplanade and Venning Street (07-5665-4550; www.stellarresorts.com.au)

Oh! there is Coles (1 of the leading hyper-market in Australia, like Cold Storage) connecting to our apartment. I love going to the hypermarket in Australia… Bought my fav korean instant noodles and BBQ chicken! Yeah!

It’s getting cold!