The Rainy Coast and Thoughts of New Adventures

The surf and the sky and the Sunshine Coast of gold
Floating on a long board, life on hold
I never know the way, but you always take me there
And I need it now, like the Mooloolaba air

Since Western Australia and really Jurien Bay we had not seen rain for four months. All this changed when we arrived on the east coast and Cape Tribulation. Things improved after that as we moved south but now we have arrived back on the Sunny Coast to the usual spring storms. Interspersed with some lovely near summer days but what do you expect here in late October. We are swimming on the good days and plenty of walking and biking. We arrived in Maroochydore from Bargara on October eighth, early afternoon, after booking into Maroochydore Beach Holiday Park just along from the Maroochy Surf Club. The tenants in our apartment leave on October 26th so we need to use up some time. We have driven over 17,000 kms after leaving Twin Waters in early January without a problem from Mr Gato D.U. until we passed through Gympie some 80 kms from completing the lap. There Mr G’s engine light sprang orange on the dashboard. Go figure. After nine months. We limped the last hour south along the Bruce Highway. Every little whir and grind seemed to spell disaster. But Mr Gato D.U. had performed admirably and did not fail his final assignment. He delivered us home as he had started us on this journey – with a purr and a final shudder as we settled onto our beachside site.

The Sunshine coast in September and October can be windy and spring and early summer storms often brew along the ocean’s horizon or over the hinterland hills. As luck would have it we spent a lovely week swimming and walking and getting to know the coast again. Not much had changed although crowds were thinner in these Covid days and the odd cafe and restaurant were on restricted hours. We had heard stories from our friends still managing accommodation complexes that cleaners were hard to find as Jobkeeper seemed to take away the incentive to work. But business was looking up they said as Queenslanders travelled intra state. No doubt the tourist hotspots of Fiji, Bali, Thailand and elsewhere were missing these groups. Still, we were told, there was a lot of ground to make up. Not helped it appears by the Queensland Government’s obstinate and difficult to fathom refusal to open borders to NZ and NSW in particular. Our daughter Brigette and family were booked to arrive early November for a week only to find a few days before opening was due that Sydney residents are still locked out of Queensland. They have had a lovely week instead around Byron Bay. Sunshine Coast business operators loss I suppose. Also confused by the fact that, as Brigette stated, half of Sydney are now holidaying in Byron Bay and the Central Coast and are mingling with numerous visitors from Queensland who then promptly return after their holiday without checks to their Queensland homes. Odd way of protecting your border it seemed.

We dropped Mr Gato D.U. in for a service and did a weeks work managing an apartment complex for friends who needed a break after a hard year. Quite enjoyable being back in the game although a smashed TV from a drunken guest dampened the experience a little. Maybe it was a reminder that it’s a good life when all’s well but the potential for unpleasant happenings is always there. For my part I am happy to wake up and plan my own day now. Scout, I think, misses the people contact and the organising and planning that goes with the job.

We are now back into our apartment and enjoying the beach and cycle paths around Twin Waters. And the Sunshine Coast golf courses. Wire fences erected around the Novotel Hotel across the lake from our complex are still there as the Melbourne Storm celebrated their premiership win for a few days. I hear some funny stories about their four months in quarantine here. Most stories seem to revolve around the brain power of football players and how come if you are in quarantine you can be spotted in the local shopping centre or cafe. Either way we are now settled into our routine while planning the next trip for after the New Year. Maybe some time around northern Victoria. And Tasmania is on the list. Mr Gato has yet to enjoy meandering through its winding countryside which is by all accounts quite beautiful. The next chapter awaits.