Today
is the official birthday of all horses as well as my father’s. I managed to get
through to him on Chris’s cellphone on the Telstra service after having to
abandon the attempt on my own Vodafone cellphone. Truth be told, Vodafone just
does not cut the mustard here in Australia; Telstra is the only telecommunications
company that facilitates contact over most of the country when travelling such
as us. Anyway, he was happy to hear from us, and busy with my mother cleaning
up after the builders in their new apartment currently being renovated. At
eighty three and eighty one years old respectively, how better to spend a day?
They were planning to finish the day dining out at a Thai restaurant, hopefully
early enough to still get to bed at a decent hour for the aged.
We
were expected for morning tea at Banora Point at the home of old friends from
New Zealand and arrived soon after to find Graeme struggling with his
lawnmower. He remarked that lawnmowers behave no better here than back in the Land of the Long White Cloud, and was
glad for an excuse to put the matter to one side. We spent a couple of hours in
Jolene and Graeme’s company, drinking coffee and hearing their take on their
adopted country, then left with promises to keep in touch.
Fingal
Head proved to be a perfect spot to enjoy our lunch, shielded from the wind by
a row of pandannus trees. We soon found that we were till some distance from South
Head, and instead of undertaking the long trek along the sandy surf beach,
retreated to the cruiser and drove further north.
A
450 metre sand collection jetty dominates the view from the southern breakwater.
A sand trap has been developed under the jetty by the operation of ten
submerged jet pumps. From here, sand slurry is transported to a slurry pit located
on shore and then pumped at high pressure across the river to just north of the
river entrance, so in turn, the sea sweeps it naturally onto the beaches of the
Gold Coast. In doing so, the sand bar that would otherwise obstruct the river
entrance, is kept clear. We had noted the outflow below Danger Point yesterday
and of course we do like to understand how things work and all the other whys
and wherefores. After all, this is what travel is all about, isn’t it?
We
chatted with one of the two fishermen standing out on the rocks and learned
that the waves visible out to sea were breaking on one of two long reefs that
provide some shelter for the surrounding beaches.
We
then drove back up river, and headed north to the Coolangatta International
Airport to see how big and important it looked; we were duly impressed. A short
distance away we parked in Coolangatta township and walked up and down the
streets beneath the high-rise holiday apartments and hotels. While this is
technically all part of the Gold Coast, this southern resort does have a more
laid back feel than the frenzy we had experienced when we called into the Gold
Coast proper last year. Many of the shops were displaying a mass of colourful
beachwear, and with the sun shining and the temperature over 20 degrees, it was
possible to imagine these actually being worn and looking appropriate.
The
Tom Beatson Outlook at the end of Razorback Road was our next destination. The
road to the car park is very steep and not one to drag a caravan up. Even from
the car park, it is another straight steep walk up a path to the delightful
picnic spot from where views 360 degrees all about can be enjoyed. We were
already smitten by Tweed Heads and Coolangatta, and this birds-eye view just
capped it.
We
spent some time chatting with a couple from Victoria who own a unit for a few
months of the winter; they, like most of the occupants of this caravan park, do
this every year. This is, of course, the migratory pattern of the Grey Nomads.
Tomorrow
we will head for Brisbane and this time we have sensibly booked ahead. Alas it
does take the excitement out of the day however Brisbane is a bit too big to be
drifting about all over the city looking for a vacancy.
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