downuder 09

I travelled to Australia for 2 weeks in June/July to catch up with family and do some wedding planning with daughter Kate who is getting married in May next year. Here's some pics from the trip...

On Saturday night Ben, Heather, Kate & her fiancee Troy went to watch the new Gold Coast Titans football (rugby) team play against the Auckland Warriors (from New Zealand). The Titans won 28-12 (yay!)

On Sunday, Heather's mother held a family get-together as a pre-birthday celebration for those who wouldn't be able to join us in Hawaii in September.

Catching up with sister Margaret (middle) and sister-in-law Maria.

My nephew Angus and his lovely wife Anna.

View from the 11th floor of the Mantra building at Coolangatta looking north along the coast to Surfers Paradise. Mum (who lives 4 hours north of the coast in the town of Gympie) rented the unit for a few days so we could all get together. It was mid-winter in Australia so the beach looked inviting but the water was too cold for swimming!

On July 1st I met up with my dear friend Lorraine, whom I hadn't seen in about 10 years. We got together with some friends and family to celebrate a special birthday for her. Lorraine & I are seated, with friends Barbara & Lee behind.

The following Sunday Kate & I drove to Byron Bay with her bridesmaids to have lunch and discuss menus, seating plans, decorations etc at Fig Tree Restaurant where Kate & Troy are planning to have their wedding reception. Here are Kate & bridesmaid Michelle underneath the 100 year old fig tree that gives the restaurant its name.

The restaurant has beautiful grounds and this lovely pool area which will make a nice spot for having finger food and drinks while waiting for the bridal party to have their photos done.

I also spent a day with my dear friend Cathy, shopping, lunching and catching up on the all the "gossip"!

All to soon it was time to say goodbye to Kate (and her sweet puppy Emma). We got a lot of shopping and planning done for the wedding, including finding the "perfect" wedding dress. (No preview pictures of the dress - stay tuned for the real thing next May!)

downunder 08 - kate's graduation

Finally, on December 20th, it was time for Kate's graduation ceremony - the primary purpose of our visit to Australia. After 5 years of hard work and study, one switch of major and a great internship at Elanora Primary School, Kate was graduating from Griffith University with a Bachelor of Education.

Sixteen family members showed up to support her. We made quite a loud cheer as she crossed the stage.

Of course she couldn't pass up the opportunity to rib her twin brother Ben about the fact that she had graduated BEFORE him!

It was great that her proud Nanna, at 88, had made it to the graduation too.

Afterwards we went to Mario's restaurant in Broadbeach for a celbratory lunch.

downunder 08 - family christmas

Unfortunately, due to Mark's work schedule, we had to return to the U.S. before Christmas, so this evening many of Heather's family gathered at her brother's house on the Gold Coast for an early "family Christmas". There were 13 of us, which made for rather a lot of presents under the tree! Per family tradition, all the presents were handed out, and then we took it in turns to open the gifts, starting with the "youngest" (Jasmine) and working our way to the eldest (Nanna).



















Something got Nanna going, and she just couldn't stop laughing!




The table was beautifully set with fine china and "goodie bags". We dined on prawns (shrimp), roast turkey, ham, stuffing and assorted vegetables, rounded off with plum pudding and custard for dessert. It was a fun evening. Thank you Ian & Maureen. You were great hosts.

downuder 08 - the road south

With Kate's graduation only two days away, it was time to head back to the Gold Coast. With Heather's mother in tow, we travelled south, stopping in Nambour to visit Heather's ex-sister-in-law Maria & her husband John. We then continued via the scenic route via Montville in the mountains behind the Sunshine Coast (where we spent our honeymoon).

We enjoyed a tasty lunch in Montville, a quick visit to our favorite wood-working store, and then got back on the road...

passing pineapple fields...

...and Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, on our way back south.

downunder 08 - more family time

We hit the road again, heading north east another 165km (102 miles) to the city of Gympie, where Heather's mother, and Heather's sister Margaret & her husband Deryck live. Margaret & Deryck retired to the quieter pace of Gympie after many years living on the Gold Coast and then travelling around the world and around Australia. They have since been very busy renovating and adding personal touches to their charming old house.

After picking Heather's mother up from her unit at a nearby retirement village, we spent the afternoon on the verandah, chatting, reminiscing and looking over the scrapbooks that Heather had made for Ben & Kate.

In the evening, Heather's niece Brenda and her husband Vince joined us for a wonderful "Christmas Dinner" of turkey, cranberry sauce and all the trimmings. (No we're not drunk in this picture, just having fun popping our traditional Christmas Crackers!)

downunder 08 - on the road again

Today we hit the road again, heading 284km (176 miles) north from the Gold Coast through Brisbane and on inland to visit our friends Cathy & Tony who, a couple of years ago, decided on a lifestyle change and had moved from the city to several acres in the country near the town of Kingaroy.


We met Cathy & Tony in the town of Yarraman, and did a bit of local site-seeing first, taking in the local historical museum and then a visit to Pottique Lavender Farm. Apart from the rows and rows of lavender, the farm has some lovely gardens and a large gift shop selling every kind of lavender product imagineable, not just soaps and oils, but also prints, bears, painted furniture and pottery.

We took a break sitting on the terrace and enjoyed a homemade Devonshire Tea (an English tradition that is popular in Australia for a morning or afternoon "snack" comprising a pot of tea served with scones and cream & jam).

We were very excited to see Cathy & Tony's new place, a charming old farmhouse with lovely hardwood floors, nice views and so much land! After meeting the animals, we sat on the verandah enjoying the cool breezes, Tony's homemade margarita's, cheese & crackers and talked for hours.

Here's Cathy & Heather taking a walk around the gardens with the dogs.

After dark, we enjoyed a wonderful roast "Christmas Dinner" with our dear friends. While we were cleaning up, Heather was excited to see a whole host of green tree frogs gathering on the verandah railings. These frogs are common in Queensland with it's moist climate. They hide in tree hollows and under plants during the day, and come out at night to feed on bugs, beetles and insects. They love to hang out around houses, because the lights shining through windows at night attract a feast!

downunder 08 - lunch with work colleagues

We caught up with Heather's former co-workers (workmates in Aus speak) at the Clear Software office in Robina. We were surprised to see how much more development had grown up around the office buildings and shops at Robina Town Centre in the 4 years since we had left. After checking out the old office and chatting with everyone, a group of us then headed over to a nearby Indian Restaurant for lunch. It was great to see everyone again. Wish we'd had more time to spend with you.

downunder 08 - i miss the beach

This morning was the first chance that Mark & I had to head to the beach. We met Kate and her cute dog Emma at our old haunt - Currumbin Estuary. There is a wide lagoon here where Currumbin Creek meets the ocean, that is popular for swimming, kayaking and other watersports sheltered from the wind and the surf. A short walk takes you across the dunes to the surf beach.


It was a beautiful blue sky morning, perfect for a walk and a swim. Emma is a very energetic spoodle (cross between a spaniel and a poodle), and really seemed to enjoy the extra company.

This is the view looking north towards Burleigh Headland (a small national park) and the high rise of Surfers Paradise in the distance. Unfortunately there wasn't much surf to talk of, but seeing the sparkling water, hearing the waves and smelling the ocean - it really felt like home!