Australia Archives - Traveling U

Can you scuba dive without being certified? At the Great Barrier Reef we did and loved it!

The Great Barrier Reef actually is so immense, stretching 2300 kilometers, in fact this natural wonder is so large it can be seen from outer space. Supposedly there are 1625 types of fish (and how would you really count that, wow), 133 varieties of sharks and rays (glad to say we didn’t meet one) and more then 30 species of whales and dolphins (we wouldn’t have minded meeting a few dolphins face to face).

We had an incredible time with the Cruise Whitsunday‘s crew as we sailed the Great Barrier Reef. Dale talked Marissa and I into scuba diving with some help from the crew:) – and they know who they are! Cruise Whitsunday offers a “Beginner’s Scuba Dive” where they teach you the basics while in shallow water then you are escorted by a “PRO” (Yep, all in an afternoon). Two beginners per crew member. They don’t take you incredibly deep and only to your comfort level. Honestly my comfort level would be laying on the deck BUT I wanted to have this experience with Dale and Marissa, so I took a deep breath and said, “YYEEESS”!

Marissa and I were so nervous but decided that we may never be here again for this opportunity.

Marissa was much braver then her Mom and got the hang of it pretty quickly. The crew of Cruise Whitsunday are phenomenal and made sure every concern or need was taken care of. Even though I was having a few panic issues, they eased my mind, held my hand and only let go If I wanted them too. If we ever get the chance to cruise with them again, we would not hesitate (they however may think twice about taking me:).

A perfect day!

Australia…until we meet again!

We had a wonderful invite for a scrumptious dinner with the Cross family and a few neighbors. Great conversation, fantastic food, and new friends…. these are the ‘sweet things’ in life!

Our last day here we took a break from packing and decided to do a little paddle boarding with Surf Connect on Sandgate Beach. Why not? This was so much fun we wondered why we had waited so long! It would be great as a daily arm work out and with my ‘over 40 arms’ that could really be good.

Marissa is loving it!

The Cross’s cute little dog ‘Patch’ always greeted us with some sort of ball or toy in his mouth, hoping we would play for a bit. Marissa couldn’t handle how sad he looked after playing … almost as if he was saying, “One more time … Please!”

Our farewell sunset.

We had to get one game in with Finn and Taj before leaving… guess who won????

The Beach House we rented in Brighton, QLD came with incredibly wonderful and entertaining neighbors (at NO extra charge). Even the dog came to say Good-Bye.

We have met so many wonderful people along our travels in Australia, in some ways it is hard to say to leave but we feel blessed that we shared a moment in our lives together that we will never forget. And we hope that many friends will come and visit or that we can see them again on our travels back ‘Down Under’. Thank you to all those that made our experience magical by sharing your lives with us!

Brisbane, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, crazy storms and ………..

There is fishing right off the shore from our house in Brighton. Our friends next door, Taj and Finn came over to help us fish. Taj helped give grandma a few tips in the ‘musts’ for fishing in the ocean with constant praise for how she was doing. We love his accent… check out the video above.

The infamous storm… notice while you watch this video how much the water has risen on our car outside in just a few hours. We finally had to move it across the street so the water wouldn’t get in the car. As long as we didn’t need to go anywhere, it was fascinating to watch!

Grandma didn’t come to Australia just see us (OK… we might be one of many attractions) but she really wanted to hold a Koala. We had a few days of being stuck in the house since Brisbane had one of the worst storms in 10 years raging outside.

When the sun finally showed her ‘shining face’ we were ready to break out and do some exploring. What a perfect day to visit Lone Pine Sanctuary. There are many wonderful small “zoo’s” or Sanctuaries across Australia. Each one specializes in something, either Kangaroos or in this case Koalas. It is just the perfect size for amazing animal interactions. In addition to Koalas & Kangaroos, they have many native animals and shows you can watch.

Grandma can check this one off her bucket list!

Taj made friends with an Emu.

Taj had to sport this fantastic hat… yes, he should get it.

Brisbane is buzzing a myriad of colored lights.

The Brisbane LDS Temple by night from our water shuttle.

After almost two weeks of adventures, grandma had to finally say good-bye. We are glad she dared to come share in a few experiences with us

How high did we fly on Moreton Island? ‘Tangatours’ is the best!

Moreton Island could be seen across the bay from our house on Brighton Beach, we could not let this beautiful island be ‘undiscovered’ by us before our departure. And what a better time to go but when Grandma was here to share in a few adventures. Little did she know…

Our welcoming committee.

Tangatours was incredibly gregarious group of people to share adventures with. We knew that they would keep us safe even though we were feeling a bit nervous about the adventure. They kept the jokes flying around beforehand to ease our ‘excitement’. We couldn’t wait to try our hand at parasailing though!

Once in the air it was so beautiful you forgot you were hanging hundreds of feet above the air tied to a rope to what now looks like a toy boat. It was also remarkably quiet until that was broken by the screams of joy we let out as we saw stingrays and other incredible marine life below. We highly recommend meeting up with Tangatours while you are on the island and they will surely take care of you the same way they took care of us.

Checking out the water. It was so crystal clear it looked like moving glass.

When you have a little extra time what is better then building a sand castle?

Marissa and Dale’s finished masterpiece.

Do you think we look a little nervous? YIKES!

Here is how our story ends….

After this, we could do anything right? Grandma does not love swimming but we talked her into snorkeling with us. Why not?!

She quickly got the hang of it and enjoyed the amazing beautiful fish amongst the man made reef. Many years ago the government sunk many old ships off part of the coast on Moreton Island for two reasons:

1- This would create a natural reef over the ships

2- This would also give small ships refuge to anchor down with less winds and waves between the ‘reef” and shore.

Ingenuity! Marissa found a new way to dry her hair.

Our farewell sunset.

Dolphin feeding time. The water was so clear and shallow you could see their every move. What beautiful, graceful creatures… it made us want to jump in and join them!

Look….No hands!

Bribie Island Hire Hut and Tours was fantastic to rent from and the staff is entertaining… thankfully that was not an extra charge! We enjoyed paddle boats and zegways (sometimes even hands free). If you are ever on Bribie Island you have to stop by and tell them ‘Traveling U’ sent you.

Dale has been the only one to ride a Zegway previously, so the girls pretty much squashed his entertainment by not doing anything too crazy. He was sure we would get super scared so he filmed us in hopes of having a great YouTube video… but life sadly does not work as planned sometimes. Lucky for the girls.

Does Marissa look scared? Too much fun is more like it!

We couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Was 1993 really that long ago?

Who wouldn’t like a little friend like that on your shoulder?

A few days later the weather was so warm and inviting we decided to canoe out in front of our Brisbane house. It was just shy of an hour when we finally decided to come in because we kept getting high-centered on the sand banks. Marissa decided to just get out and play, why not? She kept us laughing for quite a while……Free entertainment.

Marissa having a Yoga moment (literally).

This weekend market “Eat Street Markets” had wonderful nibblies, treats, crafts, and very innovative foods for sale. Dale found one thing he had to try.

This “Croi-muffin” was half muffin and half croissant rolled in chocolate accompanied by a syringe filled with more chocolate (Nutella no less) that you inject into the decadently sinful dessert. Important: You must love chocolate to eat this!

Travel Saving Tips:

1- We always look for local outdoor markets to join in a little fun without spending a wad, unless YOU find lots to buy when you attend.

2- We found the Bribie Island Hire Hut and Tours just by driving to the Island and seeing a spot that we thought would be perfect to explore, talked to the tour company, and they were able to get a great deal on our activities – their prices seemed much less then other tours we had seen.

3- Never be afraid to ask the locals for ideas on the best places to go and how to get the most for your money.

Welcome to Brighton, QLD

The view from our new home in Brighton, Queensland, what more could we need!

This is the best place to relax at anytime of the day and you can’t beat the view.

Marissa walking on water.

When the tide is low you can walk out almost a half a mile from shore, where it looks as though you are actually walking on water. We have taken walks out there in the mornings and walked for quit a while without having it get too deep to come in.

This beach is quit famous with the windsurfers, the wind seems to be just right.

One evening we decided it was time to introduce Marissa to downtown Brisbane. We took the ferries over to South Bank to enjoy a little dinner and walk about. While walking by the riverfront, a soccer ball rolled our way, a group of boys were playing on the grass next to us. Dale, trying to help the boys out kicked the ball back but unfortunately it hit a wall and swung back over our heads and into the river. Dale felt so bad he jumped over the ledge while thinking about what the next step should be. I, of course, was panicked thinking that he would try and lower himself down another 7 or 8 ft. with nothing to hold onto and fall into the river. Then I received even more news from a passerby that mentioned that the river is full of Bull Sharks which are one of the most aggressive sharks, much like the Great Whites. At that moment I told Dale to pay the kid $50 for his Nike ball and let’s call it good.

The kid who owned the ball said he would follow it down the river until it hit the dock and then he would retrieve it. So we walked with him but it unfortunately went under the bridge so Dale and another guy held his arms, lowered him down, he caught it between his feet and pulled it up. Here he is jumping over the edge. We are grateful no Bull Sharks worked their way into this story anymore.

Our travels Northward.

The thought of driving in the car for 12 hours was not what you would call ‘thrilling’ but we knew that if we did, we would have time to spend with friends on the Gold Coast. So press forward we did, with some sightseeing along the way (this really helped us stretch our legs before heading off again). And there was amazing scenery all along the way.

We love our family, and we love doing things together but every once in a while when we are stuck in the car together for too long, we need a break or a breather. Maybe not everyone is like that… but we bet most are. We all need a little time apart for a minute and doing a little sightseeing on the way is a perfect way to help that.

Friends told us that the Byron Bay lighthouse was not to be missed. It was so busy that day we had to park in the 2nd parking lot below but along our walk we encounters a group of dolphins (probably about 20) just off shore. It was so incredible watching them catch their dinner in their natural habitat. Apparently that is their home and they can be seen there almost everyday. For those of us that don’t live by the ocean, it is exciting to see them even once.

Byron Beach.

We finally made it to the Gold Coast in time for a boat ride with our friends Helen and Peter down the Gold Coast. Marissa and Dale enjoying some father/daughter time up front.

Helen and Marissa enjoying a few ‘Nibblies’.

Saying ‘Good-Bye’ to the Gold Coast and good friends.

As we continued up the coast we took a few walks to some beautiful waterfalls in the Tamborine Mountains. The one above looked pretty lively with people jumping off the rocks over head or sliding down the rocks on the left. When they jumped from the rocks above… I almost screamed with them!

We think this slide was just calling his name.

Farewell to Sydney…

We met a wonderful friend in Melbourne named Lizzy who got us in contact with her sister and family in Sydney. They were so welcoming and even invited us over for an incredible dinner spread… it was so yummy we felt like we ate in a 5 ***** star restaurant.

The conversation and evening with the Thorton’s was refreshing, funny and most times, very lively. Wonderful evening.

Good-Bye to Coogee Beach… we will miss you.

The weather was clear and cool but still worthy of a few photos.

Our last night in Sydney found us attending the temple with some new friends, some of the Thorton family was able to join us… and then a trip for ice cream afterwards. We ordered from a New Zealand Creamery in celebration of our up coming trip to NZ (we were also excited to try something new!).

Easter traditions – even far away from home.

When our kids were little and actually even when they were older we always colored Easter Eggs… just part of our holiday traditions. We decided that everyone coming for Easter dinner needed to take some eggs home so instead of cooking real eggs to dye, we bought chocolate eggs and decorated them with frosting.

We had invited a few people over that did not have family here to be with us for Easter. A few international students along with the missionaries for an Easter Mexican Meal (this was a request from one of the missionaries…not the norm for Easter Sunday but we love fixing mexican food and of course, eating it). The Chinese students seemed to like this new food as most of them went for seconds. That is certainly a compliment when your guest asks for more.

Marissa working on her chocolate egg master pieces… a new art form for the Bartlett’s.

Our finished works of art.

Our Australian Easter Dinner friends.

After Easter Sunday Church service we grabbed a shot with the Sister Missionaries. We will miss all the amazing people we have met throughout our travels! But we are grateful for all those that have changed and added to our lives throughout our time here, these will never be forgotten and make our travels that much sweeter.

We hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Easter!

Mission Impossible almost meets the Bartletts and Martins

The eye catching Bare Island where a bit of ‘Mission Impossible 2’ was filmed is also known as a wonderful spot to snorkel and scuba dive, and so of course we needed to put it to the test. As we walked on the beach we found that it was another ‘squeaky’ beach… what luck!

Marissa and Keaton decided they needed to bury Dale which was fun BUT then Debbie decided to up the excitement. She suggested that they put chips around Dale for the seagulls to eat. And eat they did….

Watch what happens now!

Notice the beautiful swirling colors of these rocks.

After our ‘Seagull Exploits’ we started hiking to the next beach, almost arriving before noticing it was a nude beach (apparently ‘Bare Island’ really means ‘Naked Island’). Yikes! Not surprisingly we spent much of the day laughing until we hurt.

Tag: Australia