Australia Zoo and the Sunshine Coast - Mar 19

Summary: killing time in Beerwah, Aussie Zoo exceed expections, news & notes, Sunshine Coast scene, blowing hot air

We got up a little early, so we had to figure out how to kill a couple hours before the zoo opened. First thing we did was drive to Beerwah. Landsborough’s one market did not have diapers for toddlers, so if I was going to restock, it would be in Beerwah or somewhere else. We hit the grocery store and the café next to it. Several high schoolers joined us, as coffee in the morning is apparently a morning ritual with at least a few of Beerwah’s best and brightest. We then drove up to the Zoo to sit around for a few minutes. Nobody else was tailgating before the opening of the zoo, so we kept our chocolate milk and diet coke fest subdued. We did play some Metallica (Enter Sandman), as if we were going to a football game, but otherwise we kept it cool until we got with the other animals.

The Australia Zoo was all it was supposed to be. Sometimes these places fall short, but this was not one of those times. They are doing a little construction, so the folks working there feel like it is not 100%, but this zoo at 95% is still excellent. We saw all the animals we could hope to see (tigers, cheetahs, elephants, echidnas, Tasmanian Devils, kangaroos, koalas, lots of birds, snakes of all types,… oh, and the crocs). There are more saltwater crocs, freshwater crocs, and alligators than I hoped for. It was really great. There must have been 25+ saltwater crocs, 10 freshies, and 10 gators. Steve Irwin’s image is everywhere. There is a continuous video of him, a statue of him and his family, a cardboard cutout, and several places to have your photo taken. This place was his vision so he deserved to be there and the zoo does not dwell on his death, just his passion and enthusiasm. What a great guy. Anyhow, Alex celebrated by breaking one of those glass things with snow confetti inside that you shake. They would not let me pay for it, but we did get Alex a little crocodile and a t-shirt. This must be the most sparkling, glittery crocodile ever. Maybe that Elton John “Crocodile Rock” in the background had a subliminal influence. Most of the time, we walked around to the countless well-done exhibits. We did take in the signature show at the Crocoseum, but one part went awry. No, nobody lost an arm or anything, but it definitely did not go as planned. They released some birds which were supposed to come back and land on a few willing guests’ arms. The birds just took off to the north and the trainer ran out of the arena carrying two bird cages. If the birds came back, they did not come back to our arena. Otherwise, things were flawless and impressive from the snakes to the crocs to the other birds. There were several school groups there. The kangaroos are interesting in how relaxed they look and how easily they interact with people. Naturally Alex liked the bouncy house and the merry-go-round/ teacup ride part the best, but I am hoping he will like the photos of other things as he gets older. It was about 5 hours very well spent.

As an aside, these guys have been in the news a bit lately. Steve Irwin’s widow Terri supports the idea of expanding the park to become a bigger attraction with rides and so forth. Steve’s dad Bob Irwin does not, so Bob has backed out of the enterprise. It is a shame to see them having trouble, but both have good points and seem to want to resolve it amicably. That said, you either expand it like Disneyland or you don’t, so somebody has to “win” this disagreement. Anyhow, this zoo has done a lot for this area and animals in general, so you can’t help but wish them well.

So we drove from the zoo to the Sunshine Coast. The drive was attractive. This area is more a string of smaller beach communities than the Gold Coast, which is much more built up. While there are certainly things to do (see the Australia Zoo), the biggest contrast with the Gold Coast would be the number of options. Whether you prefer the broader entertainment options of the Gold Coast or the more laid back beach-centered Sunshine Coast, that high-rise vs. small town dichotomy would be the central difference. The exception to the “small town, beach community” vibe is the area around Noosa Heads. With Alex asleep, I drove up to Noosa and took a look around. The natural beauty is there (see photos) and the development is certainly there. Noosa is still a small town, but while the other towns might resemble assorted beach towns that get a little less traffic (like New Smyrna Beach, Florida or Half Moon Bay, California) Noosa is small town about like Tiburon is or Santa Barbara (sort of) is. It is a small town with all the German cars that do not exist from Cairns to Perth (along the northern route). Living here, it may be a good idea to join the yacht club, the golf club, or at least the tennis club to be in the social scene. This is not a knock, it is just a really upscale place. It is also apparently a great place to surf. It is “small town” in the lots of espresso and a good wine list sense, not the “three bars, one Lutheran church, and one Catholic church” Wisconsin sense or the Jessup sheep farm has been having coyote trouble/ “potential setting for Footloose II” sense. In other words, this San Francisco writer felt quite at home.

Nonetheless, as gentrified and caffeinated as Noosa is, we found ourselves a wonderful little hotel on Coolum Beach about 15 km away. Cute little town, big waves, a creek running into the ocean, a hotel pool contoured like a lagoon – good scene all around. They are located right near a creek that goes into the sea. We went to it and the creek looks like the kind of place crocodiles would nest if we were about 300km to the north. The owners were a couple parents our age managing three kids. The Sea Cove – recommended. Anyhow, the owners suggested a lawn bowling club in town for dinner and it was a good choice – good food and very good pricing. The members there were very engaging, so we enjoyed it.

Otherwise, the town names continue to keep you guessing. “Coolum” sounds good. Bli Bli sounds like “bling bling”, so that’s alright. There are a few unpronounceable ones.

Well, for the first time I was pulled over for a breathalyzer. Actually, every south-bound car on the road was stopped, so I did not take it personally (or maybe I was just seeing double). It must be that Easter weekend, which appears to have started today – on a Wednesday - is a rather festive weekend. Easter is a bigger deal here and you don’t need to be here for it to know it. For the past two months, I have seen many places say (or state on signs) “open weekends and holidays except for Christmas Day and Easter Day”. In the US, I would say that Easter does not have that parity with Christmas for mass public holiday. Anyhow, in this case, much like when I was pulled over in Western Australia, the policeman and I were in agreement on my score. The difference this time is that we were also both clear on me being below the limit. Much like golf, lower scores are better so my score of 0.00 is considered to be pretty good. As an aside, that is also my golf score for the past few years.

In short, we loved the zoo and the chilled atmosphere of the Sunshine Coast
Next: drive north to Rockhampton or Mackay.