Queensland Trip - 4

Day 9: All lost and found stories aren't trite!

MiCat Ferry is a giant - you can imagine - a catamaran with three decks that ferries 52 4WD vehicles and 400 passengers from Brisbane to Moreton Island, home to the distinguished Tangalooma Shipwrecks, in 90 minutes. In the whirlwind of booking accos, activities, and vehicles a couple of months back, we hardly realised our last day of 2025 would be tied up for quite sometime with MiCat during our two weeks in Queensland. With provender, swim suits, and hats packed, we boarded the ferry - well prepared for both the scorcher and the magficent colours it brings out, both entwined like George and Martha on Hermes' cauduceus staff.

Little did we know one of our hats was on a more thrilling adventure than ours!

Minutes from the wrecks, we climbed up to the upper deck to photograph the broad foamy white wake on emerald waters but I was scrunching my face at a tiny black excrescence - a private yatch racing right behind us. Before my dilemma on grabbing my phone could be settled, my spouse's snugly tied, newly bought Body Glove straw hat whizzed past my head into the ocean bobbing in the wake. We shreiked, then laughed, and wondered how to survive the glowering Aus sun. There were at least 12 caps and hats piled up in our car's backseat that was sitting in the car park at Brisbsne - we only carried a couple to the island! 

Squinting in the horizon though we hardly trusted what transpired. Our dismay gave way to delight as the tiny people in the little black yacht endeavoured to pick it up! 

Ten minutes later, in the sandy shores of Moreton by the artificial shipwrecks, the owner was reunited with his wide brimmed hat when both MiCat and the yacht anchored! Thanks to the excrescence-turned-angel - the little black yacht!

Not all holidays come by with such fortuitous, amusing anecdotes! 

All of it happened in such a reverie that we couldn't capture any of it; but here's what we could incarcerate in our drone and lenses to tell the tale of the spectacular shipwrecks that held us enraptured for the entire day.

Day 10: We welcomed the first day of 2026 from the comforts of our cots watching the climactic episodes of Stranger Things - a brief hiatus from hikes and constant travels. But summer days are long; we decided to drive to Bribie Island to make good use of the rest of the day. Bribie Island offered us a "warm" welcome with a tantalizing sunset. It reminded me of P B Shelly's "burning plumes outspread" from the "Cloud" and Rabindranath Tagore's Stray Birds.

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm but to add color to my sunset sky.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore

Savige's Seafood served succulent salmon and crispy fries at a decent price. 😋 Filling full, we jumped into our car for an hour long return drive to Brissy, smacking our lips to lap up melting mango scoops from our cones.

Who wants to end the first day of New Year celebration any sooner? Parking the car, we caught a ferry to South Bank. Night skyline was bewitching - bridges and skyscrapers twinkled with lights above us as the ferry navigated through their reflections on the ripples of Brisbane River. Frayed clouds scudding across the moon conjured a magical mood - a cherry on top!

Day 11: A day dedicated to exploring Brissy was always our intent - where to go, what to see were totally improvised. Since Brisbane River plays a pivotal role in crafting the city space, ferry was indisputably the best means to experience the city vibes. We boarded the first ferry that anchored at Howard Smith Wharves ferry terminal. It was the nearest terminal from our rented apartment. Story Bridge loomed on our right/ west and Brisbane River was sloshing its way to the way to the sea on the left/ east. The ferry cut through the river winding heavily through several terminals across both the banks - Sydney Street, Hawthorne, Bulimba, Teneriffe, Apollo Road, Northshore Hamilton. Unlike Sydney trains, there wasn't any announcement of 'all out, all clear' in the terminus; thus, we continued to be ferried back to where we started. 

We didn't alight there either. The Illustrious triangle between South Bank, North Quay, and QUT Gardens Point connected by the dynamism of The Neville Bonner Bridge and dominated by the white Wheel of Brisbane along with the glassy skyscrapers displaying contemporary innovation in design suddenly turned to be the place to be in that afternoon. While on the ferry, we booked online tickets to check the aforesaid triangle from the heights that the tiny cars of Brisbane Wheel take up to. It was breathtaking! Five rounds of uninterrupted pleasure later, we lunched on Subway footlongs and crossed the eye-catching bridge to the northern bank. We soon discovered the delight of tourists while thonging along with others in the flow - free pass to the Skydeck at 23rd floor. Several breezy moments passed before we finally retreated to the North Quay ferry terminal and got transported to our acco. Ferry was only 50 cents/ person/ ride - unbelievably cheap compared to Sydney's! We retired for the day after a scrumptious dinner once again at New Farm Curry House.

Day 12: Rested well, we were all set for this day that was planned for Surfers Paradise at Gold Coast on our way to next check in at Mullumbimby. 

Traverse 77 floors in 38 seconds and you're at an Observation Deck, 230m above sea level in Australia's tallest tower - Skypoint. It wasn't our first experience, yet the wonders its glassy walls hold never fail to appease a repeat-tourist. Serpentine Nerang River meanders through the cityscape to merge with the sea in the north. We pinpointed its mouth animatedly between South Stradbroke and The Spit Gold Coast that bookends the long sandy shoreline of Gold Coast. On the east lay the endless ocean, the only boundary being the horizon.  

Coffee doesn't taste any different atop Australia's tallest tower, but the experience does! It's not everyday that you get to watch a sprawling city in a balmy day on the west and stretches of shoreline far south from a cool skydeck high up with warm brew cupped in your palms. 

The coffee was our hourglass; slurping the last drop, we caught one of the the speeding elevators back to ground floor. Our day at Gold Coast was wrapped up with a brief walk and photo shoot at the iconic Surfers Paradise Beach, a bit of shopping along the bubbly streets, and a sumptuous lunch of juicy grilled salmon from Lolas Fish and Chips! We skipped the theme parks that we toured extensively a decade back in a dedicated trip to Gold Coast. This revisit was more to touch a slice of time from past. Our stop for the night was at "The Biggest Little Town in Australia", Mullumbimby - quaint, quiet, cozy!

Day 13: Byron Bay carries weight in its name that few can beat; afterall, it's home to Thor (read Chris Hemsworth). A couple of years back, we were at Byron Bay Lighthouse during sunset - the sky was golden, divine. But darkness set in and we only wistfully looked at the wooden steps intriguingly plunging through shrubs to Eastern most point and Wategos Beach. This time though, we targeted just what we missed. From the Lighthouse a blend of rustic pathway and 80 steps led us to an open fenced area carrying a signboard "Most Easterly Point the Australian Mainland". That didn't slake our appetite for moderate adventures, especially as we peeped beyond the fence noticing a narrow pathway way below leading to an assembly of rugged rocks - 'that must be more easterly than this', we sang in unison. Treading another 160 newly laid steps we arrived at a fork - 60 steps forward plummeted to Wategos Beach and 112 mesh steps to the right led up to a geometrical viewing point of the rocks. 

Needless to mention, we did both, including Little Wategos Beach (30 stone steps from the viewing point).

Our penchant for clambering safe, low cliffs thrust us beyond the viewing deck to the rugged rocks stretching into the sea. Sweeping view with dolphin pods flickering their grey dorsals was welcoming - we sat there for a while with we've-done-it feeling surging through our thumping veins! The Julian Rocks, a haven for marine life, stood steadfastly in the horizon safeguarding their spiritual significance and geological history. All the land till there was once home for the Arakwal people for 22000 years before rising sea level claimed most of it, leaving the Julian Rocks 2.5 Km off the coast, where Nguthungulli, Father of the World, resides.

Wategos Beach didn't appear unusually appealing after the hike to easterly rocks, especially because we weren't down for a swim. The hike back up was quite a stretch. An entire brown bag of GYG snuffed the growing growls of hunger pangs before we headed for our acco for the night at Coffs Harbour via Woolgoolga Heads. 

Day 14: Crystal Shower Falls - a hiatus from coast:

The most pristine and prized places are tucked far away from public hubs to preserve their purity. Crystal Shower Falls is no exception. It sits in a kaleidoscope of light, shade, vines, ferns, and moss smeared towering trees. One long humid hour, including return, melted in the rainforest frozen in the time it was formed as we made for the fabled falls. Keeping to the well beaten sun dappled narrow pathway, we stopped occasionally to watch in the wild a deadly red bellied black snake napping, a python winding up and down its abode, and a monitor rustling through mushy forest floor! 

The fall itself rewarded us generously. Murmuring silvery curtain of sparkling water falling incessantly was refreshing, the cool feel of spray was fulfilling, and the view from its back was intriguing - reminiscent of the waterfall scene from Anaconda that once sent shivers through our spines! 

Lack of time barred us from snagging a peek into a panoply of other waterfalls in that region, but who says we can't come back for another break?

We rounded up the day with a brief brush of our past memories at Urunga and Numbucca on our way to acco at Taree.

Day 15: To be honest, 14-day trip felt long, though not hectic. We all were missing home. Packing up quickly we bid goodbye to the cottage style acco with contemporary interiors of Taree and headed home directly. My eyes drooped from the drudgery of 3-hour drive and my son slept off with neck pillow wound up, assured we were in the safe hands of a steadfast driver. 

End credits:

We have no words to express appreciation and gratitude for the responsibility  my spouse gladly accepts to drive us to far off places. This trip had him drive a staggering 3,200 Km - gargantuan task for me considering I haven't budged a vehicle from parking lot in last 15 years and knowing too well how difficult it is to dodge the drudgery of driving! Many thanks to his quiet patience! 

I'd take a smattering of applause for colour coordinating our dresses. This is partly inspired by a couple of my friends and partly stems from my belief that it firms the memory of a place. 

What do I thank my son for? For just being there. He is the most adorable amalgamation, giving us a gym-sculpted hand for our luggage, ordering food from apps effortlessly, asdisting dad with navigation changes in driving - always binding us with his precious love.