Cooloola Cove - Eating with Dolphins

Tin Can Bay, just a few kilometers from where we are staying, is the site of a daily dolphin feeding. We rose early to catch the morning event. It is coordinated by a group of volunteers who make sure the dolphins are well taken care of. They are only fed about 10% of their daily requirement to ensure they don’t become overly dependent on human handouts. Members of the public are allowed to wade into the water in close proximity to the dolphins and even feed them (but not touch them). This is certainly the closest I have ever been or likely ever will be to these creatures – pretty remarkable really.

Two dolphins and a couple dozen homo sapiens showed up on the morning of our visit. The former showed a sense of humor when they slapped their tail fins on the water surface to send a nice spray in the direction of the latter. They added a few aerial leaps for our entertainment, or perhaps their own, or maybe to scrape parasites off their skins.

After the marine mammal breakfast we walked a long path following the shore, sharing our limited knowledge of Australian birds and trees with Myra. We saw many familiar faces (beaked ones), but also some new ones. We stopped for coffee halfway through the walk. Much to Deborah’s amazement, we did so at MY suggestion. I still don’t drink coffee but I have grown uncontrollably fond of Chai Lattes. Deborah is pleased at my new addiction, and the opportunity it presents to insert civilized interludes in what would otherwise be unrelenting marches to the far corners of the world.

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Low tide.

Australian Honeyeater

Really low tide.

Cooloola Cove - Rainbow Beach

Glorious sunshine found us heading to nearby Rainbow Beach for the day. We managed to avoid both sunburn and driving in the wrong lane, so it was a good day.

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Rainbow Beach

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Myra and Deborah

Strange patterns in the sand.

Party responsible for strange patterns in the sand.

Cooloola Cove - View from the Left Lane

We left Sydney on an earlier flight which landed us in Hervey Bay in less than two hours. I had arranged for a rental car for the first time on this trip thinking it would make it easier to get around in this more rural location and to better show Myra around. I went with one of those rent-a-dent type places that rent out used cars for far less than the big name companies based at the airport. A very friendly lady from the rental agency picked us up at the airport and took us into town to get our not-so-new Toyota Corolla.

Our first stop was the home of Mary, Lorraine’s mother-in-law, and her husband Ed, who live in Hervey Bay (spelled “Hervey”, pronounced “Harvey”). We had met them over lunch in Gympie with Mary’s daughter Michelle and her husband Tony way back in November. I managed alright driving on the left side of the road apart from a tendency to be a bit center-shy, one squealing tire stop when I almost missed a turn and several instances of turning on the windshield wipers when I meant to use the turn signal. Slowly I became more comfortable with it. I think it helped that, even though we haven’t been driving here, we’ve been passengers in enough vehicles to get somewhat used to the reverse orientation.

Mary served us breakfast and Ed showed us their backyard aviary and collection of beautiful birds. Then it was back on the road down to Maryborough where Kaz, our next host, was staying with her daughter. We wanted to meet her before proceeding to her house in Cooloola Cove. Since Kaz wasn’t going to be at her own house while we were there, Deborah needed to interview her a bit because the main reason we were granted free lodging was so that Kaz could get some interior decorating and landscaping advice.

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When we reached the house in Cooloola Cove we were happy to find the place spotlessly clean and the ½ acre lot full of many mature, beautiful plants. Our plan is to spend most of our first week sightseeing while Myra was here, and to do most of the interior and landscaping design work during the remaining three weeks. Deborah, however, was unable to contain herself and, with Myra's help, immediately started rearranging furniture.

Sydney - Manly Beach

On our last day in Sydney (for now) we took the ferry out to Manly Beach where we spent most of the day in the glorious sunshine. Later for dinner we returned to the Indian restaurant that Deborah and I overate at a couple of days earlier. This time we ordered sensibly and, with Myra helping us split the portions, avoided feeling like a bloated dingoes after a kill.

Babes on the beach: Deborah and Myra

Do not panic; this is only a test.

Pretty Myra on the ferry back from Manly.

Sydney - Downtown

We returned to the historical neighborhood known as The Rocks, this time with Myra along. We stumbled across a seemingly endless parade of white uniforms. The navy is in port, the biggest contingent since the Vietnam War we are told. Our first stop was the Saturday market. We escaped with only a few small purchases (one can seldom escape unscathed at such places in the company of women). Our plan to take a walking tour of The Rocks was thwarted when we were informed that the tour was already booked out. This struck as odd since, as Myra pointed out, it’s not as if they have a limited number of seats on a walking tour. Undeterred, we made up our own walking tour through the old stone streets and alleys. Next we proceeded to Darling Harbor, which was the site of a Thailand Festival. Deborah and Myra took the opportunity to have Thai foot massages while I killed time listening to the opening ceremonies and mind numbingly boring speeches by various Thai and Australian government officials. This was followed by less boring music and dancing but we nevertheless proceeded to the nearby Chinese Garden, which Deborah and I had visited previously but loved and so were happy to return. Afterward we wound our way through the streets of Chinatown, stopping for spicy squid and beer. What could be better?

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Navy boys parade in The Rocks

Saturday Market

The Rocks


Puppet Maker shop in The Rocks

Deborah and Myra being pampered at the hands of cheap Asian labor.

Thailand Festival

Thai dancers

Sydney - Myra Arrives

Friday brought the much anticipated arrival of our friend Myra. She looked pretty good for having just survived a 15 hour flight from L.A. Since she arrived early in the morning we dived right into the sightseeing after dropping off her bags at the hotel. We took a cruise of Sydney Harbour and had a leisurely late lunch near the Opera House. This was followed by a long walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens where Myra was introduced to some of the strange and wonderful flora and fauna of Australia, including giant fruit bats, chaotically-rooted fig trees and Sulfur Crested Cockatoos, the most we’ve seen so far, whose horrible screech as they fly belies their noble appearance. We made it an early evening with Myra understandably fading as jet lag took its toll.

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Myra and Deborah

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The iconic Sydney Opera House, from the harbor cruise ship

Luna Park

A small cabin by the water

Royal Botanical Gardens

Fruit Bat

Pitcher Plant

Sulfur Crested Cockatoo (a thirsty one)

Sydney - Return Engagement

On Wednesday Merrilyn drove us to Cooma to catch the bus to Canberra where we changed buses and headed to Sydney. As we progressed on our journey the dry, brown landscapes slowly turned to green. They’ve been getting some welcome rain here. When we reached the hotel in Sydney we discovered that Merrilyn and David had paid for several breakfasts during our stay – a generous and thoughtful gift. We ate at a really nice Indian restaurant where we were served ridiculously large portions. I ate everything and felt pregnant.

Thursday we skipped breakfast (still pregnant) and hit the streets in an attempt to burn some calories and see some new scenery. Our previous days in Sydney back in December/January we spent doing primarily the usual touristy stuff. This day we instead walked through leafy neighborhoods full of Victorian architecture and grassy parks with great views of the harbor. We also checked out the somewhat sleazy Kings Cross area and the gay-centric Osborne Street. In one discount store Deborah found a water pistol shaped like a penis. She didn’t buy it. For our big meal of the day we returned to our favorite International Food Court on the Pitt Street Pedestrian Mall. This time I had a salad.