Mt. Tamborine

Aussies are so nice.  The owner of my speech clinic swung by to pick me up on her way to Mt. Tamborine, so I got to check out the Gold Coast Hinterland today.  There is a cute downtown shopping area, walking trails, and lots of wineries.  I went bushwalking in the first national park in Queensland and saw Witches Falls.  Saving all the wineries for another time!  Here are a few shots.

Looking forward to the Olympics this weekend! Go USA!

Speech therapy down under

I met my coworkers this weekend and they are great.  I was feeling like myself again Sunday having brunch while chatting it up with a wonderful group of ladies.  Today I got to go to my new speech office and check out the space and the toys.  No matter where you are in the world, I guess some things are just the same.  Any nerves I felt faded away when I saw those familiar games, toys, and Super Duper products! All my therapy friends will appreciate that they even have my favorite flip open race car track toy, pronoun party, and Fun Decks.  Where would I be without them? They use some of the similar testing materials and operate the clinic just as I am used to which should help a lot with the transition back into the working world.  I start next Tuesday and will work 3 full days building in a 4th day for screenings, evaluations, and short term clients.  Can't wait to meet these little Aussie cuties.

Adventures near Coomera

Friday was public transportation day or I could also say "test my patience" day.  I took a train, transferred to another train, then a bus to a ferry to get to North Stradbroke Island.  Once on the island, I took another bus to get to Lookout Point and Frenchman's Beach.   You'd think there would be more than one way to get somewhere or more options available to get to popular places, but nope.  It just doesn't work that way here.  There is one way, sometimes once a day, miss it and you miss out.  I was so glad the island was beautiful and worth the effort because I certainly thought about turning around after hour 2.  

North Stradbroke Island

Straddie is actually the second largest sand island  in the world.  The Gorge Walk on the northeast point had a great view. 

Lookout Point

Wowza, it was windy!

Lookout Point is known as the place to whale watch from land during migration season. I picked up a chai latte and parked it so I could be on the look for those big guys.  One hour passed and I saw nothing but the ocean.

Frenchman's beach was so pretty and completely empty.  Not a soul was there! That still shocks me. Maybe everyone is still on the train trying to figure out how to get here.

Today, I headed to Bris today for the Delectable Food Fest.  I was sure wishing all my foodie friends were around to enjoy it. All you could see was booth after booth of cheeses, wine, oils, chocolates, coffees, teas... and with free samples of course.  

I ate my way through and even got to pick my own herbs to make my own personalized herbal tea.  

There were cooking presentations from the folks on Masterchef and lots of live music.  I was really loving Bris today and just like being in a city.  There is such an energy, so many great concerts, museums, restaurants, and gardens.  I am a city girl through and through.            

Aussie's Love.... Round 3 - Food edition

After 3 months in Australia, I've come to know a few of their  favorite foods.   Let's start with a dessert, my favorite part of a meal.  These tasty treats below are Lamingtons.  They are yummy little sponge cakes dipped in chocolate and covered in coconut.

Something I am scared to try is next. The meat pie.  These mini pies are all pastry on the outside and minced meat and gravy on the inside.  The are made to be eaten with one hand on the go.

Muesli!  This is a breakfast item in every bread and breakfast.  It is made from uncooked rolled oats, dried fruit, and nuts.  You could easily make your own variety.  Just add milk or yogurt for a tasty morning brekky.

Tea time! Tea is pretty popular here of course.  Mid morning or late night, nothing is better than tea, milk, and honey.

I still haven't tried this dessert, but a vanilla slice is on my Aussie bucket list.  Pastry on the bottom, custard filling, and topped with coconut and powdered sugar.  

And last, but certainly not least ... there is VEGEMITE.  Only Pam was brave enough to try it.  I just couldn't get past the smell. But it is an Aussie favorite.  Children are raised on vegemite and toast. What is it? A dark brown paste made of yeast extract.  As tempting as it sounds, it is hard to come by in the US.  I know you are disappointed.

My new home

I have a new home for the next 4 months! Coomera, Queensland.  I'm about one hour by train into big city Brisbane and about 25 minutes from the Gold Coast beaches.  And the best part is I found a room to rent the NEXT street over from my new office.  My commute will take about 60 seconds walking.  30 if I jog and am running late.  I'm feeling very lucky to have found this room so close and to be living with some really great people.  Shared accommodation is pretty popular over here and advertised on Gumtree if you're in need of a place.  The owners of the home live on one side and then they rent out 3 bedrooms in the main house.  It is sort of a grown up dorm situation where we each get our own space but then share the kitchen, living room, patio, pool, laundry, and bathroom.  Each bedroom has a TV for watching movies and internet access.  I can't believe I will actually be in one place for that amount of time!  I got excited and went out to buy a few things to make the room feel more like me.  I picked up a hairdryer, hair straightener (priorities of course!) a pretty plant, a throw blanket, a rug, and some slippers.  It was a very weird feeling to unpack my bags completely and settle in.  Also within walking distance is a small grocery store, cafe, tavern, restaurant, pharmacy, thrift store, bakery, nail and hair salon, and bus stop.  I am set.


It feels very strange to be in a different place than Pam, and I've realized why I didn't go to another country on my own.  It is just way more fun to do it with a friend!  I miss her.  Our separation won't be for long though. And as soon as I get my first paycheck, we will start planning our next big trips.  Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kakadu National Park are two spots in the Northern Territory we can't wait to see.  


I do have some big plans coming up before starting work.  This Saturday is Delectable Food Fest in Brisbane.  And on Sunday, I am excited to meet the girls I will be working with at brunch.  I do really love speechies... we love to eat and talk!  It is also whale migration time along the coast, so I am hoping to get to Stradbroke Island for some whale sightings. I'd also like to check out some Meetup groups around here  to meet some people.  Lots of research to do... Cheers!

Leaving on a HIGH note

Wow - today definitely makes my top 30 of almost 30 years... I knocked off riding in a helicopter from my bucket list!  I am not gonna lie, when I saw Oprah's Great Australian Adventure years ago, I knew I just had to see the Great Barrier Reef from the sky.  And it did not disappoint... I literally had goosebumps up there!  These pictures below don't even do the view justice, but they are still pretty remarkable.  We took a 25 minute helicopter ride out to Hastings Reef and had a few hours to snorkel.  The reef itself with all the coral and colorful fish was amazing.  I didn't get to take a scuba lesson this time, but still enjoyed every second in the water!  Leaving Cairns tomorrow on a high note for sure...

Get to da choppa!

We are ready for take off

On the way out of Cairns airport

Great Barrier Reef

There's our boat!

Sea landing

Snorkeling

My so-called life

There has not been much blogging lately because life has been pretty low key.  My days have been busy though getting together everything I need for my Australian speech therapy license.  It has been a HUGE process that I won't bore you with, but let's just sum it up with one word - CONSUMING.  I do have a job though (hurray!) and will be working at SPEECH clinic in Coomera, Queensland starting July 30th.   I just can't wait to meet all my new little cutie Aussie clients.  I'm sure they will be impressed when I pull out the pink ukulele and play Mary Had a Little Lamb for them.  I will work for a few months covering a maternity leave and then after that I plan on making my coffee sales girl / barista dreams come true!  If anyone knows anyone in the coffee biz here, please let me know.  Will work for free.

Sad face :(  Pam and I will be living in separate cities for awhile.  I leave Sunday to go south to look for my own apartment in North Gold Coast.  I am keeping in mind though it is all for the greater good of more traveling... a little time in the clinic means more traveling and adventures in the months to come.  And there is a lot to look forward to!  I am super excited for our friend Stacey to come to Oz in October.  We're going to see the Black Keys in Brisbane and head to Aukland, New Zealand to see Mumford there!

In November, Pam's rents are coming, my cousin, Emily, will be in Victoria, then our friend Katie will be headed here over the holidays!  My parents are coming in January and more people are talking about visiting in February and March.  That gets me super excited just writing all that out, and I can't wait to see Victoria, Tasmania, drive the Great Ocean Road, get to Western Australia... so much to see!  

So while waiting for work to start, I fill my days by practicing the uke (I can roughly play Amazing Grace and Happy Birthday... key word roughly), watching DVD's from Civic Video (Tuesday night is dollar night - woo woo! and yes, video stores are still around here), hiking, watching my bank account get smaller, day dreaming about nutella scones from Pound  (you don't know whatcha got 'til it's gone) and learning all about my new favorite celebrity chef, Miguel Maestre.  He is the happiest, Spanish man I've ever seen and he cooks up great food in Sydney.  I want to cook with this man on my 30th birthday!  Ahhh, I can only dream.  I mean really, what is better than wine, churros, and paella?  I can't think of much.

http://miguelmaestre.com.au/

Until I have more exciting things to write about, I'm taking a little blog break.  And I'm off to return my dollar DVD's!  I don't want to get any silly late fees :)

Ukulele Fest

What a fun Aussie experience!  Ukulele fest kicked off tonight with free group lessons.  

There were plenty of ukes to borrow, so I picked a cute pink one of course.  About 200 experienced and novice players all played together outside under the palm trees.  They even put little stickers on the beginner ukuleles to help teach everyone how to play.  By the end of the hour, we were all playing along to lots of familiar songs.  

I just might have to buy one of these cute little guys! And if I want lessons, I just have to turn on Skype.  Since the ukulele world is small, one guy from the US actually Skypes lessons all around the world. Finished the night with a few hours of performances from Aussie and American ukulele players - so much fun!

Passing the time

Pam got a job as an accountant covering a maternity leave for a few months, so I am finding ways to pass the time.  I have been super busy filling out my Queensland speech pathology application and getting together all the paperwork I need from the US.  Looks like I will be covering a maternity leave at a private practice outside Brisbane and Gold Coast starting the end of July, so until then I'm making the most of my time off.  


I am excited Spotify works in Australia, so I've made playlists and caught up on my American pop music!  Geez that Justin Bieber and Usher know how to get the booty shakin'.  I love trying new recipes, so I've been dancing in the kitchen making lots of new foods.  Last night, was Greek night - OPA! I made homemade hummus which was soooo delicious.  I modified Barefoot Contessa's recipe a bit, but it was so easy to make.  And then I made some red pepper walnut dip and roasted the red peppers all by myself.  I heated up some pita and served it with cucumbers, kalamata, and green olives.  Yum!  

July 4th was great because I received my first care package from the USA.  Thanks Aunt Cindy!  The box took about a decade to get here and looks like it has been through a war, but I am super excited for the goodies inside.

Sunscreen here in Australia only goes up to 30 SPF, and I am putting it on about 3 times a day.  So I was lucky enough to get some hardcore 80 and 100 SPF to keep this fair Polish face looking young. They sell mostly aerosol deodorant in Oz or sticks for about $8, so it looks like I will be smelling fresh and clean.  Mascara can sometimes be $12 - 17 in the store, so now I will have easy, breezy, beautiful lashes.  Pink lip gloss, new socks, and pretzel sticks... So excited!  They don't have many pretzels here and are mostly a potato chip people, so these Snyders make me smile.


For the 4th, I rummaged through the kitchen to find anything and everything red, white, and blue.  On the menu was Bobby Flay's crunchburger, Nicole's pasta salad, and brownies.  It is always interesting trying to cook here.  McCormick's pasta salad seasoning doesn't exist, so I had to play around with seasoning it myself.  

American meal: burgers, chips, pasta salad, brownies, iced tea.

And then I tried to bake brownies from scratch from an American recipe.   Any baker knows that precise measurements are essential, but there are no measuring cups or spoons in the house and all the ingredients are listed in the metric system.  I tried to look up some conversions online, but everything was thrown in as an approximate measurement. And I only had a round dish.  Not the most beautiful dessert I've ever baked, but I think the star sprinkles are a nice touch!

There are no fireworks for sale in Queensland, so enjoy your fireworks this week!


What's happening in Cairns this weekend? Well, Thursday night is the start of the Ukulele festival in Cairns, so if I'm lucky I'll be learning how to play from the one and only Nicky Bomba.  There's a good ol' fashioned rodeo happening in Mareeba this weekend that I would love to see, too.  I tried to sign up for a barista class next week, but the class was full.  Looks like I'm going to have to wait until Brisbane to get my barista certificate.  Cheers!

Aussies love ... Round 2

                A car in the front, utility in the back.  We call them "crucks",  Aussies call them utes.

Modern Ute

Vintage Ute

Fedoras and straw hats

Crazy Car Decorations

Port Dougy

No campervans this weekend.  I cashed in some credit card points, and we were off to Port Douglas for a 3-star weekend.  Port Dougy is an awesome little resort town along Queensland's coast.  What sets it apart is not only the Munch Buggy on 4 mile beach ready to serve you ice cream and snacks ....

Munch buggy

          ... but there is also this amazing Sunday market!  It's Australia's version of DC's Eastern Market.  Here are some great foods and goods that caught my eye.

I think this is a soursop from a Graviola tree. This fruit is said to be a cancer killer.

Go local! Harvested this morning.

I LOVE these timber photo albums.  I've never seen anything quite like it.  Flotsam and Jetsam make these unique books in a few sizes.  Contact Travis and Michelle at travisnsky@yahoo.com for details.  Such a great gift.

Glassware in my favorite blue color!

It is harvest season for sugarcane right now.

Boomerangs!

Local flowers

4 Mile Beach

It really was a great weekend.  I let loose of the purse strings for the night and actually had a grown up dinner at a restaurant for the first time in a month in a half.  I appreciate eating out so much more now that I'm on a tight budget.  We even headed out for late night Happy Hour from 9 - 11 PM.  Now let's bring that to the US of A!  Hope yinz had a good weekend and are prepping for the Fourth of July festivities and fireworks.  God Bless America!