Exploring Brisbane - The Flying-by-the-Seat-of-Your-Pants Tour

4/29/2014

Today's "flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" tour started off at 9 AM with what I hoped was a somewhat direct walk to one of the CityCat terminals closest to the Kookaburra Inn.  In about 20 minutes I was able to get to the river walk and the Riverside Terminal for about a 10-minute on the mono hull ferry to the South Bank that we visited yesterday. 

I took a few minutes to enjoy the South Bank Parklands, the Rainforest Green, the Nepalese Pagoda, and the Wheel of Brisbane.

Beautiful floral landscape lining the Clem Jones Promenade.

Cityscape viewed from the Clem Jones Promenade at South Bank terminal.

The absolutely stunning Nepalese Pagoda.

A better view of the Wheel of Brisbane.

By the time I visited and revisited all of these landmarks it was almost time for lunch. I was overdue for a major sushi fix so I decided to hear up Melbourne Street in the West End to try out Tsuru Sushi Cafe. This was a new part of Brisbane I hadn't explored yet, but it didn't take me long to realize that this was definitely my neighborhood for Asian eating. There was Korean barbecue, Vietnamese noodle shops, Japanese sushi cafes - I thought I died and went to heaven!

I enjoyed an Asahi draught, some California rolls, some prawn tempura rolls and some teriyaki wagyu beef rolls - all with plenty of wasabi. Everything was absolutely delicious. I would definitely eat there again if I was ever in Brisbane.

Before walking to the West End for lunch, I popped in at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre to see if they might have any available tickets for either the symphony, ballet, theatre or the opera for later today. I lucked out with a ticket for the Lyric Theatre Opera Australia's matinee production of The King & I.  I had an affordable seat in the 4th row of the 2nd level balcony (I'd forgotten how expensive theatre could be since I've been volunteering so I can attend free of charge). The sets were incredible; the acting and singing were fantastic; the acoustics were amazing; and the overall production was awesome! I was so glad I had a chance to enjoy the opportunity. Now I've experienced either opera or theatre in three Australian capital cities: the Sydney Opera House (Turandot); the Victorian Arts Center (Il Trovatore); and Brisbane's Lyric Theatre (The King & I).

One last ride and one last call for XXXX as I hopped on the CityCat and headed to the famous Breakfast Creek Hotel. I tried the XXXX of the wood - brewed in the wood cask - and compare it with my usual draught XXXX. I think I'll stick with the draught - guess I'm not an oaky girl when it comes to both the beer and wine.

The historic Breakfast Creek Hotel.

Back on the CityCat to the Kookaburra Inn to shower and pack for tomorrow's 7 AM departure to the airport for my return flight to Sarasota.  It was a great visit and one that I will cherish along with my other 2 trips Down Under.

Exploring Brisbane - The Organized Tour

4/28/2014

Today I thought I would try a full-day Brisbane tour with Viator - a company I have used in many countries and cities to get an overall sense of the location I am visiting. Sometimes I do the "Hop On, Hop Off" buses with the 24-hour ticket, and today, even though this is a full-day tour, I decided to just go with APS.

The bus came by, about 15 minutes late, to pick me up at the Kookaburra Inn. No problem since they build in lots of buffer before loading all participants at the terminal. I met 2 other Americans, mother and daughter, from the St. Louis, Missouri area, while we were waiting to board our bus. Up until we were preparing to board, the 3 of us were quite hopeful that our group would be the entire traveling contingent, but alas, there were 2 French-speaking women who arrived just as we were preparing to board. 

Brisbane is the 3rd largest city in Australia (behind Sydney and Melbourne), with a population of approximately 2.2 million. Bernard, our travel guide and driver, begins the tour with some background on the original explorers and discoverers who were responsible for naming Brisbane. 

And, our first stop reflects the history of the city and the country as a depository for England's criminals, with The Old Windmill in downtown Brisbane. The Old Windmill is the oldest building in Brisbane and the oldest windmill in Australia. Interestingly, it was built where there was no wind to drive it, so beginning in October 1828 and up until about 1861, the most hardened convicts were given the task of manually grinding the grain from the fields in this windmill and treadmill as punishment for their crimes. They were in leg irons and had to reach above their heads to move the turnstiles that made the blades of the windmill turn. Many died from this physically strenuous task (about the only way they managed to escape this harsh punishment), and the treadmill was in constant need of repair, so in 1861 the windmill was used as a signal station. 

From 1866-1894, a cannon would fire off every day at 1 PM, to assist people with keeping accurate time. The noise, as you might imagine, would be irritating after a time, so from 1894-1950s, the copper ball atop the windmill would drop at precisely 1 PM.

In 1934 the windmill was used to broadcast the first television signals to the area. You cannot go inside the windmill today and the cannon is gone, but it is still very interesting to see.

The Old Windmill in Brisbane.

We continue our tour of the downtown Brisbane area, stopping off at one of the historic buildings bearing plaques of the flood water lines from the most devastating floods: February 1893 (2 record-breaking floods); January 1974 (14,000 homes flooded); and most recently, January 2011 (21 people died and 11,900 homes flooded).

Nearby, we access a 2-way escalator that we've never seen before. Instead of having 2 escalators side by side, going in opposite directions, this one's direction is determined by a person crossing the electronic space at the top or bottom. It stops, then begins to flow either up or down, depending upon where the human breaks the plane. When we came down from photographing the Story Bridge, there was a gal waiting to go up. We got off, the escalator slowed then stopped, the young lady crossed the electronic eye, and up she went. What a money-saving idea!

Next stop - St. John's Anglican Cathedral.

St. John's Anglican Cathedral.

Onto the winding Brisbane River for our River City Cruise along the South Bank - 17 points of interest, including the Victoria Bridge (1968); fish markets; Parliament House (1879); Customs House (1936); Storey Bridge; floating walkway (under construction since 2010); Mowbray Park Baths (1925); New Farm (2011); Tramway Powerhouse (1950); Sugar Refinery (1902); and Newstead House (1950).

We enjoy a specially prepared Devonshire tea while on board - scones with cream, tea and coffee (so delicious and proper) ha ha.

The captain entertains us with stories about the river - the most unbelievable one about the shark that flipped up into the bow of one of the city water taxis. Apparently he slid right down the middle of the taxi - to the astonishment of the commuters on board - and continued on off the stern. Apparently this happened years before video cameras and smart phones were invented to capture the moment, so there's no way to prove or disprove that this really happened.

River scenes: The Storey Bridge (upper left & middle right); 

paddle boat restaurant; city skyline (upper right & lower right); 

and our River City Cruise boat (lower left).

The Breakfast Creek Hotel was one of the highlights of the day tour. Built by William MacNoughton Galloway in 1889 in the French Renaissance style, the hotel is famous for its premium quality steaks and "beer off the wood" (its beers are stored and aged in wooden casks). Galloway resided in the hotel until his fatal fall from a 2nd story window (no doubt he was under the influence of that "beer off the wood"). It is believed that his spirit continues to haunt the hotel.

The hotel boasts 5 unique bars, including a public, private and rum bar; a historic Tropical Beer Garden; and a famous Spanish Garden Steakhouse.

Historic Breakfast Creek Hotel (lower left);
inside the Public Bar (top left, top middle, lower middle);
Private Bar draught taps (upper right); Rum Bar (lower right).

The Wheel of Brisbane with 360 degree panoramic views, located in the heart of Brisbane's cultural, lifestyle and entertainment precinct, was the next stop on our tour. 

The view through our window on the Brisbane Wheel. 

Note the city's tallest building on the right.

The last 2 stops of our tour were the Lone Pine Sanctuary, noted especially for the koalas - whose numbers are drastically lower than they once were and are now a protected species, and Mount Cootha - highest viewpoint of Brisbane, where you can view almost the entire city, the Brisbane River and some of the outlying suburban areas.

The Koalas dining, playing, fighting.

Tasmanian Devil (upper right); Kookaburra (center); Olive Python (upper right);

Wombats (bottom left and right).

Dingos (upper left); kangaroos at rest & eating; emu (bottom right).

The kangaroo and emu open fields were very interesting. You could get up close and personal but picking your way across the grass was a very challenging matter of trying to avoid stepping on any animal dung. I had to laugh watching everyone scrape the bottom of their shoes on the mat provided after leaving the enclosure. And you've got to admire the little ones who just ran back and forth across the grass - amazingly some barefoot - who couldn't care less about what they were stepping in!

The panoramic view of Brisbane from Mount Cootha.

Coloundra to Brisbane

4/27/2014

After lunch, a sad and teary goodbye to Loretta and Graeme before Paul, who is heading to Brisbane as well, drives us to the capital city. He drops me off at the Kookaburra Inn, a B & B in the Spring Hill suburb of Brisbane, before he drives on further into the city to the hotel where he is staying overnight before going on further south.

The Inn is very simple and basic - similar to many hostels and backpackers inns I have stayed in during my earlier travels. Wendy, the proprietor, is very helpful - checking on the day tour operator I plan to use tomorrow morning for my day tour of Brisbane - and showing me the shared kitchen, TV room, outdoor areas and available rooms. I review the neighborhood map with her, brew a cuppa and head back to my room to catch up on my blog while relaxing. Tomorrow I slip back into my tourist mode and enjoy the city before heading back home on Wednesday.

Hervey Bay to Coloundra

4/26/2014

Returning to Graeme and Loretta's in Coloundra after breakfast at Paul's this morning. Pretty easy 2.5 hour drive. Getting ready to spend my last evening with my dear friends who have so graciously hosted me, driven me over 500 miles, fed me incredible meals and shared their home and love with me during this return trip. I have been tasked with returning the favor next year as they consider a return trip to the States, specifically New Orleans, Nashville, Memphis and Atlanta.

Our final dinner is a fantastic Thai meal at their neighborhood Thai restaurant, Bangkok by Night. We share massamum beef, panang chicken and pad thai w/prawns. There is an incredibly reasonable corkage fee of only $2 for the wine and beer that we bring with us. (Why we charge upwards of $15 in the States is beyond me). If this restaurant was in my neighborhood in Florida, I would be eating here at least once a week.

Before we leave the restaurant, I copy the saying on the nearby chalkboard (attributed to the Dalai Lama, but paraphrased however slightly by the owner's son):

"The source of all misery in the world lies in thinking of oneself;
The source of all happiness lies in thinking of good food."

I could not have said it better myself!

Maryborough to Hervey Bay

4/25/2014

On the road again for a short ride to Hervey Bay after breakfast with Kevin and Cheryl. We were meeting Paul Kelsey, Graeme & Loretta's good friend and adopted son. Both Paul and Loretta work in the same industry - managing shopping centers - so when we caught up with Paul at his brand new shopping center office, we were given the grand tour of the facilities. I must admit I never gave much thought to that sort of job and I certainly learned quite a bit while we checked out Paul's office. Graeme and I were particularly impressed with the decadent bathroom, which had a push-button sliding door that slid back to reveal a full shower, space-age toilet and other accouterments that easily surpassed anything I've ever seen, even in private homes.

After we dropped our luggage at Paul's home for our overnight, we headed out to the Hervey Bay Boat Club and the Riverheads pier to see the ferry launch area for Fraser Island.

Goofing off while taking some photos near the ferry launch to Fraser Island.
Graeme, Paul, Loretta and Barb.

And, continuing our incredible gluttony tour, we had lunch at the Hervey Bay Boat Club (very similar to the Coloundra RSL minus Neil Diamond) ha ha! I had the salt & pepper squid - absolutely delicious - with veges and an enormous amount of fries that seemed to multiply as quickly as I ate them. Loretta had scallops Mournay that were wonderful as well. 

The Whaling ship docked at the Hervey Bay Tourist Terminal.

Great Sandy Straits Marina.

After our sumptuous lunch, we walked around the marina, checking out the whaling boat (not the season for whale watching at the moment, but humpbacks are the breed in these waters). Then we hopped into Paul's car to explore the coastline, parks and houses in the area. 

There was one house in particular - painted bright yellow and labeled, "Asbestos Manor" - with a hilarious back story. (sorry I didn't think to take a photo, but here's the actually listing with its "glorious jaundiced beach views" and "sulphuric verandah" for a mere $5 million):

http://www.spentmemory.com/2012/02/for-sale-landmark-residence-in.html

Pretty soon it was actually time to eat - AGAIN! But I noticed that none of us were complaining about it too loudly. I cannot believe how much I ate during this visit, but it was definitely an eating and drinking extravaganza the entire 2 weeks! In other words, it was AWESOME!!!!

Dinner was alfresco at Cafe Balaena, alongside the water of the Great Sandy Straits Marina. Loretta and Paul had a gigantic bowl of seafood chowder and Graeme and I had the black orchid garlic prawns. All entrees were amazing. Somehow, some way, we all left room for the impressive lemon meringue tart (should have taken a photo of the giant individual slices) and the citrus coconut tart enjoyed by Loretta. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had forgotten how incredible Aussie desserts could be. No wonder I gained so much weight when I was living here in 1975-77.

Back to Paul's to relax and crash for the evening after watching some hilarious Wanda Sykes clips on YouTube.

Coloundra to Maryborough

4/24/2014

On the road for an overnight stay in Queensland's historic Maryborough - home to Kevin & Cheryl Connors. 

Cheryl was our first baseman, I played shortstop and Loretta coached/managed our Toowoomba softball team in 1976-77. I had not seen Cheryl for about 39 years so I was thrilled that Loretta built time into our itinerary so we could catch up, especially since the highlight of my 2 years spent teaching in Clifton was definitely driving to Toowoomba every Saturday to play in one game, coach a junior team in another, and umpire a third. Those were the days...

 So many choices - so little time!

Cheers!
Shortstop Barb (62); 1st Baseman Cheryl (67); and coach/manager Loretta (69).
Looking mighty fine 39 years later.

We spent most of the day reminiscing, eating and drinking lots of wine, beer and champagne. Dinner was freshwater fish and red claw caught by Kevin earlier in the day + lots of vegetables, and, as an unexpected surprise, specifically from Cheryl to me, golden syrup. 

To understand and appreciate the syrup you needed to go back to 1975 when I planned to make my Aussie flatmate, Zeita, American pancakes for breakfast. I had everything but the syrup so I walked to Mr. Frahm's general store to buy some - only to find that Mr. Frahm not only had no syrup but that he had no idea what it was. How to explain???

So I told Mr. Frahm that it was a liquid thinner and sweeter than molasses with maple flavoring, and that the most popular brand, Log Cabin, was a clear plastic bottle with a red label bearing a log cabin. He suggested treacle as a replacement (the stuff is absolutely dreadful), but I knew that wouldn't work, so the real American pancakes didn't happen that day.

Several weeks later, Kaye Frahm (daughter) caught me at the school and mentioned that her dad wanted me to stop by the store after school, so I headed down later that afternoon to see what was up. When I passed by the front window I just cracked up when there, front and center, was a pyramid of Log Cabin syrup! And that wasn't the only display of syrup. Since Mr. Frahm wasn't quite sure what function the syrup might serve, he had multiple displays throughout the store! I wonder if anyone besides myself had purchased a bottle - I hope so because I would have felt very badly if he ended throwing out all those bottles once they reached their expiration date. 

Exploring the Hinterlands & Neil Diamond

4/23/2014

We continued our eating and drinking adventures as our travels today focused on exploring the Hinterlands of Queensland, with our first stop being the Maleny Dairy. After a good laugh about the name of the port they were selling (see photo collage below - only in Australia), we sampled the many delicious cheese and yogurt samples they had on the main counter before purchasing some apple/cinnamon and passion fruit Greek yogurt and a couple of the herbed feta cheeses.

The Maleny Dairy factory and shoppe.

On to our picnic spot with a beautiful view of the Glass House Mountains, where we enjoyed wraps, the other half of the lamingtons (which Graeme absolutely forbade me to eat at breakfast earlier that day), and some lemonade. 

The Glass House Mountains in Queensland.

Following lunch we continued our adventures with a visit to the Budrim Ginger Factory at Yandina, where there is a dizzying array of ginger plants from all over the world; multiple play areas & a little train for the children; an incredible shop with ginger everything; and a little dining area, where we enjoyed an ice cream cone after exploring the factory.

The Budrim Ginger Factory at Yandina.

Our last activity for the day was the Neil Diamond faux concert and a dinner at the Coloundra RSL (Returned Servicemen's League). What a hoot! I think the closest American equivalent would be dinner theater. There was a choice of 4 restaurants in this facility, lots of long tables for dining, a small stage and dance floor, and always in Australia - slot machines. 

Loretta and I enjoyed beef cheeks (tenderloins) with mashed potatoes and green beans, and Graeme, who've I discovered favors Moroccan and Indian cuisines, tried the lamb patties. While we started eating, the man referred to as Neil Diamond came onto the stage and started working through Neil's hits. (As you can see from the photos it was a stretch to envision him as Neil - the only thing they had in common was the gold lame~ shirt. This guy could have used a dark wig and some dark chest hair). But it was great fun and we enjoyed dancing to many of the hits.  I even tried my hand at the slots, and as usual, it was a loss.  I have been on such a dry spell of late.  But again, good fun.

Neil Diamond concert at the Coloundra RSL. 

Another dress???

Revisiting the Sunshine Coast Beaches

4/22/14

Today we took a scenic ride along the Sunshine Coast to Noosa - one of the more popular vacation spots. It was another gorgeous day with abundant sunshine. There were many people extending their Easter/spring break vacations from Monday since ANZAC Day is this upcoming Friday and that way they could be on holiday for the entire week by only taking 3 days off.

We enjoyed lunch at one of the beach pizza parlors that was offering a large pizza + 2 drinks for $27, and we ended up getting 2 large pizzas, 2 Peroni beers and a Pimms. One of the pizzas was a Thai shrimp with lots of hot peppers. The other was 1/2 meat lovers and 1/2 main st. beach - avocado, chicken, bacon, zucchini. All were fantastic, and Graeme and I decided we needed another Peroni to help us wash down the last few pizzas.

We walked around Noosa and headed back to Coloundra, stopping at the brand new Aldi grocery store for corned beef, cabbage and other fixings for our dinner. We also popped into an adjacent liquor store to pick up some wine since grocery stores in Queensland are not allowed to carry any sort of alcohol. We picked up several bottles of Lindemann's Savignon Blanc, Shiraz and Merlot for us and our dear friend and fellow softball teammate, Cheryl, and her husband, who we will be visiting Thursday.

When we had finished loading our shopping cart with our wine and food, we descended to the parking garage on a sloped conveyor belt whose seams grabbed the front wheels of the cart so you wouldn't go head over heels behind your rapidly escalating runaway cart. Once the wheels grabbed it looked like they lost air and were only partially inflated so they would adhere better. I've never seen anything like it. Graeme saw intrigued I was so he allowed me to navigate our exit so I could see what it was like. (Sometimes it's the little things that make an impact in your memories).

Once you unloaded your cart, you returned it to the designated cart area in the garage. You pushed it into the cart ahead of it, took the little lock mechanism from the previous cart & connected your cart to it; pressed the coin mechanism (where you'd previously inserted either a coin or a key fob); and your $2 coin is returned.  Reminded me of the luggage cart procedure in an airport terminal. All in all, pretty nifty. Maybe if we had this procedure we wouldn't have so many lazy people leaving their shopping carts sprawled all over the parking lot just waiting for the chance to dent or scratch your car.

The highlight of dinner tonight was a dessert I'd been dreaming of that was the bane of my existence when I lived here while teaching. Somehow I missed seeing the bakery on our last stop to a family owned produce store very similar to Detwiler's in Sarasota. (I must have really been slipping that I didn't even smell the bread and desserts). I guess Graeme got tired of hearing how much I missed lamingtons that he managed to sneak off and find some at the bakery for our dessert. Again, it is just another very fond remembrance - a simple sponge cake, rolled in melted chocolate then rolled again in coconut - but it just melts in your mouth when it's fresh. I would compare it to the Krispy Kreme donuts when the HOT sign comes on (and those of you who know me know that those are a major vice of mine). I used to buy a lamington loaf from the Clifton bakery and easily eat half of it before my flatmate returned home from school. Of course it didn't take long for me to pack on the pounds from that, the loaf of fresh bread that Zeita and I ate almost daily, and the litre of Coke to wash it all down! (ah, those were the days)!

Clifton to Coloundra

4/21/14

Packed up my belongings & headed outside to enjoy the beautiful morning weather while waiting for Loretta and Graeme to pick me up. So very quiet and deserted after all the weekend festivities. I was reflecting on my life and the wonderful opportunity I just had to return for another chance to revisit some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. I am so glad I came. I probably won’t return again so I want to savor every last moment while I wait for Graeme & Loretta.

We do head out at about 11 AM and take a different route back to their home in Coloundra on the Sunshine Coast. We head through Gatton, enjoying the country scenery, and then into a cute little place called Esk, where Loretta wanted to try lunch at a new place, Exquisite Holdings – kind of an English tea room.

OMG – while we were waiting to order, this English woman ahead of us in the order line was bemoaning the fact that she was there by herself (sighing heavily like only the self-afflicted can). Before I could stop myself, I invited her to join us – mainly I was joking and not expecting her to take me up on the offer. Well, damn if she didn’t jump on my offer like flies on rice!

Unsuspecting Graeme was seated at the table – holding it while Loretta & I were placing our order, so our guest joined him before we even had a chance to ask him if that was okay with him. Suffice to say this woman’s inane conversation was so overwhelming that I know all of us were wondering if she was ever going to pause to come up for air. She NEVER stopped talking. We heard about all her ailments; about how she slept on the floor of her home so she could lay on the floor & use some extension item to grab the sliding doors whenever anyone came calling; about how cluttered her house was – essentially on and on. I know all 3 of us were trying to devise an exit strategy – only for it to be thwarted when she ordered dessert and coffee!

I couldn’t take it anymore, so I excused myself – with Loretta and Graeme doing the same – and we couldn’t get out of there soon enough!

Soon we were enjoying the coastal scenery, and once we were unpacked in Coloundra and rested, we went to Marsey Brothers Seafood to pick up some absolutely delicious scallops, pork dumplings and fish, along with our wine, for a little picnic dinner on the water just before sunset. (I thoroughly enjoyed the seaweed salad they offered as well, but neither Graeme nor Loretta wanted anything to do with that).

Clifton SHS 50th Jubilee - Day 2

4/20/14

This was by far the most enjoyable Easter Sunday I have ever had in my life!

After sleeping like the dead as a result of the Saturday night party – my ears were still vibrating from the cacophony of raised voices, shared stories, laughter, love and excitement and I had a very scratchy throat from trying to converse against some very high decibel competition all night long – I awoke absolutely starving and wondering where in the tiny town I might get lucky enough to find some breakfast on this Sunday morning, which also happened to be Easter Sunday. (When there are really only 2 possibilities to begin with – and one of those closed because they were up catering for the Saturday night function until 3 AM this morning – you were hoping against hope). But lo and behold if I didn’t see a couple of people sipping coffee and enjoying a meal outside a few doors down from where I was staying on this absolutely gorgeous morning.

 Just caught this farmer coming down the street 

as I was trying to photograph the Clifton Club Hotel, 

where I spent the weekend.

The railway station is still there. 

Used to have a train come through every Thursday.

I happened to see Kevin, the hotel manager, on my way out, and when I told him I was thinking about walking to the high school for the day’s celebration (figuring it was about a mile away), he offered to drop me off since he would have a 2^nd person working the pub by 11 AM. (Once again I am reminded of the kindness & generosity of these folks – you never have to ask for help, they just jump right in). I thanked him for the offer & promised to take him up on it, then headed out the door to explore the area on foot for a couple of hours.

So I trekked on down to the Clifton Café, ordered a breakfast sandwich and cappuccino & went to sit at one of the small tables to await my breakfast. Shortly after I sat down, Ray Winkel (older brother of 2 of my students, whom I met and spoke to last night) came in for some breakfast as well. I asked him to join me if he liked, so we moved to a larger table and enjoyed our meals and coffee – continuing our conversation without competing noise – from the night before. Turns out that he and his older brother were staying in the hotel room next to mine, which was all the more hilarious due to the fact that the pub where we were staying only had 4 rooms. I told him I was going to walk around town for about an hour before Kevin was going to drop me off at the high school, so not only did he offer to walk around with me, he also insisted on driving me to the school since he was going there as well.

So off we went with Ray supplying the local history that I didn’t know as we walked. I remembered his dad was the ambulance driver (and was still living in the area at 84), and I think Ray and his family were in Toowoomba and his 2 sisters who I taught were in Dalby. I took some photos as we went – walking along the railway line that traveled between the 2 main streets. We laughed when we saw that there were now metal historic trail markers on the sidewalk, along with an actual map for the walking route (which probably took no time at all to walk). Ray wanted to show me the back room in Shanley’s Pub so we went in to a virtual shrine of clutter – a hoarder’s delight – of coffee mugs, teapots and tea cups. I don’t think there was a single space that was vacant. It was overwhelming!

We headed back to the Clifton Club Hotel to change for the Sunday open house and headed up the road shortly after 11 AM. As I said, it was an absolutely gorgeous day. I was told there had been almost 300 people who attended Saturday night’s celebration and about 400-500 for Sunday’s open house (at least that was approximately the count on the guest register, which I know some folks didn’t sign – myself included – because there was such a long line to enter that we were encouraged not to wait and just feel free to come on in).

I could not believe how much the school had changed (and this was not over a 40 year period but more like 20 years because I had returned for a visit in 1995 and there was very little change then from when I was there in 1975-77). The campus had more than doubled in size, there was an equestrian center, a covered basketball court/general outdoor assembly area, beautiful gardens and more grass/less concrete everywhere. Apparently the curriculum changed as well – focusing on agronomy, equine studies and agriculture that were more practical for the student population who lived and grew up on the surrounding farms. I thought it was a brilliant move that would help the families keep up with more current trends and technology for their farms.

New buildings, gardens and the equestrian curriculum.

It only took a few minutes to find so many people I knew from all that time long ago. There were so many hugs and tears and shared stories. My Aussie mom, Marie Logan, was there with her daughter Monica (who promised me Saturday night that she would make sure her mom would be there Sunday). This large family surprised me one year with Thanksgiving dinner – they had researched the traditional dishes and made sure they had everything they needed. It was probably the kindest, most generous gesture during the 2 years I lived in Clifton and one that none of us will ever forget. And now the Logans have Thanksgiving every year – now that one of their children married an American (and one is married to a Swedish spouse with 2 towheads, so they are quite international). Monica and Marie told me that the holiday dinner gets larger and even more elaborate every year as the family continues to grow and enjoy coming together.

Marie, Barb and Monica happily reunited!

More students gathered and we commandeered a long table under one of the tents. We took turns buying rounds of drinks and shared stories about those wonderful years. Our circle grew as more and more friends finally figured out where we were all hiding (the campus was doubled in size and we were encouraged to take self-guided tours, so people could have been in classrooms, out on the equestrian oval, at the food kiosks – just about anywhere. In fact, I was told several hours later that one of my male students was looking for me – I never did find him even though I was there the entire 6 hours)! It was either Kirsty Bell or Janine Mengel, two of the girls I taught, who made me laugh, when she said, “Barb, I loved you as a teacher. You were fun, you were so brown (remember most of these students were Irish – very pale and very easily sunburned by the strong Australian sun), and don’t take this personally, but I always thought you had great legs!” Now to understand how hilarious that last compliment was, you only need to take one look at my legs to know that is absolutely no longer true – I have 4 surgical knee scars that are still very visible – and varicose veins in my right leg. I was wearing a dress that was just below my knees, so after that comment was made I laughed, tugged up my dress and proclaimed that those good looking legs had accumulated quite a few scars since 40 years ago!

 Kevin celebrates the end of his duties as emcee of the events.

 Vaughan, Karen and Annmaree.

Last pub crawl: 

AnnMaree, Karen, Vaughan, Barb, Janine and Janine's daughter.

John Archibald, who was the art teacher when I was there, and still continues to work with the area schools in a different advisory/training capacity, joined us and we just continued sharing past and present. We were so caught up in catching up that we didn’t notice that the party was over and the workers were packing up. Eventually we had to give up our chairs and the last table, which we were using, and some of us headed down to the Clifton Arms Pub to continue our reminiscing. I bought a round and eventually our small group disbanded.

Just after everyone left, Amanda Beatson, thoroughly exhausted from all the activities that she worked so hard for over a year to organize, joined me at the bar. I bought her a couple of beers to thank her personally for all she did to help me register for the Jubilee and find a place to stay. We had a chance to relax and catch up. And, as a final tribute to my storied past with Clifton, she went on Facebook, found my posted photo of the Pub where we were now sitting at the bar, and toasted to the gender barrier that I broke 40 years ago – women seated at the bar, being served at the bar – just like our male counterparts!

Clifton SHS 50th Jubilee - Day 1

4/19/14

After a tour of Toowoomba with Peter, Graeme & Loretta, we returned for lunch with Alison, daughter Tony & her son Aaron. 

 Toowoomba Japanese Gardens, located behind the University.

Front: Aaron, Peter, Toni.

Back: Graeme, Loretta, Alison.

After lunch we hit the road so Graeme & Loretta could drop me off at the Club Hotel in Clifton. Kevin, the manager, showed me the room and reviewed to key situation in case I returned from the Jubilee after the pub closed, then the 3 of us were off to explore the one block area that is basically Clifton in its downtown entirety. Since that took a mere 5 minutes, we went on a mission to find the post office, the swimming pool where I taught and the teacher flat that I lived in. And, as life would have it, we never found the post office, the pool was totally changed with the addition of a covered shed & the installation of a larger pool, and the teacher flat was nowhere to be found (sigh).

Mandy Beatson, one of the organizers of the Jubilee weekend and the current principal, Joy’s right hand assistant, picked me up about 6:15 PM and we headed up to the Clifton Reserve for the night’s festivities. By 6:30 a steady stream of people began to arrive and most of us struggled to read name tags that could have benefited from a larger type font for those of us who didn’t bring our reading glasses. (It was really difficult trying to look inconspicuous as you sidled up close enough to read who was who – especially considering that most people change drastically in a 40-year time period. (ha ha)

Mandy introduced me to Jaden, a young man who was conducting interviews & taking photos for the newspaper article on the Jubilee. (I think he was young enough to be my grandchild). Jaden interviewed me and took some photos for the article and then I gave him my email address so I might be able to get a copy.

While Jaden was interviewing me, 2 of my former students, Craig & Jeff Ebeneter, came by with their wives and told me to come find them when I finished, so I caught up with them right after over many laughs and some beers. 

Gradually, as the crowd of almost 300 attendees, I located 2 teachers I taught with, Marilyn Hamilton & John Archibald; many students and their spouses; and the current principal, Joy, and her husband, who was the current physical education teacher (great couple). Joy didn’t mind me sharing some strategies for avoiding substitution duties for absent teachers with her husband while he was down at the pool teaching swimming – the main one being, don’t answer the phone when the school calls to tell you to cover the next period – just turn up the music and keep on going. She got a great laugh out of that one.

There were so many great stories, but 2 in particular made my evening. One young lady, Natalie Buckel, came up to me calling, “Miss Totaro, Miss Totaro!” Now when I turned and saw her I knew she was definitely not old enough to have been one of my high school students. She was so excited to tell me that she had me for Phys. Ed while in 2^nd grade at Nobby, one of my 1-2 teacher schools that I used to visit on my motorcycle once a week for 30 minutes of PE. Then she said how she and the other students (usually less than 20 in grades 1-7) absolutely loved me and so looked forward to my visits to the school to teach PE. She said all the kids loved the games I had them play in a very tiny pool behind the school even though the thing was covered in algae. (I personally would never have gotten into that water). 

Wow, was I ever humbled! I continue to be so overwhelmed by the impact that I’ve had on some of the students that I taught and worked with over my 9 years of teaching and my 24 years of working with school yearbook staffs.

But it was definitely the 2^nd story that was so hilarious it made my evening – perhaps even my life. About 4 hours into the festivities, I needed to take a break, so I plopped down in one of the chairs near the photography station (something I should have done earlier because it was the best place to catch people as their graduating class posed for a group photo). I was approached timidly by a young lady, Karen Ferguson, who I taught in my English class. Her husband, Vaughan Pauli, was there as well, and he hung back, watching to see what the reaction would be after she spoke to me, before he introduced himself to me. She introduced herself to me, and then confessed to me that she was so very sorry for something she did almost 40 years ago that she wanted to apologize to me personally for and had been majorly stressing over it for months once she saw on Facebook that I was coming to the Jubilee. (To say I was utterly intrigued by this opening would have been putting it mildly. I couldn’t recall a single incident from my 2 years that I would have classified as being even mildly disrespectful while I was teaching). So she proceeded to tell me that in a journaling assignment she turned into me she had written, “I hate Miss Totaro” in shorthand (not realizing that I had taken shorthand in high school). Then she went on to say that when I passed her on the stairwell the next day, I stopped her, said hello and mentioned that I took shorthand in high school. To say she was mortified would be putting it mildly. My reaction to this confession? Oh my god – I cracked up! I told her that that was the funniest story I had heard all night, and that I was going to include it in my blog, and that if there were any prizes for the highlight of the evening, she had just won it. And then I told her the kicker – that I didn’t even remember the incident at all! Once her husband saw us laughing – one of us as if a heavy burden had just been lifted – he realized it was safe to approach. When I assured him I did not remember the incident, but found it hilarious, he said, “Thank God. Now she might stop grinding her teeth every night!” And Karen’s reaction? “OK now I guess it’s safe to friend you on Facebook.”

Well, how can you top that my friends???

Vaughan, Karen and AnnMaree

I won’t even go into the importance of life lessons learned from this story – since I’m hopeful that all of you can draw your own conclusions from it.

Brisbane to Coloundra to Toowoomba

4/18/14

From the airport we head off to Coloundra, Graeme & Loretta’s home, north of Brisbane and along the Sunshine Coast. Of course the 2-hour drive seems short because we are busily catching up with stories and assorted adventures. Stuart, his wife Verona and children, Ashleigh and Jaden, are on Easter break & will be house sitting for Graeme & Loretta, while the 3 of us drive down to Toowoomba later this afternoon. We’ll be staying with Peter & Alison – me for just one night and them for 3 nights. Tomorrow Loretta & Graeme will drive me down to Clifton, where I will stay 2 nights celebrating the 50^th Jubilee celebrations at the high school.

I realize early on that this trip will involve lots of sitting, eating and drinking while catching up with friends, so I absolve myself from any guilt about not working out and not eating wisely.  While true that Aussies do make & eat a lot of salads like the Brits, they also love their desserts, and it doesn’t take long before we are out on Alison & Peter’s back deck enjoying coffee, tea and some incredibly delicious Anzac cookies with craisins, almonds & rolled oats and some mouth-watering syrup, caramel, chocolate fudge-like squares that were fantastic. It took everything I had to restrain myself from having more than one – and a good thing too, because later that evening after tea (dinner), we had a caramel cheesecake for dessert.

I fought to remain conscious and almost made it until 8 PM, but after nodding off at the dinner table a couple of times it was pretty apparent that I needed to crash. My timing was perfect since my Aussie hosts & friends were keen to enjoy the televised rugby match that was just coming on. So off I went to bed, listening to the accumulated fat crinkling and quite content to be horizontal for at least 8-9 hours.

Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is???

4/17/14

The roll continues...

1. aisle exit row seat with enormous amounts of leg room for the TPA/LAX leg of the trip (YAY) - check!
2. smooth shuttle transition to Virgin Australia terminal - check!
3. what's this?? Actual free wireless at both the Tampa & LAX airports??? – double check!

Another roomy aisle seat with 2 young, female Aussie seatmates - one who fell asleep in her window seat & never budged the entire 15 hour flight (not even for a single bathroom visit!), and the middle seat occupant - another young, female Aussie who also immediately slept & only visited the bathroom twice in the 15 hours we were on board. Now these are the sort of seatmates everyone wishes for.

We arrived in Brisbane 30 minutes early, but that small achievement was quickly negated by the hour it took about 500 people to clear a customs area that only contained a measly 5 officers.  In fact all the luggage was unloaded onto carousel 7 in its entirety before a very small minority of our passengers made it through customs. I think it was the first time in all my travels that the bags followed their slow, meandering, circular course without spectators pushing forward to gain position nearest to the belt so they could take out a small army with their humongous suitcases.

So, here it is, 7:30 AM Friday, April 18^th. I can barely walk since I’ve been sitting so long during the 15-hour flight. I’ve got furry teeth that haven’t seen toothpaste or a toothbrush in almost 24 hours. I’ve got swollen ankles (cankles) that could rival any serious gout sufferer. I will need surgery to remove my bra, and I will need several days before the indentations left from it disappear. But I am in Brisbane, and my friend Loretta is front & center in the waiting area, and her son Stuart is getting us coffees, and it is sunny & in the mid 70s. It has been almost 20 years since I last arrived Down Under, and it will be almost 40 years since I have seen most of the friends that I will reconnect with along this journey, so I embrace my friends, savor my coffee and happily limp away to begin our new adventure.

What Day is it Anyway???

April 16 or 17, 2014 - depending upon where you are at the moment...

I flew 5 hours and gained 3. About to fly another 15 hours for a total travel of 22 hours. Soon I will lose 15 hours and then be thoroughly confused. It's actually pretty devious how these airlines have scheduled their flights to minimize food service - who can think about eating after 11:50 PM anyway???

But my airport mojo continues as I arrive in LAX and take an easy shuttle ride to the Virgin Australia terminal, and all without going through security again. Turns out both legs ended up departing and arriving on time - so life is good.

I am beginning to hear more and more Australian accents so I am getting excited. 

The Journey Begins...

4/16/14

Off to a great start!
Hilarious DELTA check-in at Tampa Airport. My elderly female agent asked where I was headed & I said, "Brisbane" (with the correct pronunciation being "briz bun" NOT "briz bane"). She thought I said I was headed to prison. I told her I might end up there if I had way too much fun Down Under.  We both had a good laugh about the whole interchange. 

Then she replaced my printed boarding passes with boarding passes she reprinted with those magical words I have never had on a boarding pass before - "TSA pre check" - which I must admit meant nothing to me. That is until I arrived at security & was able to head off - for the very first time in my life of traveling - to the TSA pre check security line. There was absolutely no one in front of me, so no waiting in line with the rest of humanity. On top of that miracle I did NOT have to remove my shoes or remove my netbook from my backpack. So this is how the privileged travel through the airport - who knew???

Quite honestly I think this was the result of my checking in online last night, including my passport  information and the fact that, for the first time as well, I took advantage of processing my VISA stamp electronically on the DELTA website.  I will miss adding the VISA stamp to my passport collection, but I think the perks more than make up for its absence. (ha ha)

The only negative looks like a 10-minute departure delay to LAX. Just hoping it doesn't get any later, but luggage is checked through and I've got a 2.5 hour layover for padding.