Urangan Pier

Urangan Pier is one of Australia's longest piers.  It is about a kilometre walk out to the end.

We were passing through on the day we were there and didn't walk out to the end, but the view are supposed to be lovely.  Next time!

The pier was originally built in the early 1900's and was an extension to the railway and very important in shipping sugar, timber and coal.

Swell Sculpture Festival

Wow!  Wow! Wow!

The Swell Sculpture Festival on Currumbin Beach is the largest outdoor sculpture exhibition in Australia.

Some of the sculptures are fantastic, some are unusual, some are creative and others are just weird!  It very worthwhile to purchase the booklet, which tells you about the artist, how the sculpture was created and the meaning behind the artwork.

With over 50 sculptures, there is something for everyone.

Below are a small number of sculptures from 2018.  We were away last year so we missed it.   The 18th Swell Sculpture Festival is scheduled for September 2020.  Let's hope that the COVID-19 pandemic has passed and it is not cancelled.

Prickles; the unhuggable bear (made from barb wire)

Currumbin Beach Swell Sculpture Festival (Surfers Paradise in the background)

Embryo

2 of 52 Women

Shemple on the Shore

Wherever you go there you are

You're Terrible Muriel (made from fencing wire)

Perpetual Consumption
(Can you see what it is made from?

Trafficking

Sandberg

Portal Sun
and
Hex (the Kite)

Ngara tree in foregournd
Sandy Sundays in background

What are we sinking?

Kaleidoscope
Although photos do not do it justice, Kaleidoscope was my personal favourite for several reasons.  Although there was a handle, the wind made this huge Kaleidoscope operate with changing colours, patterns and the sound.   I had an emotional connection with this artwork as it reminded me of a childhood toy.

Redcliffe Peninsula

We are thinking that we would like to live on the Redcliffe Peninsula in retirement as the ocean is always within walking distance and it is only 30 minutes from Brisbane airport and it is more laid back and relaxed than the Brisbane suburbs.

Redcliffe jetty.  You will normally find people fishing on the piers.

Woody Point Pier.  Note how clear the water is.

Highly recommend the Fishermans Basket at the Belvedere Hotel, Woody Point

Shorncliffe Pier windsurfers

Redcliffe is a great place to take our dog for a walk and have a picnic.

Although it is on the east coast of Australia, you can see the sun set over the water at Scarborough as it is on a peninsula and looks to the west.

Houghton Highway is a 2.74 km bridge to the Redcliffe Peninsula

Bramble Bay from Clontarff

Ocean

The one thing that I missed the most when living in North East Victoria was the ocean.

As a child, I spent most school holidays and many weekends at the family beach house, which is now my parent's home.  I spent many hours sitting on the jetty, listening to the ocean lapping and the gulls squawking with the smell of salt (and sometimes seaweed) in the air.  For me, the ocean has always been synonymous with relaxation.

 We may not be living in an ocean town, but we are close enough to visit the ocean on a regular basis.  We have travelled the world and have seen some wonderful beaches but I still feel that Queensland has some of the best beaches in the world and many different types of beaches and ocean views too.

Always different but always the same!

Miami Beach

Burleigh

Surfers Paradise

Tallebudgera Creek Inlet

Point Cartwright

Bribie Island

Bargara

Cairns

Southport

Surfers Paradise from Q1 tower

Shelly Beach

Mangroves

"Look at the size of those Mangroves" was my reaction when we first moved to Queensland.

Above are typical mangroves in Victoria, near to my parent's home.  They have doubled in thickness in the past 40 years or so, but don't seem to get much higher than this.

However in Queensland, the mangroves are the size of trees.

Bribie Island Mangroves

David Fleay Wildlife Park mangroves

North Stradbroke Island Mangroves

There are many boardwalks around Queensland.  This is Winiam Mangroves boardwalk 

Mangroves provide protection from erosion and are very important to the ecology.

Boondall Wetlands boardwalk mangroves

Nudgee Beach Mangroves

I certainly have a greater appreciation for Mangroves since we moved to Queensland.  I didn't realise that there were so many varieties of mangroves and that they could be so beautiful. Just don't forget the insect repellent!