I was elated that my sister suggested that we go on a holiday together overseas. Wow!! Australia!! I was truly excited and my things were all packed & ready to go weeks ahead of the actual departure date, who wouldn't be..going further than Singapore or Indonesia...for the 1st time =)
And so my journey begins ~ ~ ~ ~
DAY 1 (Arrival)
Was at the Subang airport in the wee hours of the morning, felt that we didn’t have to get up so early for the 9.40am flight to Brisbane. Anyway, we weren’t the first among the 13 member tour group to arrive, our tour agent from Parlo Tours was there bright & early awaiting our arrival at the airport. Without any delay the flight took off as schedule. I was thinking the 8 hrs flight would be an awful one as I always get airsick..even on short flights, but with the help of medication, surprisingly I had a pleasant flight all the way to Brisbane. My 1st time overseas onboard MAS...it was comfortable enough I should say and the meals were amazing...did not even have a chance to go hungry. Lunch was served just before noon.
Our lunch ~ the omelette set
See!!..I told you the meals were great!! We had a choice of either Nasi lemak or omelette & obviously this was the favourite among the passengers as later some had to wait for theirs to be heated up =)
There's also wine served & of course I didn't have any.
Afternoon tea was served just after 4.00pm and guess wat???
We had double burgers!! Tuna & Cheese burgers with gherkins too....so so yummy...just see it for yourselves!!
The 8hrs flight went by and the only unpleasant thing about this flight was the continuous annoying flushing sound that came from a nearby toilet that got blocked which lasted for an hour or so, I can’t even really enjoy the movie with the headset on!! Anyway that was only a minor issue which was soon forgotten as the plane flew closer to its destination.
The sunset from the plane as we flew into Brisbane
Upon arrival at Brisbane airport, I was rather nervous wondering if I’ll have any problems with the medications I was carrying as I heard that the customs regulations in Australia is very strict..but all went well and we got through without any problems.
Upon arrival at Brisbane airport, I was rather nervous wondering if I’ll have any problems with the medications I was carrying as I heard that the customs regulations in Australia is very strict..but all went well and we got through without any problems.
Everyone was wondering what our guide would look like and how we could recognise him amongst the crowd at the Brisbane airport. Immediately after custom clearance...there stood a small stern looking asian man, carrying the sign “Parlo Tours”. I was thinking to myself “What...he is our guide??!!” But all disappointments went away when he gave us a great big smile and said “Welcome to Brisbane!!”. Well..he turned out the be an amazing & friendly guide, taking great care of us all the way till we flew back home
Mr Peter guided us to his van and off we went on our way straight to Gold Coast where we will be checking into the Watermark Hotel. We can’t see much of Brisbane as daylight was fading fast. As I looked out from the van I thought to myself..the highways looked pretty much the same as the highway in Malaysia. The 1 ½ hrs journey felt like a rather long one as most of us were already tired from the 8hrs plane ride, most had already dozed off but as we reached Gold Coast everyone became alert as Mr Peter gave us a brief introduction to the landmarks of Gold Coast as the van passed.
The room was cosy with full amenities, the mini-bar well stocked and I felt happy and satisfied with the good choice of accommodation that Parlo Tours had arranged for us.
(With the proprietor of Mt.Nathan winery ~ Mr Peter Gibson)
Their cellars are located in the rich nectar region of Paulownia Plantation on the lush Clagiraba Creek.
The Watermark hotel was situated right in the middle of Surfers Paradise the most popular tourist attraction in Gold Coast. It was already around 8.30pm Australia time and since we already had a late tea on the plane, we were informed that there would be no dinner as that was our dinner!! My stomache was already starting to rumble!! So after settling into our rooms, all four of us ventured out looking for the 24hrs convenience store nearby after enquiring from the front desk. After getting our supply of mineral water & buns we headed back to our rooms, filled our stomachs & went to bed. Sleep came easily as it was already close to midnight before settling down to rest.
The room was cosy with full amenities, the mini-bar well stocked and I felt happy and satisfied with the good choice of accommodation that Parlo Tours had arranged for us.
Sleep did not come as easy as I thought it would, at 2.00am I was still looking out the window..feeling happy that I finally get to take my first step of achieving my dream of travel & thinking what tomorrow would hold for us. Don’t know what time it was that I finally dozed off.
DAY 2 (Tweeds River, Mt. Nathan Winery, Superbee Honeyworld & Harbour Town)
The sun was already shinning bright and early at 4am at Gold Coast. Morning call was at 6.00am. Breakfast was served at the Waves Restaurant...great breakfast daily, not a very wide variety but still all four of us had a hearty meal each morning.
By 8.00am all of us met up in the hotel lobby, Mr Peter was already there & the van waiting to take us to our first Aussie adventure ~ Catch A Crab at Tweeds River. The ride didn’t take too long as we enjoyed the lovely scenery along the way as Mr Peter explained each landmark as we went by.
I bet that each and everyone was as excited as I was when we arrived at our first destination. The river boat was a beautiful sight, not as small & scary as I thought it would be. We were joined on board by another large group of asian tourists. As the boat started its journey the Captain explained first about the safety of the boat and then about the Tweeds river and the activities we would be involved in.
First stop...Pelican feeding..its really amazing to see the birds coming so near the boat, not only the pelicans but the seagulls too..and why? Of course of the fish we have for the feeding. Its was really an amazing feeling getting so close to the birds. They were all around us..such beautiful creatures.
Then the boat cruised along to the next stop ~ Yabby Pumping.
What is that? Well, Yabby Pumping is done along the shallow banks of the river. The boat cruised as close as it could get to the river banks and we were given a kind of pump for this activity and taught how to work it. Of course we had to get our feet wet, I was reluctant at first but on second thoughts..what the heck..why not..since I came all the way here I don’t wanna miss out on anything exciting...and indeed it was.
And as for the Yabby..it kind of looks like a tiny lobster. The guys were already pumping away way before I reached them and honestly...its not as easy as it looks but the new experience was a fun one.
All too soon it was time to head on back to the boat and on to the next location for fishing. Sounds exciting as it was but till the very end none from our group caught anything as most of us ended up feeding the fishes rather than catching them instead, however two tourists from the other group were luckier but the fishes weren’t anything to brag about.
The last stop before heading back to the pier was the highlight of this activity which was ‘Catch-A’Crab’.
All along I was wondering how its going to be done but it ended up with us hauling in the catch...cages that were set up the previous day. Well it was exciting too as all cheered as each cage is hauled up onboard, some caught really huge crabs!
Our catch of the day. The crabs caught are pretty much similar to the ones found in Malaysia except that some can really grow to really huge sizes.
Our good looking & 'loud speaking' skipper. I'm saying so because he speaks loud & clear without the aid of a loudspeaker
The freshly caught crabs are cooked right there on board in the kitchen & served.
As for ourselves, we had a more scrumptious lunch of fresh crabs, oysters, fish, calamari & salad at the pier restaurant
Just see the size of the claws I'm holding!! It was really a very big portion & most of us can't manage to finish off everything..except for the succulent crabs & oysters of course =)
[The river boat & the Oyster Farm where all the fresh oysters we had for lunch came from]
After a most satisfying & filling lunch we were on our way to our next stop ~ Mt Nathan Winery. Situated at Mount Nathan the journey took quite a while. This is one of the many private wineries in Queensland. Mt Nathan winery is a progression of involvement in the wine industry over 30 years by the Gibson family and his son Peter Gibson have spent many years of experimentation to expand the product range to include a range of over 20 types of award winning wines which includes premium wines, fortified & the very popular honey liqueurs.
(With the proprietor of Mt.Nathan winery ~ Mr Peter Gibson)
Their cellars are located in the rich nectar region of Paulownia Plantation on the lush Clagiraba Creek.
Wine Tasting
Each of us was presented with a complimentary picture on a wine bottle. This wine tasting was indeed a new and memorable experience for me..getting to taste and experience the worlds exclusive honey-grape wines and their Winter series..simply amazing!
Our next stop was the Superbee Honeyworld, located in Currumbin where we get to purchase various types of honey straight from its factory outlet & get to try out the different flavours of honey
Next & final stop for the day was shopping at Harbour Town, Gold Coast’s favourite Outlet Shopping. It’s located just 20 mins. north of Surfer’s Paradise on the Gold Coast Highway (known as Brisbane Road to the locals) at Biggera Waters. This place is popular for its branded outlets where one can shop for a diverse mix of fashion, jewellery, gifts, homewares, general merchandise & service retail outlets.
Mr Peter recommended that we don’t miss out Giant Chemist if we are looking for health supplements as we can really get a good bargain there. There are also a variety of cafes, restaurants, alfresco dining & international cuisine if you are interested, there’s even a cinema complete with a Gold Class luxury theatre if you’re interested too. As time was limited, we did not get to walk about all the outlets
I met Santa at Harbour Town =)
Dinner was at our own expense tonight, so after a good rest & a nice shower, all four of us headed out on our own to experience the nightlife at Surfer’s Paradise. The town was very much alive with tourists from all over as it was the Christmas Holiday season. We browsed through shops as we walked along and at the same time checking out places to eat. The prices for food was exorbitant compared to food prices in Malaysia. We shopped at Coles Supermarket, one of the major supermarket chain store in Queensland and settled for a simple dinner of potato salad, instant noodles & fresh cherries for dessert.
As I laid my head down to sleep, today’s events flashed through my mind..feeling satisfied how the day has turned out and look forward to another exciting day tomorrow. Sleep came easily that night as we were all exhausted after being our the whole day.
As I laid my head down to sleep, today’s events flashed through my mind..feeling satisfied how the day has turned out and look forward to another exciting day tomorrow. Sleep came easily that night as we were all exhausted after being our the whole day.
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