There is Pacific Fair, Australian Fair and now Harbour Town (actually it’s probably been here for years) – another mall complex but different in that all the stores open up to small walking areas rather than enclosed in a massive complex. We’d gone to meet up with a friend of Phil’s and enjoy yet another coffee – it has become a bit of a theme on this trip. A bit of bargain hunting later we were starting to feel the hunger pangs and had children chanting “beach, beach, beach” under their breath – keen to leave the ‘harbourless’ expanse for true sand and ocean breeze. Although sunny, it was still a bit nippy – especially out of the sun where the breeze could get at you – mind you it was still about 20 degrees celsius – a temperature that would make most Canadians feel as though they were in a sweat lodge and relate very poorly to any sense of ‘cold’ or ‘nippy’. Some greasy fish and chips were enjoyed by most of the crew with few exceptions and we ventured into Surfer’s Paradise for a little driving tour behind our SatNav intrepid leader – Phil. Given the relatively frigid temp we decided not to try the beach but instead head back to the caravan park where that heated pool awaited us. Interrupting a seeming romantic liaison in process by much splashing, raucous yelling and play involving the launching of children into the air, we eventually took over the pool and burned some pent up energy. With the sun on its descent, completely water-logged and spent we sat down to watch the news and catch up on the sudden ousting of the PM by Julia Gillard – Australia’s first female Prime Minister. We were all a bit shocked, like most of Australia, by the turn of events and felt sorry for Kevin 07 – he did get a bit of the blunt end of the stick – such is the way with politics though I guess. He is sort of the Bill Gates of Australian politics in terms of looks - only geeky in a different ‘political’ sort of way. Julia, although to be quite the thorn in Tony Abbott’s side (leader of the opposition), will unfortunately be judged through different spectacles – having to not only fill the shoes as the nation’s leader but also work the part in looks and fashion choice – seems almost unfair in this day and age but alas – it is what it is.
For dinner we joined Phil’s friend Pete and his wife at a local pizza joint seemingly wrapped up in Knights of the Round table/King Arthur sort of lore, serving pizzas with names such as Merlin’s Magic or Dragon’s Breath and Excalibur. Cheesy names aside (and no pun intended) the ‘zas’ were actually quite tasty. Merlin’s Magic was a mixture of banana, prawns, bacon and your regular toppings – sounds hideous but was absolutely delectable. Dragon’s Breath was touted to be a bit fiery but never required much in terms of extinguishing. Regardless, the tucker was tasty, conversation intriguing and a great way to spend Phil, Tamra and their clan’s final night up here with us. They’ve been wonderful friends almost since our arrival in Narrandera and will be missed greatly as we take up a new home overseas.
Feeling a bit toxic from many moons of good food and drink and a modicum of what one might term exercise, I woke early and donned my running gear to brave the early morning streets and chill. As always it felt good for the first kilometre or so and then began to hurt – problem was I was now committed and too far from home to simply hobble back, tail between my legs, so kept on hoping the route I’d chosen wasn’t going to end up being some epic 15 km classic. I had missed the meditational side of things such ‘me-time’ affords and despite it being a bit painful – it was a good pain – one I needed to come back to more regularly. I could feel all the toxins getting pumped out of my body and on my eventual return, felt cleansed by the experience. I remember thinking in a few races of my past - “why am I doing this? My legs are numb, lungs feel like someone is stabbing me with upteen number of tiny knives and some plump, knobby-kneed girl has just blown past me like I was standing still…” and now have an inkling again of why it’s worth the suffering. The feeling at the end makes it all worth the while – a feeling not only of euphoria from the endorphins kicking in but simply that of accomplishment and some improved inner completeness. Once back in some organized lifestyle, getting back into the swing of things will be high on the agenda.
The Beaumonts were shoving off, so having passed off whatever we could to alleviate some of our load and enhance theirs, we gave our final goodbyes and saw them off into the sun. We had some final admin jobs and some haircuts to attend to so got on our way as well with aims of hitting Sea World in the afternoon. As they do, things usually take more time than you anticipate but in the end we did make it to Sea World in all its splendour. The crowds were definitely much younger than those at Movie World and for good reason given the types and number of rides available. We were keen on hitting the rides mostly and perhaps some of the shows if they fit in to the schedule. We headed to one of those water rides to start as our kids usually fit the size restrictions but for some reason Piper – usually the most fearless of us all – had a little ‘caniption’ – indicating it was to be too scary for her. A bit dumbfounded, Jen decidedly took her to the kiddie rides while I and the boys ventured to the bigger kid ones. Cole was completely stoked as he wasn’t able to ride much at Movieland due to his stature and now he met all the requirements! The numbers at the park weren’t overwhelming so on one of the roller coasters which afforded us a loop-de-loop and a few upside down twirls, we were actually able to run around and get a second ride right away. The aquariums were fantastic with oodles of interesting looking fish and sharks all co-habitating. They had assorted touch pools as well including one with rays which was a thrill. We ended the day enjoying the Pirate Show with all its acrobatics, high-diving and jet-ski/motorboat feats. Although it was only an afternoon visit, we felt we had done Sea World justice and ticked it off our list of things to do. We have yet to be to Byron Bay which is only a short trip down the coast so will plug it into Google Maps in the AM. It will likely be our last venture on this ‘near-circumnavigation’ of Oz so we may feel a bit of sentimentality as we head home at the end of the day – our trip in Australia for all intents and purposes at a close….(for now).
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