Blog

Brisbane (1)

Yesterday I left Coffs Harbour and drove 5-hours up the East Coast to Brisbane. It's a beautiful part of the country and although I didn't have time to see too much of it, various people I'd met along the way told me I should at least visit Byron Bay. They were right. The appetite for beauty was today satisfied.

I sat on the beach for an hour watching the surfers and then took a walk up to Cape Byron, the most Easterly point in Australia. If you want to go any further you have to get into the South Pacific and swim. I was going to do the sensible thing and get back in the car.

I try to avoid the tourist traps when travelling, especially since the hosts are able to recommend the little treasures that only the locals know about. But I hadn't seen any kangaroos or koalas and time was running out in Australia. So, this afternoon, Brisbane hosts Jan and Ian humoured me and we all went to Lone Park Sanctuary. And what can you do at Lone Park? Hold a koala! I know it's a bit cheesy but if it's good enough for Pope John Paul II (and there was his picture on the wall to prove it), it's good enough for me. Totally worth it!! The weird thing was, the koala was much softer than I thought, exactly like a cuddly version of itself.

There are three shows in Brisbane all together and Jan and Ian, were hosting tonight and tomorrow night respectively. Most folks that come to the house concerts have never been to one before and there's usually a little bit of intrepidation on everyone's part at the beginning. Tonight was no exception but by the time folks eased into it, there was a real calm about the place. This was a great audience. And just to add some comedy, there was a gecko on the ceiling over where we all sat which spent the evening either eating bugs or singing along. it may only have 2 inches in length, but boy was it loud. Sometimes you just have to go with the audience participation.

23 February 2011

Back to recent blog entries>>>