Leonie and I went to Brisbane during the last week of September for a relaxing holiday, and to catch up with family and friends.

The first night, we stayed in a hotel near the airport, but didn't get much sleep due to the noisy trucks going past every few minutes.

After a nice breakfast, we enjoyed a lovely river cruise to the city on our first day in Brisbane. We spent the day walking around the city taking in all the sights - we probably spent around 7 hours on our feet!

For the remained of the week, our dear friends (Hugo and Marianne from South Africa) kindly made arrangements for us to stay with them in one of the Southern suburbs called Rochedale.

Hugo and Marianne were very accommodating to us, and we really enjoyed our stay with them. Hugo even met us on the first day and helped us get to the car rental place, which we really appreciated.

The weather was fantastic for the whole week, and Wayne was up most mornings at around 6am, itching to start the day.

We caught up with family whilst we were in Brisbane. We managed to see Gary and Linda (Linda made a fabulous lunch for us) and we met their new baby - Jay.

We later enjoyed a trip to the Sunshine Coast where we caught up with Leonie's family at Underwater World in Mooloolaba.

On the weekend before heading back to Adelaide, we managed to have a nice sushi meal with Callie, Cayle and Nelien. Garry, Linda and Jay were also able to make it - it was really nice to be able to catch up with everyone again.

On one of the days, we managed to go to the Gold Coast Hinterland (about 45 mins to an hour drive from Brisbane) and enjoyed the scenic walk in the tree tops, as well as running into a large carpet snake. Afterwards, enjoyed a nice lunch in the lovely surroundings, before we drove up to Mount Tamborine and visited a glow worm cave, which was very informative. This was followed by a walk through the village to see local arts and crafts before heading back to Brisbane.

We also managed to spend time with the local Witnesses, accompanying them in the field ministry and attending a few meetings - we were really welcomed by all, and especially enjoyed the circuit overseer visit. We were treated to some Italian home made pizza on one night, and a lovely meal at a farm on the outskirts of the city.

We returned to Adelaide feeling refreshed and encouraged from our wonderful visit!

Here are a few of the pictures that we took on our time in Brisbane:

We went to Sydney last weekend for a weekend break. It was our first visit, and certainly action packed.

Friday

We arrived at around midday on Friday, and went for an excursion around the city. It certainly brought back thoughts of London, especially all the people and huge rush. We ended up going for a walk through Hyde Park, and then saw a few of the city sights, including the Queen Victoria Building, Town Hall, shopping malls, and the Sydney Tower (the highest building in Sydney). After that, we ventured to Chinatown, and ended up at Paddy's Market. On the way back to the hotel, we caught the monorail.

Pictures of the city

 

Saturday

On Saturday, we had a ferry trip arranged to take us around the main tourist attractions. Here is a map of the ferry route. The tour (www.captaincook.com.au) allows you to hop off and hop on at each stop. There are regular ferries (arriving at each stop every 45 mins) and it is a great way to get around:

We went to the following destinations:

• Darling Harbour
• Circular Quay
• Fort Denison
• Watson Bay

Here are some of the photos we took:

Darling Harbour

      Circular Quay

Fort Denison

  

      Watson Bay

We finished at Circular Quay and then went for a walk back to the hotel. On the way back, we went through the lovely Botanic Gardens. We managed to snap a few shots of the beautiful scenery.

Botanic Gardens

 

 

  

            

On Saturday night, we decided to book in for a trip to the Blue Mountains.

Sunday

The Blue Mountains are not actually blue, but named "Blue Mountains" due to the distinct bluish haze - originating from vapour released by the abundant eucalyptus trees growing on the mountains. This effect from a distance makes the mountains seem blue. The air is very fresh and it was lovely to get out into nature and admire Jehovah's creation.

Consisting mainly of a sandstone plateau, the area is dissected by gorges up to 760 metres deep. The highest point of the range is 1,190 metres above sea level. A large part of the Blue Mountains is incorporated into the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site, consisting of seven national park areas and a conservation reserve.

Blue Mountains

  

  

  

We stopped for a Chinese Buffet lunch in the town of Leura where housing is more expensive than in Sydney. I couldn't resist taking a black & white picture of this Airedale Terrier (there was actually 3 of them):

On the way back, we stopped at a Featherdale Wildlife Park        

Featherdale Wildlife Park

 

  

  

 

 

  

  

  

        

Finally, we took a short (45 min) river cruise into Circular Quay

Circular Quay at night  

   

 

Monday

Our last day in Sydney was Monday, and we had a special trip arranged - a tour of the Australian Bethel. Bethel means 'House of God', and this is the Branch Office of Jehovah's Witnesses in Australia. After the tour, we enjoyed a nice lunch with friends. Then we headed back to the airport to catch the return flight. It all seems far in the past now...

Australian Bethel

 

     

 

     

 

We hope you enjoyed our pictures of Sydney!