Stradbroke Island and the Sunshine Coast

Last weekend I went on the day trip to Stradbroke Island I was talking about. I really enjoyed it and felt like I was seeing the real Australia for once, rather than city life. We had an aboriginal guide for the day, who was genuinely one of the most interesting people I've ever met. He had so many stories to tell. He told us not only about the dreamtime stories and beliefs of his tribe but about the persecution the aboriginals underwent right up until recently. Up until the 1970s they were still considered to be animals. It seems so ridiculous it's hard to understand how that could happen. He told us stories of how he ended up in a young offenders institute and his teeth would be pulled out, basically as a punishment, and how the police have attempted to murder him on multiple occasions. He told a story of how they were holding the gun to his head but then they saw a small white child therefore could not go through with it in front of her. His story's were so shocking, it's difficult to comprehend how these things went on. He told us stories of aboriginals lining up to be shot, and the mass murders that occurred in the 'Secret War'. For a long time they were forbidden to practise their culture and had to do it in secret. At least now they are starting to receive equal rights. Although a lot of their land has been taken from them.

On a lighter note, I painted my own boomerang and at the lookout point saw dolphins and a mother and baby whale! Stradbroke Island is very beautiful, not quite Fraser Island standard but a really nice place.

This weekend was lovely weather so we spent Saturday going to West End Market in the morning and then heading to South Bank for a swim and some sunbathing. On Saturday we went to Sunshine Coast for the day with our friend George. We started out at Coolum beach where me and Louisa sunbathed while George surfed and Guy attempted. A couple of George's friends were there one of whom had a 4WD. We all piled in and headed up to north beach past Noosa where you can drive along the beach and climb up the sand dunes. It was very beautiful there but oddly there were hundreds of dead birds along the shore. We were thinking they were probably migratory birds that died during their journey and have been washed up as they were all in a line parallel to the shore. We climbed up a sandbank to a lookout point. My legs thought they were going to die! Every step you take you fall halfway back down. Not lovely. The view was pretty though. And going down was a lot more fun. We tried sliding down on a lid we had but it didn't go so well and I just ended up covered in sand. It's fun to jump down the dune though.

We then drove along the beach a bit more to get to a 4WD track that took us across to Rainbow Beach. This was a lot of fun but Rainbow beach is a long way from home. We then had to spend 3 or 4 hours getting back. The worst thing was we drove into the most horrible storm I have ever experienced. The lightening was coming every couple of seconds and the rain was torrential. We could not see the road only feel our way along by driving on the catseyes. I was very scared but obviously it all turned out alright and we all got back safely. Apparently storms get much worse than that though and every summer they have a couple of megastorms. Not looking forward to that- especially if we're in a campervan!!

So that's what I've been up to lately. I don't have much planned because exams are looming. But in a month today I will be on a flight to Cairns to start my adventures!!

Miss you all,

Claire

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