One week in Southeast Queensland

My wiki user name: myraclarke	Length of trip: 7 nights
Time of year: November 2007	Type of travel: independent

General itinerary:

• Brisbane/3 nights
• Gold Coast/2 nights
• Lamington National Park/2 nights

Trip highlights: Riding the CityCat ferries to get around Brisbane, visiting the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary to cuddle koalas and hang out with 'roos, ferrying to Moreton Island to sand toboggan and hand feed wild dolphins, pub crawling through Surfer's Paradise, taking a two-hour motorcycle tour from the beaches to the hinterlands of the Gold Coast, sailing at sunset from Mariner's Cove, hiking to waterfalls in Lamington National Park, hand feeding wild parrots, riding a zipline 80' over a rainforest creek, seeing the Andromeda galaxy with the naked eye, and watching glow-worms light up the night.


What surprised me most: That the platypus is a sociable, family-oriented animal. Who knew?


Advice I want to pass along: You don't need a lot of time or money to visit Australia, and you shouldn't consider it a "trip of a lifetime." It's a large country best viewed many times, focusing on one area per visit. From the West Coast of the U.S., a flight to Australia is about as long as one to Europe, but once there, you'll find a better value for your dollar.


Best hotels:
The Sheraton Mirage Gold Coast - a beautfiul resort with its own spa and private beach
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=372

O'Reilly's Rainforest Lodge - uniquely situated in the middle of a rainforest, with fun activities and a great staff
www.oreillys.com.au/

Favorite meal:
Barramundi at Oskars on Burleigh - fresh, innovative menu with beautiful ocean view
www.oskars.com.au/

Travelogue Video Link:
http://video.yahoo.com/?t=t&p=myra+clarke



Photos from my trip: