19th, 20th and 21st August 2017 Changing weather at Coolangatta

The weather has changed somewhat from beautiful one day perfect the next, but we awoke on Saturday morning to a bright sunny morning but with a howling breeze supposedly from the southerly change impacting Melbourne and Adelaide right up the coast up to Northern New South Wales. 

Saturday morning we walked along the beach area and then shopped at Woolworths before visiting BWS and getting a couple of bottles of wine.  Ken decided against golf due to the wind. 

Late afternoon Ken went out and walked to Point Danger and Rainbow Bay .  There were perhaps 200 Surfers out surfing the rolling waves of 8-12 feet brought in by the change and the heavy winds.  Following this he went to Twin Town Services Club and watched the AFL and Rugby.  Jeanette played the pokies for a time and we watched an Irish group play a good range of music. 

Whilst a significant change the photos and videos are wonderful and reflect the fantastic surf conditions.  The surf at Point Danger was high and plainly dangerous, but there were 2 whales paying in the break about two hundredmetres off shore, but quite hard to pick up with the large number of white caps.

Sunday was another near perfect day and the breezes had diminished and we decided to drive down to Burleigh Heads to walk along the beach, take in the rolling waves and watch the activity.  But half the population of the Gold Coast had similar ideas and parking after the 25 minute trip was difficult .

We drove around the beach parking areas without luck and then Jeanette suggested we seek a 2 hour parking spot in the shopping precinct.  We found a parking spot, walked and took many photos of the wonderful surf , the Surfers and the wonderful beach.

Jeanette also looked at clothes for our forthcoming European holiday, but despite buying some very comfortable shoes didn't find clothes to her liking. 

We came home here at Beachcomber International, enjoyed salad rolls and fruit, before watching the AFL where our Demons are playing Brisbane Lions for the important win and continue their thrust toward the AFL top 8. After a nervous afternoon, the Demons win by 13 points and now have to win at the MCG next week to qualify for the finals.  Late in the afternoon Ken walked along the beach again, but found the weather and the wind unsettling and difficult. 

We decided to have dinner at Coolangatta Surf Club.  It was a good decision, but with the strong winds decided to drive.  Dinner was excellent.  It has been a good weekend. 

Following a good night's sleep we awoke to a bright sunny morning, with lighter winds.  We enjoyed a quit relaxing morning.  Ken is again reading another novel, his eighth since arriving here at Coolangatta.  

We have decided that we will shop for groceries and Ken will book golf at Royal Pines for lunch time tomorrow.  Mid afternoon the weather has changed quite dramatically with a grey overcast sky with the threat of showers for late afternoon. It is the first time over our 3 plus weeks that we haven't enjoyed perfectly clear blue skies and sunshine. 

We are dining in tonight and relaxing and having a quiet afternoon. 

22nd, 23rd and 24th August 2017. Golf at RACV Royal Pines and Coolangatta Tweed Head Golf Courses and a relaxing last day in beautiful Queensland.

After the extremely strong winds of last weekend and Monday, we hoped that the weather would revert to its usual beautiful self.  Come Tuesday morning the sunrise was spectacular and there were no winds.  Jeanette is doing some shopping for shoes and clothes for our forthcoming European holiday and cruise.

Ken has booked golf at Royal PInes Golf resort and is scheduled to hit off at 11.36am. Jeanette is dropped off at 10.15am and the drive to Royal Pines at RACV is about 25 minutes of easy driving up the M1.  

He finds he is making up a foursome with a group from Balcomb near Frankston.  We enjoy a very enjoyable front 9'and Ken has a very good 42 strokes.  He is behind 2 others but they have handicaps of 7 and 9.   

The back nine is harder as an afternoon breeze arrives, but Ken also plays well but has a 47 tally so a total of 89 for the day on a difficult course in what turned out to a testing afternoon.  So a net 68 was a very good score finishing third in the competition with 41 stableford points.  Clearly, the best result in the group.  It is quite some time since Ken has played really back to his earlier handicap of 17.  

A couple of beers after and an enjoyable albeit slow afternoon 

Jeanette has advised that she had a good day, with purchases of shoes and one shirt.  We have a drink after Ken showers.  The sunset is just superb, what a great time we have enjoyed on this holiday. 

Dinner in this evening with the last of a good bottle of South Australian Shiraz.   

We again sleep well and awake to another beautiful morning.  We walk to do some local shopping, then Ken is off to play 9 holes at Coolangatta Tweed Heads golf club.  Jeanette goes shopping again without luck. 

Our morning though is highlighted by Carrot Cake and Cappuccino which we both enjoy.  

It is relaxing and enjoyable. 

Coolangatta is not frantic with people, it is following the bustle of the weekend, quieter and almost lethargic.  It is pleasant to walk along the beach and the path.  We take our lunch to the beach area and sit under cover, with a warm sea breezes, taking in the beautiful vista of this amazing surf beach.  The surf has settled from the 8-12 foot waves which were rolling in over the weekend.   Today is is 4-6 foot, but far gentler.  There are still many board riders out and about and enjoying the surf.

Late afternoon, Ken walks around to Rainbow Bay, Point Danger and Snapper Rocks and takes photos of the spectacular beach and then the brilliant sunset.  The photos are superb, the view is outstanding and it reflects the stunning beauty and wonderful weather we have enjoyed here at Coolangatta. 

Tomorrow is our last day.  We will have a relaxing quiet day.   Packing later.

Jeanette is also wrapping presents for Oliver, who turns 5 tomorrow with a party tomorrow night in Croydon. 

Gavin, will pick us up at 3.30pm Tullamarine, then drop us home , where we will unpack and change and then drive to the party.  Hard to believe Oliver is turning 5.  We are very blessed our family and grand children bring us much joy. 

We have thoroughly enjoyed our accommodation here at Beachcomber International Resort, following Tamarind Sands, and the Marriott after Sebel Resort at Coolangatta.

An excellent relaxing holiday. 

Interestingly, late this afternoon we had a short violent electrical storm and heavy rainfall for approximately 30 minutes.  The highlight was a beautiful double rainbow. This is the first and only rainfall over our total time of almost one month here in Queensland.  But after 30 minutes we  note that the sun is out the clouds have gone. Just beautiful.

Dinner tonight at Orient Restaurant at Twin Towns, a wonderful way to celebrate and conclude our winter holiday.

16th, 17th and 18th August 2017. Relaxing, Golf at Royal Pines some shopping and a Terrific show at Twin Towns.

Ken again played golf at Royal Pines with 3 really good players all off sub 10, so he had a challenge to play to a standard.  It continued the run of perfect days with no wind, blue skies and temperatures in mid 20's with afternoon sea breezes. 

They hit off at 11.03am and Ken played an excellent fist nine of 42, it doesn't come much better, before a strong afternoon breeze of 25 miles per hour made the second nine more difficult so whilst disappointed with 47, it could have been far worse. 

Back to Coolangatta for a shower then a drink before dinner at thebSurf Club.  Jeanette had a senior meal and Ken had a steak topped with fresh scallops wrapped in bacon.  There was entertainment but we decided to walk back to the Beachcomber International. 

We slept really well, and again awoke to another perfect morning.  We did some shopping and Jeanette purchased some new shoes for our upcoming holiday in Asia and Europe.  Also a mandatory morning walk along the foreshore was enjoyable.

Lunch was internal and Ken said he would enjoy a game at Coolangatta Tweed Golf Club. He booked 9 holes for 1.45pm.  It was a perfect still afternoon.  He played but it was very busy and extremely slow, with 9 holes taking over 2 and a half hours.  Just too long, but played with a nice couple from North of Sydney. 

Dinner was cooked by Jeanette then we went to Twin Towns, we did drive as the predicted cool change and strong winds were forecast to arrive mid evening.

The Showroom is a dedicated theatre holding between 700-800 people in quite comfortable surroundings, with a wonderful sound and lighting set up and has played host to many top class domestic and international artists.   

Tonight we are attending a combined show of the first half prior to interval being Jeff Fallon, who provided 50 minutes of foot tapping magic of the great Del Shannon and he was simply amazing.  Following interval we had the Robertson Brothers performing the hits of the Everly Brothers and for the next hour and 20 minutes they cajoled and sang, entertained and had everyone involved.  We were up on our feet singing, clapping and dancing and enjoyed a fantastic evening, back at the resort by 11.35pm, missed the AFL match between Adelaide and Sydney and came home thoroughly relaxed after a great night. 

During the evening, we heard the wind come up and the threatened Strindberg southerly winds have well and truly arrived, with slightly reduced temperatures in the low 20c. 

15th August 2017 Back to the Tivoli at Twin Towns Services Club - Showroom.

Ken slept in until 7.30 and awoke to another perfect morning here in paradise with not a cloud in sight. A walk on the beach followed an enjoyable breakfast.  We then decided to have a relaxing time until it was time (10.40am) to walk down the road to the Twin Town Services Club and to get to our seats in the Showroom amongst almost 700 other "mature" attendees.  The show was "Back to the Tivoli " and is a regular 3 monthly live theatre show of singing, dancing and entertainment with comedians, singers, musicians and comedians. 

The show commenced to a full house and we enjoyed 1 hour and 45 minutes of good quality entertainment.  In particular a very good female singer, terrific clarinet and saxophone player, named Amber Jay, then an excellent comedian and ventriloquist who had everyone laughing.

Following the show we decided against staying for lunch and walked home to our accommodation in the Beachcomber International Resort, where we enjoyed salad roles and fruit . 

This afternoon we relaxed and enjoyed the warm weather, brilliant sunshine, before a long walk along the beach toward Rainbow Bay and the rocks area.  We met a couple from Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club who are staying in a resort at Rainbow Bay. 

Ken walked back along the beach, then rang his friend Greg, who he goes to the football with and they talked for some 20 minutes. 

It has been a wonderful day here on the beautiful Gold Coast, we enjoyed a great show and then accepted a relaxing afternoon in perfect weather. 

Tomorrow, Ken is again golfing at Royal Pines Golf Club with another couple.  Jeanette is doing some shopping and will visit the surf club here. 

It is just a perfect, relaxing and enjoyable vacation. 

12th-14th August 2017. Beechcomer International.

David was dropped off at Coolangatta International Airport at 5.40am on Saturday morning fro his return flight to Melbourne.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our week with him joining us at Tamarind Sands and last night here at the Beechcomer International. 

Ken returned and we slept in until 7.45am before having breakfast with our doors and windows open and you just smile it is such a wonderful bright and warm morning. 

Jeanette and Ken shop at Woolworths and then visit the Twin Towns Services Club, where Ken books two shows in their theatre forbTuesday morning return to the Tivoli, a singing and dancing show, which we gave seen similar shows previously.  The second show is Del Shannon and the Everly Brothers. 

We then had morning coffee and cake. 

The afternoon was quiet and we dined in.  Great to relax and watch the AFL football then have a couple of drinks.

We also watched football at night.  This has been a very relaxing day by ourselves. 

Sunday was also a day to ourselves, with a quiet morning.  Ken played golf in the afternoon at Coolangatta Tweed. Golf Club and enjoyed a round with a lovely couple from Brisbane. 

Dinner was here at the resort.  

Monday presented as another perfect morning with the promise of 26 degrees C and no wind. Ken has booked golf st Royal Pines Resort and will use his RACV Golf membership.  He departed at 9.50pm and returned at 4.30pm. 

The Golf was simply sensational on the green and gold nines.  Ken was to play with a Korean gentleman who has just joined the club and another two from Keilor, Victoria.  The course is in near perfect conditions and has been toughened up with the recent major reconstruction.  Ken enjoyed his day, played OK with 93 off the stick.  With his GA at 19.6 his handicap is 21 so a net 72 is a pretty good result on a tough course.  

Jeanette was busy shopping and posted several post cards.  She then came back here and had a quiet day. 

We have enjoyed a wonderful day in near perfect conditions.  Yes these last couple of days have just given us a chance to relax and recuperate.  

We also realise. How fortunate we are to holiday but also to have enjoyed the company and association with our family over the last week. 

Jeanette cooked terrific meal tonight. 

Life is just wonderful. 

10th and 11th August 2017 Quiet days at Cabarita Beach and Move to Beachcomer International Coolangatta

Following the exciting and tiring day at Movie World we all needed a restful and relaxing day or two. Similarly, we also want Peita and Chris to have some time as a family with the boys at the beach. 

David and Ken to also play some golf . 

Chris and Peita are due to check out on the Friday and we will move in. 

We have a family dinner scheduled for Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club on the Thursday evening and we will drop off Ken's clubs. 

During the morning Ken goes to the headland and Surf beach at Cabarita to watch Whales play in the bay, but also to watch the veterans surfing event.  There are 2 whales playing some 250 metres from shore. 

From here Ken then drives along the coast south toward the hamlet village or small township of Pottsville.  He walks for 45 minutes along the pristine beaches with small but poundingnsurf of 3-4 feet. 

Then drives back to enjoy a spa before changing for dinner and visiting Cris and Peita at the Beechcomer. Jeanette also wants to drop in at Woolworths. 

We have a great time with the boys and then go to dinner at the surf Club. We have a very nice meal and a couple of drinks.  We leave the club at 7.45pm and the boys then play on the park equipment in the parkland. 

We subsequently hear that they were showered and in bed by 8.15pm, but they were tired. We returned to Cabarita and had an early start the next morning. 

Another perfect day and we were packed and checked out by 9.10am and Jeanette drove us to Coolangatta where we checked in and Peter and Chris checked out by 10.15am and we said our goodbyes.  They have to refill the vehicle, drop it off then checkin at Virgin Australia at Coolangatta Airport.  We say our farewell and wish them a safe and quiet trip home.  Seb and Oliver have the final day of Auskick on Saturday and will receive their trophies, all very exciting and we would have loved to be there. 

 Jeanette unpacks and the goes shopping.  David and Ken unpack and then go to purchase some beer and wine.  Then a long walk around the beautiful beach here at Coolangatta before going to Twin Towns Services Club for afternoon tea and to use the free wi-fi. 

David  wants to buy us dinner at the Orient Restaurant at Twin Towns.  We enjoyed a lovely night and the food was super. 

Early to bed as David has a very early 6.45am Virgin flight to Melbourne tomorrow. 

Earlier we received a message from Peita advising that they landed early in Melbourne after a very  good flight.  They are off to Basketball for Sebastian.  They enjoyed their weeks holiday.

29th July 2017. Our Queensland Family Holiday ( August 2017)

For several months we have been planning to have a short family holiday in Coolongatta , Queensland.

Jeanette and Ken will fly to Coolongatta, Queensland on 30th July, 2017 and stay at the Sebel , Coolongatta overlooking the beautiful surf beach for 3 nights before moving on and staying at the new Marriott Gold coast timeshare for 2 nights.

The Family will then arrive over the next 2 days with Peita, Chris and Sebastian and Oliver will then stay for the week at the Beechcomber International (timeshare resort) in Coolongatta overlooking the superb beach area.   Jeanette and Ken will spend this week at the picturesque Cabarita Beach area staying at Tamarind Sands Resort.   David will arrive early Saturday morning and we will pick him up from Coolongatta Airport and then drop in and see Peita and Chris and the boys in Coolongatta and make arrangements for our activities for the next few days.

The following week given the return of Peita, Chris and the boys to Melbourne and David also travelling the following day, then Jeanette and Ken will transfer to the Beechcomer International Resort and spend 2 weeks in that accommodation. 

We have commenced planning all arrangements are in place and Gavin picks us up tomorrow morning.

30th July and 1st August, 2017. Jetstar flight to Gold Coast and arrival Sebel Premier Apartments, Coolangatta, Queensland

We awoke Sunday morning excited but there were winds blowing at 70 mile an hour as an aggressive cool change passed through South Eastern Australia and directly through Melbourne.  Gavin arrived on time at 11.25am and we arrived at Melbourne Airport at 12.15pm into the new purpose built Terminal 4 used exclusively by Tiger Air and Jetstar.  

The flight was a little late but we departed at 2.20pm arriving after a good flight at 4.10pm.  We called Apex car rental following collection of our luggage including golf clubs.  We were collected from the parking area at the end of the terminal, taken to their depot signed all paper work and were on our way. 

The Sebel is only 5 minutes away from the Airport  , we were immediately aware of the strong and gusty winds. We gained entry to the resort and our keys were locked in the night safe for late arrivals.  Accessed the car park and went up to our apartment 1206.  We entered and were delighted with our 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condominium overlooking the beautiful Coolangatta beach. You are always uncertain as to what to expect, but this is just superb, see pictures attached.

We unpacked found everything as we needed, then decided to have dinner at the refurbished Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club.  We enjoyed a meal and a couple of meals in quality facilities totally upgraded over the last 2 years.   

We watched some television before retiring after a travel day and everything has worked very easily. 

Morning came very quickly as we both slept well, but it was still incredibly windy with gusts exceeding 100km per hour during Monday morning.  We took photos of the morning sunrise, but this weather is extreme and we defer more activities until later in the morning. 

Tme for shopping for the next few days.  We visit Woolworths and walk back with our groceries, enjoy breakfast then go for a short walk.  This weather has been a direct outcome of the strong cold front 2000 km from the south.  Enjoy coffee and the sunshine and hope the wind abates tonight and tomorrow. Subsequently, Ken went out for a bottle of wine, we also ventured down to the Twin Towns Services Club for a couple of hours. 

Dinner in tonight, with a steak and salad and an ice-cream then we relax.

Tuesday morning arrives and it is just perfect.  Jeanette is up early and takes photos,Ken sleeps in until 7.15am, then following Breakfast he goes for a walk to Kirra, watches sky divers land on the beach, before walking back to Coolangatta along the beach.  It is the most perfect day with no breeze, perfect sunshine, just superb. 

Jeanette is going shopping, lunch in then a walk to Rainbow point.  Ken is looking at Golf.

We have enjoyed our first couple of days and weather is just wonderful warm and calm

The view from the Sebel Coolangatta is amazing and the winds have slowed and significantly diminished.  After doing some shopping in the morning and catching up with emails we have lunch and Ken books golf at the beautiful Coolangatta and Tweed Heads Golf Club which is about 15 minutes drive.  He plays with 2 chaps up from Sydney for a conference.  It is an enjoyable afternoon in perfect weather with a temperature of 23C degrees.   

The golf is enjoyable and we play ok, with us all off about 20 handicap. Ken arrives home at 4.15pm and decides to go for a walk along the beach toward Kirra.  It is just beautiful to feel the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the surf beach. 

Again we decide to eat in with chicken fillets and salad. 

We each read although Jeanette also does some knitting. It has been a great day and the Sebel at Coolangatta, Queensland has been a terrific way to kick off this holiday.

We both sleep really well, must be the sea air, then after breakfast Ken walks to Rainbow Bay and Danger Point and enjoys the hour's walk. 

We had washed all of our dirty clothing and Jeanette also does a little ironing then we pack as checkout is 10.00am.  Jeanette also does emails and sends messages to the boys etc.

A great start and we have several hours before we can check in at Marriott Surfers Paradise. 

3rd August 2017. The Marriott- Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Queensland

We completed our checkout at the Sebel following 2 great days in Coolangatta.  The weather has returned to its beautiful best.  We spend some time in the Twin Towns Club having coffee and cake then relax before driving to Surfers Paradise, but we are delayed as to checkin until near 4.00pm. 

We decide to have lunch in Coolangatta nsitting beside the beach, overlooking the vista from Rainbow Bay back toward Kirra Beach and then the Gold Coast skyline of Surfers Paradise is in the distance.

Early afternoon, about 2.00pm we begin the drive up the highway toward Surfers Paradise using the Tom Tom GPS.  We arrive at the Marriott in Surfers Paradise at 3.15pm and are checked in through reception by 3.25pm and our luggage is brought to our room and the car is valet parked.

We are in a one bedroom time share on 16th floor with superb views over the Ocean, but away from the many high rise buildings of the true Surfers Paradise precinct.  The rooms have recently been re fitted out and are very well equipped. 

Dinner tonight is internal at the specialty seafood buffet restaurant named Citerique.  We initially decide to have one course ala carte but subsequently decide to have the full buffet and it is a good choice.  The food is beautifully prepared, is of a wide variety.  Ken has a seafood plate as a starter prior to a dozen oyster kilpatrick.  The oysters are delicious and to his liking.  We each enjoy a main course of  meat (lamb and pork) together with a topping of "bugs" all superbly cooked and presented. 

We concluded dinner with a mixed dessert.  Decide to have coffee later in our suite.

It has been a delightful dinner and the highlight of our several days holiday to date.  Tomorrow morning we have the "mandatory " timeshare presentation from Marriott at 8.30am following breakfast in our suite.

We both sleep extremely well awaking at 7.00pm.  We then enjoy breakfast of Weetbix and yoghurt topped with banana.  The sun is glistening upon the ocean and the beach lloks superb. 

Our timeshare presentation commences on time and we enjoy the whole presentation but also find that most of their scheme is very similar to Hilton Grand Vacation Club, although they probably do Europe better in terms of availability of resorts.  It helps that we have stayed in some 12-15 different Marriott resorts in the USA. 

Following the tour and presentation we decline to purchase.  We finally believe that with Hilton GVC and Spinnaker that we have the right mix for our needs.  We also hear that Hilton timeshare is coming to Australia.   

The morning has passed oh so quickly, but we are keen to catch the light rail or bus from here in Broadbeach into the heart of Surfers Paradise and visit the Pacific Fair shopping centre which has been totally refurbished over the last 2-3 years.  We spend a couple of hours walking around and are amazed at the changed situation with many upmarket shops and significantly larger footprint. 

We stop for lunch and enjoy a Subway 12 inch roll to share. 

Then the challenge of finding the bus #705 and return to the resort.  All goes well we return to the Marriott at 2.45pm.  Ken has an afternoon nap until 4.30pm, then a walk .  Dinner tonight is in the acclaimed Japanese restaurant here at the Marriott and we will enjoy Teppanyaki.  Upon returning to the room following our lunch we receive a gift of chocolates and a bottle of wine. 

We have enjoyed our two days here very much, totally different to the Sebel at Coolangatta and with all the glitz of a world class 5 star hotel group in a perfect location. 

This afternoon the weather has clouded over a little but the wind has diminished further and the beaches look sensational. 

From our balcony we can see preparations down below in the lagoon where there is a private flight nation of USA / Australia with increased security. There are coloured lights and set up for food , drink and entertainment.  We will watch with interest from the comfort of our suite. 

the most beautiful sunset! 

the lagoon here at the Marriott has its own private  beach, tropical fish in the lagoon ad full facilities.

The afternoon passes quickly and whilst we had initially intended to eat out we change our mind and book the internal Japanese restaurant named Misono, where we enjoy an excellent meal of Teppanyaki with a cheery Japanese chef, who prepares our food at the hot plate in front of us.  

The food is exceptional and the format of entertainment with the preparation makes the night even more enjoyable.  The presentation and ambience is first class.  We are seated at a table around the hot plate with a family of 5 celebrating twins' birthdays.

Just a great evening.  We have thoroughly our stay here at Marriott.

4th August 2017. Meeting the Family at Coolangatta Gold Coast international Airport then move to Cabarita Beach.

We enjoy breakfast and then pack to checkout from the Marriott at 10.10am, then drive to the beautiful beach.  We spend time taking photos of the beach and the high rise buildings of Surfers Paradise.  The weather is just perfect, not a cloud in the sky and light winds.  This is just beautiful to relax and take in the water, the surf crashing, young families running on the beach.

From here we decide to come back to Twin Towns Services Club where we share carrot cake and chocolate chip cake, with cappuccino.  There is also a show in the Show Lounge and Issy Dye sings for almost 2 hours all the hits of the 70's and 80's.  All enjoyable, but it also shows that we are maturing.

Lunch is a sandwich and fruit at a table overlooking the Coolangatta beach.  We then go shopping at Woolworths for groceries, then pack these in the car and we have decided we will greet the family at the airport. 

Ken drives to Coolangatta Gold Coast International  Airport, arriving at 2.10pm and their flight arrives on schedule at 2.25pm.  They exit through the security door at 2.35pm and there is great excitement as we all hug one another.

They pick. Ups their hire car at Hertz an SUV. And we load and say our goodbyes.

It is time for us to go to Cabarita Beach and book in at Tamarind Sands.  We are in 301.

Our unit is ground floor and consists of 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms lounge and kitchen. It is quite comfortable and well fitted out.  We decide to eat in having gone back to Woolworths to get food for tomorrow.

it has been a most enjoyable day, great to have the family join us on the Gold Coast. 

We awoke to a perfect morning, without a cloud in the sky.   

David is arriving early Saturday morning and Chris is picking him up and they are having breakfast together. 

They will then drive out to Cabarita Beach, where we will spend the Saturday together.  Peita , Chris , Seb and Oliver are staying for the week at the Beachcomber International Coolangatta and have a two bedroom two bathroom condominium (number 1E) on the first floor beside the pool.  They will check in later following lunch and a play. They had spent the first night at Mantra Twin Towns. 

The whole family arrives at about 11.00pm, we show them around, play mini golf and then have a swim in the hot tub, the pool is too cool. 

Jeanette serves lunch of rolls, sandwiches and fruit.  Following lunch, we have a kick of the football, watch the AFL which is disappointing then we take Oliver and Peita to Cabarita Beach and thoroughly enjoy ourselves playing in the sand and walking along the beach.  Oliver changes into his bathers and goes into the water and enjoyed a great time in the little 2-3 foot waves close to shore.  He gets dumped several times but has a great time.  

The afternoon has passed too quickly but the boys are tired and leave to check in at the Beachcomber Resort.  We gave a drink and another hot tub, before we again eat in and then watch AFL live. 

We are all in bed by 10.30pm and we sleep reasonably well, although David says the king single is a bit too small for him. 

Sunday morning is relaxing around our resort and with some shopping at Woolworths.  David is joining Chris and Peita for a luncheon of brisket at a Surfers Paradise brewery and we have Seb and Oliver for the afternoon.  

The drive to Coolangatta is easy and we visit their condo, very nice and a good size.  We swap over the car seats and then we depart and decide to come back to our unit here at Cabarita Beach at Tamarind Sands resort.  Prior to lunch we play mini golf, then spend times with the computer games in the entertainment lounge.

We have lunch, then a game, then a kick of the football, hot tub and showers.  Then we go to Currumbin Bird Sanctuary for the feeding of the Lorakettes at 4.00pm.    Poor Oliver is tired and has a nap on the way down.  We are about 20 minutes away using the Pacific Highway.  

Initially, there are a small number of these beautiful birds, but after about 25 minutes more gradually come and then the boys end up with birds sitting on their trays of nectar.  We do this in several places around the feeding area, but this only brings mixed results.  It is explained that there are fewer birds because in early spring type conditions, such as these, there are plenty of food and blossoms for the birds.  Also there are birds of prey about.  But we enjoy a good time and then the others come to the Sanctuary and Chris manages to attract several birds.  We also see kangaroos and koalas and a variety of other wildlife.  

We agree that the boys are dead beat and it is best if we leave them to do their own thing as a family. 

David , Jeanette and Ken make their way back to Cabarita Beach, we have enjoyed a great day. 

Jeanette cooks a great meal of roast chicken and salads with fruit and ice-cream for dessert.  Ken does his diary and we again watch football.  We all read and visit the games room. 

It has been a great day, the boys were terrific and enjoyed the Sanctuary and the birds.  Jeanette has prepared a great meal. 

Monday comes around very quickly although it turns out Jeanette and the two boys awake very early.  Peita and Chris and the two boys are going to Brisbane for the day .  They have a model demonstration to see, then time at Southbank.  

We decide to play golf at Murwiilinbah Golf Club, it is a large rural sugar town about 30km from Cabarita Beach and it is a pretty Course in superb condition.  Jeanette is dropped off in Coolangatta and enjoys herself and does some shopping with lunch at Twin Towns Club. 

Our golf is somewhat ordinary, but the day is beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, the course is beautifully presented, the greens are superb and we finish in under 4 hours.  The scenery is picturesque, the sugar cane farms surrounding the course add to the pictures. 

We come back to a Twin Towns pick Jeanette up at 4.30pm, then drive back to Cabarita Beach in time for a drink then a hot tub and shower prior to dinner.  It is Monday night and a Ken watches the football show 360, then on the couch, followed by q&a. 

Tuesday morning is another super morning, with us sleeping in until 7.45am, then breakfast and Jeanette does a load of washing before going shopping for food and also has to post some cards. 

9th August 2017 MovieWorld - Gold Coast

Sebastian and Oliver slept over with Narnie and Poppy on Tuesday evening and were extremely good and in bed by 8.00pm  and slept right through until 7.00am. 

There was great excitement as today we are driving up the Pacific Highway for a family day at Movie World one of several theme parks.

Following breakfast we packed and then made our way to the peninsula here at Cabarita Beach, to see if there were any Whales playing in the surf.  There were plenty of Surfers as there was a veterans surfing championship occurring so parking was a challenge, but we got out walked to the point, there were no whales so we enjoyed 20 minutes playing on the park equipment.  The boys loved it. 

From here we drove to the theme parks and after filling up with petrol, drove to Movie World arriving at 10.10am and the queues had been cleared.  The boys were really excited as we got through the entrance and we waited beside the large fountain, just inside the entrance for Peita, Chris and David to arrive shortly thereafter at 10.35am.  We initially spent some time together in the shop and the boys salivated over all of the batman and super heroes gear. 

From here we went to the rides and rode the Batman ride, before we went to the children's area.  We enjoyed a fantastic morning with the weather near perfect, the amusements and rides entertaining and the crowds not large , hence the queues were not long. 

We rode on trains, mystery crimes, saw the super heroes and had photos taken with them. 

Lunch was in the middle of the park in the seating area beside Main Street and whilst eating we were able to watch and enjoy the activities of the Super Heroes and Batman riding in his " Batmobile". 

This was an enjoyable time for all of us and the activities kept the 2 boys enthralled and the older "kids" also loved it.  Following lunch we returned to ride a number of the attractions and later Chris went on several of the frightening "older adults rides" .  He enjoyed himself. 

At 3.30pm there is the "super heroes Grand Parade" up and down Main Street where all of the super heroes ride floats and there is music.  We all enjoyed the 10-15 minutes of this presentation. 

Following this Jeanette bought ice-creams which were enjoyed by all. 

Then back for more rides, before we departed the park at 5.10pm after a fantastic and enjoyable day.  We also are more comfortable that Seb and Oliver will cope with several days at Disney World in Orlando, Florida next year (end of 2018).

They will have great memories from today.  We are very fortunate to have all of the family together here on the Gold Coast. 

Jeanette drove home and we were all in good spirits, having swapped the car seats from our vehicle to theirs.  We arrived back at Cabarita Beach at 6.20m after a drive with some very heavy traffic.

Dinner was roast chicken salad and potatoes followed by an ice-cream. David and Ken enjoyed a couple of beers.  An excellent family day. 

8th August 2017. A quiet day at Cabarita Beach and watching some Whales.

We again wake to a spectacular morning and following breakfast we enjoy a walk along the beach . 

It is simply stunning.  We plan a quiet day and an afternoon visiting the beach before Chris and Peita drop the boys off for the night with Jeanette and Ken.  

David is joining Peita and Chris for dinner at a Mexican restaurant before spending the evening with them. 

Ken drives to the small seaside village of Pottsville, takes some photos of the beautiful beach. 

He then returns for a spa and a rest.

Chris and Peita arrive about 4.00pm and we spend the next hour at the beach, then a spa and then Peita, Chris and David with his overnight gear depart for the evening. 

We spend some time playing before dinner .  Following is a further period where they are allowed the I-pad before showers and then a story before the lights are turned off.  Oliver is first to bed and is asleep inside 5 minutes.  Seb gets 10 minutes extra but is also quickly into bed they sleep through the night.