First Exploration

Thanks to jet lag we awoke at 6:30. Got the first table at breakfast where we sampled such delicacies as "Lamb's fry" (liver and onions) sausage, bacon, eggs, beans, toast coffee. Aussies are evidently very entousiastic about "brekkie." Saved vegamite for the next day.

The hotel is right on "Point Danger" so we did some initial exploring. There are two beautiful white sand beaches, sand so fine that it squeaks when you walk, Greenmount Beach and Rainbow Beach. The trade wind swell wraps around Point danger and yields quasi point-break surf. Nice waves, but, even at 8am on a Saturday, fiercely crowded.

On the rocks below Point Danger, we found the following lizzard, . It is a larger version of the local "Goanna" which, due to its skill at camoflage, we did not see until the next day. Just like iguannas, once you see one, you seem them everywhere. Unlike iguanas, they bite.

What our hotel looks like.

For Jim Vreeland. Dog-intolerance has an Aussie face. Note the fine. Everything on the beaches was impeccably maintained: stainless steel railings, nice benches and shady little gazebos everywhere. The nicer sand showers were foot operated, handy for everything but washing off the foot required to operate it. Evidently, litter does not exist.

Having an immediate case of beach fever, we resolved to do some shopping (bathing suits, beach towels, lunch, surfboards) and then hit the beach. Karin and Nicoline both found nice bathing suites and Tristan and I avoided dying of boredom. In the hunt for beach towels, we discovered the Oz is infected with nearly every chain store known to us Seppos (Septic Tank rhymes with Yank): Kmart, Target, Woolworths (remember those) and, oh yes, Ikea. We got beach towels at Target.

Buzzed up the coast to Kirra to the most plausible non-tourist looking of the local surf shops and bought two surfboards, 2 leashes, 1 boogy board, and 4 rash guards, from Nick. Sadly, Nick, the local surf shop guy (very cute according to Karin) was not paid on commission. We got a 7'6" hybrid for Karin and the kids and a spiffy 9'6" round pin for me. I'll get some pictures of the boards later, pictures of Nick are probably too much to hope for.

Hurled everything into the car and rocketed, well, drove carefully, looking both ways at all uncontroled intersections back to the hotel. The surf at Rainbow bay was, if possible, even more crowded than that morning. Since you're dealing with a windswell wrapping around a point/beach break, finding a line-up was ticklish business. In fact there seemed to be no "peak" that I could discerne. You just paddle toward the point until the waves got too big or the crowd too thick. Having picked your spot, you either got lucky with a wave the just happen to peak in front of you, or you brazenly drop in on someone who:

  1. Had already had a decent ride, or,
  2. Didn't look like they could make the section, or,
  3. You, uh, "didn't see."
Thankfully, all of the times that I thought I was burning someone horribly I turned around to look for an exit and found three other people in front of me.

Found some Turkish food for dinner and piled everyone into bed at 8.