Eumundi QLD

Saturday while Jen was at work Vi-Lay and I explored Eumundi markets, delighting ourselves with Roti Chenai and the bee shop where Vi-Lay and I learnt all there was to know about bees.  The woman, a bee keeper, had brought some of her bees into her shop contained within a glass panel showing how the hive operated.  It was quite fascinating and very educational.  That evening the two of us went out for dinner at the Eumundi local Thai restaurant as Jen was staying at the residential youth centre for troubled youth where she worked.

Sunday, Vi-Lay and I drove Kat’s car into Noosa where we attended a local church before stumbling across the Noosa market which we had been told about but had forgotten.  It just popped out as we rounded a corner.  Suddenly we remembered the Roti Chenai vendor was there too.  After a bit of a look around we found him, just in time as they were just running out of curry!

We then hurried back to Eumundi where we had promised the Thai restaurateurs we would attend the Thai festival. There was traditional dancing and lots of Thai food.  I wanted to try the papaya salad, boy was it spicy!  Nearly too hot to be eaten.  Even the Thai’s commented on how hot it was.  At 2 pm we wanted to attend the local church which was walking distance from Jen’s.  I had seen the place while jogging in the mornings so we knew where we were going.  We parked the car near the side door which I thought we might as well enter through as it was the closest to us.  Vi-Lay wanted to go around to the front.  I charged ahead, bursting through the door right onto the stage!  Everyone laughed as we made a funny comment about a grand entrance for two visitors, before we both took our seats.  It was a lovely service and a great opportunity to meet some of the local Christians.

That evening after Jen returned from work, we had planned on going out to eat but were all exhausted so instead stayed in and ate a delicious, healthy stir fry with rice while enjoying her lovely home.

Monday we all set off to explore the surrounding attractions.  On route to Mapleton we passed the Kenilworth bamboo farm, where Jen wanted to have a look for something for her garden.  There were an amazing assortment of bamboos some soaring to an amazing height as well as clumping and hedging bamboos.  We stopped at Kenilworth for a bit of shopping and a look around the town and a wander through the arts and craft shops.  Jen was looking for a red backpack.  She spotted a style she liked but the lady said there wasn’t one in red which was so disappointing as she had been looking for one for some time but was unable to find one she liked till now.  As we searched the shop I saw something that looked similar and in red.  I asked the shop owner if it was the same style, the red one?  She was so surprised that she gave it to us with a discount if we paid with cash.  Jen didn’t have a cent on her, I had just enough and paid for her.  Later Vi-Lay and I decided we would pay for part of it as a thank you for hosting us.  We then wandered across the road to look around the cheese factory, where we sampled the cheeses before buying some really yummy ones.  I chose triple brie.  It was melted, gooey and delicious by the time we had it that evening.

There wasn’t much in the way of lunch to choose from, so after a snack at the tables under the trees, we walked back to the main street where we found a local bakery and savoured their freshly baked pies and pasties.  With tummies full we headed off to the Mapleton rainforest to exert a bit of energy.  We walked through the bush-come-rain forest along raised walkways, winding tracks and upstairs and down stairs through the rocks and trees.  This time without the leeches!  On route home we called in to the Yandina ginger factory which has an enormous variety of ginger products.  Back at the house I made Thai Beef Salad the authentic way, with tamarind we hunted down on our travels, finished off with Aldi chocolate mousse, which is the best.

Tuesday, Jen had a teaching job so Vi-Lay and I decided to drive back for a closer look around Noosa.

Our first stop was the visitors centre at Eumundi where we were shown a hive of native bees nesting in a carved head.  The bees entered their man-made hive via the carving’s mouth.  We were really surprised how small these bees were.  Native bees, unlike the European bees, have no sting and make very little honey.  From here we looked up the butter factory which we thought was literally a butter factory but which had in fact been turned into an art gallery.  A little disappointing but still interesting.  From there we went to the Botanic Gardens which we wandered around before heading to the coast and the famous National Park Coastal walk.

It was lovely driving along the coast but a nigh impossibility to find a park.  I stopped once for Vi-Lay to jump out to take a few photo of this famous coastline, then on as far as we could drive.  We still couldn’t find a park.  I suggested Vi-Lay jump out again to have a look around the carpark while I waited to see if someone was leaving.  It wasn’t long before Vi-Lay came running back to say there was a parking spot just near the exit.  She hadn’t seen it at first but there it was.  Our prayers had been answered.

With the car safely parked we headed south along the coastal walk to Hell’s Gate which was the most southern end before looping around the point, cutting back across the headland to meet up with the path we had come on.  There were some amazing views, windswept trees and rugged cliffs.  A walk well-worth taking.  Just before we arrived back at the parking lot I decided I should take a dip at Tea Tree Bay.  The waters on the eastern coast I’ve found are quite shallow which means I had to walk quite a way out before I could swim.  It was a lovely way to cool down after our hot walk.

We left Noosa via Laguna lookout for a stunning sunset through the trees and across the waters.  Heading home we had a mad dash to find coconut yogurt and a visit to Bunnings to look for some plants for Jen before heading back to Eumundi.  We wanted to take Jen out for an Indian dinner, which once again was walking distance from her home.  What a convenient place to live, everything within walking distance from the front door.

Wednesday morning, Jen, Vi-Lay and myself walked through the Eumundi markets before visiting the house across the road from Jen’s which was an old church that had been made into a one room home.  The church pulpit area was the bedroom and the little vestry off the side made into a bathroom.  This was the only room separated from the internal space which had been sectioned off into functional areas including the kitchen, lounge and dining area.  These areas were divided by a kitchen bench, wardrobe or just the dining room table.  The outdoors had a large veranda which could be used for entertaining.

I then drove Vi-Lay to the airport for her flight back to Sydney and work.  I was really sad to see her go as we had had such a great time together.  I haven’t found anyone whom I’ve travelled or lived with for any period of time, who I’ve gotten along with so well; complement each other’s abilities while traveling as well as enjoy similar things.  Thanks Vi-Lay for being such a great travel companion.  Let’s do it again sometime.

After dropping Vi-Lay, while in Maroochydore, I had hoped to visit a brother of a childhood friend Debbie.  Unfortunately he was not in town at the time so instead I then drove south west to Beerwah where I dropped in to see their mother.  Ann Rawlinson has known me since I was a baby at Christmas Island, her daughter Debbie and I had, at the age of five, been best friends.  We had lost touch when her family moved to Australia but then loosely kept in touch when I visited Jen in Ocean Grove, Victoria in the 90’s.  We fell out of touch again till late 2016 when I contacted her through her Mum.  At that very moment she was driving from Victoria to Hervey Bay, north of Noosa where she and her partner had bought a new home.  They weren’t expecting to arrive till after I had left QLD.  Ann was able to bring me up to date with Deb’s movements, informing me she would be arriving on Saturday.  That was great news, I might even be able to see her before I flew out on the Sunday.

Thank God, the drive to Beerwah and back to Eumundi was pretty straightforward as I no longer had my trusty co-pilot and navigator!

While at the Eumundi market I had purchased some coffee but on trying it out in Kat’s coffee machine I realised it was too finely ground, which prevented it from flowing freely.  At first I thought maybe the machine needed cleaning so I pulled it apart.  I was amazed at the state the filters were in.  Do you remember the photo’s I took on the ones I cleaned on the Scripture Union Beach Camp?  Well Kat’s were just as clogged, I was surprised any coffee actually made its way through.  This really surprised both Jen and I as Kat doesn’t even like to use coffee that’s a bit old!  Unlike me I can’t taste the difference!  I still needed to buy some coarser coffee grinds, which along with the clean, made a great difference to the making and taste of the coffee.

Thursday was a gardening day.  Jen has an amazing tropical garden where everything seems to just take root and grow in abundance.  She harvested ginger, galangal and turmeric while I was there as well as fresh vegies for our evening meals.  This day she wanted help pulling out a couple of types of native grasses that looked more like weeds.  They had been planted by a landscape gardener employed by the developer of the blocks.  I must admit his choice of natives were terrible for the verge and front gardens.  Once the grasses were removed we spread wheelbarrow loads of mulch and planted a better choice of natives.  This took us two days, which we broke up with other activities including a drive to Konbalilla National Park and waterfall which is about 75 km south of Eumundi.

The walk through the rain forest was spectacular, as the trails meandered through wooded groves, beside the river and ponds with the thunder or trickle of the waterfalls around us.  It was truly beautiful. Moss covered boulders, creepers hanging from the trees and logs, wild turkeys and bird sounds as we walked.  At the end of our climb back to the park near the carpark we sat on the grass and ate a picnic lunch before taking our time driving back, admiring the natural views and little towns as we went.

Friday, once again in the gardening finish off our planting and mulching.  While I was busy loading up the wheelbarrow, a truck arrived with Kat’s stone bath.  They were supposed to call before delivering but hadn’t so it was a blessing we were home as it needed to be taken up the driveway and placed as close to where Kat wanted it as possible as it weighed a ton!

The guy who brought it was very helpful in manoeuvring it into place.  He was also very interested in Jen’s sustainable, edible garden and asked if she could give him some help as he was buying a block on one of the small islands off the Gold Coast.  He also noticed my feet, commenting on the bunion saying I really needed to do something about it to stop it from getting worse.  He had purchased special toe separators.  I later looked them up and found they cost over $80!  Really!

Saturday, Jen wasn’t working so it was an ideal time to visit my friend Debbie.  En route we thought we would go via Rainbow Beach as Jen hadn’t been there either.  It was nearly an hour out of our way but having heard so much about its beauty, we thought we would make an effort.  What a disappointment!  It was a wide dirty, stony looking beach which looked like it was at low tide with people walking out in the shallow water for miles to get to the sea.  We both looked at each other and said how spoilt we had been in WA with such beautiful beaches.  Even Broome, where Jen had been for 3 years, with its tidal beaches were nicer she thought.  Unfortunately we didn’t have time to see Hervey Bay as I wanted to spend time with Deb.  It was lovely catching up and hearing all about what had been happening in her life.  I’m looking forward to my next visit to QLD and possibly staying with Deb a few nights and who knows next time I might get to Fraser Island.  It was a long 171 km drive back to Eumundi after a tiring day and for me a busy 18 days away from home.  We were both exhausted.

Sunday, my sad goodbyes as Jen dropped me off at the airport.  I had a heavy heart and bag but no one seemed to bother till I arrived in Adelaide.  I had to change flights here, so it was very convenient only having hand luggage.  As I entered the airport I asked one of the attendants if she knew from which gate my connecting flight was departing.  She informed me it was that one and then went on to say I would have to pay $60 for my hand luggage as it was obviously too heavy.  I was shocked at her abruptness and rudeness.  There were no helpful suggestions or extra advice given.  I walked stunned to a row of seats where I expressed my shock to one of the waiting passengers.  An Asian gentleman heard me and said they had charged him because his water bottle, which was in his bag, had made his luggage 2 kg over the limit.  He had suggested he carry it under his arm or empty it out but they said it was too late and he would have to pay!  I prayed silently for wisdom.  Then realising I had quite a bit of time I decided to go out to the book-in area to see if I could check my luggage into the hold.  The attendant there was very polite and apologetic helping me to check in my hand luggage, tag it and put it through the automatic loading area.  The Lord has once again come through with the answer.  When I got home, something made me recheck my ticket and to my surprise I had forgotten when I had originally booked my flight home I had paid for extra luggage as I had suspected I might need it as Jet Star, unlike Virgin, doesn’t give an extra 20 kg.  So I had been in the right all along but hadn’t know.  During my holiday I kept saying to Vi-Lay I had to try to keep my luggage weight down and not buy too much as I hadn’t paid for extra luggage!  Oh dear! Silly me!  Since that disastrous flight I have vowed never to travel Jet Star again.  No on flight meals or extra luggage unless you pay for it and it was double the cost of the Virgin flight.  It had been a very long and stressful flight home!

Still, looking on the brighter side of things, I had had a wonderful holiday catching up with friends and family.  I had travelled from Sydney up the coast to the Sunshine Coast with Vi-Lay and as far north as Hervey Bay with Jen.  Had a restful time in Jen’s new home in Eumundi and came home with a new look and a suitcase full of memories.

Photos:     1. Sunset Laguna lookout   2. Eumundi Markets    3. Vi-Lay at the bamboo farm   4. The three of us enjoying the view   5. Jen’s new backpack in use     6. Path through the rain forest    7.  Noosa, National Park Costal Walk     8. Laguna lookout   9. Church home   10. Myself and Ann    11. Jen’s garden produce     12. Konbalilla National Park        13. Kat’s bath arriving      14. Me, Deb and Jen

Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for His ongoing strength and wisdom while assisting Mum with Alzheimer’s.

Praise Him for Kat’s return this month for 5 weeks (end of June & July) I’m going to enjoy my break and God willing work in my garden.

Please continue to pray for the right residential centre for Mum when she eventually needs to move out of her home.  She is on several wait lists but a room becoming available often takes a long time.  I believe the right place will come at the right time.  It’s always the Lord’s perfect timing.  I’m trusting Him to make a way where there seems to be no way.  Amen!

Please continue to pray for Trisha who has cut herself off from us, her sisters.  Please pray for reconciliation and peace between of us all.

I appreciate your ongoing prayers for the business, Senior’s Benefits and Rewards which is getting close and closer to being launched.  We would still love to find someone to assist us with marketing ideas to help us move forward.

Thank you once again to all my supportive friends and prayer partners; knowing you stand with me in prayer is a real encouragement and strength.