Brisbane Trip Day 12: Gold Coast

We woke after a good sleep and started to get ready to go to SeaWorld. I was looking at the information we got when we checked in and discovered we were eligible for a Guest Only dolphin presentation, for which we needed to be at the Gift Shop by 8.45. We quickly finished breakfast and got ready and headed down to the foyer. The group was walked through into SeaWorld to the Affinity Dolphin Pool and we got to see a training session with the dolphins which was really interesting. We then walked back to the resort and lined up go into the theme park when it opened. I raced back to the car to get close-toed shoes for Liam and Amelie because there was one attraction that required shoes. I got back to the line in time for us to go in. We'd planned to catch the monorail from the resort but it wasn't running at the moment so we walked in.

We went first to the stingray pools, where we discovered that we could pat the rays if they swam near the edge of the pool. Amelie found it hard to reach them sometimes, and we promised her we could come back later to pat them after we'd done a few more things. The priority for everyone was seeing Mishka the polar bear cub, so we went there next. We saw 2 adult polar bears, then moved to the pen where Mishka was with her mum. She was incredibly cute and lots of fun to watch, playing with a large plastic container that was floating in the water. Her mum had ripped a little hole in the plastic so that Mishka could grab it with her mouth and she was trying to pull it out of the water. Both the cub and the mum also spent time eating fish frozen into blocks of ice.

As we walked to the Nikelodeon kids area, we saw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles come out for a photo opportunity which was pretty cool. Caitlin and Amelie went on a TMNT ride, then the 4 of us went on it (I sat with Liam). If we peddled our little planes they went higher, so it was fun and not at all scary. We then went on a bus ride which was like a mini pirate ship that rocked back and forwards, and also span on a fairly large, slow axis. We went from the kids rides through to the jet ski ride which Caitlin and Liam went on and said was fun. I wanted to try it so Caitlin took Amelie back to the kids rides and Liam and I went on - it was SO incredibly fast and I was quite scared. I screamed a lot. It didn't go high, just very fast around a turning track that also twisted a bit so at times we were sideways. It was fun but very intense (and I was happy with one ride, the speed was a bit much for me).

The ray pool was on the way to the dolphin show so we stopped in there again and patted some more rays. Amelie again had limited success - they had to come quite close to the surface for her to reach them and it didn't happen often. She was disappointed but then cheered by the idea of seeing the dolphin show.

We got a seat a fair way up in the stands. I was wondering if we'd find it a bit boring seeing as we'd seen 2 shows in Coffs and the training session this morning - but the show was great. The music helped to make it exciting, and the behaviours the dolphins displayed were impressive. Having a big crowd also made it more exciting. It was well presented (although a little sappy at times) and very very enjoyable. We all like the trainers being propelled forwards by the dolphins, we hadn't seen that before.

After the show we went to the battle boats - the kids lined up to go on a boat and I stayed on shore and shot the boats with water cannons. The kids were a little disappointed that they were on the far side of their boat so they couldn't shoot me or anyone else, although there were some targets to aim at that made cool water effects happen - but they were very hard to hit. I had fun squirting people and getting squirted by the boats. The kids still got wet, which Amelie wasn't thrilled about. There was quite a crowd there because so many people had just come out of the dolphin show, so we figured we'd try again later when there was less of a queue and the kids could be on the side where they could shoot the crowd.

The kids all had a big climb on the Sky Fortress - a large climbing play gym structure with lots of ladders, slides, bridges, net bridges etc. I joined them in there and had a go at walked across the high net bridges - it was very very very scary and I was very slow (the kids just ran across) - it was a great feeling to achieve it though. There was a harnessed climbing area too, but the kids needed to be completely dry to do that and we were still wet from the battle boats. We had some lunch to see if we would dry off enough in that time but were still damp so decided to come back later. While we were eating a pair of Asian kids asked me something which I couldn't understand. They were pointing to their backpack and I didn't know what they wanted. The older girl used the translator on her phone and the English version was 'Can you take a look at our backpack?' I still couldn't figure out what they wanted me to do, then they pointed at the Sky Fortress and I realised they wanted me to watch their stuff while they had a climb, which I was happy to do.

The big kids went for another ride on the JetSkis to try to dry off and met Amelie and I at Shark Bay. We had a pat of the sea cucumbers and sea stars and looked at some rays in the big pool. The Stunt Jetboat Show was about to start so we went up to the front of the park to watch that. I really love watching stunt driving and this was a good show. On the way there and back we saw more dolphins in different pools.

Caitlin and Liam had been keen all day to go on the Storm Coaster - the big roller coaster we'd seen on our way in. We headed there now and Amelie and I watched while they went on it. I had also been keen to go, but watching from the observation windows in a tunnel going over the ride scared me quite a bit - the initial drop looked fun but this later drop looked a bit steep for me. They went on it twice and loved it, and Amelie wanted to move on so I decided not to try it for now.

We went back to the Sky Climb via the ray pool, this time Amelie was able to pat some rays and she felt much happier. We were all splashed a bit so hoped we'd dry off enough to be able to climb. Amelie wanted to climb as well so I needed to do it too - she was in the height range that needed an adult to accompany them. The kids put their shoes on and I borrowed shoes from the desk , and we went and harnessed up. I was feeling pretty good about it and keen to give it a go. We walked up to the first level and Caitlin and Liam went off on their own way. Amelie walked across a ladder bridge and I followed her fairly easily. Then she walked across a plank and it took me quite some time to be brave enough to try that myself (I let 3 people go in front of me). There were ropes I could hang on to which helped - Amelie did it without the support ropes (because she couldn't reach them). Then we did some stepping stones which I also found a bit tricky. Amelie started to go up to the next level then reached a height where she was too scared so she came back down. She did one more crossing then it was time to come down. I made myself take a step or two out onto another ladder that I was really scared to do, then I came back and headed down myself. Caitlin and Liam climbed around on the 2nd level and had a great time. I gave the borrowed shoes back - and was allowed to keep the borrowed socks.

The queue on the Battle Boats was now non-existent so Caitlin and Liam had another go, while Amelie and I ran from cannon to cannon on the shore line and shot them as much as possible. We all got quite wet and it was a lot of fun.

The kids wanted to see a 3D movie, so we went to watch the Sponge Bob movie in the theatre - it was a lot of fun.

We headed back to Shark Bay, patted the rock pool creatures again, and went down to the underwater viewing area. The first window showed us lots of sharks and a turtle, a few rays and fish, and was pretty cool. The second window had many more fish, lots and lots of rays, including the Spotted Eagle Ray which is Amelie's favourite. There was a huge Queensland Grouper hiding under a rock (in plain sight) and lots of beautiful tropical fish, some sharks, so many rays. It was fascinating and we spent quite a bit of time watching.

I wanted to give the Storm Coaster a go so we went back over there. Amelie was in two minds and decided to just watch us. I was exceptionally scared and the closer I got to getting on the more sick and upset I felt. I sat with Caitlin and Liam sat with another boy. I had tears in my eyes and seriously considered asking them to stop even once I had the restraint down on my legs. Then the ride started and I felt quite a bit better straight away (things were out of my hands - I'm usually less anxious when there's nothing I can do!) Luckily the pull up to the top (the bit that often scares me the most because of the anticipation) was quite fast, and then there was a little dip and curve which I loved, then a long dip and curve which was fantastic, then the steep bit which was really scary because for a second we felt like we were free falling - I had my eyes shut tight for that bit - then a few more very fast ups and downs through water spray, and then it was over. I really loved it. I had screamed a lot and I was quite shaky when we got off, but really happy. When we got back to Amelie she said she wanted to have a go - she was within the height range as long as she sat with an adult. She sat with me and they put the restraints down - hers didn't quite touch her legs and her back wasn't against the seat back. We were both a bit concerned and it took me a while to catch the attendants attention to ask if she'd be OK. They said she was within safety standards and it would be fine. I asked if she'd move around too much and they assured us it would be fine. She decided she was OK so off we went. She seemed to like the first bit but got a bit scared and teary at the steep bit. I actually kept my eyes open this time. Amelie didn't really like the fast ups and downs towards the end, but was happy when she got off and said she enjoyed it. I was so impressed with her first big roller coaster effort!

Amelie had wanted to buy a SeaWorld towel that she'd been seeing all day, so we did that and then wandered back to see Mishka again - still cute and this time swimming around a bit. Her fur was so smooth when she came out of the water. She had completely deflated the plastic container she'd been playing with this morning.

We hadn't seen the Creatures of the Deep exhibit so walked up there - it was just large statues of deep sea creatures, not particularly exciting but cool to see. The big kids wanted to go on the Storm Coaster again, and Amelie was happy to not go back - they went ahead and she and I went to the ring toss game. She bought a large hat full of small rings - I reckon there were a couple of hundred in there and she and I tried to toss them over the neck of large glass bottles (which had small necks). It was really really hard, we had very many near misses but didn't get any rings on. She did get to keep the hat though, and it was a lot of fun, so money well spent. The big kids enjoyed their last ride (and the last run of the day) on the Storm Coaster, and got to see a one of the staff operate her last ever ride at SeaWorld and be part of the goodbyes for her.

We walked out via the rays again, and then up to the monorail station to catch it back to the resort - Amelie in particular was very keen to finally get on it. When it came in the driver got out and was on her radio, then came along and said that she wasn't allowed to take any more passengers because she'd already done extra trips that afternoon (it was a bit after 5 by now). Amelie was devastated - tired and hungry and so disappointed, so it was a long slow walk back to the Resort. In our room we collapsed on the beds and the kids put the TV on - more disappointment as Pokemon wasn't on as Amelie had expected. We ate some snacks and the kids played on iPods and had a good rest. I had a cold bath which was amazingly relaxing. For dinner we had cup-a-soup and cup-a-noodles. Easy and filling and tasty. We watched Friends and The Middle and ended off the day feeling tired but relaxed. Liam set up his camping mattress using the arm chair and two stools to make a little bed, which he thought might be more comfortable than the floor.

Half-lap Day 3: The Grampians

We were up a bit again throughout the night, sorting out blankets and getting people comfortable. Millie slept all night until 6.30, then needed to get up to go to the toilet. Mt Difficult was just starting to get sunlight on it, just across from our campsite – so beautiful. Millie went back in to bed and I went for a walk, the mist rolled in as I walked and it was also beautiful wandering through the bush in the mist (and Mt Difficult had disappeared).

While I was having my cup of tea the wallaby came back and the kids came out to see her. We soon realized she had a joey out of the pouch as well – the 2 animals came back and forwards from the bush to the campsite all morning. We had breakfast and the kids explored the area around us, walking through the bush, running around the campsite, LiAM built a teepee out of wood, Millie practised riding her bike, Caitlin and Tony rode around whole area. They decided they wanted to ride into Halls Gap (about 10km) so they headed off and the rest of us got ready for our day out and then drove in to meet them.

A group of people near us had been up late the night before and left a lot of rubbish on the ground when they left. Another couple came and asked if we had any large garbage bags so they could clean up the mess – we all felt that these campgrounds are not going to remain free if there is rubbish left everywhere. They cleaned up and I offered to take the bags in to town to throw out there. While I was trying to fit them in to the bins in town, I saw some of the people who had left the rubbish – it was too late to say anything, and apparently the other couple had asked them to clean up before they left and they replied that it wasn’t their stuff, it was just rubbish.

Our plan was to walk up to The Pinnacle. We were thinking of doing the easiest walk, from Sundial Carpark – which involved driving around to the other side of the mountains. However by the time we met up with Tony and Caitlin (who really enjoyed their bike ride into town) and used the flush toilets at the park (Millie and LiAM are not a fan of drop toilets), and got jackets and food and sunscreen organised, no one wanted to get back in the car, so we decided to walk from where we were. The signage at the Halls Gap carpark wasn’t very clear on the difficulties and length of the walks from there to The Pinnacle, so we decided to do the shortest one once we found some signposts at a junction along the track. We realised later that we’d taken the most difficult track! The track led up along the cliff face for most of the way – there were a few bits of walking over rocks that felt a bit scary, but for most of it the track felt safe – there were just A LOT of steps. Hundreds and hundreds and it was hard work. We stopped for rests very regularly, and had a big snack about halfway up, and kept plodding along. The view back down to the town was impressive, as was the view at times across the valley on the other side. About ¾ of the way up we realised we’d left the car unlocked – with the iPad in plain view, and all of our other devices in the car too. I started to worry about it, then figured it was at least a couple of hours til I could get back there, so there was nothing I could do about it at this stage, and I would hope for the best. I managed to not worry at all except during the really hard bits of the track when everything seemed disastrous…. For the last 10 minutes or so of the upward climb on the track I was wishing I hadn’t suggested this walk, and thinking that everyone would be angry at me for dragging them up there – once we came out of the woods and were walking over bare rocks and the top seemed close, I felt much better and everyone got excited again. We reached the top and walked out to the lookout – Caitlin had been worried by the pictures of it and was scared it would be too close to the edge, the fences wouldn’t be sturdy enough etc, but was reassured when we got there and saw the very solid fence. As we got closer though there were edges without fences and even going out onto the lookout was pretty scary for Caitlin and I – I’m not good with heights in general, and Caitlin is OK if it feels secure and she wasn’t completely convinced about this place. Having the kids out there, and all our cameras, added to my fear quite a bit and I was a bit over protective out there, making everyone stay away from the edges especially when they were taking photos. (I have a massive fear of things being dropped over the edge). In between my panic though I could see that the view was spectacular and it was an impressive feat for us to have climbed all the way up there.

One of the scary bits

We moved back from the edge and had some lunch. There was an icy wind blowing, but it was so beautiful sitting all the way up there on the top of the mountain range. We chatted to a few other people – some also quite scared, some just thrilled to be up so high. The elevation from Halls Gap is 400m so it was quite a significant height.

Having a rest about 3/4 of the way up

View from the lookout (see, I did make it all the way out to the edge of the lookout - but not for long!)

We decided to go back down through the Grand Canyon – a longer walk but not as steep and much more beautiful (it probably would have made more sense to come up that way – on the other hand I’m so amazed and happy that we all achieved what we did). There were beautiful and sensational rock formations – a long thin corridor between two rock faces, a much bigger canyon with a creek flowing through it, a waterfall (Bridal Veil) that we could go in and sit behind, some caves and chambers, regular creek crossings and pools in the creek, and most of the steps were more gradual or we were walking down over the rocks and it was easier than the other path.

In behind Bridal Veil Falls

It was a long way though (4.6km in total from the top, after 3.6km walking up) and the last couple of km were very hard work for all of us. All of the kids made it all the way, even Millie. We’d taken the sling because we thought she would need to be carried some of the way – but she rested a lot, and played with bits of leaves and dirt to stop from getting bored, then bounded along the path a bit further and after the first 10 minutes didn’t ask at all to go in the sling. (We said no at that early point cos we figured we didn’t want to carry her the whole way). There was a good bit of complaining for the last little while, and we rested more often, but kept moving – I was worried about the light too as the sun had gone behind the mountain – and we made it back to the carpark before dark, and with everyone still walking.

Tony took the kids over to the supermarket to get ice creams (they wanted to buy some from the ice cream shop but it was closed by the time we got back down) and a choc peppermint Drumstick helped everyone feel a bit better. I put the bikes on the car and we headed back to our tent. Tony cooked hotdogs for himself and the kids and got a fire started in a fire pit and I made myself some toasted sandwiches. Millie hung out in the tent with the iPad, I read my book and the others sat around the fire. I joined them for a while and then got ready for bed. Everyone was in the tent by not long after 9 and I read Brisingr to everyone until the kids started to fall asleep.