Exchange to Oz: Breakfast in Paradise

Early the next morning, we left Byron Bay in search of the Queensland border. The highway from Sydney and up the coast alternates between forest and plains but the Ocean views we loved on our Great Ocean Road trip are hidden. Although Dan and I enjoyed seeing the landscape, the boys found it a bit monotonous. We would get the "How much longer?" "What time is it?" "Where are we?" "When are we stopping?" "I have to go to the bathroom." "I need a drink." "When are going to eat?" Dan finally limited Sam to one question per hour so he occupied himself by making statements that were not in the form of a question but still communicating his boredom. When it was too quiet in the back, I would glance behind to see a flurry of body parts as Sam and Jake were engaged in some sort of battle. I'd quickly return my gaze out the front window in order to avoid being the referee to whatever issue they were "working out".

I must say that Jack was an enjoyable travelling companion. He sat in a car seat in the front with Dan and I as there were not enough seat belts in the back to accommodate all three boys. He would pass the time conversing with us, joking with Dan, singing and playing his Leapster (Thanks again mom and dad!). He seemed to accept that it was a long ride so he just hunkered down and made the best of it.

We finally hit Queensland about 2 hours after starting and we cheered when we saw the sign! This was also the beginning of the Gold Coast area known for theme parks like Movie World and Wet n'Wild. It is also where Surfer's Paradise is. After seeing trees and plains for 2 days, it was a surprise to round a corner and see, sparkling in the distance, the metropolis of Surfer's Paradise. It was not what I expected. In my mind I pictured a small town with miles of beach and VW Vans with surf boards on top parked all along. I was right about the miles of beautiful beach but that was it. Surfer's Paradise is a mecca of tall buildings and wealth. Dan said that he'd read that Surfer's Paradise used to be known by another name. At that time there were just a couple restaurants and hotels and the residents. In a bid to gain more tourism, they renamed the town "Surfer's Paradise" and from there it just BOOMED to what it is today. It's amazing the impact a name can have - just look at Lady Gaga or Beyonce. A name can make or break it.

We weaved our way through the Casino Resorts and High Rise Hotels to the beach and parked. The boys were out like a shot and down at the beach. It was soft and SQUEAKY (remember Jervis Bay?) Huge waves were breaking over and over as they rolled in to shore. It was fairly early so there were only a few surfers out and we pretty much had the beach to ourselves. On the walkway, there was an outdoor shiny stainless steel grill. We'd had a snack before leaving Byron Bay but hadn't had a proper breakfast so as the boys raced back to the van to put their bathing suits on, Dan took a walk to find a grocery store to get some eggs and bacon. Ahh, breakfast in paradise. As the boys were playing on the beach, the scent of bacon was wafting over and mixing with the fresh ocean breeze.

We took a break and had bacon and egg rolls before heading back down to the beach. It was delicious! What a way to start the day.