Marni Murdoch's

Burleigh Heads, Queensland,

Leaving New South Wales behind we crossed the border into Queensland. It was nice to see that the weather seemed to be changing, however briefly. Our unit at Mariner Shores was very modern and overlooked the ocean from the eighth floor. Mariner Shores is essentially a low-rise resort only nine floors in total, perfectly situated on The Esplanade at Miami Beach, south of Surfer’s Paradise and very friendly. We met some lovely people at the managers get together on Tuesday evening and went to Currumbin Wildlife Park on Thursday with the Daniels family for an evening of entertainment by descendants of the first people to inhabit Australia. The show called Yanguwah, which means welcome in Yugambeh language was very entertaining and the Torres Strait Island dancers were amazing. We also enjoyed a delicious Kip Murri feast, which is cooked underground. We all agreed that this was one of the best shows we have ever seen. They absolutely put their hearts and souls into every dance. The little three-year old daughter of the Didgeridoo Player and director of the show stole the limelight. Even though she was not supposed to dance with the men she just went out under her own volition and danced with them too. Her Aunt told us that she has been dancing since she could walk.

At the beach across the road was a wonderful path that went from outside our resort north to Broadbeach and south to Burleigh Heads. We walked The Esplanade several times, which is adjacent to the beach. Unfortunately, the beach was closed for most of our stay due to the cyclones that have passed through the area several times over the last few weeks causing extensive flooding and total erosion of coastline. The beach is now right down to its mineral base and approximately 8-10 feet lower than normal. People used to walk from the Esplanade, almost straight onto the sand, but now it is a sheer edge down, right from the walkway. Even the Lifesavers Towers had to be moved back to prevent them falling into the ocean.

We were able to use the pool on several occasions and also played one match of tennis. We went to Brisbane on Monday, but unfortunately the weather was not conducive to getting out of the car so we just drove back again. However, on Wednesday we went to Australia Zoo, of Steve Irwin fame and we actually got an impromptu glimpse of Terri, Bindi and Robert. Australia Zoo is an amazing facility and will be covered under a separate blog.