First, we traveled to Bundaberg to watch baby sea turtles hatch! We went with two other couples, Matt and Helen and Jon and Hasna. I had arranged for us to stay at Federal backpackers. I'm sorry to say the place was entirely feral, and they had "forgotten" that I had asked for one room for the six of us. Fortunately, we went to the motel next door. Even though the proprietor had nothing to accommodate 6 of us, he phoned around until he found a place that did! So, for $2.50 each more than the backpackers, we got a large suite together with private bath, DVD library, fridge and coffeemaker. Oh, and it was clean (the most important bit!)
The nesting ground is slightly out of town, at Mon Repos. It is the most used beach by the sea turtles along the entire coast, and is closed to the public every evening- only guided groups are allowed. We were fortunate to be in the first group, and got called out about 8:30pm. We were led to a nest were the turtles had begun sprouting, and they had piled more sand on them to hold them back until we arrived. They are adorable, and look like fully formed turtles, just miniature! They passed one little guy around so we could see them up close and feel their shells. Then, after counting, they were released in a wild dash for the ocean. Whoever said turtles were slow never saw baby sea turtles stampede! The next day we went to Elliott Heads beach, as I remembered it to be the most beautiful beach ever. Unfortunately rain and wind had made it angry and muddy- but once we got into the water, it was still a good time. (More photos here)
Speaking of wind and rain, QLD has had more rain this season than it has in 25 summers. Up to 80% of QLD was disaster declared at one point with the flooding. Most rural roads were underwater, and many towns could only be accessed by helicopter, as the landing strips were submerged. Now we have a cyclone Ului heading down the coast, closing airports around Mackay. From Arlie to Rockhampton has been declared a disaster zone. The cyclone is still heading down the coast, but isn't expected to hit Brisbane. I will however, be keeping tabs on my friends in Townsville and Rocky. So far, they are hanging in.
The next major thing for us was a concert by the New Cologne Philharmonic, given at St. John's Cathedral (which has the most fantastic acoustics!) This was a Christmas gift from Barb Doiron, and we enjoyed it immensely! The group put new spins on the classics such as "the Four Seasons". Even Pachabel's Canon in D (which I consider to have been beaten to death by the wedding crowd already) became a fresh, delightful experience.
We also had a night out on the town on Friday, when the women in med group (SWIM-Supporting Women in Medicine) held a Cocktails night. A fun evening!
The last update is from March 20, when we attended the wedding of some friends of mine, Alon & Kerri. It was our first Australian Wedding, and for the most part was pretty familiar, right down to the "Chicken Dance"! We wish them all the best!
And now I have the next week off. By "off" I mean I that the firehose of knowledge gets turned off for the week, and I can attempt to catch up on all the stuff that whizzed by before. So yup, still plugging away.
Rob continues to job hunt. It is a frustrating process, and we wouldn't mind your prayers in this regard.
