SUNSHINE COAST (Australia)
21 June - 23 June 2019
Everything has changed.
Our final morning we spent in Montville itself, having a look around the charming little town and 'encountering' yet another wine before heading down to Sunshine Plaza for a couple of hours.
And that was that. A pleasant getaway, especially up here where the sun and the warmth seems to last year round. I know, for certain, that somewhere along the line we'll end up living up this way, more than likely on the Gold Coast, although that will need to wait until the job scene is a bit more buoyant.
Our flight back down to Melbourne was relatively uneventful. Aiden cried right at the start but by the time we levelled off he was asleep, and basically that's the way he remained until we got back home. From plane, to car, to apartment. What a great way to travel, fall asleep when you leave and the next thing you know, you're at home in bed!
21 June - 23 June 2019
Everything has changed.
With the birth of our son Aiden Robert Elisher at 9:58am on the 27th of March, we all of a sudden forgot what sleeping 6hrs through the night felt like, we forgot what it was like to have nothing to do, we forgot what it was like to do things on a whim.
Now, I'm not going to even pretend that our weekend away to the Sunshine Coast alleviated any of those forgotten things, and I mean, how do you cure something that's forgotten anyway? What this getaway became however was the first time that all three of us would be travelling outside of Melbourne, without the aid of a vehicle and via one of those tin-can funnels with wings. The logistics and the planning of a battalion going into war was the determination with which we formulated our requirements for this engagement with the aim of producing the deliverable needed.
Oh, and by the way, this getaway also represented our 2nd Wedding Anniversary, albeit a week early, it's all cotton baby!
Lift off for Aiden - Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast
Family travel #1
If only every flight could be exactly like this
We had everything we needed, the pram, the bottles, the change of clothes, the change of nappies. All we now needed was for the little guy to sleep for most of the journey, or at the very least, pretend to like it, if that happened then we'd be golden.
Walking through check-in there I sighted another couple with two kids, one roughly at the same stage of life as Aiden. The male looked at the both of us and asked, 'First time?', to which we replied, 'Yes'........and this is all he said in return 'Good Luck'
What the hell did that mean???
Did he mean that travelling with a kid is so diabolical and so damn awful that it's better to just take the continuous torment of crying, nappy changes, unfinished milk bottles and more crying at home rather than taking the kid to play an away game? Is it all that bad? Then why the hell was he doing it with 2 kids....or.....or.....was it a sly comment meant just to be picked up by my male brain, much like the way that dogs can pick up on certain frequencies that we humans can't. Was that the male way of preparing me for impending disaster?
Secrets on the Lake - Montville - Sunshine Coast - Queensland - Australia
Secrets on the Lake - Montville - Sunshine Coast - Queensland - Australia
Secrets on the Lake - Montville - Sunshine Coast - Queensland - Australia
Secrets on the Lake - Montville - Sunshine Coast - Queensland - Australia
I didn't know the answer but hell, now I was nervous.
As our flight thundered down the runway all eyes were on Aiden, at what point would he freak out?
Pulling away from the tarmac and heading to the skies above Melbourne, we busted through the clouds and were into clear air. Could this in fact be a dream run, could we be making one of the best debut family fly appearances of all time?
'F*** no'....as the plane leveled out the kid started up like an Australian cricketer that's been busted for ball tampering. There were tears, screams, pleads to be quiet, and then, just at the moment when we thought that Aiden could be on a rampage, he quietened down and rode the rest of the flight like an old hand. Fast asleep until the very end, we had to make up the little tiger for a change and a feed in Maroochydore. Ok buddy, not bad, not bad. For a first run I'll give you a 7.5/10, that's a high distinction mate, respect!
Secrets on the Lake - Montville - Sunshine Coast - Queensland - Australia
Secrets on the Lake - Montville - Sunshine Coast - Queensland - Australia
Secrets on the Lake - Montville - Sunshine Coast - Queensland - Australia
I'd booked some exquisite accommodation near Montville, about a 30 min drive from the beaches on the Sunshine Coast. The place is called Secrets on the Lake and let me say straight away, have a look at the link, have a look at the accommodation and then do yourself a favour and book yourself in. Their location and their tree house style of accommodation is absolutely sublime. The impeccable grounds, the beautiful rain forest surrounds and its location on Lake Baroon acts as the perfect accompaniment to the cabin style tree houses which are designed with style and furnished stylishly. The warmth of the wood, utilised in the construction and in the furniture pieces just makes the whole space so homely, but, don't be fooled by the 'cabin' status. With a sunken spa, TV, great sound system, air conditioning and decent kitchen facilities, it has everything that you need with a bit more added in. Coupled with that, each day we had delivers of croissants and the additional BBQ hamper that I ordered on the first night was just fantastic.
Eumundi Markets - Eumundi - Sunshine Coast - Queensland - Australia
Secrets on the Lake - Montville - Sunshine Coast - Queensland - Australia
Secrets on the Lake - Montville - Sunshine Coast - Queensland - Australia
The next day we took a drive up to the very surprising Eumundi markets. This place is both surprising and amazing. A lively, open air market that has offerings of locally made arts, crafts, plus street food, it's located basically in the centre of Eumundi and has damn large. I had been to the markets once previously, 15 years earlier, and recall being impressed then, but it seems to me that since then the size had probably tripled and the quality of items sold increased in accordance to the growth of the market.
When the markets closed at 2pm we had ourselves a bit of lunch at the impressive Imperial Hotel, iconic in this part of the world, and deservedly so. With its sweeping verandahs, great beer garden, interesting murals, and, with a brewery located on site, this place was a great spot to spend a few hours
Making our way down to Maroochydore for an evening on the beach, a spot of dinner and a couple of Negroni's thrown into the mix. We headed back to Secrets for the evening, a few glasses of wine, a DVD or two, and a nice night in.
Making our way down to Maroochydore for an evening on the beach, a spot of dinner and a couple of Negroni's thrown into the mix. We headed back to Secrets for the evening, a few glasses of wine, a DVD or two, and a nice night in.
Our final morning we spent in Montville itself, having a look around the charming little town and 'encountering' yet another wine before heading down to Sunshine Plaza for a couple of hours.
'Relax' little guy - flight back to Melbourne - Australia
And that was that. A pleasant getaway, especially up here where the sun and the warmth seems to last year round. I know, for certain, that somewhere along the line we'll end up living up this way, more than likely on the Gold Coast, although that will need to wait until the job scene is a bit more buoyant.
Our flight back down to Melbourne was relatively uneventful. Aiden cried right at the start but by the time we levelled off he was asleep, and basically that's the way he remained until we got back home. From plane, to car, to apartment. What a great way to travel, fall asleep when you leave and the next thing you know, you're at home in bed!
