Perfect weather.
Will blog about X Media later this week.
Some interesting facts.
Some interesting people.
Sand mining to stop on Stradbroke Island after more than 30 years - here's what the mine looks like, a scar on the natural environment.
Queensland used to boast about this mine. We studied sand mining and development in school when I was at Wellington Pt State School - as a good thing.
We studied Colonial history by tracing the convict escapees Pamphlete, Finnigan and Parsons.
I remember the maps of all the islands we had to name.
I used to look out across the bay from our back steps at the moon path leading to Straddie and desperately want to walk across.
We used to get up at 5am when the King tides came in the new year to swim in crystal waters around "the pole" - it had tyres around it.
There was also the "four poles" - where our next door neighbours would store a dingy to clean I suppose.
We'd fish from the dingy with the neighbour's grandkids.
We'd lay crab pots.
I'd come home from school and beachcomb or dig clay up to make ashtrays for my dad - that was before smoking became a social crime.
The result of this is an abiding love of the bay we must protect.
Stradbroke Weather: Squalls from Lisa Yallamas on Vimeo.
Two whales frolicked in Brisbane's Moreton Bay off Brisbane but the beaches were closed. Squally weather marred the first October weekend on Stradbroke Island.
As we waited in the car in a queue for the Big Red Cat - a ferry - the kids were concerned about driving a car onto a boat.
"Can we move around?" "Do we keep our seat belts on?" "Are you sure we can drive on to a boat?"
The Big Red Cat has a little cafe that does a roaring trade and has an enclosed observation deck as a major drawcard - why else would you pay $20 for hot chocolate and tea for five people? The view.
The cafe was calling completed order numbers out before the last car drove on to the Big Red Cat! I felt sorry for the old Stradbroke Island Ferry - we dubbed it the Blue Dog.
The Blue Dog chases the Big Red Cat over Moreton Bay ;)
Whales too far off for a Flip camera - which is now dead. Interesting phenomenon with Flips you erase the video and it tells you it's still a full disc.
