trekkingthesea: Part One Mooloolaba

By Jen: We have spent so much time socialising since arriving in Mooloolaba that we are a little behind in the blogging.

We are also waiting for repairs to be completed to the auto pilot (third time lucky)? This will decrease the exhaustion level of skipper and crew.

I wanted to share some of my impressions of Mooloolaba. This place is a Mecca with the well monied Grey Nomads ( retirees). I felt positively youthful from Monday to Friday walking along the promenade. ( The weekend was the usual mix of youth dudes.) The facilities for the public are top quality, and the nights reveal some interesting lighting.

Sculptural and elegant hand rails.

Dreamy by night.

SAILABILITY is strongly supported in Mooloolaba. This is an event/activity organised several times a week for disabled people to enjoy the unique sensations of being on the water. A large troop of volunteers gather with specialised equipment to assist in lowering and raising the participants into and out of the dinghies. Much laughter and hooting from happy sailors.

Colour and fun.

Lots a gleeful sounds as this dinghy passed by.

The Mooloolaba Yacht Club shares the grassy foreshores with the marina. We spent time here with friends old and new. Jessica Watson "the world's youngest circumnavigator to sail solo and unassisted" is duly acknowledged with plaques and displays, as were her sponsors.

Jessica Watson: Our hero .

Bruce Arms is also a local and was a very generous sponsor to Jessica's triumph. He also holds the record for his own quick run around the paddock in his catamaran.

So what is our connection with this Bruce Arms? He skippered our yacht Crazy Lady after she was sold and sailed her from Hobart to Western Australia, via the Great Australian Bight. I feel so proud about Crazy Lady making it with ease because Glenn and I put a great deal of sweat and tears into her transformation...(not to mention the fact that she carried us safely across Bass Strait).

Mauve in colour: the record breaking Big Wave Rider.

Lots of animals inhabited the vegetated foreshores of the Mooloolaba beach strip. Extensive boardwalks meaner through the seperation zone between "surf and turf".The Bush Turkeys wouldn't stay still long for a photograph, and the dense shade created further challenges for this photographer. It's also the season for mating and nesting. Lots of scratching of the undergrowth building compost leaf mounds in the forest environment.

Why am I the only person in our walking groups to see Lizards? I have identified four kinds so far just sitting beside the pathways.

I love lizards.

This next photo is a monument erected for the dogs who went to war. It is dedicated to my mum, who is computer literate and has recently had a degree of vision restored.