There is the history of Italy, Spain and Germany. There is the adventure of Peru, the uniqueness of Iceland, the vitality of Thailand and India.
And then there is Queensland.
I am a proud Queenslander; I love this place! We are incredibly lucky to call Queensland home, and know that we can easily holiday at some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
This week we’re in Caloundra. The sky is a vast gorgeous blue, the sun is shining hot and it’s just so, so beautiful. We’re with my parents, my sister and our nieces, and we’re having the most amazing family holiday.
The ocean both invigorates and settles you, whether it’s diving into the surf, sitting on the sand as the waves roll in, or watching the activity in Pumicestone Passage – pelicans, boats, people fishing and paddle boarding. It’s stepping away from work and everyday life to ground yourself, and to do so with your family is extra special. Plus there’s nothing like the liberating feeling of being fresh from a morning swim in the surf, a little sunburnt on the spots the sunscreen missed, your whole body salty, hair tangled, sand everywhere. A hard sell perhaps for those not from Australia!
We’ve covered all of the essentials for a Queensland beach holiday. Eating fish and chips, mango Weis Bars, Golden Gaytimes and barbecued sausages. Swimming in the surf, floating in the calm water on the blow up llama and pineapple, boogie boarding, hiring kayaks and paddling across to Bribie Island. Securing the 45 year old beach umbrella firmly into the sand. Exploring rock pools and collecting shells, being stung by bluebottles, scrambling and bouncing over crazy hot sand. Spending hours in the pool. Peeling off wet togs, pulling them back on again still damp. Watching Uncle Donnie fishing (and constantly asking if he’s caught anything yet). Visiting Australia Zoo, finishing a jigsaw puzzle, reading books, taking long walks along the water. Dad with his binoculars watching the boats and the lights at night, Mum always ready with chips, biscuits and juice.
It really has been the perfect family holiday.
I will head back to work refreshed, relaxed and energised; and most likely still a bit sandy, salty and sunburnt.
Around the World in 99 Days 
You are such a talented writer. Your piece provided a most perfect evocation of all of my childhood holidays spent mostly at Bribie Island. We caught the boat the Miramar over to Bribie and stayed in a galvanised iron shack on the calm side. There were massive blue jellyfish, and Dad and I would swim between them while my brother, wearing his felt scout hat, caught enormous flathead! We also stayed on the Maroochy River, where a man with a big flat tray truck came around selling huge green and white long watermelons, which peeled and split open when you put the big steel knife into them, spilling sweet luscious juice everywhere. We sat cross legged and ate them under the paperbarks. Then we had the borrowed caravan and annexe at Mooloolaba beach, where I developed my lifelong love of shopping at the Witches Hat, A framed shop filled with clothes and beach household decor, with sea grasses and shells on the low window ledges. My Old Grandma lived at Redcliffe, at the top of the hill in an old flat. We used to walk down the hill to the trampoline park any pay 2 shillings to jump for 10 minutes, on trampolines which were placed in holes so the mat was at ground level. I loved the gritty sand under my feet at Margate and watching the ‘white horses’ with Grandma from her window. You’ve all had the perfect holiday Ange.
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