OZ BLOG PART 2

 Jim

BEER, BAILEYS AND BIKING

It's a mistaken belief that OZ is either sea and sand or desert. This isn't true. The proof of this is the 'bush' better known as the hinterland. It's a lush, green, verdant belt which runs behind  the coastal road and ends where the desert does start. But there is a lot of it. Hilly, winding and utterly splendid. Like the Windies, anything grows here. Unlike UK citizens, Australians can buy home grown produce at their local food store. No oranges from Spain, Apples from South Africa, Courgettes from Portugal etc, it's all produced in OZ. There are vineyards producing some lovely wines, and fields of hops producing some truly....... rank tasting beer. Yes folks that's where the eulogising stops. The main breweries must be run by brewers whose taste buds were removed at birth. All of them seem to produce the same foul Amber liquid. I have tried nearly all, Castlemaine, Tooheys, 4xxx and the assorted bottles that Jim had stashed away with his precious Baileys. The Baileys, he found out, courtesy of Trish, was the only booze he had that was drinkable. With the bravery of Julius Caesar's official food and drink taster, she ignored the 2010 sell by date on the side of the bottle and quaffed a sufficient amount to reassure Jim that it was indeed good enough to drink, put in his coffee, pour over his ice cream and use as toothpaste. For Jim loves the creamy elixir, and was grateful to be bravely re aquatinted with his ancient treasure. 

Jim's 24 hour Al Fresco area

This would be an opportune moment to associate you with our mate Jim. He's a Brit who sensibly emigrated here from Luton some 25 years ago. He lives North of Brisbane in Mountain Creek. He has a lovely one storey detached house in a long sweeping drive where no two houses are the same and no two houses are joined to each other. No semi detached living here. He has an
outside seating area which is used all the year round. It's not called The Sunshine Coast for nothing. Al fresco dining is the norm. Parrots squawk away in the trees above and at the end of his garden is The Creek. A mini rainforest with paved trails all around, on which cyclists are encouraged to pedal, runners run, joggers jog and power walkers don't see bicycles! Indeed, road cycle lanes here are twice as wide as any in the UK and strict laws govern just how close motorists can get to cyclists. As I found out there is a safe cycle way all the way to the seafront from his house. It takes about ten minutes to get there. When you do its all blue seas, white surfer waves and greenery. Paradise. On one side of the road is the sea and on the other, cafés and bars together with the usual sea side type apparel shops.

 

Bike Path To The Seafront

Jim made sure that there was a bike to use and I have repaid his kindness by buggering off on a daily basis to try and avoid getting lost, dying of heat exhaustion, and annoying other road users through ignorance of the local rules and regs. As you can tell or even imagine there is only one of the three I have succeeded in. Although it was a close run thing...............................

All Will Be Revealed In Part Three