On the road with nephew Floris (EN)

Experience 12: On the road with nephew Floris

Our last experience ended in New Zealand. On April 4 we flew back to Sydney and at the airport we met our nephew Floris, with whom we travelled the last 4 weeks. Time flies and we have been collecting a lot of beautiful moments.

We started our trip in Sydney en via Seal Rocks, Red Rock, Gympie, Grafton and Rockhampton we arrived in the most northern place we have been: Airlie Beach (around 2000 km above Sydney).

Airlie Beach, start of the Great Barrier Reef, was one of the highlights of our trip. Great nephew Floris jumped from 14.000 feet out of an airplane and had the most beautiful view ever of his live of the Whitsundays. The day after we visited the Whitsundays by boat and walked and snorkeled along the islands.

Airlie Beach was a really relaxed town, so we decided to stay there a couple of days, before heading back to Sydney. As icing on the cake (als klap op de vuurpijl) we learned that our Australian hero Pete Murray was in town. Unfortunately the concert already started and was sold out. But we found out, thanks to the great Australian 3G network, that he was doing his acoustic tour in Queensland. So we immediately booked tickets for his concert in Ipswich. We are glad that Floris joined us, he had no clue who Pete Murray was, but he decided to let it go. It was an incredible evening. Pete was fantastic and Nathan Kaye was the surprise of the evening. What a musician is that guy! He was able to play drums with his feet, guitar with his hands, didgeridoo with his mouth and in the meantime, believe it or not, he was also able to sing and beat box great songs! His lyrics were amazing and hit us deeply. This concert definitely completed our Ozzie-experience. As from this concert, Nathan and Pete are travelling with us through our speakers.

After Ipswich we went to Port Macquarie, after a quick visit to Byron Bay. In Port Macquarie we spotted our first koalas in the wild. They lived on the campsite where we stayed. Isn’t that great? Our visit to the koala hospital in town was special and Mike, our guide, did a great job by explaining everything.

After Port Macquarie we visited the Blue Mountains. In one word breathtaking. Great views and the different autumn colors were amazing.

On our last day with Floris in Sydney we went to the Taronga Zoo, together with our Dutch friends Leonie, Marc and their son Stijn, who are travelling as well in Australia at the moment. The zoo is beautiful and is built on a great spot. You can overview the skyline of Sydney when you attend the impressive bird show.

This is what Floris has to say about our trip:

“I am very happy that I was able to make this wonderful trip with Marlous & Rob through the east coast of Australia. Apart from all the wonderful things we have seen, I liked playing a game or having a good conversation in the evening. For me it felt a bit like I had two extra parents. They were so caring for me and that’s why I think that what kind of life their child will live, it will always be supported by Marlous & Rob.

The whole trip was a big highlight for me, but if I have to name something it will be The Whitsundays. They were amazing. I was thrilled because I viewed The Whitsundays from 3 different levels; by air, by ground and underwater. The view from 14.000 feet was incredible! I’ve never seen such a beautiful view. The Blue Mountains were also fantastic because of the great views and the walks we did there. Finally, I would also like to say that Sydney is really a great city. I liked everything, but most of all I liked the zoo”.

Floris, thanks a lot. We had a great time together!

Floris is enjoying his next holiday in the South of France at this moment and we are travelling a bit more through Australia. We will go to Melbourne and do the Great Ocean Road and on June 7 we will be back in Holland. We will search a house in Breda and we will really end our trip on July 11 with a 3-weeks vacation in Indonesia with Rob’s sister and her family. After that, we will prepare ourselves for our new adventure: raise a new born child. Time for something else after such a journey.

Happy smiles,

Marlous and Rob