last days in Maleny.

These last few days have been wonderful.

Due to the floods, all transit in Queensland is free until the 30th of this month. That's a total bonus as Chris and I had been planning to get out and play some disc golf at a near by course. We got on the free train and were there at about 2 in the afternoon. We played all 18 holes and saw some beautiful nature including a water dragon. After the game we walked over to the "coles" for some snacks but it was closed (at like 5:30 wtf?) We went on to the train station. About a block away I guess I heard the train way off in the distance so I took off running. We caught the train by the "skin of our teeth" after running as fast as we could. When we got to our connecting station, we learned the train we needed to catch had stopped running quite a while ago. We decided to try to hitchhike before it got too dark but it quickly became apparent we wouldn't be getting picked up. Chris was very hungary so we walked through the tall grass between the highways to go to McDonalds, afraid the whole time we'd come across snakes or huge mud pits. We found neither. After making a few phone calls and finding out my super ghetto phone can go on the internet, we'd learned a motel room would cost $90 and a taxi would cost $110 and I'd sent a facebook message to Katherin the nanny asking her to call me. About three hours after learning we'd missed our last train, Chris and I found ourselves sitting outside a casino telling stories and watching a gecko catch flies. Then Katherin called and said she's be on her way. We rejoiced and decided to go back to the 24 hr McDonalds to celebrate with some french fries. Unfortunately the floods have made it so very few food deliveries can go through and they'd run out of most stuff so they closed. MAN.

Yesterday was very pleasant. We poked around town and went for a walk at Mary Cairnes Cross park for our third try. We were so excited to see 4 or 5 wallabies. Then we made a Mexican dinner for the family and it was a major hit.

Today we went into town and I got small gifts for Ella and Fia. Then I mailed them along with a bunch of stuff I wish I hadn't brought to Aus for a total of fifty something dollars. It will take 2-3 months to get home.

We had planned to go on this big walk but due to those damned floods, the roads were blocked off so we couldn't get there. It turned out great though because we got to see soooo much of the area just driving around and taking pictures here and there. At one point we were about to go over a bridge and I looked ahead and said "watch for that bird." After a moment I realized it was, in fact, a turtle. I took a few photos from a distance then got closer and closer. I was worried he'd get run over so I nudged him off the road with a stick. It seemed to take him a minute to realize what was going on because he went from a saunter to a sprint in no time and then fell about two feet off the side of the bridge and hit something and then rolled a bit before hitting a pebble and sliding into the water. I'm sure he was okay... sad and funny.

We've spent this evening playing tennis, swimming in the pool with the whole family, and playing games around the table. I'm sad to be leaving this place behind but I know very well that it's time.

Our plan now is to head to Melb on Wednesday after one night in Bris (and dinner with Andrea and Steven) and then stay there and around there for two weeks and then go to New Zealand for a month. Then we'll fly into Adelaide and go up the east coast for 2-4 weeks then *finger crossed* meet Adam and Lindsay in Thailand and then maybe even Carli after that if we can time it right. Then home? In mid May? I dunno.