birds

To finish my 15 days trip to QLD, I drove along the coast on 500km from Surfers Paradise to Hervey Bay. I really liked this cool air in front the Coral See with huge beaches. I saw happy people taking time playing with their children, with their dogs, fishing along the sea… and surfing. This way of living is not usual in Europe.

Coolum Beach

Surfers Paradise

Coolum Beach

Coolum

Hervey Bay harbor

Burleigh Heads

Hervey Bay

Burleigh Heads

I made a stop to take a little plane to have an aerial view of Fraser Island. It was amazing! A mistake was done on my reservation so the pilot made my land and take off on a beach on Fraser Island!!! The craziest “airport” ever!!! then I had an extra flight… I saw whales for truth for the first time!.. I was stunned and moved, feeling to be very lucky…

Fraser Island

Fraser Island

Famous MacKenzie Lake,Fraser Island

Fraser Island

Mangrove

Then I took a whales tour on boat as it was a childhood dream! It wasn’t that touristic, Australian people on board. It was nuts actually, we could feel their breathing and those whales were here because they are curious, by their own will… I couldn’t believe it was real!

I walked on a 1,8km pier to Hervey Bay. People used to come and fish there, pelicans know it!!

Hervey Bay whales tour

Hervey Bay pier

The day before going back to France I made a stop to Coolum Beach. I found my car with a flat tire and no car jack inside!!! I parked to a supermarket and 3 men kindly helped me happily! And I met an excellent woman who invited me home for dinner! I had a very nice evening there 🙂 God was with me! But the replaced tire was for a limited speed to 80km/h so I couldn’t reach the airport as the only way I knew was the motorway… I went to a small Hertz agency and I had to negotiate strongly to have a new car without paying AUD4,400 but only the price of a new tire (AUD85)!

I left Australia with an heavy heart, promising myself to come back 😉

Yaroomba

Hervey Bay harbor

Yaroomba

Caloundra

From Brisbane airpport

I have dreamt to go to Australia from the age of 19… and at the honorable age of 43 I decided to get there on a whim! Life has to be lived 🙂 So I took my flights and as usual I organized some photoshoots ahead. I planned places to go along East Coast, stop points, car rentals and internal flights. I chose 3 different places to organize photoshoots along my 12 days trip (I know, it was really too short!).

I arrived to Brisbane totally out of order lol. And my luggage stayed to Abu Dhabi… usual little adventure of black cat (see previous articles)! I couldn’t get changed during 3 days, washing and drying my clothes with the hotel hair dryer… Then I flight to Rockhampton (about 650km at north) with my luggage hehehe. Just a detail, Rocky is the beef capital of Australia and I am veggie…

There, I planned a fashion photoshoot with a little girl, Emily. I found her on web by chance and it was a really sweet and amazing meeting with her mother Julie and her. Thanks God! A photo of Emily was published through Child Model Magazine !

As usual, I had a look around the day before the shooting. I also discovered places around. I well drove at left side (!) and visited Yeppoon, Emu Park, Mont Archer, Capricorn Caves and the amazing Rocky zoo. I saw my first kangaroo and hundreds of birds, it was like paradise to me! I spoke with extremely kind people all along, I still keep in touch with some of them.