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David

the perfect ride

Autumn Leaves - Maleny

What makes a perfect ride? For everyone it is different. I think most people riding on two wheels would agree curves are a prerequisite, but there are so many other factors involved because riding a motorcycle stimulates so many senses.
Last year I spent 5 days winding around every mountain I could find between Melbourne back to Brisbane and although I enjoyed the challenge I was extremely happy to find some pretty back roads that allowed me to kick back and enjoy the scenery. Those back roads are my favourite,  but its nice to cover some distance quickly with short bursts along the freeways with smooth bitumen and wide lanes.
One of my other joys is the aroma that varies between the salt laden coastal runs and the distinct earthy  hues from the country. Even the mulch on the gardens mingle with blossoming flowers to give a vibrant and fresh experience.

Looking south toward Coolum

The final sensation is the visual.  From the thrill of winding around a sparking blue ocean to the panoramic vista on top of a mountain range. Equally breathtaking is the green countryside and valleys on inland trips with contented cows and livestock littering the gentle rolling hills.

During spring the flowers blossom as a ride through Grafton in October will attest with Jacaranda's flouting its beautiful purple buds. Higher in the ranges a different story is told. Armidale, more like an English town is famous for its maple trees splendid in spring and subdued in autumn as the broad leaves turn yellow and brown before dropping, littering the surrounding grounds.
All this is great but where do you find all of that in a day ride?
I am so lucky to live in the beautiful town of Noosa, the northern end of the Sunshine Coast,  so on a sunny morning Cooper, my son and I headed south along the David Low Way which follows the beautiful Sunshine Coast  through Coolum down to Mudjimba - 30 odd Kilometers of pristine coastline with waves rolling in over blue ocean before throwing its white foam onto the golden sand.

Vineyards looking over Glass House Mountains

Passing the Sunshine Coast Airport there is a short stretch of brand new, clean black bitumen with stark white lines marking the dual carrageway and framing the path leading out to Palmwoods before leading into a narrow, twisting path up the Blackall Range exiting at Montville, a pretty little tourist town with plenty of craft shops selling mostly timber products.
We carry on though, riding across the top of the range looking over the flat strip of built up coastal real estate to Coopers favourite town Maleny. To be specific, the Collin James Cafe sell a home made ice cream rendered from the local jersey cows that rivals any that I have tasted, and whilst I sipped a cappuccino Cooper eagerly indulged in the tasty treat. This town is packed most weekends with bikers interspersed with people enjoying the variety of interesting clothes shops and organic stalls lining the main street. Several years ago there was much controversy when Woolworth's built a supermarket over the Obi Obi creek, the home to local platypus, a blip in the landscape of this hippy town, priding itself on its alternative lifestyle.
Outside, I take some time to reflect on the large maple trees on the high end of the street. The cooler mountain air has begun to turn the broad leaves a golden brown, still too early to have dropped they hung on the trees like ornaments, shading the streets in the hot summer days now past.
Leaving Maleny, we headed out along the western ridge now looking over the rolling hills and green county side we enter into with relish.

Colin James - A must stop in Maleny

The next 50km to Kenilworth runs through little country towns such as Connondale and winds gently through the stunning green country across small wooden bridges and ambling brooks and creeks. With leathered speedsters whizzing past we take our time, savouring the beauty of the landscape matched only by the pleasure of passing through on the rumbling of our Harley Davidson Road King.
The final leg back to Noosa leads past parks and bed and breakfast cottages to the left  contrasted by cross country heaven evidenced by the number of trail bike trailers parked at the base of the range leading back up to Mapleton on top. We cruise back, following the Mary river along the valley through Eumundi, quiet today without the markets open.
As we pull up into the driveway I am thrilled by the completeness of the ride and the senses fulfilled in the four odd hours we have been travelling. Surely if ever there was a perfect ride we just rode it!!

Plastic in the ocean

Noosa Suf Festival

This past week the Noosa Surf Festival has been running. It is a very big, if not relaxed event, more like as the name suggests a festival rather than a competition.  One of the stands on the beach which drew my attention was  Take 3, a group of people dedicated to cleaning up our beautiful beaches and spreading the word on behalf of the silent oceans and animals slowly being strangled away by our collective waste of plastic congregating in the ocean and on our foreshores.

timber boards and natural resin

Tim and Amanda were both very friendly and motivated to the cause.  Amanda enthusiastically explained that despite everything she carried as a surfer and Mom, she could still find space in her fingers to collect three pieces of rubbish on her way, hence the name Take 3.  They also ran a film and information evening which we attended with a talk and viewing of a movie called "Bag it"
I was pleased to see the "J" at Noosa was well attended and indeed sponsored, including a company that builds surfboards from timber with a honeycomb core to lighten and then glassed with a natural resin and bamboo matting, making the whole process friendly to the environment and to the manufacturer. I couldn't help thinking that riding a wave on one of these boards would be even more special.

The team from Take 3

We have all heard of the Guyra's of plastic swirling around different parts of our major oceans and I for one have felt a little better for my cleaning up my beach efforts each morning. What struck me during the movie was the initial problem of our lifestyle, the actual usage of the rubbish in the first place. Our two major contributors to the whole plastic issue are plastic bags and plastic drink bottles. I don't think that it would surprise to many people that literally billions of these items are used once and then deposited into land fill in one way or another every day. Even despite the recycling efforts to reduce some of the waste, most of it ends up in the environment to spend hundreds of years slowly breaking down. It is unavoidable then that a good deal of it will end up uncontrolled, flowing into our waterways and thus into the ocean to do untold damage right down to our micro plankton.


Without going into the nitty gritty of the problems, I made a decision to action three things. To stop using plastic bags, to stop drinking bottled water and to pick up three pieces of rubbish every day.  The last one is going to be easy enough, and even the plastic bottles can be changed and stopped with only a minor adjustment. The more challenging part is to stop the bags. I am notorious that despite my best intentions, in forgetting my cloth bags, so with new vigour I have put plenty in the car.
My first foray was worth a mention. I headed off to our local butcher for meat. Armed with containers to put the meat into I proudly gave my smiling assistant the containers to save the plastic bags. With a twinkle in his eye he enthusiastically said no worries before putting my purchase on a plastic bag to weigh before depositing the meat into my container and throwing away the bag!! I guess I still have some work to do there!
Without wanting to bang on too much I would like to encourage everyone to do three things
1 - Replace plastic bags with cloth bags. They are much sturdier and hold more meaning you need less.
2 - Replace plastic drink bottles with glass or steel bottles. If you don't like your tap water buy a filter.
3 - Pick up 3 pieces of rubbish every day. Get into the habit, no one will probably notice but you will feel better for it!!

For more information visit www.take3.org.au
Each morning I post a sunrise photo on my Facebook and Twitter sites to remind everyone what a beautiful world we live in and to make you smile and appreciate the day a little more, so please take a look and"like" to see every day.

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Morning Glory Photography

Sun Salute

Life is exciting isn't it!
Two years ago I began taking pictures of the sunrise to basically let people know I was still around and share my favourite part of the day. I also wanted to try and draw attention to our beautiful environment and be a small voice for it.
Last year the local ABC radio station began to post my morning pics and so began a time of mutual backslapping and appreciation. Rob, the presenter has been really encouraging and supportive in my creative efforts and taking this whole thing to a new level.
Turns out Sunshine Coast tourism are very interested in my photographs and the support base through the radio Facebook page has been ultra encouraging.
So here I stand now on the cusp of a new and surprising venture. I have always thought the world to be an oyster of amazing possibilities just needing to be opened, but as I dip my toe into the world of web pages, promotion and general profile lifting I feel like Im standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon of opportunity and whilst very exciting more than just a little daunting!
With the help of Rob I am also looking at being able to begin some clean up campaigns beginning with  Fraser Island and Wide Bay Bar area giving this whole energy some credence for the initial vision.
 I am trying to take little steps and I am sure there will be some falls on the way so I appreciate your patience and feedback as I enter into the unknown.

I love my I phone and its attachments

One other issue for me has been that being a tad lazy on the organisation front I have always taken my pics on the I phone so I could download them from their rather than having to come home and put on the computer to send which seemed like too much work. I am not sure if anyone else cares but I have started carrying around a real camera and booked into a photography course which I am very excited about and so not all of the pics will be from the phone now. I will try to tell when they are not but please enjoy anyway. One of the pleasures for me is to find something beautiful in each day and share.  No two days are the same and some days, lets face it are more challenging than others!!
Please feel free to visit Morning Glory Photography on Facebook - leave a comment or press the like button or share with your friends if you think they will like, but most of all ENJOY!!

Behind the dunes at Sunshine Beach

Back to the hot room!

I like to think I am a proactive kind of guy. This is a milestone year for me, I cant believe I passed forty nearly a decade ago, and although I feel in better shape now than I did back then something inside me is a little nervous about this one. I have been practicing Bikram Yoga now for two years and it is a testament to my general health. Alongside the radical transformation of my diet I have daily been stretching my ever so tight sciatic nerves in a slow but continuing effort to gain flexibility. It has had its benefits. My back has never been better and  the use of core strength has been nothing short of a revelation. Certainly, I have not had an exercise related injury in that time. It has also had a positive benefit to my other pursuits, surfing, paddling and even basketball and tennis have been turning back the clock with yogas help.

Sailing however, has been another story. Being 193cm means I never quite have enough headroom and so I seem to spend most of the time slightly bent over as to protect my forehead from the ravish’s of the beams supporting the deck above. I was really looking forward to spending quality time aboard my boat over Christmas and even had planned some yoga stretching as part of the quiet holiday routine.

 Life aboard has a lot of benefits and my muscles appreciated the manual labour of heaving up anchors, winching sails and pulling on the oars of the dinghy rather than starting the motor. Stretching however, wasn't one of them and each day I could feel my back gradually stiffening up. Sure, we tried to do some stretching on the beach like we planned and whilst it should have been ideal my mind was elsewhere,  leaving my poses shorter than they ought have been.

By the time we got home getting out of bed and even alighting the car required some effort to get past the stiffness in the back and my body was screaming out for a decent stretch.  Strangely though, I was having trouble getting my head into gear, maybe it was the hot summer days or the distraction of all the boat work I was inspired to pursue. I had eaten really well and the activities had lifted my spirits, all I needed now was for my back not to have me acting my age!

So this morning as I ached my way out of bed and began preparing my sunday morning coffee, I knew what I needed. It was funny then that I thought I might head down to the beach to greet the sun before realising there was a better place for me to be.

Despite the fact that I was stiff and struggled through the 90minute class it was so good to be back and as I headed home I felt refreshed and alive like only the hot room seems to be able to do and ready to renew my relationship with the mat!

It is often said in class that yoga will have the chiropractors chasing you and I often smile and think sure, sure,  but you dont realise how true it is untill you stop and see how quickly the body goes on holidays!

Christmas Goose

I am sitting here watching my cousin Simon play with his 12yr old daughter Natalie. She is her fathers daughter as she nervously jumps off the side of the boat into her waiting fathers arms. Together he passes on the skill of rowing the dinghy and coaxes her through the pulling and pushing action required to propel the inflatable dinghy in a forward direction. She proudly exclaims her dad cooks the best scrambled eggs ever and even her mother is chastised for criticising her hero - Dad!

It is said that for boys, their most influential person is their mother, or at least a female to nurture them through life, the opposite example of what is happening before me. Whilst this may be true I cannot help but think about the most influential female in my life. I loved her since I first lay’d eyes on her, full of rubbish floating around in her bilge as the rain poured in through the holes in her roof.

I lovingly restored her over 8 years to be the pride of my fleet. She gave us safe passage in 2004 as we left Sydney and cruised up to Lizard Island in Far North Queensland and then became home until 2010 providing me an Island of refuge in times of troubled waters. 

It hasn’t been all plain sailing. Like all females she requires plenty of attention and can let you know if she hasn’t received it. Whilst others have competed for my attention she has always seemed to win out in the end. That in itself has created various forms of conflict, despondency, rejection and pain, but still the reality is she depends on me and me ultimately on her. Sailing is in my veins and despite everything else I am drawn to the ocean like a moth to a flame, knowing that whatever the consequences I cannot be myself without it. 

Tin Cn Bay sunrise

I have been living the life of a land lubber in a normal house with unrestricted water, showers, electricity, heating, cooling, rubbish removal and everything we take for granted  for two years. Cooper, my son, having grown tired of the lack of space and general boating life vowed last year that for christmas holidays his only request was not to go anywhere near the boat! I hope that one day he will see the value and pleasure of boating life, but in the mean time we have taken our adventures on the road with a motorbike and tent searching different states, cities and towns in a fruitful quest to quench the thirst of travel. My sailing adventures with Eva have been absorbed sailing my friends beautiful Benetau 48 with all the modern creature comforts and space to burn in exotic locations up and down the East Australian Coast, caught up with his enthusiasm and willingness to make it really easy for us.

Meanwhile, my Goose has laid unattended and alone, its once proud paint and brightwork fading and covered in the droppings of the birds making the most of her layoff. With a quick visit whenever I can find time, my once pride and joy has become more a symbol of neglect, making the energy required to initiate restoration and full use of her all the more daunting.

So for better or worse we decided to make the overdue run up to Tin Can Bay where the lure of the Great Sandy Straits, Fraser Island and most importantly calm water and beautiful beaches beaconed in all but the foulest weather. One of my issues has been that all our sailing grounds, although beautiful, are also fraught with uncomfortable conditions the majority of the time making for unpredictable and and often unacceptable anchorages. Tin Can Bay was a logical new home for Wild Goose, within a reasonable driving distance and an easy sail to readily accessible stopovers. Maybe from here we can invite guests out without making them violently ill and throwing them off their beds at night!! Oh how I miss those quiet anchorages down the Hawkesbury River.

This amazing storm passed through on our second night

As Australians celebrated Christmas morning with excited children finally ripping open their presents that have been sitting ever so tantilisigly under the tree for several weeks, we leisurely made our way north to where the Goose was waiting eagerly for our arrival, wagging its tail in the 30 kt southerly wind winding down through Rainbow Beach and the coloured sands. Despite the wind and distance dinghying out to the boat it was reassuring to note the lack of waves or swell save for the chop whipped up by the bullets of wind as they angrily swooped over the sand bar and knocked a fine spray off the surface of the water. I was thankful to have taken the opportunity to sail north from Mooloolaba when we did because out to sea 5m waves courtesy of cyclone Fina had totally closed the Wide Bay Bar making any chance of arrival from the ocean now impossible.

Having had the chance for all but a scant clean on the way up we spent two days resupplying and cleaning the superficial crust off the boat before weighing anchor for our two week reconciliation. 

Oh how sweet it is to fall in love again. To have the mask removed and secure the time to just soak in the joy of life aboard!! Despite the TV blowing up on the first night, the prop being so crusted with barnacles we could barely move, and running out of water on the third night, we were out sailing, beginning our new adventure!! As a violent storm passes over us and we fervently catch water, it strikes me how polarising boat life can be both emotionally, physically, mentally and  even life stylly(I know, I know). 

On one hand Eva is watching TV on the new HD flat screen, with full surround sound, and I surf the internet for weather, Facebook, etc, as you would anywhere. On the other, I wash the dishes in salt water before giving them a fresh water rinse in order to save our vital commodity that we have been dingying over from Kingfisher Bay Resort in our spare drink bottles!

sunset at Kingfisher Bay

Our days are spent swimming, paddling and reading with sundowners and showers at the resort before paddling back for dinner and movie as the generator hums away on deck. Its been so long since we’ve had such contentment and relaxation and I remember how good life can be aboard and the opportunities it can provide. Suddenly my to do list for the boat is being filled with enthusiasm and vigor again and with the prospect of so much more I look forward to tackling the tasks with relish. Eva has brought into the regime and suddenly the inside of the boat is sparkling as only she knows how, with plans and aspirations of her own; there is a wind of change around the Goose and it is all fair and sunny. I dive on the hull and clean the prop and scrub the scum line. The Goose seems to be preening in the attention.

The Barrett Family

As Simon and his family Kiersten, Natalie and young Ethan venture over on their runabout to spend two days with us, cleaning and preparing for guests forces us into a more thorough clean.  At the end of the session the only reminence of the mould and dust is the lingering smell of bleach that gives away our cleaning endevours. Still, there is a new freshness to the teak and beech floorboards and stained timbers that give the boat so much character. as our guests arrive we settle into a less introspective time as everyone explores and takes in their new surroundings and conquers the fears of the new environment.   All the things I take for granted are like a new miracle for them to behold and make an adventure off!

I was soon gushing with excitement as they first reeled in horror at the realization that the blanket of moving darkness on the waters edge were thousands upon thousands of soldier crabs marching in formation on the low tide mark. Their panick was soon turned to fascination as the harmless crabs drilled themselves into the soft white sand so as not to be squashed. Fascination quickly developed into curiosity as they held these brightly coloured crabs, being tickled as they attempted in vain to spin into the cups of their innocent hands.

A beach lined with soldier crabs!

The two days passed all too quickly and everyone seemed comfortable with the new surroundings and we agreed that there was much more exploring to be done and fun to be had at another time.

As the Barrett family headed home I think we were all enthralled with the bonds and familiarity of both the friendships forged and capabilities of handling the various craft surrounding us!  


After 5 glorious days mixing boating serenity with Kingfisher Bay hospitality it was time to replenish our supplies (not the least our water) and head off to our next major destination.

Fraser Island is the worlds largest sand island and is basically shaped like an enormous wedge. The southern extremity is the pointy end from where it expands out to around 90km at the northern extremity. Facing the north west it is perfectly protected from the prevailing south east trade winds, leaving a beautiful beach dropping into turquise water for as far as the eye can see. Think of those TV travel shows with people travelling half way round the world and spending thousands of dollars for some remote slice of perfection and you are on track except this is right on our back doorstep!! We found our spot with our nearest neighbours around a kilometre away and spent three days swimming, playing and combing the beach, left alone save for the occasional fishing boat passing by. This was our utopia.

Our Utopia!!

Eva and her Bo Derek moment!!

I took Eva here first several years ago in July during the annual whale migration. The mothers use this enormous protected bay as a playground for several months to feed their calves and prepare them for their long journey south to the cold waters of antarctica. Although empty at the moment, half way through the year the bay is full of these magnificent creatures allowing us and the the fleet of whale watching boats to get close and for us to stand awe of these truly magnificent levethians. 




Right now though, we get to soak up the sun and chill out in what we believe is our own slice of paradise as the sun sets somewhere over Bundaberg and the sky turns a rosella pink reflecting the extraordinary colours through the usually white sand!!

Sunset over Platypus Bay

Its strange how perceptions change at the point of turning the bow for home. Suddenly the focus shifts and I find it difficult not to start thinking about what is waiting for me when we get back. Even so, this has been a wonderful break and as we begin to retrace our steps and pick the favourable conditions to sail back in I am salvating at the thought of spending a lot more time it this truly remarkable waterway in the ensuing twelve months. We still have three more nights of magic on the way home and the oportunity to catch up with our new friends in Tin Can Bay and even a shower and meal at our now Yacht Club before leaving our beautiful boat and packing the car in preperation for the

                                                                                                           

                        Thank you sv Wild Goose, you do us proud.