Pictures - Daisy Hill

Did you ever wonder what happened to Brutus when Popeye went off the air? He fell on rough times and had to supplement his income by stealing firewood.




Picture of Wallabies

Are you there Koloa? Its me, Brendan

Living with a few Canadians defiantly has its benefits, one of these is their ability too empathize with Canadian cravings. My craving from “Presidents Choice White Cheddar Mac and Cheese” led to a half hour conversation in-which we listed all of the food from home that we desperately missed. Some of the items that made the list are as follows: Ketchup Chips, Kraft Dinner and everything Tim Hortons.

Have you ever looked at yourself and thought, damn, I look good? Well that was how I used to feel whenever I exited any body of water. I used to think that being wet was the sexiest I could look until I discovered spandex biking shorts. With anything there is an adjustment period, but after 20 minutes of awkwardly dancing around the house I was ready to venture onto the streets of Brisbane, headed for Mt. Coo-tha. Mt. Coo-tha is roughly an hour ride away and provides a spectacular view of Queensland. As with any great vantage point, tourists seem to flock there in large numbers. At one point while taking in the beauty of my surroundings I was approached by a group requesting that I take their picture, I kindly said “yes” and took a few snaps. While handing back the camera one of the individuals in the group asked “did you cycle here?” whilst I stood in front of them in spandex biking shorts, a helmet and a bike at my side. There is an old saying that states “there is no such thing as a dumb question” and if you take into account people with creative minds, I agree with the statement. For all intents and purposes they may have thought I flew to the top of the mountain on the back of Falcor the Luck Dragon from the “Never Ending Story”, that I always wore a helmet and spandex shorts, and the item to my right was my conjoined twin, but most sensible people could deduce how I arrived at Mt. Coo-tha. While riding Falcor home I continued to laugh at the absurdity of their question.

This past Saturday I awoke with a lot of energy and decided to make the 60 km round-trip ride to the Daisy Hill Koloa Sanctuary. Daisy Hill Koloa Sanctuary is a 425-hectare conservation area that is home to approximately 130 Koloa’s amongst other animals. Koloa’s are a threatened species in Queensland mainly due to the deforestation of their habitat. Upon arrival at the sanctuary I noticed a sign stating the educational facility would be closed for 6 months for renovations. Not feeling discouraged I decided that this would be the ideal opportunity to utilize my wilderness-tracking skills. Typically I would not go in search of a bear, but Koloa’s are not known to be a dangerous species. An interesting fact about Koloa’s is that they have a high rate of Chlamydia amongst their species. As I walked through the forest in spandex biking shorts, I scoured the bush looking for signs of the elusive bear.

While walking I encountered a few Wallabies. Wallabies are similar to a Kangaroo except that Wallabies are smaller and have a thinner tail. At one point I saw a Wallaby sitting amongst a group of people, as the Wallaby casually fed on vegetation two little children around two-years old walked up the Wallaby and attempted to pet the animal. I pulled out my camera and switched it to video mode not because it was cute but because I thought that something funny was about to ensue and I could sell the video to America’s Funniest Home Videos. Sadly nothing happened.

I walked for about two hours searching for the elusive creature until all of a sudden I spotted what appeared to be the outline of a Koloa. I quietly made my way towards the creature, pulled out my camera and took the following picture.





I think I forgot to mention that I posses no actual wilderness skills. You would think that the countless hours spent watch shows such as Man Tracker or Survivor Man on OLN (Outdoor Life Network) would have taught me something. I left the Daisy Hill Sanctuary a little frustrated. Now begins the “Great Koloa Chase”.


“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.” ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Some Pictures

Pictures:

1) The Backyard (AKA Jungle)


2) Our Street


2) The House



It's amazing what warm weather can do for ones body (www.faceinhole.com)

Life According to Brisbane

G’Day,
I realize that my last post focused on my arrival and neglected to mention any details regarding my housing situation aside from the fact that I am residing with Sally. The house is a typical student accommodation (messy and dirty). The house is shared amongst 5 people (4 Canadians and 1 Australian) and there are 2 wayfarers, Peter (Scotland) and myself.

Spiders are everywhere. Some are huge, especially the Huntsman spider, Google it, which can be as big as the palm of your hand. With regard to spiders I have taken on the following philosophy “the only good spider is a dead one”. In a moment of weakness I decided to let one live, I believe that this was a grave mistake as I fear that word has spread amongst the different spider species and that they are plotting an attack. If only I could convince Sally to let me sleep with a bottle of Raid. Our backyard is overgrown and constantly astir. Thus far I have spotted the following creatures in the backyard: Parrots, Blue-Tongue Lizard, Kookaburra and a Possum.

Brisbane is quite nice but small. With a name like Bris-Vegas you would assume a lot of hustle-and-bustle but I found it rather calm and relaxed. I have walked to Brisbane a number of times; I prefer the walk partly because it helps me become oriented with my surrounding and partly because I am cheap. I should make something clear, Brisbane is the city and it is surrounded by a number of suburbs. I am not residing in Brisbane, but in a suburb called Kelvin Grove.

Despite having walked around the downtown core and being mirrored step for step by an oncoming homeless man, I have not seen much of the city. I have yet to attend any museum, gallery, or zoo but plan too in the coming weeks. The reason why I have not been able to see as much as I would like is because I got a job working as a Car Detailer. Whenever someone asks what I do, I tell them I work as a Car Detailer then immediately break into the song “Working at the Car Wash” in my head. Here is an interesting fact: In Australia they drive on the left and therefore the driver-side of the car is opposite to Canada.

On my first day I was asked to drive a few cars from the side of the building to the front, the only catch was that I had to drive on the road. Despite a slow start, getting in on the passenger side, I was able to successfully complete the 30-second drive. While driving I must of said “left side” about 30 times, one for every second driving. I knew this job required some driving and I figured that a 30 second drive is okay and that I could avoid collisions. As luck would have it, my next day was not at the same location but at a Mercedes Benz dealership. My task was to retrieve, wash and park cars. Talk about stress, instead of a 30 second drive I now had to move 80,000 to 150,000 dollar cars throughout the lot and park them in spaces tighter than a fish’s asshole. Added to this stress was the fear that if I damaged a car I would have to pay the deductible. After a few days of working at the dealership my confidence increased but the fear was still present. I am now back at the original location, the person I was covering for at the dealership has returned to work.

Cleaning a vehicle is easy but detailing is extremely labour intensive. In an 8-hour day I can usually complete 2 cars. I usually pass the time by listening to my ipod and occasionally pretending that I am the Karate Kid…”Wax On…Wax Off”. For those wondering when I will start the ride from Brisbane to Sydney. I am planning on leaving just after my birthday (September 11).

As a final note, here is some information for those with inquiring minds:

Weather: It is winter. In the morning there is a little condensation on the cars and it is best to wear layers. The afternoon warms to around 20 and the evening temperature falls to chilly.

Prices: Goods are more expensive here. A chocolate bar starts around 2.20 and a 600 ml of pop will set you back at least 3.00. Beer is about the same but the highest percentage alcohol is 5.2. If you shop wisely prices are generally the same.

I am having a great time and I hope all is well