When we arrived on the Sunshine Coast last year, we wanted to experience as many things as possible in this part of Queensland. Hopefully one of those experiences was an agricultural show and something different from the shows in the city. We were lucky enough to be able to attend the Sunshine Coast Agricultural show at the Nambour showgrounds before we headed north. As we have not been here for a full 12 months, we were worried that we would miss some annual events but luckily the show was held just recently in mid June.
The show was held over 3 days and we went on the last day due mainly to us having other things on during the previous days. Although the entry fee was cheaper than Adelaide's royal show, it was still reasonably expensive but there was a special offer where kids were free on the last day so that helped a bit.
There were some familiar attractions such as the sideshow alley rides, showbags, animal displays and stalls but some had that unfamiliar Queensland theme which we weren't used to. We didn't see the extensive agricultural animal events like cattle, sheep, alpacas etc etc but we weren't sure whether it was because it was the last day or whether they weren't included. We had to keep reminding ourselves about the types of agriculture which exist around the Sunshine Coast because that's what was on display here. Poultry seems to be popular probably because people can keep them on small acreage blocks which exist all over the coast. There were chickens with mega drumsticks and extreme red comb-overs and feathers sticking out in all manner of weird places. The girls thought they were funny but, to be honest, these birds did not look comfortable. Exotic birds and budgerigars were also on display along with a fantastic display of bees and their lifecycle and production of honey.
Flower displays were also there but many of the exhibits were wilting because it was the last day of the show. They ranged from individual blooms to whole arrangements. The most commom bloom was the camelia which grows and flowers prolifically up in the hinterland because it's cool. Fruit and veg played a big part at the show. The Sunshine Coast is popular for many different types of fruit and vegetables, as is Queensland. Pineapples, avocados, pawpaws, citrus and strawberries were all on display but the most unusual display we saw was the massive hands of bananas which had been judged. I've never seen anything like it down south but then bananas aren't the pride of the state down south.
Horses and in particular, showjumping was as popular here as in Adelaide. Many properties around the Sunshine Coast are devoted to horses and many people own them and ride them. Once we had done all the agriculture of the show, we got down to the business of seeing what else there was. Erin, of course, had already put in her requests for a facepainting, an icecream, some hot chips and rides. Unfortunately, whenever we fulfilled something on her wishlist, it wasn't long before we were being bugged about the next thing. One display which peeked all our interests was a reptile display. This guy (whose name escapes me now) had taipans, eastern browns, king browns, red bellied blacks as well as lizards and pythons all together in this plastic swimming pool liner. Whenever he had a talk on, he would attract a huge crowd. Amazingly, he would be stepping over all these venomous snakes while giving his talk and lizards and pythons would be hanging from some tree branches he had placed throughout the display. We went back at least twice to hear his talk because we never quite arrived at the beginning and so missed some of his show.
We then walked through sideshow alley and there were several rides for the littlies which excited Erin. Becca was asleep in the pram by this stage after causing some drama. She desperately needed a sleep but wasn't gonna go down without a fight and so struggled and fought us for ages to the point of making herself sick. Eventually we won and she got some much needed rest. Erin had a go on the massive blow-up slide and when she woke up, Becca had a ride on a small carousel. Then they both had a ride on a pony. Steve and I had to lead them around and although Erin had ridden before, Becca wasn't too sure but eventually enjoyed it.
We then watched some sidecar racing which had Erin in tears because of the noise but Becca watched quite happily. We also watched some stunt motorcycle riders and a stunt horsewoman called Pinkie who performed all sorts of tricks on her horse. I suppose because we were there on the last day and later in the afternoon, we were able to see all these other non agricultural events which were fun to watch. After continued whingeing and tears, we decided to grab a couple of showbags and head home.......easier said than done! As many people probably know, most showbags sold for around $20-25 and by this stage of the show, many of the cheaper and popular bags were sold out. Out of the $100 I had in my purse, there was $15 left. I couldn't believe where the money had gone and I had brought a heap of snacks for the girls to nibble on while we were there. Erin insisted on a lolly showbag when she doesn't eat lollies. Steve and I tried to convince her to buy a chocky bag because we knew she would take one bite out of all the lollies and unless they were strawberry, they would be wasted. Eventually, after much heated discussion and sulking, she agreed to a Freddo bag along with one for Becca. After some serious chocky swapping between the girls, they both had a selection which they would eat.
I liked the fact that it was a small show that one could easily walk around in an afternoon and see everything. We didn't have to walk for miles from one end of a showground to the other. Steve was a little disappointed that the show was perhaps less agricultural than he expected but maybe as we head further north and into more growing regions, then the shows may be more agricultural. We all, however, enjoyed the day out and the Sunshine Coast show experience.
Well we finally did it.......or should I say Steve actually did it and we were all there to witness it. I can safely say, without any experience or specific aviation knowledge, that Steve is an excellent pilot of a rotary aircraft without supervision. How can I make such a brash claim?.......He managed to pilot us all the way to Fraser Island and back without me getting motion sickness. That is my measuring stick by which I guage his abilities. We had a smooth and trouble-free flight due to the teachings of Beckers amazing instructors and Steve's dogged determination to achieve a high standard to the best of his abilities.
The day was nearly perfect for flying if not for a slight haze in the sky. The winds were light without being non existent because helicopter pilots need wind as long as they're not gale force. It was pot luck for us because Steve had to organise everything a week in advance and the weather had been questionable on a couple of occasions so we all had our fingers and toes crossed that when the day arrived, it would be great for flying. I tried to make sure the morning was smooth and that we weren't late because although we girls were excited, our pilot was nervous because he hadn't flown in a month and had not flown a jet ranger in over 2 months. There is always that doubt that one might forget things.
Going for a scenic flight is not a matter of just turning up and getting in and taking off....well not for the family of a pilot anyway! When we arrived, our machine wasn't there yet as it was already out on a joyflight. While we waited, we caught up with everyone who were curious to know how our trip south had gone. When our helicopter returned, Steve disappeared out onto the tarmac to refuel it and do the necessary safety checks in and around the machine. He was helped by Geoff, our safety pilot for the day (a formality for insurance reasons when flying someone else's helicopter without lots of hours accumulated). The two men milled around the machine making sure everything was as it should be. Well.... that's what it looked like from the ops room when in all likelihood they were probably having a good chin-wag. In the meantime, Erin and Rebecca ran around madly with Erin saying regularly "when are we going flying". It was my hope that if they ran off a bit of energy, they would be happy to sit for a while because once we were in the air, there would be no playground stops for a while.
Just before we were ready to go, Steve's friend and fellow student, returned after doing his flight test for his licence. It was a pass for him and a great relief to know that all the hard work had paid off and that now he could also hold a CPL (commercial pilots licence). After some brief celebrations, which included Erin and Rebecca helping to decorate a congratulations poster, we headed out to our helicopter with everyone waving us goodbye and wishing us a fun flight.
We were lucky enough to get the 'executive' helicopter. Many of Beckers' jet rangers are used to train pilots using night vision goggles and so the interior of the machines are painted black so the goggles don't pick up unnecessary light and turn everything green. Our machine didn't have the black treatment and instead was a more palatable cream colour with vinyl/leather seats. There was plenty of visibility out of the windows with a small sliding window for airflow and photo taking opportunities. There was enough space in the back for we girls although I think it might be a bit of a squish for three adults. Our headsets were comfortable with adjustable volume control and were also voice activated . It just meant you didn't have to press buttons to talk. We had been practising wearing headsets with Rebecca on a few occasions at home to make sure she would wear the headsets and not throw them off at the first opportunity. Helicopter noise is not good for the ears. We had to put her hat on her head so the headset would fit her on it's smallest setting.
Eventually, after yet more checks inside the cabin, we were ready for a start. Erin did her usual "hatches, harnesses, homework" chant which we have all been hearing in the car while Steve has been training. It is just a series of reminder prompts for students when doing their checks before takeoff.
A flawless lift-off to hover for Steve, although he would find fault with it. Then radio calls to the Sunshine coast tower for clearance and we were away. Once settled at our cruising height, we looked out at the amazing scenery around us. Erin was on the ocean side and we told her to look out for whales and turtles which can sometimes be seen along the coast. In particular the whale watching season is almost upon us up here. As we headed north along the beach, the glare and reflection off the water was not ideal for photography but every time Steve turned the helicopter around, I could get beautiful pictures looking south down the beach. We passed Noosa Heads, Double Island Point, Rainbow Beach and the spit which is the closest point between Fraser Island and the mainland. We drove out onto that sand spit while waiting for the barge to pick us up and take us to Fraser Island back in January.
Once flying over FI, the scenery was spectacular and it was incredible what one could see from the air that you couldn't see from the ground. There were amazing sand blows all over the island which we never saw while driving around but were the obvious reason for the sandmining industry which once existed. Steve did a circuit around the Maheno wreck so I could get a closer look and take some photos. It feels quite special to be able to ask your personal pilot to fly you where you want. We only had a couple of 'moments' between the girls as they got fidgety towards the end of the first leg of the flight. It's difficult to get Becca to keep a seatbelt on when all she wanted to do was stand and look out of my window. At one stage Becca also wanted to lay down which proved difficult when Erin didn't want her to lean on her so then a kicking episode ensued followed by screams and tears. I decided that Steve and Geoff didn't need to hear high pitched squeals so I shifted her microphone away from her mouth. At one stage it was just like an episode in the car with dad yelling from the drivers' seat only at 1000 feet. As we made our way north, we spotted all the familiar landmarks from our January trip and then landed at Orchid Beach for lunch and a break. There was a grass airstrip right on the coast above the beach with a shop and bar nearby as well as shacks and homes back in the scrub.
There was a feeling of celebrity as we stepped out of the helicopter but no paparazzi was there to greet us. We did, however, manage to turn the heads of the people who were around at the time. The owners just panicked because when a helicopter lands there it is usually the state rescue helicopter which means either medical emergency or accident. A magnificent menu awaited us at the Orchid Beach shop where we ordered 3 meat pies with sauce and assorted drinks while the girls just wanted an icecream. It is the middle of winter up here and so the tourism on Fraser Island is a bit slow at the moment. I must admit I was enjoying the leg stretch because even I was eager to touch down and get out for a while.
But all too soon it was time to leave as Russell Coigt would say. I bought a large pack of salt and vinegar chips to keep the munchkins happy and a pack of fruity lollies for myself before heading back to the flying limo. After getting the girls organised and making some adjustments to our cargo, we were all ready to go although my door was still open. As Steve and Geoff were all strapped in, I had to do it myself which was a little daunting for me. I did, on several occasions, during the trip home have my fingers crossed that I had done the right thing when turning the locking mechanism. Geoff assured me that if the door did come open it would only do so a little due to the force of the air over the helicopter.........how reassuring at 2500 feet!
After departing Orchid Beach, we headed to Sandy Cape which is the northern tip of Fraser Island. We had not reached the top in January and so I wanted to see it, even if it was from the air. As we travelled along and the girls were munching on their chips, I pulled out my Mentos fruit lollies and was immediately harrassed by my two little vultures. There were disagreements over colours which saw me dig into the pack to find a colour they liked. In the end I only had two virgin lollies and two sucked ones which Becca wouldn't chew. So much for my little treat on the way home. Then we turned south and flew directly down the middle of the island. Again the scenery was fantastic and I could pinpoint some rainforest pockets amongst the scrub. Sandy tracks crisscrossed all over the island - a dream come true for Steve who just loves exploring any tracks he comes across and as my Fraser blog will testify to, we inevidably get lost. We passed over Lake MacKenzie and the many other lakes and when we flew over the coast on the western side, the sea was far more calm and clear than the wind exposed eastern beaches. By this time, both Erin and Becca had gone to sleep on one another so I could look and photograph without interruption. I should have kept my Mentos hidden until then but then I didn't think either of them would eat them.
As we left Fraser Islands' air space we made a beeline for Mapleton where we haved lived for the last 10 months. On our way we passed over pine forests, rock pinnacles and reservoirs which looked impressive from the air. Once over the Blackall Ranges, Geoff picked up the buildings of Mapleton's township and the Lilyponds helped us locate the caravan park. Steve did several circuits overhead and I managed to photograph our caravan nestled amongst the trees. In the distance we could see the Glasshouse Mountains which stood out in the afternoon shadows. After several passes, we flew down towards the coast and over Nambour. I managed to photograph the agricultural show which was on at the Nambour showgrounds and the hospital helipad where we have often seen the state rescue helicopter parked. On our final approach to Sunshine Coast airport, I managed to photograph Maroochydore with it's high rise buildings and beaches. Touchdown at Beckers was nearly 4 hours after we had taken off. Once Steve landed us safely, we were descended on by a flurry of students from Beckers who helped the girls out, cleaned the wrappers off the floor (yes the helicopter looked like our car after a week with the girls in it), replaced the headsets and unpacked the rear cargo area. That celebrity feel came back for a minute and everyone was eager to ask how our flight went. Once back in the office, everyone relayed stories over a debrief (a beer after work). Steve had control of the helicopter all day even though Geoff was sitting beside him. This was further confirmed when we found out that Geoff had been 'facebooking' photos and comments during the day to his wife and the Beckers students. It was a fantastic day which was finished off by picking up a pizza on the way home. We, and in particular Steve, were exhausted but it was an experience that we won't forget.
On the public holiday Monday, our family took part in one of the most fun days we have had since being on the Sunshine Coast. It was an early start, way earlier than I expected, but I have realised that early starts so far have lead to a great day so I was less grumbly than the first time I had to get up at the crack of dawn.
There is a historic steam train railway north of the Sunny coast called the 'Valley Rattler' which takes people on a fantastic old fashioned ride through the Mary Valley that it situated outside Gympie. Every year over the Queen's Birthday long weekend, there is a race between die-hard runners and the old steam train from Dagun back to Gympie. People come from all over the region and even from interstate to take part in this event. It's an 18 kilometre run through the picturesque Mary Valley with plenty of different terrain to keep the runners on their toes. People of all ages and fitness levels take part with individuals and teams competing over the course. Some people take the run very seriously yet others just enjoy the day out and the fresh air.
We were all there to cheer on Steve's chief flight instructor Fergus who had been training hard before the day, quite often with Steve as a training buddy although that had trailed off in recent weeks for Steve. Fergus has taken part in the race over the last few years but has realised the need for training after participating last year with only a few short runs in the lead up only to discover a world of pain when he had finished the race. Thankfully this year he was better prepared and hoping to better his time from last year.
We had to be at the Old Gympie railway station by 7.30am, at the latest, so Fergus could register and pick up his number and electronic ankle strap. The strap was to electronically register participants when they cross the finish line so the race organisers could keep track of everyone. I wondered if they also used it to identify collapsed competitors along the way because there must be some people who underestimate the distance and their abilities. Mapleton, I realised, was well represented when the families of two of Erin's classmates were also running and cheering on the day. Dad's and brothers of Eva and Sarah were there to get involved too and it was great to see them there.
The competitiors hopped on the 'Rattler' in Gympie and were transported to Dagun where the race would start. The spectators were driven in buses to Dagun where we would get on the train and race the runners back to Gympie. The atmosphere was fantastic as everyone prepared to either run or cheer. Breakfast was available when we arrived at Dagun so I immediately ordered 4 sausage sanbies for us. There was also coffee and raisin toast for those more refined tastes. We did have brekkie before we left home but that seemed like hours ago. In fact speaking of time, the whole event was over by lunchtime and it seemed like 4 o'clock in the afternoon so early starts certainly give you more of the day but tiredness sets in a lot earlier.
Before long, the runners were lined up ready to go. There were lanky young guys doing short sprinting bursts down the road in preparation while others stood around and talked. I could tell which competitors were 'playing for sheep stations' as I say and which ones were out there to have fun. Of course, as soon as the runners took off, we had to get on the train and take off too. I was at the starting line on the road taking photos so had to sprint to get back to the station before the train left. The inside of the train was in original condition although the floorboards were covered with vinyl. The windows were similar to the train windows on Adelaide trains when I was a kid (I think I'm showing my age). I had to get Steve to help release the levers to slide the windows upwards. I was a bit concerned about the possible guillotine effect on heads and fingers if the windows should drop suddenly so we made sure the latches were secure. There we all were leaning out of the windows with fresh air blowing in our faces interspersed with steam and soot from the train. The countryside was beautiful and the runners were waving to us as we yelled and cheered for them. We were particularly raucous when we spotted Fergus and his friend (a fellow pilot and competitor) who both stood there with arms waving in the air.
The train stopped briefly on 4 occasions along the way where changeover stations were located for the relay runners. Drinks stations were also dotted along the route for the competitors. We passed along the rear of people's houses on properties and many were outside waving to us as we went through. We were all trying to keep track of who was in front as the Rattler has won 7 times and the runners have won 6 times so it was anybody's race. After an hour, the Rattler pulled into the station as one lone runner was coming down the road close behind. In fact, he missed out on beating the train by 1 minute.....how close is that! We all piled off the train and took up a position on the roadside and waited for Fergus to come along. Everyone clapped as runners trotted past in varying stages of pain and fatigue. Eventually Fergus' pilot friend came along and we cheered loudly, then one of Erin's friends' dads came along so I cheered again. Then just over 2 hours after he began, Fergus came down the road and beat his time from last year so he was hopefully happy although it's hard to tell what a runner is feeling after 2+ hours of personal pain. I suppose the main telling factor is how they 'pulled up' the next day and both Fergus and his mate were quite good and not too sore considering their ordeal.
Steve felt a pang of regret for not having given it a go but I sort of talked him out of it. I didn't think he had been training enough to take the challenge on but then I suppose I never gave him the opportunity to find out. I just didn't want my husband, who had just become a qualified helicopter pilot, to drop dead before our adventure had really started.
After all the excitement, we dropped into the town of Cooroy on the way home and had a pub meal for lunch. It was delicious and the kids enjoyed the kids room so we didn't see much of them while we were there. All round, it was a great day and we got to ride the 'Valley Rattler' before we leave the Sunshine Coast.
When we arrived on the Sunshine Coast last year, we wanted to experience as many things as possible in this part of Queensland. Hopefully one of those experiences was an agricultural show and something different from the shows in the city. We were lucky enough to be able to attend the Sunshine Coast Agricultural show at the Nambour showgrounds before we headed north. As we have not been here for a full 12 months, we were worried that we would miss some annual events but luckily the show was held just recently in mid June.
There were some familiar attractions such as the sideshow alley rides, showbags, animal displays and stalls but some had that unfamiliar Queensland theme which we weren't used to. We didn't see the extensive agricultural animal events like cattle, sheep, alpacas etc etc but we weren't sure whether it was because it was the last day or whether they weren't included. We had to keep reminding ourselves about the types of agriculture which exist around the Sunshine Coast because that's what was on display here. Poultry seems to be popular probably because people can keep them on small acreage blocks which exist all over the coast. There were chickens with mega drumsticks and extreme red comb-overs and feathers sticking out in all manner of weird places. The girls thought they were funny but, to be honest, these birds did not look comfortable. Exotic birds and budgerigars were also on display along with a fantastic display of bees and their lifecycle and production of honey.
Flower displays were also there but many of the exhibits were wilting because it was the last day of the show. They ranged from individual blooms to whole arrangements. The most commom bloom was the camelia which grows and flowers prolifically up in the hinterland because it's cool. Fruit and veg played a big part at the show. The Sunshine Coast is popular for many different types of fruit and vegetables, as is Queensland. Pineapples, avocados, pawpaws, citrus and strawberries were all on display but the most unusual display we saw was the massive hands of bananas which had been judged. I've never seen anything like it down south but then bananas aren't the pride of the state down south.
Horses and in particular, showjumping was as popular here as in Adelaide. Many properties around the Sunshine Coast are devoted to horses and many people own them and ride them. Once we had done all the agriculture of the show, we got down to the business of seeing what else there was. Erin, of course, had already put in her requests for a facepainting, an icecream, some hot chips and rides. Unfortunately, whenever we fulfilled something on her wishlist, it wasn't long before we were being bugged about the next thing. One display which peeked all our interests was a reptile display. This guy (whose name escapes me now) had taipans, eastern browns, king browns, red bellied blacks as well as lizards and pythons all together in this plastic swimming pool liner. Whenever he had a talk on, he would attract a huge crowd. Amazingly, he would be stepping over all these venomous snakes while giving his talk and lizards and pythons would be hanging from some tree branches he had placed throughout the display. We went back at least twice to hear his talk because we never quite arrived at the beginning and so missed some of his show.
We then walked through sideshow alley and there were several rides for the littlies which excited Erin. Becca was asleep in the pram by this stage after causing some drama. She desperately needed a sleep but wasn't gonna go down without a fight and so struggled and fought us for ages to the point of making herself sick. Eventually we won and she got some much needed rest. Erin had a go on the massive blow-up slide and when she woke up, Becca had a ride on a small carousel. Then they both had a ride on a pony. Steve and I had to lead them around and although Erin had ridden before, Becca wasn't too sure but eventually enjoyed it.
We then watched some sidecar racing which had Erin in tears because of the noise but Becca watched quite happily. We also watched some stunt motorcycle riders and a stunt horsewoman called Pinkie who performed all sorts of tricks on her horse. I suppose because we were there on the last day and later in the afternoon, we were able to see all these other non agricultural events which were fun to watch. After continued whingeing and tears, we decided to grab a couple of showbags and head home.......easier said than done! As many people probably know, most showbags sold for around $20-25 and by this stage of the show, many of the cheaper and popular bags were sold out. Out of the $100 I had in my purse, there was $15 left. I couldn't believe where the money had gone and I had brought a heap of snacks for the girls to nibble on while we were there. Erin insisted on a lolly showbag when she doesn't eat lollies. Steve and I tried to convince her to buy a chocky bag because we knew she would take one bite out of all the lollies and unless they were strawberry, they would be wasted. Eventually, after much heated discussion and sulking, she agreed to a Freddo bag along with one for Becca. After some serious chocky swapping between the girls, they both had a selection which they would eat.
I liked the fact that it was a small show that one could easily walk around in an afternoon and see everything. We didn't have to walk for miles from one end of a showground to the other. Steve was a little disappointed that the show was perhaps less agricultural than he expected but maybe as we head further north and into more growing regions, then the shows may be more agricultural. We all, however, enjoyed the day out and the Sunshine Coast show experience.
