After Rhys’ morning nap, we headed south roughly 40 minutes to spend the weekend with Andrea and Colin, one of my aunt’s on my dad’s side. We dropped off all our stuff and then headed out for another 30 minute or so drive to a beach they recommended further south. Anoop decided he might like to try surfing so Colin loaded up the surf boards and a boogie board for Rhys to sit on. They went out for a bit, but the waves were not exactly beginner waves and Anoop wasn’t able to stand up. While they were doing that, Rhys, Andrea and I hung out on the beach, digging in the sand and watching Rhys while he ran through the water. It is neat to see how much his balance has improved in the few times we have been to the beach here. He isn’t knocked off his feet each time a wave goes out anymore! He enjoyed sitting on the boogie board (which he kept calling a ferry boat), but wasn’t such a fan if a big wave washed over his back. After everyone finished up on the beach we headed back up to the picnic tables. Rhys found a swing and a slide and was happy playing there while we ate. Anoop managed to eat a sandwich while pushing him and then he was on to slide duty which often involves lifting Rhys to the top. Many of the playgrounds have climbing walls or rungs to get up to the slide which he isn’t quite ready for yet! This was his first time down a tunnel slide and he had a blast.

On the way home we saw a fruit and veggie stand and decided to stop to see what was there. Rhys was sleeping so I hopped out to pick up a few things. I ended up getting a box full of tomatoes, carrots, beans, passionfruit, kiwi, cabbage, lettuce, a custard apple and a pineapple. I had never eaten fresh passionfruit so figured we had better try it out!

Andrea and Colin’s place backs on to a canal and Rhys had fun throwing bread for the ducks that came to visit. We had a delicious dinner of barbecued chicken and corn, bread, potatoes and a salad from the lettuce we had picked up. We had a great evening and enjoyed visiting (and not having to share them with the rest of the family!)

We started the next day with a delicious breakfast, cooked on the bbq! We had really tasty sausages, bacon and eggs with toast - an excellent Sunday breaky! We then set off for another beach which they thought would be good in the morning. The waves weren’t as big as the previous day. This beach was busier than the other one as it was right in town. There were lots of people surfing off to the side and you could tell they were locals because everyone was in a wetsuit! We had a great view of the Gold Coast, curving around to the right; in the distance you could see Surfers Paradise and you could see the planes taking off from the nearby airport. Rhys wasn’t as interested in swimming that day and instead took Anoop’s hand to lead him to the park. There are often parks close to the beach and I guess Rhys figured this one would be no different. Sure enough, after about 300m they found one! Eventually they came back and after a brief splash, we headed back to drop stuff at the car. We went for a short walk along the boardwalk and then hopped in the car for a short tour around the area. We drove up to one viewpoint that had a great view of the coast. We were lucky enough to spot two humpback whales just off shore! You could see them spouting and occasionally turn on their side where we could see a fin.

Once back at their place, they took the cover off the pool to see if it was warm enough for a swim. Rhys sure thought it was and had a great time splashing in the shallow end and playing with an inflatable air mattress. We had lunch outside and then Andrea and I relaxed while Anoop and Rhys had a nap.