A windy night due to the remnants of the cyclone but therefore a great day to get washing done. We didn't plan to venture far so headed into Maleny for brunch. No full Aussie but great bacon, eggs on olive sourdough with sundried tomato pesto. How do the Kiwis and Aussies produce such tasty combinations of food. Graham's coffee was good and I had a pint of freshly squeezed orange and pineapple juice with fresh ginger which I will definitely try and replicate at home. We also managed to find the one decent bar/liquor store in town which has live music but shuts about 8.30, so will need to be there early tomorrow  – usually only just going out then at home. 
Next we drove round to the Mary Cairncross Park, one of the best remnants of subtropical rainforest in Australia . Had a casual one hour stroll looking at the range of trees, some very large, but did not see any snakes (thank goodness) or rainforest wallabies (shame). Back to the farm to chill (not easy in 30+ degrees) and plan trip up to Port Douglas. 
Enjoying our stay in rural Maleny which has stunning scenery and lovely properties but an interesting observation is how the Aussies are obsessed with mowing grass even the huge verges outside their large properties. Other observations are they don't say hello as readily as the Kiwis but when you do engage in conversation they are delightful. In NZ you have to park in the direction of the traffic, but in the local towns here you have to reverse park into angled spaces blocking the traffic as you do so. Cannot imagine that working in Alton where you cannot even park in the high street. 
Up to the main house for a trip round the 160 acre farm with Peter and Fiona. So lush even without any serious rain for a while. We even managed to see a duck billed platypus at the creek though too far away to photograph. Back for drinkies on the veranda then off to a byo Thai to thank them for their excellent hospitality. Great food and great value but I am sure things will be more expensive in Melbourne and Sydney.