We have just spent 3 days on the Sunshine Coast (0ne and a half hours north of Brisbane) with our Carol and David, who have hired a beach villa for 3 weeks holiday before they return to London. We arrived in time for lunch on the balcony.
Happy to be with our kids. The ocean is just behind the trees.
In the late afternoon when it is not too hot we venture out for a walk along the beach. It is about 200 metres to the beach through the trees.
David leads the way over the dunes.....
... and down to the water..
"Lets go this way."
Castaway Beach, lovely and natural, not many buildings or people.
Even though it was overcast it was still very pleasant walking and the surf looked dramatic.
We found hundreds of these blue bottles (stinging jellyfish) washed up onto the sand.
This is a nasty stinger. That blue mess at the back is actually hundreds of very fine tentacles The blue bottles float on the water with the tentacles spread out for a long way around them.They can give an excruciating sting and welts. So no swimming today. Instead we stepped on them to hear the loud popping sound they make when squashed.
What has David found?
A coconut covered in tiny shellfish. Maybe it has come from far away lands.
Time to turn back and head for home. Bill leads the way as usual on the home run.
We brush off the sand and get ready for tea.
What a wonderful looking place. I love nothing better than a rainy cloudy day on the beach. Those little blue things are interesting. Never heard of them. Your stepping on them to hear them pop reminds me of when I lived in Seattle many years ago. MANY. As kids we would put salt on the slugs and watch them melt. I think of that now and think ... eeeyuck. I was a warped child.
ReplyDeleteHey Diane,
ReplyDeleteI bet that Coconut has floated all the way down from our beach. There are hundreds of them on the beaches up here. Council spends a fortune "de-nutting" the trees, which are everywhere.
That steel blue sky looks quite forboding - is the wind picking up down there?
Blue bottles are nasty critters. I was badly stung across the tummy in my 20's. Everynight when I had a hot shower, those welts would come up angry and itchy - for 8 months!
Lovely photos - very atmospheric!
Thanx Di. Makes you wonder why we go overseas to visit beautiful place when we have an incredible country here yet fully unchartered. Keep up the good work. Luv Joseph & Kathryn
ReplyDeleteHi Mum, We miss you already and guess what? The minute you left us the sun came out again! No more blue bottles on the beach today, thank goodness. I was interested to see Cindy's comment about the sting lasting 8 month! Yikes, I am going to more careful about not getting stung!
ReplyDeleteLove
Carol
Sun or no sun it looks a lot warmer than Minnesota. Very cool blue bottle thingy, but ouch! And those nasty looking clouds against the ocean are just amazing!
ReplyDeleteOh, what a beach! I have a really bad case of beach envy here, Diane. I'd love to be able to stroll along, jumping over the icky blue jellies. I detest jellies (dove onto one as a child and never got over it!). I hope your vacation with your daughter was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Michele
Seriously, you killing me. These photos could have been taken on an SA beach, you lucky fish!
ReplyDelete