Location shots

Here are a couple of photos of where we stayed in Queensland - we got an airbnb within walking distance of where everyone else was staying (and the pub / restaurant!) which was perfect - meant we could meet up easily but also had our own space when needed. The townhouse was very lovely and very fancy with everything you could want including a lovely kitchen, books, games and generally swish. It was in a townhouse complex with multiple gates that seemed to be mostly retirees ... fine, except we parked our car on the driveway in front of our garage one night and got an anonymous post it on the windshield the next morning saying we had to put our car away! At least we think that was what it said, it was written in old person cursive, but we made out the words "car" and "must" and "space". 

Anyway the whole suburb was carved out of the swamp / floodplain next to the river in the 1990s, and is very manicured and maintained, with big houses or apartment buildings facing onto the canals. There are a lot of active older people in exercise gear with small crusty dogs. So we went for some lovely walks on the boardwalks and bridges. There is a bit of nature reserve too, and the untouched landscape is fascinating with the river and the ocean. Quite unique, and seems tropical to our Canberra eyes. The photo below is looking back to Maroochydore, where the suburb's artificial waterways meet the Maroochy river.

It gave both my husband and I the screaming heebies - managed to be both medium density living and the worst of suburban life without having any amenities and also being miles from anywhere. You can't swim in the river and you can't walk to the beach. So given we are never likely to visit again, we happily rubbished it for a weekend, while enjoying the beautiful gardens and the posh townhouse. Perfect.