Mooloolaba

March 4th Mooloolaba

How did none of us know about this place?! We were all struggling to pronounce it, until a gentleman in my class piped up. He’s actually from there. So… it’s Muh-LOO-laba. You’re welcome. It’s on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, about an hour and a half from Brisbane. It can be tough to access for cruise ships. It’s an anchor port, and the tender ride to the wharf is about half an hour. We anchored around 8, but the lineups to get off were unwieldly.  We were in no rush, so we lounged over breakfast, read our books and waited for the crowd to clear out. I started my book club audiobook, None Of This Is True, by Lisa Jewell. Contemporary Thriller. By the time we were ready to transit I was deep into it.

Mooloolaba’s marina is a total hub. We had a look around the shops on the boardwalk, but were on a mission. Art supplies. One of the shop girls pointed us in the right direction, and we ubered to Eckersley Arts and Crafts. I’ve been feeling inspired to do some larger pieces and we found the linoleum and paper we needed.  Great shop.

Back at the wharf and ready for lunch, we decided to try Rice Boi. So good. I had, big surprise, the rice bowl (when in Rome) and Greg ordered the dumplings.  Both were great. From our perch in the beer garden we could see the cutest little blue and white canal cruise boat called Mudjimba. We decided to hop on. Mooloolaba has a series of man-made canals, built in the 60’s, a la Venice Beach. Row upon row of funky waterfront homes line the banks. Each one has a dock out front. There are lovely sailboats, big beefy party boats, jet skis, kayaks, pretty much anything that floats. No two houses are similar. Looks like a pretty fab and eclectic lifestyle. And the rich and famous are here. All kinds of industry leaders, Australian and American, have homes here, including Steve Irwin’s family.

Tour over, I head to Mooloolaba Beach, a short walk from the wharf. It is a wow; a huge arc of perfect sand and surf. It was the Sunshine Coast’s hidden gem, but the word is now out says our Uber driver. People are flocking here. Today though is a bit overcast, so it’s not too crowded. There are swimmers, a few surfers, some families playing in the sand, but it feels undiscovered. I get my toes wet, soak up the moment, and as the clouds roll in head for the tender dock.

I mentioned Mooloolaba can be difficult to access. As we head back we see this in action. Our tender ride started out smooth and lovely, gliding back out through the canals. We always sit at the very front of the tender boat to enjoy the breeze and view through the open front hatch. Rather suddenly a crew member popped up to shut it. About three seconds later we were nose diving into the swell, with waves engulfing the entire recently shut glass door! We’d have been soaked had he not acted so quickly. I’d have dried, but I’m so glad my new printmaking paper didn’t get ruined. It was a bump and roll ride back to the ship, but it was the docking that was a real issue. We had to take several tries, but the roll was too dramatic. Eventually the helmsman said this won’t work. We had to just ride the swell while the cruise ship was repositioned. I thought they might just bail and send us back to shore, but eventually they were able to lash the tender to the ship, and one by one, with crew on both sides, hand bomb us back onboard.

Through all of this adventure I continued to plow through my audiobook. We had a quick dinner with our cruise besties the Harris’s on the Patio, then skipped out on the evening’s entertainment and tucked in to our stateroom.  I painted the beach scene above and prepared my class for the following day as the plot thickened. I was just about ready to drift off as the final plot twist wound itself out. I eye roll every time I read a book review that uses the word unputdownable, but every once in a while it does apply. Great book, great day, and now we have a day at sea as we make our way to Airlie Beach. Our original booking for this world tour was 133 days, and about 50 of those are at sea. That’s a lot of days just floating on an ocean. People asked me, and I wondered too, how is that going to be, will I be bored? We’re deep enough in now I think I can safely answer with an emphatic no. We need these sea days between adventures to recharge, process what we’ve seen and done, and just live life onboard. It’s fun here. For me of course it’s a bit different than most. I’m teaching. But my students are there faithfully, some for both classes, so their schedule isn’t that much different than mine. So here’s a pretty typical day:

s or vice versa, but somehow it all works. I’ve yet to be bored. It’s a good life out here. 

Thanks so much for reading. Don’t forget to sign up for updates and I’ll keep you posted on our adventures