Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting a friend of mine, Kim, and her family from the United States. They flew in on the Sunday, then on to Sydney the following Friday, giving us 5 days together on the Sunshine Coast.
And boy did we cram stuff in!
I thought I’d share a recap highlighting all the things we recommended doing – you know, local knowledge and all that.
The main requirements were that we weren’t to spend every single day at the beach (they’re not super beachy people), although at least one day was a must. Also, Australia Zoo had to be factored in there somewhere.
Edit: after writing this post, I’ve learned that I’m not good at keeping things brief. So I’ll dedicate a post each day recapping what we did. I also haven’t had a chance to check with my friend about sharing pictures of them; she’s en route back to America, so for now I’ve tried to avoid showing faces or including any pics of them. Unfortunately, this means my pics are a bit light-on.
Stop 1: Bunnings
They landed at lunchtime, so the first order of business was to get something to eat. We realised that the only realistic time they would have to try an Australian classic was as soon as they landed.
So… we headed straight to Bunnings for a sausage on bread. Classy.
For fans of Bluey, Bunnings inspired the “Hammerbarn” store in the show.
They were all pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted. Then, we were all surprised by how big Bunnings Newstead was – it was double-storey!
We wandered around looking for a bit, and then decided we would move on.
Stop 2: Bluey’s World
Our next stop was Bluey’s World, the land of Bluey, recreated in a giant shipping container. It’s actually really super cute and well done.
Spoiler alert: the kids had a great time.
We’d heard mixed reviews of the place, with some saying it wasn’t great, overpriced, etc. And to be honest, it was on the more expensive side ($59.90 each, or $199 for a family of 4), but the kids had a fantastic time. You’re not allowed photos inside (so my photo recap is light), but you get to take pictures at the start, and then with Bluey and Bingo at the end.
When you’re waiting in line, you get given headbands (you choose between Bluey or Bingo) for you to keep and take home.
You also get told that Bingo has lost her toy, Floppy, and you’re given the challenge to try to find it for her. The kids were running in circles around the room hunting for the toys everywhere, and with special characters and tasks in each room, they were very entertained.
As for the dads, well, they stood back and just watched the chaos. Party poopers.
My only complaint would be that it felt like we spent too much time in one room, and not enough in another (that felt like a magical land with waterfalls and big tree structures, and a water projection on the floor that showed ripples when you stood on it).
At the end is a giant playground, cafes, and tables for parents to sit at. It was pretty cute seeing the Golden Crown restaurant.
The food was expensive, and not that great quality, but with Eat Street right next door you’ve got enough food options that you can skip the Bluey’s World cafes if you don’t want to.
And that’s what we did.
Stop 3: City Cat
We had 45 minutes to kill until Eat Street opened, so we took everyone for a ride on the City Cat ferries. Unfortunately, the special Bluey and Bingo ferries weren’t running so we had to make do with the usual Brisbane City blue and yellow ones.
It was a cool and overcast day, but we still managed to sit on the front of the boat. The kids had an absolute ball standing up looking out the front.
We jumped on the ferry at Northshore Hamilton and stayed on for about 5 stops. I think we got off at Hawthorne? We waited 10 minutes for the next one coming in the return direction, and jumped back on.
The best part of the City Cat is the Queensland Government’s 50c initiative for all public transport.
It means that for the hour-long entertainment, it only cost us $3.50 for 7 people. Bargain!
Stop 4: Eat Street Markets
Eat Street Markets are a huge food market in Hamilton, Brisbane. It’s essentially 180 shipping containers forming a “main street” with side sections, and filled with 70 different food traders.
For me personally, it really highlights the beauty of multiculturalism in Australia. You can get anything from Asian foods to European to South American. No Bunnings sausages here!
And everything smells just so good.
While my husband found a table for us, the rest of us wandered around.
I decided that the paella was too good to pass up, and got a small serving. I think I was lied to, though – it wasn’t a small serving, and I couldn’t finish it! It was so good too – I was really happy with my purchase.
My son got…something… and then begged for dessert. We ended up getting him a churros marshmallow skewer thing from the Churro Lab, which we deconstructed on the plate and shared around. The kids all loved it.
As for my friends, their choices included Potato Slinkies (which would be a repeated hit for the week in Australia), dumplings, and maybe a cheeseburger? I think.
My husband got a plate of meat that gave me heartburn just looking at it. He seemed to like it, though, which is saying something for my husband. He never compliments any food when we go out – you’re more likely to hear his criticisms instead.
Stop 5: Home
By this point, my friends were pretty exhausted.
The goal of the day was to try to get fresh air and keep our friends awake as long as possible, to try to help their body clocks adjust and avoid jet lag.
Mission accomplished.
We were on the road by 6 pm and delivered them to their Airbnb just after 7.30 pm. They had chosen a fantastic location, a small house only a 5-minute drive from our place. It was nestled in the bush, quiet, with loads of wildlife around.
We bid them farewell and headed home ourselves. We knew we’d have an early start the next day, so it was early to bed for us too.
If you had international friends visiting, where would you take them to visit as soon as they landed? What’s your favourite trick for beating jet lag?
Would you believe I’ve never seen a single episode of Bluey. I wish my kids were younger because I have heard NOTHING but good things about this show and feel like it would have been delightful to watch with them.
I think if we had visitors staying with/near us, we’d take them for a walk on the beach to see the Brighton bathing boxes. In the city I’d probably look at some street art and maybe Pellegrinis for lunch. I like to arrive overseas in the afternoon so you only have to stay up for a short time. I know people say don’t have a nap but when we go to Europe and arrive at 7 am we will usually go for a very long walk and then have short nap once we can get into our hotel before heading out again for dinner. Oh, and melatonin from the second night as needed.
The Brighton boxes are one of my favourite things in Melbourne, and the street graffiti is incredible.
They’re great tips for jet lag! I definitely prefer an afternoon arrival as well. When I flew home from Greece I arrived just before midnight, but courtesy of the awful transfer bus didn’t get home until 2am. I only managed a couple of hours of sleep before my son woke me up, excited I was home. That week was pure hell from jet lag, and at one point I was so tired I wanted to throw up. I’d be keen never to repeat that again!