Day 2 started early, which felt really cruel after trying to keep everyone awake as long as possible the day before.
Our thinking was that if their body clocks were a bit screwy, they might have been up early anyway, so we might as well make the most of it. Plus, my husband made coffee for us, not that I was trying to convert Americans to good coffee by regularly presenting them with flat whites (ok fine, I totally was).
With 7 of us, we separated into two cars and were on our way.
(Fair warning – most of these photos are Kim’s, not mine. Turns out promising not to be the paparazzi like on your last holiday together means you end up with none of your own.)
Stop 1: Hand-feeding wild dolphins at Tin Can Bay
When we first started planning this trip, I floated this idea as an option, and Kim was immediately all in.
Technically, it’s illegal in Australia to touch or feed a wild dolphin; however, the Queensland Government have made exemptions for two locations. There are all sorts of conditions, including food restrictions, to ensure the dolphins still have to hunt and maintain their natural behaviours.
Barnacles Dolphin Centre, at Tin Can Bay, is one of the available locations (Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island is the other one).
Tin Can Bay is approximately 1.5 hours north of the Sunshine Coast. We needed to be there by about 7 am, so it meant we were on the road by about 5 am.
Every morning, the dolphins come in to visit nice and early. Volunteers give a short talk about the dolphins, repeating the talk a few times, rotating the crowd each time so everyone gets a chance to stand at the front. The whole time, the dolphins wait next to them patiently, or impatiently, as on this day, a couple of the dolphins decided to start wrestling playfully. One of them even splashed a volunteer with its tail, as if to say ‘get a wriggle on!’
I had been keeping a nervous eye on the weather, and beyond a few sprinkles of rain, it mostly stayed away. Though it did mean we were rewarded with a few rainbows!
Initially, the kids were pretty reluctant to feed the dolphins.
I was reluctant to get in the water – I’m an Aussie, and it’s winter.
But, spoiler alert, we all got in there and did it. A, Kim’s daughter, was quite nervous but did an amazing job standing in the water and holding her mum’s arm as Kim fed Joe, the 9-year-old dolphin.
It’s quite a magical experience, albeit short. After all the anticipation, it feels like it’s over and done with so quickly. But every time I feel like it has been worth it, so we keep coming back.
For anyone interested, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- In peak periods, aim to be there as close to 7 am as possible to get your tickets. You have to buy your tickets first, then watch the talk before the feeding starts at 8 am. People start queuing early, and the last time we went in the summer, the line was huge! And as we all know, kids don’t like waiting.
- Spectators still have to pay to enter the area. I think we paid $20 each to feed a dolphin, and it cost $15 for my husband to enter the area and look around. You may as well pay the extra $5 to feed the dolphins, in my opinion.
- The dolphins are completely wild, so there’s never a guarantee they’re going to come, or which ones you’ll see. Sometimes there might be a baby with them, sometimes not. It’s luck of the draw, though they’ve had the same dolphins coming back off and on for years now.
- You can wear aqua socks, or go in barefooted. If you don’t have aqua socks, it’s recommended to wear Crocs or thongs (flip flops), basically shoes that are easy to take off before entering the water. And bear in mind the concrete is cold to stand on while you’re waiting, at least in winter.
- The dolphins are super gentle. You hold the fish under the water, and they take it from your hand. You never actually touch them, and your hand doesn’t go into their mouths. It feels similar to feeding a bone to your dog, er, that’s if you have a dog that knows not to snatch.
After that, the kids played briefly at the nearby playground, and then it was time to move on.
Stop 2: Carlo Sandblow
After a quick bite of breakfast at a nearby cafe, we made a flying visit to a petrol station with the best-named toilets I’ve ever seen. We also bought everyone a Maxibon ice cream, which is apparently not a thing in the States. Think half ice-cream sandwich, half ice cream.
We then drove for half an hour around the bay to visit Rainbow Beach.
Our destination: Carlo Sandblow.
Carlo Sandblow is a massive cutout in the dunes where the erosion from the wind has left a big sandy gap. I’ve heard it compared to a moonscape, though I’ve not been to the moon, so I can’t verify that for sure. Just saying, I’m happy to be sponsored for a trip if NASA is interested in featuring on my “very important” blog, or requires comparison by a local.
The car park is only a few minutes from the centre of Rainbow Beach, and the hike to the Blow is about 5-10 minutes long. It’s a relatively easy hike, and the kids did it with no problems. For those playing along from overseas, no snakes or other wildlife were spotted or tried to kill us (that we know of anyway – there could have been dropbears).
From one side of Carlo Sandblow, you get a view out over Rainbow Beach and the coloured sands, and from the other side, a view towards the mountain ranges inland. On a clear day, the view is spectacular.
When we arrived, we considered taking umbrellas with us, but decided to chance it. Unfortunately, the rain came in over the water, so we had to cut our visit short.
The kids still had time to sprint up the sand dunes on the far side, and at one point looked like tiny specks in the distance! I was pretty impressed with how far they ran, but eventually they slowed to a walk. Running in the sand is hard!
We also managed to get a few family photos, because why not take advantage of a beautiful view, even if my hair is flying in every which direction.
Stop 3: Digging for Gold
Normally, when people visit the Sunshine Coast, it’s all about the beach and the water. However, the remit for this trip was that they’re not hugely beach people, so we tried to incorporate as much variety as we could.
At breakfast, we still hadn’t made up our mind on which way to go, and at one point, toyed with the idea of the Bundaberg Distillery tour (which would require driving another 2 hours north). Ultimately, my husband’s love of machinery paired with Kim’s husband’s love of farming equipment won, and we headed to Gympie (pronounced gim-pee, not gym-pie, as A had pronounced it; for a laugh, we kept calling it that for the rest of the trip).
The plan was to visit the Gympie Museum, where the first order of business was to pan for gold and become millionaires.
If you’ve never panned for gold before, you have a plastic plate with grooves in it. The aim is to submerge the plate and use the water to break up the dirt and metal, then shake it so the heavy stuff goes to the bottom and the lighter stuff tips away over the edge. Hopefully you’ll be left with the gold and can retire early!
Wishful thinking on my part, maybe.
The museum has a bunch of drums with sediment in them, but it’s mostly for novelty. You might find a few teeny tiny shards here and there, but there’s definitely no striking it rich here!
If you do find anything, the front desk will give you a small tube to store it. My son, L, was lucky enough to find some, which we bottled and gave to J, Kim’s son, to take home. Last time we visited the museum, we found a small piece, so L already had a tube at home.
After that, we wandered from building to building, taking a look at everything on show. The museum is quite extensive, with 15 buildings featuring different displays, including:
- A school
- Dairy
- Blacksmith
- Hospital wing
- Train station
- Old buses and cars, ambulances, fire engines, etc.
- Gold mining equipment
- Gemstones, including opals and amethysts
- and so much more.
If you’re interested in finding out more, check out Sunshine Coast Point for a bunch of photos, including a map of all the buildings available to wander through. This is where my lack of photos caught up with me, unfortunately.
We easily spent a few hours exploring, where it gave me a lot of joy to watch my husband in his element, telling stories and pointing out features. He really does enjoy this stuff!
The kids seemed to have a great time. Admittedly, I was a bit surprised, given that sometimes it can be a little boring looking at “old” stuff. At one point, they needed to use the loo. and I referred to the “outdoor dunny” (toilet, in Australian-ese). Cue the very confused looks.
Overall, I think it was a successful call by my hubby to visit the museum, and a great way to share a bit of Aussie history.
Stop 4: Home Sweet Home
After an early start, we finally decided to head home to give everyone a bit of a rest. I dropped off everyone at their Airbnb while my husband and son headed home, then picked them up again a few hours later.
For dinner, we hosted our friends at our house with a simple barbecue. The adults enjoyed some steak, chicken, and sausages with salad, while the kids option for some chicken nuggets and chips.
We also treated the kids to a onesie party, for which a bit of context is required.
When I travelled to America in 2024, I was met by Cass and Tracey. Together, we travelled from Florida to Tennessee to pick up Kim. Along the way, we stopped at a Buc-ee’s and, on a whim, bought the iconic Buc-ee’s beaver onesies. When we collected Kim from the airport, she was confronted with two beavers (Cass and me) and a woman in an oodie (Tracey), along with another onesie to welcome her to the tour. It was hilarious, and we’ve referred to ourselves as The Three Beavers ever since.
Well, A and J, Kim’s kids, had loved Kim’s onesie so much that they had since obtained their own. My son doesn’t have one, so I busted out my own for him to wear. And happily, they had a movie night, paired with a Wisconsin cheesehead that Kim had bought me (I LOVE it so much, looks like I’m a Green Bay Packers fan now).
It was incredibly cute looking at all the kids just hanging out in onesies. And I can’t wait until we get to meet up with the full US group of friends again, hopefully rocking the onesies again, this time both adults and kids. It’s basically tradition now!
After the husbands shared a bottle of wine, and Kim got her first taste of alcoholic ginger beer, it was time to call it a night. Australia Zoo was on the cards for tomorrow, and there was no way we were rocking up half asleep to see the Irwins.
What’s the most random tourist attraction you’ve dragged interstate or overseas visitors to? Would you ever hand-feed a wild animal?
Love all the adventures you’re having!! So fun!