Christmas Eve to Boxing Day

Christmas Eve

Firstly to anybody reading this

Merry Christmas, hope you’re having a fab festive period with your friends & family

🎄 🤶🏼🎅🏽🎉🥂🌅🇦🇺🎄

Secondly, I have to say I’m feeling at a bit of a loose end today, my Christmas Eve daytime is normally spent prepping food and everything else for around 20 immediate family who arrive late afternoon. Gavin dressed as Santa, not fooling many of them these days but I think Noah & Maisie still half believe it’s really ‘the one’ handing out stockings. Food, fun and frolics usually ensues oh and a drink or two.

Missing all that – of course -but this alternative is very relaxing 😎😎

The 45 minute journey from Brisbane was made more simple due to the 4 lane highway that ran between our last nights stop and Gold Coast. Which BTW we always thought was a coastal area but it seems it’s a town.😟

Another curiosity was the man we saw running from the central reservation back across 4 lanes to his car on the hard shoulder. WHY???

As we approached the high rise glitz that is Gold Coast, we passed this guy, I think he might have been related to the guy on the motorwayWe earlier.

Now, it wasn’t by chance that we popped into the Pallazzo Versace.

Being a crazy I’m a celeb fan, I couldn’t NOT go to the hotel they all arrive at when leaving the Jungle

It’s very Versace dahling, OTT, but I enjoyed seeing it. I asked a manager if by any chance any of the contestants were still here, perhaps having a family holiday after the rigours of the jungle?. No, they leave the day after the end party, came the apologetic answer.

I don’t know what I’d have done if there had been anyone there, but I had to ask. Really, I had to.

I also had to ask if they had any vacancies for tonight, they had a suite at almost $1000 eeek, but I would have treated us as OUR Christmas Pressie, as I know Gav finds the bed in the Van a bit uncomfortable. I thought I’d check with him before booking it – and he said NOOOO thanks, I’d rather sleep in the Van, Hey Ho !!!!!!

Only another 6 nights and we’ll be back in hotel rooms for the foreseeable future, so it made sense, but I think I’d have liked it

Soooooo Treasure Island Holiday Park.

It’s a fantastic place for kids. With mini golf, 4 pools, tennis, a huge bouncy play area, water fountains to run through, pedal go karts and loads more.

All our grandchildren would love it here.

Some families have really gone to town with Christmas decorations-it’s lovely.

Luckily they’ve put us in a child free zone, and apart from the odd Go Kart rolling by, we wouldn’t know they were here.

We love ours, but other peoples are less fun when you’re on holiday, aren’t they 😊

The practical facilities are superb here, and only a matter of yards away. Gav is looking forward to popping over to the Camp Kitchen to make our supper later.

The pitches are very private with palms separating you from next door. We’ve had a Very relaxing afternoon, the only sound to break the silence is the occasional frond falling from the 🌴 trees 🌴

Our pitch is in the shade now, so I’ve popped over to our ‘front garden’ for the last hour of sun

We’re wondering what kind of show our neighbours behind might put on later, given the two massive flags they’ve proudly hung on their washing line, they’re 2 families from Austria, maybe they’ll treat us to a Von Trapp style carol concert ? 😂😂😂

We met them later and they told us they’d be singing silent night at midnight, you see I knew they’d sing.

Christmas Day
We’d decided to go
Cove which sounded ideal. In reality it’s just a very upmarket housing development.

In fact the whole island seems to be, but with some perseverance we discovered Boykambil, and pitched ourselves there until late afternoon.

We even had our own TINY beach just in front of us

Beautiful views up and down the estuary

It was so warm I even Had a swim !!!!

We had a great lunch and whatever we wanted to drink, straight from our own fridge!!!!

No $$$$$ spent today – Ker Ching

We had several people passing admiring our ‘hotel location’

Great day, people and water activity watching.

Back at Treasure Island

Prepping underway for our FAB Christmas Meal of BBQ fillet steak and a salad. The table is completely underdressed but what can I do!!

The rain had started but was due to be light showers till 8pm so we had a few drinks while the first one passed before going to the BBQ.

(apologies to those who can’t see the video of the storm. I did post it on Facebook if you want to see it there )

Anyway, It didn’t pass and wasn’t light, it developed into the mother of all electric storms and lasted 5 hours.

Plan B – jacket 🥔 🧀 n beans with some ham coz it’s Christmas – it was great.

Writing this I don’t know why we didn’t just grill the steak in the Van???, perhaps we had a few too many, waiting for the rain to pass😂😂 steak for Boxing Day is all good anyway.

FaceTime with all the family was a real treat, of course we’re missing them all anyway but right now it’s polarised. Wonderful to talk to and see them all, we even saw the turkey in the oven at our house for those who’re gathering there. Maybe one day technology will enable face time to deliver smells too? Carly sent a pic of our home fire 🔥 burning to make us feel included ❤️

Boxing Day
We’re on the road now to
orth, a long 500k + so we made an early start.