We had been looking forward to visiting with the ‘Down under Dowells’ since booking our flights to Australia nearly a year ago. When I met Mark and Umi at a family BBQ 2 or 3 years ago I remember talking about the prospect of a trip over even then.

Mark came and collected us from our accommodation in Noosa and we headed straight out for some adventure, meeting Umi and the boys there. We were going to climb Mt Ngungun in the Glasshouse mountains and get some absolutely breathtaking views over the area. The climb was relatively easy, but steep in some places. There was a cave on the way up that the boys (young and not as young) decided to explore, but we got to the top pretty quickly and we’re rewarded with views like this. Thank you guys for taking us to such and magical place.

After our walk we headed to Narangba, where Mark and Umi live and were able to have a swim in their amazing pool and enjoy a beer and some cheese! Amazing!! That evening we were heading into the city (Brisbane) for dinner and some drinks which we were really looking forward to.

We had been booked in for Teppanyaki, a Japanese cusine cooked right in front of you by a chef/actor who makes the experience so much more than just ordering food and eating food. The whole experience is almost theatrical with flames, flying eggs and rice, and knife tricks. We had the best time! Thank you Mark and Umi for taking us.

We enjoyed a few drinks afterwards ($20 jugs of cocktail at one place – win!) and had a brilliant catch up! We headed back to the train where most of us were struggling to stay awake, but it had been a great night.

The next morning we arose to such a tasty breakfast. I’m going to write this one down so that I remember it for when we get home. Toast, topped with smashed avocoado, paprika,  a poached egg and lemon zest. So unbelievably tasty!!! We went to collect the boys and headed off to a town called Montville.

Montville had a similar feel, to me, as some of the little villages in Wales. Full of cafes, restaurants and little independent shops selling all sorts of beautiful and well made products, all whilst being surrounded by beautiful scenery. We wandered around and then stopped for some lunch. I would have definitely bought some bits from here if we hadn’t have been on a budget. And we took ZERO photos for some reason…

This evening we were going to be having a bbq with Umi’s family at the Dowell house. Steak!!! I am now so disappointed with the amount of bbqs i’ve had in England that didn’t have steak. So many wasted opportunities. Every bbq here has steak. Yummy!! We had a great time eating and chatting.

The next day we were on our own as some people have to work (sorry). Nothing really exciting happened, we watched tv, swam in the pool, read, sorted out photos, wrote blogs and just chilled out. Oh and I had a bath!!!!!!!!! Yay! It was the best! My first bath in nearly 6 weeks and it was blissfull. When everyone returned home from their days we enjoyed dinner together and played some Balderdash.  What a strange game! Haha but it was fun!!

The next morning was unfortunately the day we were leaving. We were heading off early to the big city of Brisbane for 2 nights. We just want to say another massive thank you to Mark and Umi for having us and taking such good care of us whilst we were there.  We loved spending time with Ethan and Josh, they are such lovely boys and we hope to see you again soon!!!