Day 9 – Final Day Blues

I don’t think I’ve had a trip so far where illness hasn’t reared its head; this trip has been no exception. We had a quiet day planned for today anyway, nothing booked or paid for. Originally we were going to go walking in the Glass Mountains, but since 3/4 people in our party are crook with head colds, we decided to take it easy.

We took the opportunity to have a slow day today, with all of us having a bit of a sleep in. Saying that we were still up and showered by 8.30. Drew was the worst off out of all of us, so he stayed in the room to catch up on some sleep, while the rest of us went for a walk down the strip out front of our accommodation to head to the Sea Life Aquarium. This is a little bit smaller than the one we have in Melbourne, but it did have some cute displays with some fish and sea creatures I haven’t had the opportunity to see up close before. I was particularly interested in their tunnel tank which housed a wide range of sharks and rays, as well as some large schooling fish. I’ve also decided that when money isn’t an issue, I will be installing a jelly fish wall somewhere in my house. There is something so peaceful about watching those little guys “blub blubbing” in the current, lit up by coloured lights.

I do have to admit, with the number of children who were out in force making the most of their remaining school holidays, we did seem to power through the exhibits quickly. But I’m never disappointed when visiting an aquarium, and found it enjoyable to spend some time there.

After the aquarium, we got a quick bite to eat (we’ve had sushi every day since getting to Mooloolaba, I haven’t had a bad roll here), and by this time I was honestly beat. I managed to nap for a while just to get myself right before our flight. I woke up to that magnificent ocean view for the last time, and really wanted to take one last opportunity to head down and stick my toes in the sand. So Amy and I headed down to look through the rock pools just across the road. We found a few containing some crabs and mollusks, and so much “crab art” along the beach. This artwork is made when they create balls of sand and filter out all the goodies to eat, then spit out hundreds of these perfectly round spheres of sand; because they drop them where they are, they create wonderfully interesting patterns in their wake.

By the time we ended up back in the room, it was time to get our things together and start the process of heading home. We packed the bags, cleaned the apartment, packed the car, dropped off keys and were at the airport waiting for our delayed flight in what felt like a blink of the eye. It’s never easy saying goodbye to holiday me. Holiday me is fun, relaxed, confident and curious. Maybe I just need a way to hang out with holiday me more often.