Kooralbyne

46 golfers showed up to play yesterday. The views of rural Australia from the drive out to the views on the course were spectacular. The lay our of the course is awesome. It is a very long course from the blue tees reaching 7000 yds. Their is a fair amount of water on the course as well as bunkers.

The weather was cloudy and rain threatened all day. We could see it off in the hill but we were lucky and did not get wet.

The course however was in very rough shape. They are not or do not have the money to put into maintenance. The greens were horrible.

However the purpose of the day was to see the farm country, the horse ranches, the rolling green hills, see some big kangaroos and have fun. This was achieved.

After the game we stop at one of my top 100 pubs in Rural Australia. The Cunnugra pub welcomed us and the staff wanted to know why so many Canadian were there. Twelve of us stayed for dinner and all reported that the meals were very good. The price for a good steak was $16.50 and every two people got a bottle of wine. So with all the wine on the table the 12 got a little noisy but no one seemed to mind.

Today we play at Royal Pines, some think it is the best course on the coast. This is where the LPGA tour stops each February. I will report on this complex tomorrow.

After golf Beth and I will take one of the couples to the airport in Brisbane as they are heading home after a month in NZ and a month in Australia. We will probably stop in Manley for dinner.

Barefoot Bowls

On Sunday 30 of us got up early and went to Kingscliff to have brekkie at the Kingscliff Beach Club. After breakfast we had a quick lesson in bowling then had a little game.

Everyone had a good time and 6 people have signed up to take some more lessons and play a few games.

The grass must be very high on the stemp meter. To bad some of the golf greens are not as nice as the bowling lanes.

We will offer a third club next year, the Tweed Club. They have 10 indoor lanes so if the weather is too hot then the bowlers have the option of going inside.

Today 44 of us are off over the mountains, past Mt tambourine through Beaudesert to a decent course in the rolling hill of horse and cattle country. We take this trip so we can see larger kangaroos on the course.

After golf we will stop at one of the top 100 country pubs for dinner and beer on the way home.

The course charges $24.50 with a cart so should be a good day. We have blue skies once again after a good rain last night.

Last 4 people arrived yesterday. So next item is getting the first crew packed and shipped home.

Day Cruise

This year we chartered the Rani for a day cruise to South Stradbrooke Island. We left the dock at Runaway Marina around 9am and returned at 3:45. We explored the hundreds of sand islands on the way and then stopped at Stradbrooke for 2.5 hrs. About 1/2 the group took a short airplane ride over the area and around Surfers. They all thought it was excellent. The other half relaxed around the pool and walked the beach.
The cruise offers fish and chips for lunch for $4.95, good buy. The drinks on board were price well at only $3 for a beer.

On the way back we stopped in Sanctuary Cove for upscale shopping for the ladies. A lot of the men found their way to local drinking establishment.

After leaving Sanctuary Cove we motored past some of the more expensive homes on the Gold Coast. These impressed everyone.

The price for the day on the water was only $18.

This Sunday were are going to have our brekkie at the Kingscliff Beach Club and learn to bowl. They call it Sunday Morning Bare Foot Bowls. The reason we are bare foot is because we do not have the proper shoes. I was surprised that 48 people have registered for this activity.

About 1/4 of the group have made their way north to Cairns for 3 or 4 nights. Everyone that goes enjoys their trip. Others have booked day tours to O'reilys and Brisbane.

Most find the best way to do Brisbane is to take the train from Robina into to Central. The train ticket covers the cost of bus and ferries as well.

Gold Coast Golf Courses

Our golfers continue to enjoy the same course as in the past years. Coolangatta Tweed presents a challenge for all. This year they had one hole on the river course and one on the West course that are under construction.

Gainsbourgh Greens has proven popular this year even though it is a distance away. They offer a good value for $32.50 with cart on a very nice course. There are many kangaroos on the course but of the smaller variety.

Emerald Lakes this is an excellent value for $29.50 with cart. This course is good with excellent facilities.

Club Banora remains popular and the golfer play it a number of times for $16 this year.

We have 44 golfers making the trek over the mountain to Kooalbyn this year. Everyone wants to see bigger kangaroos and some ranch company. This year our cost is $24.50 with cart.

We had 16 take advantage of our discounted price at Sanctuary Cove. What a nice course. Everyone thought it was the best one they had played. GPS cart, range and golf for price of $67. This course is where Adam Scott plays.

Larger Group Arrives

The large group arrived in Brisbane. They all enjoyed Singapore and once again they tried to do too much. Singapore continues to be a popular stop and will will continue to offer the stopover next year. The hotel, peninsular excelsior once again was liked by all. The location and the pools etc represent good value. We had one problem when one of the buses booked for the transfer back to the airport did not show up on time and 6 people had to take a cab.

The group was transferred from Brisbane to the Hill. Everyone got settled in and then were shuttled back to get their cars. We had a successful social by the pool with wine and beer around 4pm.

The humid of Singapore and here on the Gold Coast always presents a problem for some for the first few days until they get used to it. The warm nights and the views from the Hill are something to travel here for.

Even though we continue to offer a package of out standing value at a budget price we will always have some that want champange and Caviar on a Beer and Pretzel budget.


We had a very successful golf tournament at Club Banora. The club staff are very good to us and we will continue to host the tournament there.

We had 52 golfers. Robert and Dave both shot a 72, even par, on a course they had never played before. Well done fellow.

We had a burger and chips prior to teeing off on 1, 10 and 15. Everyone had carts and received some nice prizes. After golf we had sandwiches, and finger food. The bar was open until we decided to leave.