Hiking with Laura and Edie

Laura and Edie on a rainforest hike at Mount Tamborine

It's completely true: the best thing that's happened to us since our move to Australia is meeting the Jardines. Tim and Laura, from Nova Scotia, moved here (a couple months pregnant with Edie) to Brisbane because Tim accepted a job at the Australian Rivers Institute, where our Tim works as well. They have been so generous as they help us navigate the adjustment from North America to Australia. It really has been challenging at times. They have given us loads of guidance when it comes to preparing to have a baby down here from health coverage to second hand stores as well as thriving tips, like where to go to buy fruit and veggies. Anyways...all this to say, they have been good friends during our (continuing) transition and an answer to a lot of faithful prayers of family and friends.

Laura and I hit it off pretty quickly and before you knew it she and I were hanging out pretty much every other day. She is a marine biologist, but has taken time off to be with Edie. We have gone on some pretty amazing walks together and I thought I'd share some photos from our mini adventures.

Mangroves in Moreton Bay


Moreton Bay


Laura and Edie at Moreton Bay

Unfortunately, our hike at Mount Tamborine was cut pretty short because of a gigantic felled tree, but it's a place I would really like to return to. We could hear wallabies thumping around and there were some unique birds. You'll be happy to know that Edie was content either way, because we took her to the Mount Tamborine playground where she played on the swing set for the rest of the morning.

Our walk through the Moreton Bay mangroves was peaceful (as long as you kept moving...the mosquitoes or "mossies" were a little relentless). We saw small schools of fish, crabs snacking on detritus, gigantic (..heh) spiders, ducks and Edie was absolutely enthralled by the act of taking mangrove leaves that had fallen onto the boardwalk and pushing them through the spaces between the boards and into the water below.