Gnarly
Let’s start with something really gnarly.
Cindy’s very first picture of the day is a beaching whale off the starboard side. People can sail for years and never see this. Hats off to Cindy for having the camera ready.
We went whale watching. No, this isn’t your average whale-watching excursion. Let’s start with the boat. The vessel, aptly named Eye-Spy, leaves from the Redcliffe Jetty. The first thing I noticed is how new everything on the boat appears. There is no rust, the windows aren’t hazy, it shines. This has to be, by far, the nicest tour boat we’ve ever been on.
Cindy picked the day. She’s our resident weather guru, and we timed the trip so the seas would be flat and the sun would be out with minimal overcast. We had heard from other boat owners in the marina that this is the time of year to see whales. Little did we know that not only were we to have perfect weather, but Karma was about to reward us handsomely.
Another Nikon moment by Cindy as she snags a pic of a mom and baby swimming away in synch.
Humpback whales, once on the brink of extinction due to commercial whaling, have made a stunning comeback over the past few decades. In the mid-20th century, the population of humpbacks was reduced to just a few hundred individuals along Australia’s east coast. Today, thanks to concerted conservation efforts and a ban on whaling in the Southern Hemisphere in 1963, their numbers have surged to over 40,000. Australia has played a significant role in this revival. Their annual migration from Antarctica to the warmer waters of Queensland is not only a spectacular natural event but also a symbol of hope for other endangered species.
We upgraded to the VIP section of the boat. What does this mean? We have a reserved seat by a window at a table. The ticket price includes lunch served on real plates with knives and forks and a drink. I was tempted to have a beer, but years of skippering our own boat now make me avoid any adult beverages unless we’re in port. The room with our seats is also monitored, meaning we can leave our stuff unattended as we roam the boat’s decks. Interestingly, the upcharge of the ticket price was rather minimal considering the extra benefits.
There’s plenty of space at the rails. Not once did we need to jostle for a spot to see. And boy, did we see whales. Cindy and I disagree about how many exactly. I say over 30; she says more like 15. We did see three baby whales, and on that, we agree—because they surfaced together.
The whales got very close to the vessel. It’s almost as if they wanted to say hello. There were a couple of times when a massive whale approached the boat within just a few meters, tummy up.
Just off the starboard side of the boat, a baby whale surfaces. You can see the mom just below the surface
And then this happened.
You can see me standing on the left side foredeck, wearing a hat and shorts. During the “holy cow” moment, I somehow managed to remember to push the shutter button on my camera. I wasn’t even sure my camera was pointed in the right direction. I love the crew member who dances across the deck. She does this every day so, you know you’ve just witnessed something special with this reaction. As you can see in the video, this all happened in about 3 seconds. If you aren’t looking, you miss it. This is the pic I got.
All I can say is, Wow!
Not only did we enjoy the great sunny weather and calm seas on this day, but we got repaid some serious Karma points thanks to the whales. They put on an awesome show.
Nostalgia
Now, let’s switch to something nostalgic.
We find our way to Ipswich
Between the ages of 5 and 14, some 16,412 kilometers (about 10,194 miles) away from where I am in this picture, I lived in a small village in the UK called Kesgrave. In our address, we’d list our street name, the village name, and then write near Ipswich, Suffolk. Because Kesgrave is near Ipswich in the county of Suffolk. Ipswich is where we’d go to town to do shopping. I’d catch the bus to the swimming baths. Ipswich was also well known for its football team.
Ipswich Town FC was a major force in English football during the 1970s. Under the management of the legendary Sir Bobby Robson, the club enjoyed significant success. In the 1973-74 season, Ipswich Town achieved promotion to the First Division (the top tier of English football at the time). They quickly established themselves as one of the top teams in the country.
One of my fondest memories as a kid was when my stepmum took me to see Ipswich play a home match against Manchester United, where I saw the legendary George Best. I worked my way down to the front of the stand, and he was almost within arm’s reach. Besides being a phenomenal football player, he had a rather charismatic reputation off the field. George Best is famously quoted as saying:
“I spent a lot of money on booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.”
This line has become one of the most iconic and humorous quotes in football history, perfectly encapsulating Best’s larger-than-life personality and his unapologetic lifestyle.
At the time, as a young kid, I idolized this extravagant lifestyle full of beautiful women, Rolls-Royces, Jaguars, fur coats, and the French Riviera. I used to think life couldn’t get better than George’s.
There’s a point to me telling you all of this, so now let’s fast forward to today. We are in Ipswich. Albeit, the one on the other side of the world.
Oh, by the way, in infant school, I learned to spell Ipswich because my teacher had a fun mnemonic that helped me remember how: I Put Some Water In Charlie’s Hat – Ipswich. Every time I write this word, that mnemonic is in my head. Thank you, Mrs. Becker, for that earworm.
Moving on. Why are we in Ipswich? Because it’s near to us in Australia. I noticed a suburb of Brisbane called Ipswich and thought, how cool would it be to have been in both Ipswich’s on opposite sides of the world?
The Ipswich News building
Walking downtown
Neon air guitar (they also had a sax and a mic)
This turned out to be a cool pic – we popped into an arcade to use the loo
Ipswich, Australia, is rich in history and charm. Located just a short drive from the Queensland capital, Ipswich is often referred to as the “City of History” due to its well-preserved heritage buildings, including the stunning Ipswich Railway Station, which dates back to the 1860s.
Ipswich’s history is deeply rooted in the coal mining industry, which played a significant role in its development. Founded in 1827, the town quickly grew as one of the key centers for coal mining in Queensland. The discovery of coal in the area led to rapid industrialization, with the region supplying coal to power Australia’s growing railway network and fueling the industrial revolution. By the mid-1800s, Ipswich became a major hub for coal export, shaping its economy and character. The remnants of this industrial past are still visible today, with old mining sites and heritage buildings scattered throughout the city. Although the coal industry has since declined, Ipswich’s legacy as a coal town is an integral part of its story, and it helped lay the foundation for the modern city we see today.
We did a brief stop at the city’s Railway Museum. This was a little bit of a disappointment. But, there were a couple of fun things—not to do with trains. There was a graffiti contest going on, and some of the artworks were very good. Also, they had set up walls for kids to paint. And paint, they did.
What a great fun day for the kids
If you ever go to one of these events, be sure to keep the paint downwind 🙂
What a great fun day for the adults
I took a couple of pictures and added a black and white filter. These kind of give a sense of life in Ipswich in the early days (if you ignore the late model cars).
A steam locomotive in the train museum.
A view of Brisbane Street in downtown
Don’t worry, we don’t have plans to visit the three Ipswich’s in the USA or the one in Jamaica. You won’t have to walk down this memory lane again.
