So this weekend was all about celebration, indulgence and relaxation! …. And it was completely perfect!

I was lucky enough to be invited to Tangalooma Resort, which sits on Moreton Island – just off the coast from Brisbane, to help celebrate a good friend’s 50th birthday. The island is a 75 (or so) minute boat ride away from the city, but feels like a much further away tropical paradise. The waters are crystal clear and turquoise, with barely any waves. It is stunning – and absolutely somewhere I will come back to!

I had actually been to the island and resort once before… in November 1995, heavily pregnant with my first baby. The company that Claytie worked for at the time organised a weekend get away as their Christmas party… so a very fond memory!

Sitting on the sand, by the ocean is always one of my favourite things to do, and doing it with great friends makes it all so much better! The people watching this weekend was also great! Volley ball Qld had a competition on for the two days, so we spent a whole lot of time appreciating the very athletic and energetic performances on display, and chatting with a whole host of different people.

Moreton island is home to 15 deliberately wrecked ships – mostly old sand barges, that have created a spectacular artificial reef, and a huge drawcard for tourists. We spent a lovely morning walking to the site and then trying our hand at snorkelling. It turns out that for all of my buoyancy (saddlebags, muffin top, bat wings etc) I am not a fabulous swimmer… and as close as the wrecks look to the shore, it’s actually much further when swimming it! … totally worth it tho, because once you are looking into the water, it is impossible to look away! There are so very many colourful fish, different types of coral and we were also lucky enough to see a huge turtle… it was like swimming in an aquarium! – although hearing about a shark attack just an hour or so after we were done snorkeling the wrecks was a little bit disconcerting!

The other major attraction is the feeding of wild dolphins – something that has been happening in the resort for a very long time, as my picture from earlier will show! We opted out of the paid experience this time, but sat on the side line (benches on the jetty) and enjoyed the show. It was nice to hear that the current dolphins are descendants of those from back then.

This weekend was a whole lot of quality time talking, laughing, eating, drinking, sleeping, and swimming… and it was just what I needed! Time with girlfriends is always a good thing. They give perspective and honesty alongside comfort and good company, and I feel like I have definitely needed that recently… throw in some sand and salt water therapy and the relaxation is complete!.. my cup, as they say, is full!