Buderim is another small Australian city north of Brisbane, close to Maroochydore and Mooloolaba. It's also on the Sunshine Coast, sits atop a volcanic plateau, and boasts a tropical rain forest biome. We had originally planned on spending two months in Buderim, but life got in the way, and we had to leave a month early. But boy, did we enjoy our month there!

Walking along Alexandra Headland in Mooloolaba, we came across this memorial to the HMS Brisbane, one of Australia's distinguished naval vessels.

The Maleny Botanical Garden and Bird World, just outside of Wootha, offers a kaleidoscope of activities, with an animal park and bird sanctuary in addition to the gardens themselves.

We took a tour through Bird World and had a total blast.

The birds are friendly and obviously well cared for, and they love hanging out with the humans!

Not to be outdone, the critters in the nearby animal park enjoy a good conversation.

We visited the Ginger Factory in Yandina because we were curious what they could tell us about producing ginger.

While there, we came across the Rainbrella Project, an art project by a local artist emphasizing hope.

These funny looking guys are frogmouths. Oddly enough, they're related to hummingbirds! They were hanging out in the tree next to our Airbnb, just giving us the eye.

We had to leave Buderim earlier than we planned, due to a family emergency. But we took advantage of a late flight out of Sydney to go out and explore the city. In the background you can see St. Mary's Cathedral.

Cindy had never been to Sydney, and I hadn't been there for 40 years.

Across the water is the docking area for commercial and military vessels. Forty years ago, the USS Ajax docked there, with a young Navy Lieutenant on board.

In many ways, the city hasn't changed much . . .