AdventureIII

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Is Freddo Australia's most famous frog ?????

Adventure III

Pes Livingstone does Northern Queensland

There was no time for prince charming or the ugly olga, Pes was a traveller doll, craving fresh adventure.

Her tiny bag was packed with grooming essentials and sunglasses as she prepared to set off in search of the great boofy bull frog.

Many stories had been told of the great amphibian toad of north Australia. How one hundred and two set off from the island of Hawaii on a wooden raft and floated with the currents and wind till they landed on the sandy shores of Queensland. Unfortunately one was swept overboard when a mob of seagulls created raucous one morning.

Pes was a little nervous at the thought of meeting the Queen of Queensland, but prepared a gift of appreciation and hoped her majesty would embrace the Sand Doll culture and understand the importance of her quest.

The toads found food in Queensland plentiful. They moved inland discovering lush cane fields and wet areas designated as National Parks. They fed on a diet of delicious scarab beetles and honey bees and soon developed warts and other skin deformities in the burning southern sun. They evolved large communities, spawned tadpoles in every waterhole and let off a toxic flatulence whenever a critter was tempted to grab it. The early 20th century was a time of exploration and colonisation for the enterprising toad. Despite numerous conflicts with giant white tailed rats, owls, crocodiles and large beaked water birds, the toads soon become feared by the natives and settled into a life of contentment.

Akin to the David Livingston of Africa, Pes would pass a hundred Aboriginal reserves, see the smoke from a thousand burning cane fields, follow in the footsteps of James McPherson the Scottish bushranger and discover the source of the Warrego River. She would take Sandy to carry her dairy and other personal froggy supplies.

Seeing illusions of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale characters, Pes's dreams were full of toad princess's, kings, turnips and mice... she wondered if she would kiss a toad and have it turn into a beautiful prince. Maybe she could live in Denmark with Mary and play Lego and eat smoked herring, crackling pork and Danish pastries.

Pes, Sticky, Sandy and Con travel north.

The city of Brisbane is the commercial centre of Queensland and its capital. Pes, Sandy, Sticky and Con settled into one of the multi storied buildings which over looked the Story Bridge and the meandering Brisbane River.

Pes wondered how 'story' could be both a building and a bridge? Maybe it was another story?

Brisbane was a fun place where they met a koala, a lorikeet and some strange kangaroos who were just lazing around in front of the town hall. There were some tall stories..

... and the Story Bridge...

Pes didn't see any dolphins and wondered if the RiverCat had chased then all into the Bay. There are many islands in the Moreton bay. The small island of St Helena is now a National Park,a stark reminder of how Europeans influenced Australia's early and present history. The ruins of Queensland's first maximum security prison and Queensland's first tramway, lay scattered over the island - but long before the notorious Scottish bushranger McPherson was incarcerated here, aboriginal people paid seasonal visits to savour the delicacies of the period and admire the coastal scenery from beachside huts.

Pes was disturbed as there were more Real Estate Agents than Jewelers on the Gold Coast, why coral was being dredged on Mud Island . She wondered if lamingtons went for drives in the Lamington National Park and whether bunyips and rats ate them or just licked off the chocolate and coconut. Maybe the seven foot yowie lived there and ate the bunyips, rats and lamingtons?????