The "Gold Coast" and Queensland

From Byron Bay, we drove north, continuing our journey to Brisbane. We drove along what's called the "Gold Coast". This is an area very similar to Myrtle Beach - lots of condos, gift shops, restaurants, etc. with beaches just a block or so from the main road. This area is sometimes referred to as the playground of Australia, and is a very popular vacation destination for many Australians. (Actually they don't call it vacation here; they call it holiday. "We're on holiday!")

We continued north and soon entered the state of Queensland. (We had previously been in the state of New South Wales.) Even though Queensland is directly north of New South Wales, we had to set our watches back (or as they say here, adjust our timepieces) because while New South Wales observes Daylight Savings Time, Queensland does not. My brother-in-law Tom, who lives in Queensland, informed us that the people of Queensland voted whether or not to have Daylight Savings Time, and they voted against it. The reason they gave, according to Tom, is that it upsets the cows, and it fades the curtains - you know, that extra hour of sunlight in the evening, shining on the curtains. Once in Brisbane, we checked into our hotel, and then walked to St. Stephen Cathedral to attend Mass. This cathedral was quite large, as most cathedrals are, and was probably about 3/4 full - with lots of young people in attendance. There were no pews, just wooden chairs. Each chair had its own kneeler that was attached to the back of the chair in front of it; the kneelers were wooden, no cushions. There was also a small wooden hook on the back of each chair to hang a purse or jacket on. The crucifix in front of the church was very unusual. It only contained a crossbar - no vertical beam - and was hung from the ceiling and so had the appearance of being suspended in mid-air. While the arms of Jesus were attached to the crossbeam, the legs were free, and it almost looked like He was flying. I picked up a brochure that explained the crucifix. Apparently it was an attempt to combine the pain and suffering of the passion of Christ with the glory of the resurrection. The closing song for the Mass was interesting and patriotic, and reflected a spirituality specific to Australia. Here are some of the words: "People of the Ancient Dreamtime, They who found this country first, Ask with those, the later comers, Will our dreams be blessed or cursed? Grant us, Lord, new birth, new living, Hope for which our children thirst. Bless and keep our land Australia: In your will her peace and power." I did some research and learned that the most common Christian denomination in Australia is Catholic, second is Anglican (the Catholics passed up the Anglicans in 1986), and the third most popular Christian denomination in Australia is something called The Uniting Church of Australia. The Uniting Church is comprised of 3 denominations that all merged to form this one church. Those 3 denominations are the Presbyterian church, the Methodist church, and the Congregationalist church.