11.5 hours after leaving Byron Bay, and we're in Sydney. The bus journey wasn't so bad - mainly due to my inability to stay awake. The girl next to me, clearly craving conversation, pounced at one of the two stops we made on the way and wanted to chat about life working in hotels and bars. She didn't really pause for breath but when she did, the coffee/pie/redeye bus journey halitosis was unbearable. I went back to sleep mid conversation just to escape it. In Sydney my first objective is to find my hostel which, it transpires, is about a kilometre away. Dragging my case behind me, I made my way through Chinatown to reach the hostel, which is sandwiched in the perfect location between town and the harbour. I checked in and went to my ... read more

My final day in Byron Bay and I thought I'd treat myself to breakfast out. Bored of toast in the hostel, so I wandered into town and around the shops. Bought a pressie or two with a 20 dollar note I had in my pocket but couldn't find anywhere where I wanted to eat - I think I was just in an indecisive mood. I knew I needed to get money out to pay for my hostel in Sydney tomorrow so stopped at a cash point on the way back. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Where's my purse???? Deep breath, look through handbag-with-a-million-pockets again. Nothing. No trace. Heart's thumping - the last time I felt like this I'd lost a similar size/shape little purse aged about 12 on a walk into town to do some shopping for Mum. Then, my ... read more

Today and yesterday have been a real mixed bag of weather. Uninterrupted sunshine leading to hours lazing by our little pool in the hostel, and then glorious sunshine one minute and torrential rain the next, leading to us cowering under our body boards on the beach. Yesterday was the beautiful day - just back to back sun, so hot we spent most of the day in the water. It was hard to believe that today could be any different but different it was - raindrops the size of 50ps pelting us on the beach.... The body boarding was fun - the waves were gentle but it was good fun all the same. Byron is under attack from a million flying ants though at the moment so the sea was like a graveyard for them - made ... read more

I realise that the title of today's blog may have put some of you off. I mean, who wants to hear about The Lighthouse Family, 20 years after they last tortured our ears? The only gig that I've ever been to that I fell asleep in. However do not be put off - there is no subsequent mention of said band throughout this blog...merely references to a lighthouse and to a family... Today started well, with Emma creeping into the dorm at 3.30am after a night out with her mates from London. It started again at 7am when she decided it was time to do her washing, and again at 8am when our alarms finally went off. Today is moving day and we're all off to Byron Bay - Julia, Alan, Emma and I, as well ... read more

Today we were going to check out a theme park. You know, I've said before you can take the girl out of the theme park company but you can't take the company out of the girl? Well here on the Gold Coast you've got a selection of theme parks to tickle your taste buds. From water parks to Warner Bros movie world, you've got something for everyone. Today was meant to be the day I got to try them out. You'll have got the hint from that sentence that all didn't go to plan. Correct. The weather let me down in terms of attendance at the water park(s). Cloudy and windy. Not good. I'd heard Dreamworld looked tired and outdated. Less good. So Warner Bros world it would need to be. Except....$80...each...for the day. The equivalent ... read more

What better way to spend a mid-December day than walking the full length of the beach from Mariners to Surfers, into a headwind but in broad sunshine? Emma's idea and it was brilliant - took us about 40 minutes but the views were beautiful - stunning waves crashing onto the shore as families enjoyed paddling and the seriously keen surfers and kite surfers showed off their talents in the deeper water. Once at Surfers, it all came flooding back - this place is full of high rise apartment and hotel blocks, all with gorgeous views of the ocean, but it's really like Torremolinos, just in Australia. There's a hell of a lot of money kicking about, which might just set it apart from its Costa cousin, but in essence it's a big holiday resort. We kicked ... read more

After categorically the worst night's sleep ever, it's time to move on today to Surfers Paradise. I had to move rooms last night and this room, although the same size, appears to be the dorm from hell (with the exception of one girl, who was quite possibly one of the loveliest people I've met since I started travelling). One girl had the most revolting cold so spent the entire night snorting and snoring. Another thought she was English, on account of her watching so much English television that her accent bore no signs of her German heritage, and believed someone had stolen her swimming costume. The final two arrived at 11.30 and woke the dorm up. The remainder of the night was like a stand up sit down orchestra, with them all running to the loo ... read more

Today is a lovely sunny day in Brisbane. It's like I've never been here before, because the last time I was here, it poured down all day, every day. I barely recognise the place - which is strange, seeing as I remember thinking that I liked Brisbane as a city. Time to go and investigate to see if my memory is failing me or not.... First mission - return beloved Getz (not really - I can say it now that it's got me here to Brisbane OK, but it was a right rattly tin, that despite the presence of a 1.6 engine, tackled hills with the energy of a hungover snail). Brisbane is a finely tuned grid of one way systems, and despite the fact the road I need to get to is all of 4 ... read more

It transpires that one of the girls in my room got the wrong day for her trip to Fraser Island. She woke up (the dorm) at 5.30am and was a day too early for her trip, so is now going to Australia Zoo for the day. So is Anna, another girl in my dorm. And so am I - although I'm the only one with the car, I'm driving one way and then onwards to Brisbane, so the girls will be getting the coach. Still it will be nice to have company on the way round the zoo. I'm really excited to go - last time, it was cagoule weather (and I didn't own one). Today is glorious sunshine - can't wait to see what the zoo looks like when you're not having to scuttle around ... read more

Another day of glorious sunshine - what is this?! Noosa is bathed in sunshine so I took myself off to explore (and yes, I started to remember places I'd seen from behind the windscreen wipers of the car) and to lounge at the beach. I've had to move rooms in my backpackers from my little 3 bed to a 6 bed, girlie room complete with straighteners and hairdryer, and decked top to toe in pink. Even the loo brush is pink. One night here will be enough - time to go to Brisbane tomorrow! I sat on Sunshine beach with my picnic lunch, taking breaks to dive in and out of the sea, with the forceful waves at times knocking me off my feet. Rick, an Aussie claiming to be 50 but realistically nearer to 60 ... read more