On The Home Stretch

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Geo: -28.0023, 153.431

The sad end to our campervan trip and our four and a half month odyssey through South East Asia, New Zealand and Australia was drawing to an end. Our final stop was Surfers Paradise and Brisbane.

After a great time in Byron Bay we headed north towards Surfers Paradise. We were both quite tired so we parked in a small street which had access to the beach south of Surfers. Anna had a sleep while I caught up on some blogs and took a few pictures around the area. We had been told that it wasn't as safe to stay in Surfers, so we parked at the North Burleigh Life Savers Club where I went for a quick walk up to a lookout and then we cooked up the remaining food for dinner.

Struggling for things to do and a diminishing laptop battery, we drove just up the road and hung out at MacDonald's and then headed back afterwards to settle in for an early night, only to be woken up as we were drifting off by some official telling us that we were not allowed to sleep in a caravan and that we had to go to a camp site.

Apparently it's against the law to sleep in a campervan in the Gold Coast and that you must stay in a caravan park. It was late and we didn't want to bother with that so we went over to the other side of the main road in to the residential area. After about 10 minutes of constant cars and noise we again decided to move the car further away. So after a few annoying moments we parked in front of an empty house lot for the night. We woke up feeling pretty sweaty and hot so we decided to go back to the beach for a shower.

We then proceeded to checkout Surfers Paradise which contradicts its name. The Idea of Surfers Paradise being a paradise seems like a distant dream. It reminds me of America for some reason and it is packed with high rise apartments and hotels and the main draw is the beach which is constantly choppy and dangerous with rip tides and strong currents. It is still an interesting place to see but unless you are a big party person and enjoy "Club-crawls", strippers and sitting on a beach the next day, then a couple of hours is probably all you need. We took a quick walk around the main mall and then along the beach briefly where they had a sand sculpting competition happening.

Time was also against us because one of my surprise birthday presents to Anna were tickets to Dreamworld, one of the super theme parks in the Gold Coast. By the time we got there it was nearly 1pm and we had many rollercoasters and rides to enjoy. We started by getting a picture with a Koala which was partly the reason for getting Anna these tickets because I knew she would have the opportunity to finally hold and touch a koala. We were lucky to be able to hold an 18 month old baby koala which was pretty damn cute, and fluffy.

We then circumnavigated the park by starting with the rollercoaster and then softer water rides and then to the bigger stuff like The Saw, The Giant Drop and Motocoaster. Stressful times for me as I am not the biggest fan of rollercoasters and rides. My hands got pretty sweaty and I got pretty nervous, but if my girlfriend and 10 year olds can do it then I have to do it. All the rides were pretty good and a lot of fun, especially once it was over.

Quite exhausted from a busy day, we limped into Brisbane to meet with James and Hayley again and enjoy a nice BBQ. The following day was pretty low key; we had to pack our gear and clean out the van and return it. After an emotional farewell we then drove up to the lookout with James and Hayley to Mount Coot-tha that looks over Brisbane city. It was a great lookout and we all enjoyed a thick shake on top.

And just like that our adventures were drawing to a close but we have new adventures to look forward too. The whole trip has been incredible and the place and things we have both done will be memorable for the rest of our lives and something that we have experienced and shared together is also a special thing.

As sad as it is that these things have to end, it makes you more excited for the next time we hit the road. A HUGE thankyou to Anna for her love and company, every step, place and experience has been possible because of you.

Till next adventure…………..

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