Geo: -26.3891, 153.105Tim's dad Facetimed us at 4.30am, then an hour later and shortly after that again! Needless to say we were asleep and didn't pick up, although the ring tone woke us up! When Tim called him back he reminded his dad that we are ten hours ahead so although it was late afternoon in the UK was actually early morning the next day here! Later, much later, we went to Noosa Heads national park to walk a coastal route which skirted the bays and beaches for a few miles. It was very hot so we stopped for a couple of drink breaks, one in the park itself and one in the town of Noosa which is a tourist hotspot. Tim and I had a Monte Carlo biscuit with our pot of tea (yummy - ... read more

Geo: -26.6925, 152.895Got up to see Maddie and her two friends who had slept over in their swags (very substantial sleeping bags) go off to a Supernova convention in Brisbane, all dressed up as Homestuck characters. It was another early start as they were picked up at 8.30am! Brekkie, then our tour guide (Lynya) started her activity programme which took us inland to the Hinterland/Glass mountain region. Our personal chauffeur (Glen) took us first uphill via windy roads to a quaint little town, Montville where we had a coffee looking out on a spectacular view towards the Sunshine Coast. Visited lots of gift shops, including a dedicated Christmas shop (hardly surprising when we are staying with the biggest lover of everything Christmas!) On the way we saw a bush fire in progress creeping its way up ... read more

Geo: -27.4676, 153.028Checked out of hotel and caught Skybus to the airport (driver thankfully more amicable than the one who dropped us off!) One hour flight to Brisbane; no transfer booked so caught the train to the centre and walked from there to our apartment in Albert Street (10mins) Some trivia about Brisbane centre is that street names are either boys or girls names with the male streets going up/down, the female streets running across. Perfect location and a beautiful apartment with huge balcony and every facility you'd need for a long stay (sadly only staying one night) A much needed washing machine and dryer to freshen up the contents of our suitcases, so against the grain (we are on holiday after all) we put a load in to wash before exploring the city. Walked through ... read more

Geo: -33.8903, 151.277Ditto yesterday morning, but paid for bus to Bondi (15 min journey) Quite windy but sunny with brilliant surf - too wild to swim, but a few surfers out. Very fine, white sandy beach that can accommodate 35,000 according to the local signage - more like 35 on it today! Walked the coastal path to a big sculpture event/modern art event taking place on the cliff top. Bought the requisite Bondi sweatshirt and currently sitting in a free wifi cafe with a coffee writing this, not sure what we'll do tonight.... read more

Geo: -33.844, 151.242Goodbye noisy room, hello tranquil room! Again, a good breakfast followed by the free bus. Another ferry ride, this time to Taronga zoo on a steep hill across the bay. The cable car ride to the main entrance looked appealing but the queue didn't, so we walked to the lower entrance instead. 33 degrees C and quite humid so we were quite hot by the time we reached the red Panda enclosure, the first exhibit. Spent 5 hours at the zoo, and still didn't see everything! Made sure we saw the koalas, wombats, Tasmanian devils, sun bears, kangaroos & wallabies, fennec foxes, fishing cats, binturongs (bear cats) and all the usual stuff like the big cats and monkeys. Unfortunately missed the emus and the platypus remained hidden. Boat back to C Quay and spent ... read more