Australia.... the East Coast!

---

Where do I start?!

We landed in Oz sometime in May! (getting really bad with dates, days and times!) We were met by Adam's cousin Mike which was a lovely surprise! We stayed with Mike and Amanda in West Pymble for a long weekend and they treated us to lots of fab food made with love in Mike's hosting pinny! Also a hot shower and cotton towels which we have missed! Thanks guys!! We visited Bondi and the suburbs of Sydney with Mike and Amanda and a Huntsman spider for company! Not that we realised but once we did, sometime later, Adam screamed like a 5 year old girl (Adam hates spiders!!) to Mike who came to the rescue! Mike did the honourable thing of hitting it away from the car with a newspaper and then stamping on it! (Sorry spider!) We met up with Gary and Lauren and they treated us to a trip to the local pub for a pint and some grub, there we learned a bit more about Aussie rules and Adam was stroked on the face by a man who claimed he was beautiful! (Maybe Aussie beer does get you drunk?!) From there we were taken under the wing of Aunty Sandra and Uncle Dennis in Kings Langley and slept in the most comfortable bed of our trip so far! We spent several days exploring the city, using the train to get there which was remarkably reliable and much better than at home! We went to Taronga Zoo, Manly, pubs in the rocks, Watson's bay, Botanical gardens, Sydney fish market, more pubs at the rocks and despite some heavy rain, had a brilliant time. Sandra and Dennis took us to the Blue mountains and in search of some wild Kangaroo's and then on to the R.S.L club which we loved! Thank you to the Tyler family x (Over and out Secret Squirrel!)

After Sydney we stopped at Port Maquarie where I painted a rock wall and Adam fished, albeit in the worst rain ever! We're English and stubborn so the rain didn't stop us ;-) Here we were introduced to a little thing called Goon! Everything seemed to be going fine, we were having a drink, chatting to fellow travellers while we waited to catch our coach and then bang! It hit us and we found ourselves 10 hours up the East coast being asked to "disembark" the bus in Byron bay! What the hell happened! I miss my cider! We loved Byron and the sunsets and sunrise are beautiful. From the lighthouse at 6am we saw the sun rise and dolphins play in the surf! What a great way to start your day...... shame it was followed by a trip to Ninbin! :-) Google it if you're not familair! We had a surf lesson at Byron and both managed to stand up on the board (Gutted Leanne!) even if it was far from graceful, I was happy!

Since Byron, we've stopped at places such as Surfer's paradise, Brisbane, Noosa, Rainbow beach, Hervey Bay, 1770 and we're now at Airlie beach. We had a great time on the Fraser Island trip which we did a few days ago from Hervey bay. We spent 2 days exploring the island, stopping at Lake McKenzie, Basin Lake , the Campayne pools, Indian Heads and the shipwreck. We managed to haggle a deal on the flight around the island so I took advantage and saw Fraser from a birds eye view! I was so chuffed because I'd had a cooked breakfast, swam in crystal clear water, saw Humpback whales breaching and had a scenic flight over the island and all before 10.30am! Loving it! We had loads of nice food, a hot tub, more sunsets, happy hour and saw a dingo! It's tough this backpacking malarky! :-)

After a shocking 10 hour coach trip and no sleep we arrived at Airlie beach on Monday morning, where we dumped our bags and boarded the Pride of Airlie boat for a trip around the Whitsundays.It was fantastic! We've spent 3 days chilling out on a boat, drinking beer and snorkelling around the coral reef. Brilliant trip and a 2 of us saw a small shark while we were snorkelling! I know some people doubted us because we'd had a beer but the panic in my face must have been a tale tale sign that I was telling the truth!

Our plans now are to continue to head North, to Cairns and then on to Darwin where we hear it's a consistent 30 + degrees.... god help my freckly skin! Adam looks like he's been away for years and my skin is a lighter shade of pale...... eventually! :-)

---

Photos

Byron Bay sunset
I loved it here

Birdseye view of Fraser Island
What a wicked flight!

Our wheels for Oz
We spent more than 48 hours on the Greyhound