It's a hot and humid g'day from Airlie Beach, where we are having a few days of relaxation after spending a week or so driving up the east coast of Australia from the city of Brisbane, about 1100km south of here. The decorations are up, festive music abounds, and the regulation advent calendar has been purchased, however applying the after sun to various bits of sun burn and sweating it out in temperatures of 30 celsius does seem slightly novel at this time of year. After flying over from a much more temperate New Zealand, we arrived in Brisbane to the haziness of Queensland's first heat wave of the summer, with temperatures reading a searing 38 degrees. Built around the meandering Brisbane River, we enjoyed the city's weekend hustle and bustle, with plenty of cafes, parks
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